The Daily Listen - January 5, 2012. Mark Sultan "Whatever I Want," "Whenever I Want"

The Daily Listen is a brief commentary on my auditory adventures. With music, as with everything, I am claiming no critical superiority, as over the years I've learned that despite stylistic preferences, music must also sit with you at various times (time of day, season, mood, etc.) to gauge its proper impact. In other words, I may not encounter the same listening experience as you, simply because our days are managed differently.

Mark Sultan
"Whatever I Want"
"Whenever I Want"
Released Simultaneously - Fall 2011, In The Red Records
http://www.marksultan.com/

Unlike Justin Bieber, Mark Sultan needs no swagger coach. He is a doo-wop, garage-rock, punk-rock bad mofo that oozes cool with every yip and howl. Come on, when you have the panache to release two albums simultaneously, "Whatever I Want" and "Whenever I Want," that take influence from the Zeros to the Dave Clark 5, and Bobby Fuller 4 to Kiss, you're getting cred points out the wazoo in my book.

Probably best known as BBQ from the much-hyped King Khan and The BBQ Show, Mark Sultan has been around for some time revving up trash can rockers, trademarked always by his enthusiastic holler and bare-bones instrumentation.

"Whatever I Want" and "Whenever I Want" are no different. Both coming in at roughly 39 minutes a piece, the two albums stroll you through a revival of 50s-influenced rock and doo-wop, 60s-pysch meltdowns and 70s-punk nihilism that (for the most part) don't feel worn out. Sultan typically loses steam towards the end of his efforts and these two are no different, but by the time you're ready to jump ship, the album's are starting over.