Dave Graney 'n' The Coral Snakes - The Soft 'n' Sexy Sound (1995)

Somewhere between this album and its predecessor, Dave Graney became so immersed in his lounge singer persona that he took to wearing pink velvet suits and proclaiming himself (albeit ironically) "King of Pop." He and the Coral Snakes resurfaced in 1995 with a new album that took the music of their previous two outings to the logical next step. The Soft 'n' Sexy Sound was an album that, as the name might suggest, saw Graney stripping away some of his pop and country influences and aiming for a smoother, more "pure" lounge feel.

No one but Graney could do this, but do it he did, and this album became one of his biggest commercial successes. While it lacks the immediacy of You Wanna Be There But You Don't Wanna Travel, this disc contains more than enough good material, including the ironic "I'm Not Afraid to Be Heavy." At times it even seems that Graney had assumed the lounge singer persona to a degree where he is blurring reality and fiction (as on "Rock 'n' Roll is Where I Hide," the tale of a spy who becomes a rock singer as a cover). This is a good album, but by stripping away some of his pop hooks, Graney has produced an album that can't quite live up to the high standards of You Wanna Be There But You Don't Wanna Travel.