Are You Feeling Anything Yet? (2002)

POP MATTERS
Buzzie, Are You Feeling Anything Yet? (Big Digi)
Are You Feeling Anything Yet? is the title of the former Blue Cartoon frontman's solo album, and you'd have to be six feet under to remain unmoved by this collection of catchy-as-hell pop rock. Hooks, melodies and yet more melodies burst out of these songs like rapid fire from an automatic weapon, beginning with "She's Gone", a quite brilliant song McElhenny wrote for Blue Cartoon that sounds better given the Buzzie treatment. Songs like "Beautiful Beautiful", "My Little World of Love" and "I'm Inside You" are like manna from heaven for fans of Elvis Costello, The Loveless or other such power pop aficionados. Nearly every song is a bright, exuberant exponent of how music of this genre should be written, performed and produced, with tunes like the wonderfully upbeat "A Place to Go" a particularly good example. The acoustic, understated "Angela" slows things down and "The Same Thing" proves that often the simplest pop melodies work the best. Musically, Buzzie have all the depth of a thin and crispy pizza, but the band never try to be a Radiohead or Ryan Adams equivalent. Instead, with a pop songwriter as talented as McElhenny at the helm, they wisely stick to their strengths and the result is an album of sheer pop bliss.
      — Andrew Ellis 2/6/2003 // Pop Matters / www.popmatters.com

NOT LAME RECORDINGS
A winner on all fronts from this ex-lead singer of Blue Cartoon, who left the band(amicably) to pursue is his own music and we are all the better for it, judging from the multi-displayed charms spread out all over this debut! Naturally fans of his previous band will not want to miss out, but here the stunning singing from John McElhenney is this CD's strongest suit and, you know, we can't say that too often with pop music, quite honestly. First class all the way. There's plenty of roots-jangle exuberance to please the most casual pop fan, but it's a spirit in the songs' performances that really make this one so special for all.
Extremely Highly Recommended -- NLR

FUFKIN
Rootsy power pop that illustrates what a difference a vocalist makes. Buzzie is basically John McElhenney, the former lead vocalist of Blue Cartoon. And McElhenney has a splendid voice, which effortlessly hits all the right notes. More importantly, he conveys so much emotion, which is vital, since his lyrics are extremely plainspoken (you would never call this cat pretentious). Love songs are just so much more effective when the singer sounds like he's in love (or just had his heart broken). 20/20's Ron Flynt produces and other Austin, Texas notables contribute, including Wit Williams of Cotton Mather.

The songs jangle away effectively. McElhenney wisely leads with his best known Blue Cartoon track, "She's Gone", one of those classic longing pop tunes with an indelible hook that will be showing up (in both the Blue Cartoon and Buzzie versions) on compilations for years to come. A few tracks come near that extremely high standard. I really like the moody "99 Days" – this is so simple, McElhenney letting his voice carry the melody with minimal guitar, drums and organ providing just enough support. "The Same Thing" has a great hook, finding an urgent melody that is not only catchy but get across the feelings of the lyrics. There are some fine happy love songs – "I'm Inside You" is a soaring jangle rocker and "Beautiful Beautiful" is more playful and soulful – this is one of the few numbers where the low key playing may have been misguided, as it might sound better if it were played with a bit more vigor. Not as smooth as McElhenney's former band, but John still shows his love for easy going songs that are relaxing and engaging. -- M. Bennett / Fufkin.com

Are You Feeling Anything Yet? Reviewed in Japanese.

Music Austin
Formerly with Blue Cartoon, John McElhenney formed Buzzie in the fall of 1999 to explore what he calls "the deeper side of pop."

John McElhenney is the guitarist, singer/songwriter at the front of Buzzie, a rock/pop band with an emphasis on the rock side of things. After three years as the vocalist and songwriter for Blue Cartoon, Are You Feeling Anything Yet? is John's debut solo album. The band members that make up the rest of Buzzie are Cotton Mather's Dana Myzer (drums) and Whit Williams (lead guitar) along with a host of guest players including Michael Ramos, Ron Flynt, Scrappy Jud Newcomb, and Mark Hallman. Buzzie's first release strikes into alt/pop/rock territory with sharp-edged guitar licks wrapped around warm vocals and timeless lyrics MA

KoolKatMusic
Every nook and cranny is jam-packed with great, melodic, jangly guitar-driven numbers, tasty Hammond organ bits, heartfelt vocals + great playing! Catchy as heck! You bet we’re feeling it! -- KoolKatMuzik

The Original Sin (Germany)
It looks like a punkrecord but once it’s in the player, you are going to hear some splendid powerpop in the tradition of Elvis Costello at the time he was at Stiff Records. The base of Buzzie is John McElhenney who after having played in Blue Cartoon formed Buzzie. The stuff that’s been made has been succesfull so far (they have 7000 downloads per month) and that must have something to do with the popfactor that is around in Buzzie’s music.... Despite the fact that Buzzie are an American band they definitely have a British Sound and with that in mind, they certainly can make it bigger.... (www.buzzie.com)
Review Dieder Becu

UNITED STATES: 1-800-BUY-MY-CD (800-448-6369)

EUROPE: 01-124-7477900

Diablo del Soul (2000)

• Former frontman for Austin based pop-rockers Blue Cartoon, John McElhenney, has been threatening to release a full length solo studio album for some time now. That release, titled 'Are You Feeling Anything Yet', is still in the works, so for now, this collection of acoustic demos, outakes and re-workings, has been released via MP3.com to whet the appetite.

Despite the rough and ready recording environment (John's bedroom), 'Diablo Del Soul' is captivating not only because of the chance to hear the songs take shape acoustically., but also because the majority of the songs reveal McElhenney's knack for writing true pop gems.

Opener 'My Little World Of Love' shows what the term 'unplugged' REALLY means - if a busker was strumming these original songs outside Grand Central Station, his guitar case would be stuffed full of dollar bills in a matter of minutes - and gives a tantalising glimpse of how the full band version would sound.

'Beautiful, Beautiful' is next up and built around a sunny vibe and great hook, it shows how some of the most effective songs are the simplest, as McElhenney sings "It's a beautiful beautiful beautiful world/I’m the happiest boy and she’s the happiest girl".
However, as Elvis Costello fans know, pop music isn’t always inspired by happiness, and 'I Want To Know You', a song of real poignancy and pleading becomes even more stark and effective in the predominantly acoustic environment of the album. 'The Same Thing' continues the slightly dark theme in McElhenney's songwriting which reaches its plateau on 'She’s Gone', a truly heartfelt song with a gorgeous melody that stands out as the best song on this collection. Other highlights include the memorable 'A Place To Go', and the marvellous ballad, 'I Was Wrong',  as well as the two instrumentals/unfinished demos that round things off.

In truth, 'Diablo Del Soul' is not an album, but more of an eclectic collection of intimate acoustic demos that is raw, honest and above all else, throughly enjoyable. Hopefully, the forthcoming studio album will follow suit.

— Andrew Ellis 2/6/2003 // Pop Matters / www.popmatters.com

A good song should also work reduced to the necessary. The songs on Nirvanas unplugged album are a good example for that. The same can be said about the tracks on "Diablo del Soul" by Buzzie, a band from Texas. Whereby it must be stated that musically both bands don't have much in common. And that "Diablo del Soul" is not hundred percent a unplugged album, sometimes its just the fresh feeling the songs reveal. John McElhenney (formerly Blue Cartoon), the man behind Buzzie, writes Pop Songs with America and Folk influences. Notable beside the great singing harmones is the mellon collie feel that some of the songs get when reduced to the necessary. Songs like "You’ve got that Way", "She’s gone", "I want to know you" oder "The same Thing" show a sad longing. That's also a part of what makes them attractive. On the other side show merry sounding Songs like "My little world OF Love" or "Beautiful beautiful" how simply McElhenney writes fine Popsongs. Only the last two tracks should John have left of the album. "Taking my guitar to bed" und "I love you so much I can’t even draw it" sound pretty uninspired. -- Robert Pally

Above review in German (for our international fans)
Reduziert auf das Nötigste offenbaren die meisten Songs ihre wahres Potential. Nirvanas Unplugged-Album ist ein gutes Beispiel dafür, aber auch Diablo del Soul von den texanischen Buzzie. Wobei angeführt werden muss, dass beide Bands musikalisch nicht viel gemeinsam haben, und das Diablo del Soul nicht hundertprozentig unplugged ist. John McElhenney (ehemals Blue Cartoon), der hinter Buzzie steckt, schreibt Pop-Songs mit Americana- und Folk-Einflüssen. Was auf Diablo del Soul neben Johns harmonischer Stimme auffällt, ist die melancholische Note, welche einige der Songs reduziert erhalten. Lieder wie "You’ve got that Way", "She’s gone", "I want to know you" oder "The same Thing" strahlen eine traurige Sehnsucht aus. Das macht auch einen Teil ihres Reizes aus. Dem gegenüber stehen fröhliche Songs wie "My little world of Love" oder "Beautiful beautiful", die zeigen, wie einfach McElhenney feine Popsongs schreibt. Einzig die letzten zwei Tracks, die Instrumentals "Taking my guitar to bed" und "I love you so much I can’t even draw it", hätte er sich sparen können. Beide wirken eigentlich uninspiriert. -- Robert Pally

• LIVE at IPO 2001 (Review)
Next up was John McElhenney's Buzzie, with Robbie Rist and Kerry Chicone taking on temporary Buzzie membership. John used to be in Blue Cartoon, for whom he wrote the modern pop classic "She's Gone" (which he closed his set with -- can never go wrong with it). If you like that one, then John's got a bag full of similarly classically styled pop songs that stamp Buzzie as a Texas alternative to folks like Marshall Crenshaw, Parthenon Huxley, etc. Y'know -- memorable guitar lines, great vocals, easy going hooks. Went down like a summer breeze. -- Michael Bennett

• LIVE at IPO 2000 (Review)
When I went on the 30th of july to El Rey Theater in L.A.it was mainly because of the Cowsills and The Waking Hours. I owed their CDs and Records and liked their music. I knew Kyle Vincent and Kara's Flowers but both didn't do much to me. I also had heard of Kenny Howes but never heard his music. And I had never heard of the other Bands Kerosene and Buzzie. But I liked that because I love to discover new bands. I even had started a little game. I made in the IPO Programm & Guide a cross beside every band I liked. Later, I wanted to buy their CDs.

When Buzzie went on stage at around 7:30 PM I was a bit surprised because their leader John Mcelhenney was backed by 4 members of the Masticators (Lisa Mychols, Severo, Robbie Rist and Patrick McGrath). I was also surprised how good Buzzie was. When you see a band the first time live and you didn't know their songs before, it is always a bit harder to like them. There are songs that take longer till you like them.

Some songs have to grow on you. Not the ones from Buzzie. They grabbed me from the beginnig. During their concert I looked in Program Guide and read that John Mcelhenney had played in Blue Cartoon before. I saw them a couple of days ago for the first time and liked them too. Both bands have the same strong songwriting.

And at the end of gig from Buzzie a made cross beside their name! -- Robert Pally

Downtown Shangri-La (1999) / Not Lame Recordings Review
BLUE CARTOON - Downtown Shangrila - BC's self titled debut is one of Not Lame's DIY best seller since it's 1997 release. The followup, simply, is even better. You name it, it's all be improved (not that a lot needed it, either): song quality and arrangements, singing, production and band commitment to what it does. And what it does is display a ringing assualt of open chorded and harmoniously layered pure pop. Haunting 12 string grounding are smart, smooth and jangle proudly with no concern with doing anything except giving their listeners pleasure. Like Not Lame is a label for pop fans, Blue Cartoon releases CD's for pop fans. Think Smithereens, Bill Lloyd, a more rootsy Gin Blossoms. - NLR

Downtown Shangri-La
8.5 (out of 19)

From the ringing opening track of "Inside You," I felt bathed in a sea of warm water. Not groggy, but just dreamy in that pleasant, eyes-half-closed way. You know the songbook. It's The Beatles and Byrds here. All over this, and not once does this band slip up or disrespect its great pop influences.
Of note here is that there are several writers in this band. I commend this, especially because of the overall strength of the material. It's a nice change to see a real band, as opposed to one or two person's individual visions. They all appear to be on the same page, and that is rare.
A great track is "Nothing New". Kind of reminded me of a good Smithereens song. "The Last Time I Saw Marlene" is a great tearjerker, and really beautiful. If this song is about a real person, wherever she is, she has heard it, and she cried. "Indigone" is a nice play on words. No bad songs really.
Bottom line: great record. Sounds just great. Great electric 12 string sounds. Another example of the great music coming out of Austin. Let's hope that someday Blue Cartoon can have the success that Fastball did. David Fufkin // PopMatters Music Critic

Blue Cartoon (1998) / Not Lame Recordings Review
Blue Cartoon - Blue Cartoon - Produced by 20/20 man Ron Flynt, this band also appears on the Criminally Unsigned compilation featured on this web site! Blue Cartoon play sweet, 12-stringed pop that chimes and radiates a sunny afternoon feeling into your head. Breezing along with quiet grace and a battery of hooks and gorgeous vocals, the band will please across the board for most pop fans. Heartfelt and expressively pure through and through, this is utterly enjoyable power pop that shows eminently good taste by covering bill Lloyd's "Trampoline" in the midst of the 14 lovable songs. And good as this is, it gets better with each successive listen. - NLR

David Bash for Amplifier Magazine
If the words 'elegant,' 'mature' and 'graceful could be applied to any pop band, that band would be Blue Cartoon. This wonderful four-piece combo from Austin, Texas will take you on a 15-song journey with their self-titled debut that eloquently presents the roots rock idiom in combination with a warm and engaging melodic style... not to mention John McElhenney's friendly voice is one that is impossible to tire of. If the gods of AAA or college radio are listening this, please make sure Blue Cartoon gets plenty of airplay. Both the band and the album deserve their due.

Popsided Review
It's a damn fine patchwork quilt of pop 'n' like roots rock, with many, many tempting melodies to choose from. The Cartoonists benefit from three equally proficient songwriters, Lee Elliott, Jeff Tracy and John McElhenney (who also handles the pleasantly dry, dusky vocals), whose songs somehow flow seamlessly into each other. - J.M. Borack

Criminally Unsigned (1997) / Not Lame Recordings Review
Criminally Unsigned (A pure pop/power pop compilation) - Put together by Marty Rudnick and friends from the Audities newsgroup, this CD represents a refreshing development that should be supported by all of you out there in HookLand...that is a fan-based, entreprenuerial project designed to please fans of this stuff first and foremost, BUT which ends up being so much more. Additionally, this comp fills up a MUCH needed void in many of hte compilations that have come out the past few years...that is this represents the softer side of the power pop idiom. That is, the sounds that were fashioned by Beach Boys, Rubinoos, Raspberries, The Association are explored here. Actually, the Rubinoos appear on this CD as Vox Pop and remind us clearly of their glory! And then they appear again with Kyle Vincent on the "Audities Theme Song." After that, it's doubtful you'll know too many of the names, but that matters not as the spirit, talent and love for crafting pop shines bright in this multivaried display of excitement and literate approximation of each artists' respective idol worship. What a great thing. A small listing of some of the artists: The Rubinoos/Vox Pop, Kyle Vincent, Mind Reels, Blue Cartoon, Marc Becino (who has a great new album coming out in March), Bigwheel, Dan Franke, Robert Berry, Mersey Beach, tHe mEsOmEoNeS and sundry display of other folk! Production values vary on a few trax, but it doesn't hurt things one bit. This Pop By Pop Fans For Pop Fans and has all the guts and contains all the glory that should be supported and lifted up by all of us! A Unique and Wonderful compilation...This is, also, a limited pressing so order soon!! Plus, the price can't be beat....special to Not Lame. -NLR

Goldmine Magazine Reivew
Criminally Unsigned CD. - From Texas comes probably the best sounding band, Blue Cartoon. Both tracks are taken from their full-length CD and 'Look Who's Lonely' has a definite Elvis Costello feel to it.

International Pop Overthrow (1998)

Hit The Hay (1999)/Not Lame Recordings Review
HIT THE HAY - Volume 3 - Brand new volume from Sweden(HTH#2 still available) featuring a eclectic line-up that bridges the classic pop world with the more rootsy, alternative country crowd beautifully. 23 songs, including songs from Blue Cartoon, Marc Bacino, Robbie Fulks, Spanic Boys, Ben Vaughn, Rayon City Quartet, The Minus 5, The Skeletons, Terry Anderson, The Incredible Casuals, Michael Shelley and many, many others! Swedish Import.- NLR