While normally allergic to blogs, I think this kind review deserves a bit of attention so I decided to post it in its entirety. I'm so happy people are enjoying my album as much as I enjoyed making it for you. Thanks.

Stuart Valentine
Melody's True CD - Valentine
This is the debut solo effort form Stuart Valentine, drummer for Portland's retro-psych rockers The Out Crowd (and formerly of Richmond Fontaine). While I admire the recordings of both those bands, the charming surprise here is how removed Valentine's solo work is. Melody's True is straight-up indie pop, and Valentine has a confident touch with memorable melody lines. Calling on influences from classic sixties bubblegum, the C-86 gang, and any number of nineties sensitive-strummer bands such as Holiday and, yes, even Belle and Sebastian, Valentine has put together a coherent album of quality songcraft. It's impossible not to hum along with such upbeat toe-tappers as opener "Downtown With You," the bouncy "Not Ready," and the guitar chime studded title track. "Overseas" cribs from the Stephin Merrit (Magnetic Fields) book, nailing both the odd syncopation and irresistible short-and-sweet lyricism. And when he turns to ballads, Valentine goes all reflective, a la Yo La Tengo (the poignant "Hills of Tennessee," an anti-war song capturing a quotidian life from boyhood to senseless death). But the best song here is the delicate, wistful "What We're Doing Here," where a young man muses over a relationship adrift, yet clearly bound for no good place. (Michael Meade)