Much was made of Tal Bachman’s lineage about the time “She’s So High”, his debut single, hit it big. Tal is the son of Randy Bachman, late of Bachman-Turner Overdrive and the Guess Who. And lest there be any doubt, Tal Bachman’s tunes prove that he’s fully capable of making dad proud.
“She’s So High”, the aforementioned (and somewhat over-played) 1999 single, is just the tip of the iceberg on Bachman’s self-titled freshman set. The closest he came to duplicating that success was with the grungy power ballad “If You Sleep”, which owes some of its exposure to its inclusion on the Dawson’s Creek soundtrack. But perhaps Bachman’s true hidden strength is in his Beatlesque ballads which eschew power chords for strings and other more traditional elements. “Like Nobody Loves Me” and especially “Beside You” are two gorgeous specimens of pure pop music.
Bachman’s harder-edged compositions are a joy to behold as well. “Romanticide” and “Strong Enough” mix catchy hooks with literate lyrics, increasingly a rarity among the younger generation of performers. And 
other numbers such as “You Don’t Know What It’s Like” demonstrate that the junior Bachman has most definitely been listening to harmony-heavy bands such as Queen and ELO.
My only question now is: where’s the follow-up?
- Darker Side Of Blue (3:20)
- She’s So High (3:43)
- If You Sleep (4:45)
- (You Love) Like Nobody Loves Me (3:55)
- Strong Enough (4:18)
- You Don’t Know What It’s Like (3:08)
- I Wonder (4:39)
- Beside You (3:15)
- Romanticide (3:23)
- Looks Like Rain (3:30)
- You’re My Everything (3:16)
- I Am Free (5:24)
Released by: Columbia
Release date: 1999
Total running time: 47:34
