The Beach Boys: That’s Why God Made The Radio

Hot on the heels of the legendary pop band’s 50th anniversary tour comes this collection of genial songs about cars, rock, radio, the beach, and reconciliation. That latter theme permeates the album and reflects the recent truce between Brian Wilson and Mike Love, reuniting with the rest of the surviving Beach Boys for the first time since the dreadful Stars & Stripes, Vol. I. of 1996. That’s Why also is unabashedly retro—there’s no effort to modernize the band’s sound. So snatches of doo-wop and 60s-era pop, even a splash of Phil Spector-style production and tropical rhythms, crop up over and again, though the second side replaces straight-ahead road-ready pop for reflective ballads. Still, comparisons to past glories are inevitable since the trademark Beach Boys harmonies are ubiquitous. Brian Wilson had a hand in most of the songwriting, though Love wrote or co-wrote four of the 12 tracks. Bon Jovi helped ink the album’s strong, dreamy closer “Summer’s Gone.” Overall, Beach Boy fans won’t be disappointed. Sonically, the album has punchy bass and the drums often are out front, providing a solid foundation for those heavenly vocal harmonies.