Baby Teeth: The Simp

Since when did Elton John come back into vogue? Now that the Scissor Sisters are salivating all over him, a younger generation is being exposed to Sir Elton’s shiny ’70s rock. One might see this as the coming of the apocalypse, but not Baby Teeth’s Abraham Levitan.

He embraces crocodile rock, throws in some disco for good measure, douses it all in a vat of bourbon, and lets it simmer in the hot Southern sun. The result is surprisingly palatable.

Levitan’s pitch-perfect impression of Elton John doing Creedence Clearwater Revival on “Taste the Wine” is a boot-stomping delight. Shaking the mud off and slipping on his platform shoes, the maniacal auteur (with bassist Jim “Dallas” Cooper’s pulsating riffs and synthetic strings in tow) dances away his grief on “The Birds Are Crying.”

Ever wonder what would happen if Trent Reznor were a regular at Studio 54? Feast your ears on the grimy lament “Swim Team.” Levitan’s ability to combine morose lyrics with Saturday Night Fever makes Baby Teeth a must-listen.

Levitan is good company to trudge along with down the road of life. “Wolves” is especially poignant - a sort of “My Way” re-envisioned by a Freddie Mercury devotee.

“Misery comes a-calling/You can’t keep the wolves at bay/But it’s a long way till you feel that way everyday,” he croons dejectedly, perhaps drunkenly. He’s a sad sap’s messiah and a new musical hero of mine.

- Melissa Bobbitt
Baby Teeth (Lujo Records)