Imagine if the Beatles had stayed together and none of them died, continuing to pursue the limits of pop music. They, like LambBone (http://www.lambbone.com) on "Wild Man," would probably remain slightly retro with their melodic instincts yet open to incorporating other styles, such as jazz, world music, funk, and even progressive rock.
Such is the fate of LambBone that they (or he, as in John Lamb) cannot be properly defined at a period in music history that requires artists to be strictly placed in a corner. At one point, Lamb is singing a slow piano piece with the same blue-moon reflection of the Counting Crows on "Hero" and then wailing on a "Lawyer" with a kazoo and stingingly funny lyrics. And let's not forget the opening title song with its jumpy island drums, jazzy textures, and extraterrestrial keyboards.
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But it was only 30 or so years ago that artists were encouraged to take courageous leaps of faith that Lamb does here. Inspired by the Beatles' revolutionary late '60s work, not having any creative limitations was considered damn cool, which is why you had Led Zeppelin flirting with folk and blues while dropping heavy metal wherever they went.
Because of his piano playing, Lamb will probably be compared to Billy Joel, early Billy Joel, but certainly not Elton John. While I can't see the masses gravitating towards this stuff, a cult following - maybe he can call them the Chops of Lamb - shouldn't be far behind.
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