Search - Tom Savell :: You Just Gotta Love It

Tom Savell, the longtime frontman of the popular Santa Cruz based band Superior Olive, has a unique confession to make: he decided get romantic on his long awaited debut solo album because he wants more women to dig his music. Female fans around the country are already proving the versatile singer, songwriter, guitarist and violinist s title You Just Gotta Love It prophetic, rocking out to Savell's music along with their husbands and boyfriends the same guys who might go crazy over Superior Olive's Zappa, Genesis and Pink Floyd-influenced progressive rock and dance band music. The disc's first single, the bluesy mid-tempo So Deep Within You rose quickly towards the Top 40 on the AC/Hot AC New Music Weekly chart, as determined by the Spins Tracking System. So far, it s been receiving heavy airplay on secondary market stations throughout the Midwest Wisconsin, Iowa and in the region around Savell's original hometown of Cincinnati. The album itself recently went on sale on amazon.com and CDBaby.com and the singer recently received Best Musician in the 2007 Santa Cruz Metro Goldies Awards. I finally had the means and opportunity to branch out and create an album of what I call unconventional love songs, tunes that explore the many different sides of relationships. You Just Gotta Love It also gave me the chance to work with some of my favorite musicians from the area, as well as Aynsley Dunbar, who played drums with Zappa and the original lineup of Journey. Though Superior Olive has always performed its share of covers, Savell is a prolific songwriter who's composed everything from epic rockers to social commentaries and the heartfelt reflection Lately I've Been Thinking after emerging from intensive care one time. On You Just Gotta Love It, the singer takes a completely different approach, creating unique arrangements in a multitude of styles of eight songs from the rock era. Some are ultra-familiar, like Can't Help Falling In Love, which Savell re-imagines with a playful, fast grooving 80s new wave vibe; others like Neil Diamond's beautiful Play Me are well known but rarely if ever covered. The first single So Deep Within You and the opening track Simple Game are more obscure chestnuts from the rich catalog of The Moody Blues, another of Savell's longtime influences; both were composed by band founding member Mike Pinder. You Just Gotta Love It also features a fiery blues-rock version of Jezebel, which was originally recorded by Frankie Laine in 1951; a charming and traditional 50s pop styled slow dance version of Please Love Me Forever, originally recorded by Tommy Edwards and later Bobby Vinton in the 60s; Old Dog Song, a simmering blues rock love song for a canine originated by early 70s British prog-rock band Seventh Wave; and the ballad What Am I Living For, by the late 60s-early 70s jazz-blues influenced British duo Mark-Almond. I chose the album title You Just Gotta Love It, he adds, because every track is a love song in one way or another, but not in any conventional way. They run the gamut of emotions, with some relationships working out well and some like Jezebel going sour. When I started on the project, I had intended to include a few originals I had written, but then the concept of doing an all covers album started making more sense. It s great that it s getting out there and people are enjoying it so much. I also like the fact that different people are gravitating to different songs. There's something for everyone. And if the incredible music should fail to charm any given female out there, Savell always has the adorable album cover featuring a ten year old version of himself in cap and uniform, holding a bat and ready to swing. When women see the CD, they tend to say, how adorable, is that you? You Just Gotta Love It!