A Digest of Music

By Theodore Andrews

Band: RJ Kozak/Various
Album: Listen, Laugh, Love
Genre: Pop/Blues/Jazz/Electronic
RIYL: Tommy James and the Shondells

The interest of listening to a compilation album is the experience of hearing an artist’s growth over time.

Listen, Laugh, Love is an eclectic compilation CD encompassing various musical styles with original tracks from multiple West Michigan artists. Kozak, a native Grand Rapids drummer whose local bands are featured on the CD, put it together.

This album contains music that derives from past decades; it’s a mixture of kitschy love songs, R&B/Blues jams that are heavy on drums and organ, and even excursions into combo jazz and electronic music.

There are, however, three tracks that stand out from the rest: “Mystic,” “Yikes,” and “Hey Razz;” all performed by the Space K’s. They’re light jazz instrumentals that contain excellent examples of drumming with gorgeous jazz guitar. The last track is an electronic piece that can best be described as experimental/light pop, or soundtrack to an Asian cartoon from the ‘80s.

In whole, the album sounds like it was made for late-night listening on public radio, elevators, or late ‘70s AM radio.