Tommy Roe - Sheila (1962/2018)

Tommy Roe's 1962 album Sheila is of course anchored by the smash single "Sheila," a fine slice of Buddy Holly worship with a unique sound and an unforgettable hook. The rest of the album varies quite a bit in quality and tone, mixing lightweight pop trifles like "Piddle De Pat" and "Susie Darlin'," sweet ballads like the aching "There Will Be Better Years," thumping rockers like "Heartbeat," "Think About the Good Things," "Look at Me," and a tough-as-nails version of Chuck Berry's "Maybelline." Apart from "Shelia," the best song on the album is a surprisingly soulful take on the Falcons' R&B classic "I Found a Love," which finds Roe ditching any Holly mannerisms and laying his soul on the line. The vocal choruses and occasional cornball production touch can't dilute the power and feeling behind the record, and the whole enterprise sounds very much like the missing link between Buddy Holly and Bobby Fuller.