John Hoskinson - Pancho Fantastico
June 12, 2007
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San Bernardino Sun Review
John Hoskinson, a Riverside native who often performs in Rancho Cucamonga, just released his blissful sophomore disc "Pancho Fantastico" (Tallboy)
It picks right up where its finely crafted predecessor "Miscellaneous Heathen" left off.
There's some late period Beatles and Jellyfish influences, plus psychedelic ("Guaranteed") and orchestral ("I Am Not Surprised") touches.
The jaunty, Squeeze-styled "Make It Come True" is a gem. Labelmate Eugene Edwards contributes guitar/backing vocals throughout - notably on the sweeping Roy Orbison-esque "Just Think It Over."
Indie rock guitarist and child actor Robbie Rist (TV's "The Brady Bunch," "Mary Tyler Moore") adds a wicked solo to "She's Changing My Mind."
Immensely enjoyable. Purchase through www.johnhoskinson.com.
- George Paul / The San Bernardino Sun
ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER REVIEWJOHN HOSKINSON
PANCHO FANTASTICO
Tallboy Records
Anyone who laments the relative lack of melody in modern rock should hear the latest release from John Hoskinson. "Pancho Fantastico" is ripe with the appealing sort of songcraft pioneered by the Beatles and championed in more recent times by Crowded House and Fountains of Wayne.
Listening to Hoskinson's 13-song disc is a refreshing and welcome respite from the lifeless and overproduced big budget approach taken nowadays (Gwen Stefani's "The Sweet Escape" immediately comes to mind).
From the relatively hard-charging "She's Changing My Mind" and the psychedelic ballad "Guaranteed" to the intoxicating "Miss Rejection" and the vaudevillian "Creepy," beautiful harmonies, perfectly rendered arrangements and great songwriting add up to a winning formula across "Pancho Fantastico." No sophomore slump here; Hoskinson's second disc easily equals his wonderful 2004 debut "Miscellaneous Heathen."
- Robert Kinsler / The OC Register
John Hoskinson - Miscellaneous Heathen
August 2004
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UNCUT MAGAZINE REVIEWJOHN HOSKINSON
MISCELLANEOUS HEATHEN
KAOPEOTHS
Gorgeous pop craftsmanship from West Coast upstart
Fans of densely melodic, melancholy pop will flip for Los Angeleno
John Hoskinson's solo debut. Though he's been on the periphery of the LA
scene for a decade, Miscellaneous Heathen exceeds all expectations.
Obsessed with romantic themes of all stripes, his songs, built on acoustic
guitar and autumnal piano, revolve around insinuating hooks and a winsome
veneer. The bouncy "I Belong To You", with its falsetto chorus, is the
showpiece; the more existential numbers, like "Going Nowhere", will reel
you back in. The lost link between Rubber Soul and Emitt Rhodes.
- Luke Torn / Uncut Magazine (U.K.)
POP CULTURE PRESS REVIEW
JOHN HOSKINSON "MISCELLANEOUS HEATHEN"
Since getting this album last fall, it's been in heavy
rotation on my iPod, particularly "I Hope I Die Before
You Do," "Waiting for Someone to Call," and "She
Still Plays Around," each of them a polished power pop
gem. Fact is, this is one of my favorite recent
albums; there are simply no weak tracks at all, and it
rarely leaves my CD player or iPod without several
spins. This is intelligent, well written pop music by
a master of the form, with an engaging vocal presence
and sure ear for hooks. The record was produced by
Joe Ongie, and features the equally excellent Eugene
Edwards on guitar (my guess is Hoskinson's main
instrument is piano, although he's a
multi-instrumentalist.) There's certainly echoes of
McCartney and lesser known talents like Jason Falkner
and Chris von Sneidern here, as well as hints of early
Peter Case material, but for a debut album, this is a
complete success. Add to that a really great album
cover, and you can file it right up there with Nils
Lofgren's solo debut album from 1976 or Matthew
Sweet's "Girlfriend" as a classic of the genre.
- Kent H. Benjamin / Pop Culture Press
