Garage Orchestra [Expanded]

On her two mostly acoustic albums for Rhino Records in the late '80s, WHO'S GONNA SAVE THE WORLD and NAKED MOVIE STAR, San Diego's Cindy Lee Berryhill comes across as a female Leonard Cohen with a snotty sense of humor and a Patti Smith bent. After laying low for half a decade, Berryhill returned in 1994 with the stunning GARAGE ORCHESTRA, ditching most of her folk influences in favor of an all-pop sound conveyed by the extremely apt album title.
Berryhill, a longtime Brian Wilson fan, has learned the lessons of her idol well, as she illustrates in the touching "Song For Brian." On such songs as "Gary Handeman" and the daffy multi-part epic "UFO Suite," Berryhill merges the off-kilter, fractured-yet-charming feel of an album like SMILEY SMILE with the full-on rock & roll thump of the Velvet Underground. GARAGE ORCHESTRA is such a refreshing turn that it feels like a debut album.