Following on the heels of its first self-titled CD, which we liked because of the quality of the songwriting and the simplicity of the production, Maple Run Band’s second album, the 10-track Used to Be the Next Big Thing ups its game a notch.
The elements that made its freshman effort successful are here in terms of the songwriting by band leader and vocalist Trevor Crist. Crist knows how to turn a phrase and populate his songs with people who aren’t cardboard statues. His protagonists may not always come out on top, but they do seem to have more to them than some characters in song who aren’t more than words on a page.
