Joe Giddings’ Stories with Guitars Brings Back Classic Power Pop
Back in 2020, Joe Giddings gave us Better From Here, one of the most radio friendly albums of that year. Five years on, Joe is back with the equally uplifting Stories With Guitars.
Power Pop References Abound
While the references are all over the map from glam to 70’s pop rock, the driving guitars, hooky choruses and intelligent songwriting is a constant throughout. Tapping into power pop royalty, “Tonight, Tonight”, has an arena style Cheap Trick or Raspberries buoyancy. Not your ordinary ode to a guitar, “My Riviera” takes us through Gidding’s rock “n’ roll journey as stylistic references abound.
Speaking of references, “A.I. Lover” is a joyous romp through technology, cleverly using sounds from old video games and buzzing internet connections to make the song even more relatable than it would have been. Then there’s the straight ahead, jangly power pop that is “Then Came Madeline”, the timeless story a woman rescuing a guy from life’s salvage yard. It’s as catchy as anything you’ve likely heard in 2025.
A Power Pop Mea Culpa
Other winners include the mea culpa entitled “David Stepansy”, the glam-age harmonies of “My Friend J.D. Adrenaline”, the percussive brilliance of “Bite My Lip” and the slower, semi-acoustic “You Are a Star”. That said, Gidding’s guitars steal the show, reestablishing the higher standards of yesteryear for guitar driven pop.
Fans of Queen, Cheap Trick, The Sweet, The Beatles and great, guitar-centric power pop will immediately love this “record”. I know I do. It may be early, but I think you can expect Joe Gidding’s Stories With Guitars to end up on many end of 2025 “best of power pop” lists.
Get Joe Gidding’s Stories With Guitars
If you’re a fanatic about the monster hooks, harmonies and unforgettable guitars that gave power pop bands their 15 minutes of fame, you don’t want to miss this one. Get Joe Gidding’s latest at Kool Kat Musik.
Where can I buy this???
Hi David – I’ve provided links to two places you can purchase it, Kool Kat Musik (the link is at the end of the review) or at Joe Gidding’s Bandcamp page ( see the player below the Kool Kat link). Thanks so much for stopping by and for the question. Enjoy the album. It’s awesome imo.
Ordered! Thank you.