Lydias Cafe

They Say...

Review by Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

Nothing on Lydia's Café is quite as over-the-top as "Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant With My Two Headed Love Child," "Don Henley Must Die," or "Stuffin' Martha's Muffin," which are among the tunes that have been recorded by Skid Roper's former employer, Mojo Nixon. However, Roper does offer an amusing ditty titled "I Was a Teenage Caveman" -- and while this CD isn't in a class with Mojo Nixon's best work, it is an enjoyably quirky roots rock/alternative rock effort. In the late '80s and early '90s, Roper was someone who managed to appeal to both roots rock and alterna-rock audiences. The alternative rock crowd appreciated the eccentricity that he brings to humorous items like "Stop the Earth," "The Emperor's New Clothes," and "Calling All Planets," but the singer's obvious appreciation of country, rockabilly, and early-'60s rock & roll make him relevant to the roots rock scene. "The Riddle," meanwhile, has a strong Irish influence, and Roper puts his own spin on the sort of Celtic rock that bands like the Pogues had been providing. But as much as there is to like about this album, some people don't give Roper's post-Nixon solo efforts enough credit. When this CD came out in 1991, some Nixon fans faulted Roper for not being as outrageous and over-the-top as his former employer. But Roper was his own man, and Lydia's Café was not meant to be a carbon copy of his '80s work with Nixon. All things considered, Lydia's Café is a respectable, decent effort that both roots rock and alternative rock enthusiasts are advised to check out.