THE RECORD (Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge-Guelph,ON) 11/18/04
by Michael Barclay

ROB SZABO

Late Bloomer/Sore Loser
(Basement Bar)

   On his 2003 album A Battery of Tests, longtime area local legend Rob Szabo proved to be so good at down-tempo home recordings that you'd forgive him if he decided to hang up his electric guitar for good.

   Turns out he's not quite ready yet.  On the first of his two new EPs, Late Bloomer, Szabo returns to the power pop of his previous band Plasticene.  This is an artist who continues to improve with age, and maybe doing all these home recordings in his apartment has taught him how to clear away the clutter - the three songs on the aptly named Late Bloomer find Szabo writing better rock songs than he ever has.

   The companion EP, the not-so-aptly titled Sore Loser, is an extension of A Battery of Tests.  It pushes Szabo even further into folk/country pop, which suits his heartbreaking voice to a T.  If this is the kind of material he puts out on a stopgap EP, then who knows what material he's holding back for his next full length?