Though Sleeping Star features his highest point with "Emily May (You Make Me Feel So Fine)", Rise Above is the strongest of Epic Soundtracks' dark-night trio of platters. Known mainly for his drumming in the most abrasive of underground acts like Swell Maps and Crime and the City Solution, Epic startled many by revealing himself to be a tender-hearted pop traditionalist whose own tunes were strongly influenced by those of early 70s faves Carole King and Todd Rundgren.