Russell Crawford is the man floating aimlessly on a sweet potato with a heart full of classic pop! Read on! Russell Crawford started out playing drums while still at school and in the last few years has been recruited to sit on the stool for some high profile names such as Josh Pyke, Perry Keyes, Richard Clapton, Mark Seymour and last but not least, Australian pop/rock legends “Cotton, Keays, Morris” (Darryl Cotton from Zoot, Jim Keays from Masters Apprentice and Russell Morris). But let’s backtrack, Russell released his first EP “Hearing All That’s Heard” in late 2006 which received extensive radio airplay both in Australia and overseas. Influential USA label & music retailer Notlame remarked “Crawford has a gifted voice and a confident knack for writing dexterous pop songs. A breath of fresh air." Russell spent the next year promoting and touring the EP in solo mode but things came to an abrupt halt when “bad luck” struck and Russell fell victim to a crippling neck injury which put him flat on his back for six months. 2008 saw Russell healthy and ready to take on the live music scene again. He wrote a bunch of new songs and recruited members for his live band “Russell Crawford & the Stickmen”. Russell’s appetite for pop music saw him drafted in to become hired gun session player for Josh Pyke (fulfilling bass, drums, guitar and piano duties on various tours and festivals). During this period he worked night & day to complete this debut album “Floating Aimlessly” which was recorded mostly in his home studio, with some finishing touches and mixing by Michael Carpenter at Love Hz Studios. “Floating Aimlessly” leaps into the listeners lap with the bouncy, biting, piano driven opening lament “Overachiever.” The kind of music that you would hear if “Ben Folds” jammed with “Niel Finn” with “Elvis Costello” chaperoning proceedings. Hot on its heels comes “Bad Luck” which sees Russell reminiscing about primary school days when luck was definitely not on his side! What pop album would be complete without a pair of odes to the ladies in our life. Russell gives a loud shout out to “Lisa” and tells her to wise up, wake up & get off the merry-go-round! and he also apologizes to “Melody” in the aptly titled harmony laden track. As Russell is “sucking up” he implores her to hurry up & turn back up or at least meet him halfway in the game of who was wrong & who was right! You have to love a man who is not afraid to show his sexy sensitive side and Russell proudly wears his “SNAG” stripes up & down both shirt sleeves on songs such as “If You Ask Me”, “Don’t Be Upset” and “My Love”. Watch out fellers, keep an eye on your ladies as they are soon to be swooning in Mr. Crawford’s direction! The albums cornerstone & masterpiece is the epic “Nigel”. This is the “anthem” for the picked on, left out or teased in any way. All proud parents to be, should be given a copy of this song in pre-natal classes to make them think twice about some of the silly & thoughtless kids names they may be considering branding their unborn bubs with! On the run home Russell channels the spirit of “Little Richard” in the toe tapping, hip shaking, piano thumping 60’s pop doo wop “Shake It”; belts out his best late 70’s skinny tie power popping “Cheap Trick” inspired “Leave It All Behind” and finishes things off with a big revealing nod to his musical influences by covering Andrew Gold’s “Thank You For Being A Friend”. Russell Crawford has lovingly crafted a timeless pop album which may not be made for these times. For the moment he may be floating aimlessly on a sweet potato but Russell Crawford clearly has his sites set on taking the pop world by storm.