Three alumni of Cleveland's Michael Stanley Band -- namesake and vocalist/rhythm guitarist Michael Stanley, vocalist/lead guitarist/bass guitarist Jonah Koslen, and keyboardist Bob Pelander -- joined with vocalist Jennifer Lee to form a new band called the Ghost Poets. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a one-off project yielding just 1993's self-titled debut album. Guest musicians providing backup include MSB drummer Tommy Dobeck and drummer Kevin Valentine, a veteran of Koslen's post-MSB band Breathless and Donnie Iris the Cruisers, among others. The 13 songs on The Ghost Poets comprise a rare thing: rich, mature rock & roll for adults. The gently haunting Darkness, Darkness is a Youngbloods song from 1969. Stanley and Pelander's tune Liars' Moon is a terrific, sassy rocker given a shot of attitude by Lee and guest vocalist Sasha. Casanova is a charming, rock-flavored cover of the 1987 hit by R&B group and fellow Clevelanders LeVert. Stanley's superb and sarcastically catchy Broken Radio is another one of his bitter, anti-music-biz rock songs. Country-rock on The Ghost Poets is represented by Stanley's Somewhere over Paris and Koslen's excellent I Will Not Be Denied. Stanley and Lee turn Why Should Love Be This Way, an old MSB tune from 1978, into a stripped down duet ballad with essentially just Pelander's piano providing accompaniment, and Koslen shows his gift for writing and singing breezy pop/rock on The Promise. It's a shame that the Ghost Poets didn't continue. ~ Bret Adams, Rovi

1		Darkness Darkness
2		Everything
3		Liars' Moon
4		Oh Jessi
5		Casanova
6		Broken Radio
7		Two Hearts
8		Somewhere Over Paris
9		I Will Not Be Denied
10		Why Should Love Be This Way
11		The Promise
12		Sights On You (Juliet of the Spirit)
13		Since You've Been Gone