The New Cars It's Alive

2006, What stands out more when listening to this revival of the Cars and their cherished, iconic repertoire?
The absence of the band's founding mastermind, chief vocalist/songwriter Ric Ocasek? Or the presence of
Todd Rundgren, a semi-deified pop legend, as his replacement? It's Todd, by a landslide. Staunch Ocasek
loyalists may argue that It's Alive--consisting of 15 live tracks (12 of them vintage Cars tunes) and
three new studio cuts--is a disservice to the Boston band's legacy, but that looms as a minority
viewpoint. Culled from three performances on a Southern California soundstage, the album unites two
original band members (Elliot Easton on guitar and Greg Hawkes on keys--who, unlike Ocasek and original
drummer David Robinson, still yearn to perform the group's music live) with Rundgren, bassist Kasim
Sulton (who worked harmonic magic with Rundgren in Utopia) and drummer Prairie Prince (the Tubes).
The result is an energetic paean to the Cars' power-pop heritage, capturing the band's classic feel-good
vibe with all cynical subtexts intact. Rundgren, no stranger to creating mirror-like tributes to other
artists' works (see 1976's Faithful), oversees almost note-for-note replications of Cars standards while
slipping a little manic bite into selected lyrics ("You're All I've Got Tonight," "Bye Bye Love").
Two older Todd compositions--"Open My Eyes" (from his Nazz days) and "I Saw the Light"--make the cut,
and amusingly it's the latter song, not a Cars track, on which he makes a brief lyrical flub. Rundgren
is an inspired choice to fill Ocasek's role of wry lyrical observer, particularly with Sulton aboard
as his heaven-sent harmonic foil. (The latter admirably handles lead vocals on "Drive," late bassist
Benjamin Orr's signature song.) This disc's crucial new material--two thoughtful, midtempo, harmony-rich
pieces and "Not Tonight," a witty, upbeat spin on 28-hour workdays--suggests the New Cars could be a
worthy vehicle for Rundgren's polished pop instincts should the group stick together beyond summer
touring. That may lead fans to start echoing the sentiment of this disc's closing track: "I want more.