According to Billboard magazine, “Marshall Crenshaw is perhaps the epitome of the critically acclaimed, commercially overlooked singer/songwriter.” Some people refer to Crenshaw’s debut recording as one of the most “perfect” pop albums ever recorded. Originally from the Detroit area, Crenshaw was one of those “almost famous” stars whose rise to Top 40-dom was rapid but whose star is still shining brightly for those music fans who have followed his less-than-headline making musical history.

Crenshaw’s biography is far from dull. Early on he performed as John Lennon in the touring theatrical production of “Beatlemania” and he also had an acting gig as Buddy Holly in the film, “La Bamba.” The Buddy Holly / John Lennon connection is no coincidence. Both of those rockers had an influence on Marshall and it definitely shows up in his extremely catchy and instantly likeable songs. A New York Times critic once said the following when asked to define Marshall’s music: “His songs, like Brian Wilson’s, are harmonically sophisticated yet immediately hummbable. They are, like Buddy Holly’s, buoyant and emotionally direct. But they are, like Phil Spector’s, also produced painstakingly, with as many rich layers as mille-feuille. They evoke countless fondly recalled artists of 30 years ago without aping any of them. And at their core, they are hard-charging electric-guitar songs, whose brief solos and fills frequently function as witty, surprising countermelodies.”

That quote was written over ten years ago and one bit has changed a bit — when Marshall appears as a solo act, the “electric” nature of his songs translates easily to acoustic. His latest album, “What’s in the Bag,” is a record that includes a wide variety of styles and temperaments. Crenshaw titled his creation when the recording was done and he was just about to listen to it for the first time. He held up the leather bag containing the mastered tapes and wondered what, really, was in the bag? “It’s supposed to suggest the disc is a cornucopia of moods, sounds, and emotions.” And it truly is. Crenshaw’s original tunes on this album are bittersweet and reflective. His instrumentals display a jazzy and rhythm and blues nuance. His choice of cover songs is extraordinary; his take on Prince’s “Take Me With U” is a highlight. As one critic remarks, “This is remarkable for the way it sounds so seamlessly like the song was always meant to have a rockabilly flavor.”

Crenshaw’s discography includes a “Best of” compilation entitled “This is Easy.” Putting the songs together for this CD was easier than the career that preceded it. It’s a true-to-form album though and reflects all the various genres that Crenshaw so deftly represents, including his role as one of the crown princes of Power Pop. Crenshaw is proud of the diversity of his songs. He says that he’s proud that he had the nerve to record what he wanted to record. He dictated his own path even though it didn’t lead to him becoming a household name. A New Jersey newspaper critic noted that Marshall’s name may be a household name in “hip” households though. One life-long fan has duly noted the following: “This is a guy who has aged as gracefully as is humanly possible in the realm of rock’n’roll.”