Additional personnel: Sarah Field (vocals); Chris Shaw (piano, glockenspiel).

Given the rash of cookie-cutter pop/punk/emo groups in the early 2000's, Ted Leo's impressive songwriting, literate lyrics, and credibly passionate punk come as a very welcome relief. In fact, likening Leo to an amped-up Elvis Costello is not a stretch--he makes smartly constructed, emotionally honest songs, yet delivers them with an exciting, guitar-heavy, in-your-face attack. SHAKE THE SHEETS is further proof of Leo's skills, and includes one of his best batches of songs to date. The lead-off cut, "Me and Mia," which marries pop smarts to anthemic rock, and the hooky, New Wave-inflected "Little Dawn" are only two shining examples of Leo's craft.

Leo and the Pharmacists are especially appealing in their bundle of delicious contradictions. While they often play with the muscle of a hardcore outfit, they radiate the unadulterated sunshine of power pop. They mix furious abandon with change-up subtlety ("The Angel's Share"), emo confessionalism with melodies that dwarf most emo songs ("Heart Problems"), and use occasionally progressive structures (note the rhythmic stutter of the verses to "Better Dead Than Lead") while keeping everything firmly within a traditional rock vocabulary. SHAKE THE SHEETS should confirm the notion that Leo is one of the most consistently powerful songwriters and performers in the rock underground.