As on their first CD, 1994's Hey, What's Your Style?, the Cheeksters are husband and wife Mark Casson and Shannon Hines Casson, plus whoever happens to be in the studio with them (most prominently, producer/drummer/guitarist/sitar player Brent Little). The new album shares its predecessor's strengths—crisp melodic hooks, shimmery guitars, and especially Mark Casson's bright British wail (he comes by it honestly, don't worry)—but is more textured and artfully produced. The influences are obvious (mid-period Beatles, mostly) but unforced. Unlike, say, Noel Gallagher, Casson knows the difference between emulation and highway robbery. His songs have a signature soulfulness that suits his rich tenor; you get the feeling he'd be as comfortable singing "Let's Get It On" as anything off Rubber Soul.

The arrangements are tastefully varied, with horns, banjos, e-bows, and other accouterments coloring in where needed. You could wish (and I do) for a few more doses of the brash pop that highlighted the first album, and maybe a lead vocal from Shannon too, but it's hard to complain about what's here. My personal faves: the moody "Step Into the Light," the folk-pop shimmy of "Hilary Cheesecake," and the jouncy sneer of "Beautiful Lie."

If we're lucky, the Cheeky buggers will show up in town sometime soon. In the meantime, you can get Skating on the Cusp in all the usual places. Cheers.