"Sweet dreams, fake '70s band"

Remember the 1970's group Platinum Weird, whose long-lost effort "Make Believe" fell to shambles when band member Erin Grace disappeared without warning, leaving member Dave Stewart to scrape together and release the unfinished material with Grace a painful 32 years later?

Neither do we.

It's a great story, but none of the band's history above is true. Platinum Weird's bio is a lie invented by Stewart and planted on the Internet in order to rouse publicity for the band's forthcoming self-titled album. But they may need more than that.

The group is actually comprised of Stewart and singer/songwriter Kara Dioguardi, a collaboration that echoes the guitarist's fondness for working with talented female vocalists (The Eurhythmics).

"Make Believe" is not to be compared with Stewart's work with Lennox. Platinum Weird unwisely chooses subject matter that has been kicked around for decades by those in the music business, such as love, lost love, painful love and most of all, happy love.

Yet, they decide to approach this hackneyed material with an unashamed zest, leaving a lot of room for the mind to wander as each song trips over itself. The horrendously clich?(c)d track, "Goodbye My Love" is a perfect example of Stewart's clumsy attempts to snatch his share of recognition.

He tries to emulate a '70s rock appeal in the vein of Fleetwood Mac, but the product is so flimsy and sweet-sounding ("Lonely Eyes," "Love Can Kill the Blues") that it will never attain appreciation from hardcore classic rock fans.

The lyrics are hopelessly tangled in nonsensical pop hooks to garner a deep emotional resonance: "When the rain comes tumbling/ Tumblin down/ Will ya be around will ya be around/ And when the pain starts comin/ Comin out/ Will ya be around will ya be around?" sings Stewart.

Dioguardi's ethereal voice is momentarily redeeming. It mirrors Tori Amos' honey-drenched tonality, soaring above and weaving through Stewart's soft guitar, which never slips and tramples over her.

It's clear that if they abandon their affinity for far-flung idealism and broaden their scope, their future endeavors will yield more remarkable possibilities.