Tuesday, Jul. 11, 2006 | 12:14 AM

Hi diaryland. Long time no see. You've lost weight. Your hair is fabulous. Me? I got married, quit drinking, and quit my job to become a full time musician. My band's record just came out and is doing really well. You can buy it here or here, or at any Newbury Comics in Boston.. Here's some reviews:

It's rare to hear a debut album that sounds as fully-realized as the the Silver Lining 's note-perfect, Tony Goddess-produced Well Dressed Blues, which already already has folks describing them as the US's answer to Magic Numbers. Fronted by co-singing husband-and-wife team of Anna Price and Matt Rhodes, the group nails joyous '60s pop like no one we've heard in years.

--The Boston Phoenix

Well Dressed Blues, the Silver Linings self-released full-length debut... is quite simply, unlike anything youre likely to hear from a Boston band this year, or have likely heard from a contemporary band in a very long time. Expertly produced and engineered by Papas Fritas/Rudds member Tony Goddess, Blues is front-loaded with brightly gilded boy-girl harmonies that, yes, hark back to the Airplane, the Mamas and the Papas, and the Association. The groups transistor-radio pop also carries a dash of the Turtles and the Something Else era Kinks... Whats remarkable about Well Dressed Blues is how fresh it all sounds as an antidote to the troubled, politically divisive times were living in. The album works as both a balm and an escape.

--Jonathan Perry, Stuff at Night

The Silver Lining recall those Saturday afternoons driving around in your parents slant-6 Dodge Dart with that glowing A.M.-radio pop kicking out of the single front speaker. Matt Rhodes tasteful guitar panache and Brill-bent songwriting prowess, along with Anna Prices harmonies and full-on wails, will propel their forthcoming debut Well Dressed Blues, produced by Tony Goddess (Rudds, ex-Papas Fritas), to local if not national breakout status.

--Selene Angier, The Boston Metro

Gorgeously danceable retro pop.

--Sarah Tomlinson, The Boston Globe

The sassy and sexy Well Dressed Blues is not the simplistic sounds of a group of kids in recently purchased bellbottoms playing with vintage gear. The record is exquisitely put together, a retro-pop gem turned into audio gold by the divine hand of the Rudds' bassist-gone-producer Tony Goddess. Well Dressed Blues is more of an appreciation and approximation of the songwriting spirit of the middle ages of rock, a time when shaggy-haired masterminds created wood-paneled goodness that would emanate from golden-grilled speakers.

--CD Di Guardia, NE Performer

The cuddly lady and long haired lad may bring pop stars The Magic Numbers to mind, but this American act sound far more like the Cali-influences the Numbers purport to have. This demo was recorded in a big studio and the production is pretty nice although indebted to everyone from The Association through to Alice Cooper theres enough of the modern age about this cool harmony rock band to break through. For cats like us though, the songcraft and arrangements of the late 60s are very much in evidence. A little bit rockier than sunshine pop per se with some nice touches. I dig it.

--Shindig!

The Silver Lining is not really a subtle band, and Id like to see the technology that could drown out these vocals. Soaring, powerful, turbocharged vocals. The combination of a sweet tenor and a power alto makes for gorgeous harmonies; Im reminded a little of Lennon and McCartney at a couple of points. And when Anna really cuts loose and wails, its glorious. With excellent drumming and bass lines and tastefully flashy guitar solos, there is just absolutely nothing wrong with this set. Im especially impressed with a song called Well Dressed Blues, the lyrics to which seem delightfully dirty when I can make them out. And the last song has a slow, smokey Patti Smith intensity to it.

--Steve Giesselbrecht, The Noise

Matt Rhodes' brand of classic pop on songs like opener "Cemented Steps" is an inspired hybrid of LA psychesters The Merry Go Round and Victorian music-hall enthusiasts The Kinks. Anna Price's vocalizing on "Well Dressed Blues" evokes The Association and The Peanut Butter Conspiracy but the carnivalesque guitar line makes the song a splendid one-off... The band's sometimes harsh yoking together of disparate sub-genres actually works to their advantage, giving the songs unusual textures and grabby hooks: see the Southern rock guitar plus Beatles melodicism on "In the Future"; also see the brilliant waltz-rhythm coda to their ballad "Battered Senseless MIA Heart." TSL is neither revolutionary nor reactionary but evolutionary, fashioning splendidly colorful and worthy offshoots of the 1966-1972 era of psyche garage pop. If you're into The Hollies, The Turtles, and whatnot, you'll greet this release like a long-lost friend. If you've never heard of them, there's an introductory course right here.

Francis DiMenno, The Noise