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by David Levine
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Gosh, I wonder if Ed Roland and Ross Childress like Aerosmith? Uh... yeah! So what; they do it so well it doesn't matter. Their influences are far flung and they pay tribute on a regular basis.Untitled [224K .wav|160K .au] (#2 - 00:10) cranks out that hard guitar funk that Aerosmith fans love so well.
The World I Know [256K .wav|192K .au] ( #3 - 00:25) takes its cue from, I'd say, Peter Gabriel. Think Mercy Street off So.
Smashing Young Man [224K .wav|160K .au] (#4 - 00:00) has a groove as infectious as Ebola fever, think Squeeze. This is a great song!
See, the thing about this record is I found myself forgiving alot of shortcomings because everything sounds so good and is played so well. I forgive the lyrics that can sometimes be a tad trite." She gathers rain to rinse away her guilt and pain. She gathers rain to wash and cleanse and make her whole again."
What can I say, in context it works. I forgive that the melodies tend to be a little cloying. They also hammer the refrains unmercifully.
Despite these shortcomings, there is great lead-and rhythm-guitar playing, nice harmonies and a good mixture of styles. There is no ground-breaking going on here -- just well played, well crafted songs performed with energy.
This is a fun record to listen to with a few really good songs and not a total stinker in the bunch although December (and they wring it out for all its not worth) is on the fence. That's a pretty admirable accomplishment. Besides, your mom might even like a couple of these songs.
