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If I ever use the term "Pop
sensibility" in any single review I ever write, someone
please shoot me! I'm so tired of seeing that written. It's like
every page I turn, there it is, somewhere, some way, haunting
me in its overuse for any bands' inexcusable
drift into deep water they'd never be able to tread otherwise.
Hey, if there's a heightened use of melody involved, and an
intellectually-based talent that lies beneath it, than let's
just go for it!
This band doesn't make me angry by any stretch. In fact,
listening to their somewhat muscular but refined "Are You
With Me?" has quite the opposite effect. You're
stimulated, moved and in a pleasant mood. As a long
standing advocate of looks don't mean anything, pre-judging
these four guys on the back cover would lead you right away to
the elegance and charm of the UK post-modern movement, created
years ago, but still alive and kicking. Simple Minds or
otherwise, the kick here is that these guys naturally hail from
Austin, TX. In the land of ten gallons and tumbleweeds, COLOR
must stand out quite a bit with their fashionably loud, mod-like
presentation as pro-active poster boys minus one for a Beatles
re-make. "Are You With Me?" is the anthemic sing-along
first track and quickly assumed preferred status for me, with
its catchy groove and plentiful chorus. In
the early going, the tunes remain on the Pop side of the dial.
I'd call it a glossed over Power Pop with an emotional edge,
built primarily on the standard tools of
the Rock & Roll trade - guitar, bass, drums and a wealth of
vocal melodies. You might even call them a boy band with
multi-tiered talents to play and produce their own material.
I guess I haven't listened to nearly enough Matchbox 20, Goo
Goo Dolls, or contemporary hit radio, because nothing comes to
the surface when I'm trying to pinpoint where this music has
been before. I'm not overly enthused by a lot of the choruses
I'm hearing. I think some of them could use a little more
motivation and a bit more of the ol' draw ya in hook. "What
Good Is It" and "Say Goodbye" come to mind
quickly. For good measure, listen to the last self-titled Cheap
Trick studio album, and their same-named first single, and
that's precisely where we need to go to find "Say
Goodbye."
There's plenty of groove, or what a band member or two might
call "soul" from a certain Motown crossing, but I
prefer to think of it as outgoing, uplifting,
honest and "the sun peaked through the clouds of
despair" crap. I think I'm gonna start talking about Hansen
next. Remember what I mentioned earlier about shooting me!
It's pretty good stuff, although sometimes too predictable.
For instance, I'm over here humming the "ooh, ooh" in
my mind before they even get to it in the verse for "Trick
Of The Light." So, let's hope these guys don't come off as
a one trick pony. There should be a little more lasting
significance here than one or two standout hits.
The opener, "Alright," "Out Of Order" and
"Going My Way" will do well forstarters. Their
energetic delivery is impressive, so maybe we're looking at the
next Smashing Pumpkins here. Or maybe
we'll just get smashed and pretend we are.
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| Artist |
Color |
| Title |
Are You With
Me? |
| Label |
Arista
Records |
| Reviewer |
Vinnie Apicella |
| Rating |
 |
|
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| web site |
www.aristarec.com |
| win stuff |
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