-Review
by Bob Messer
Very
good!!! My hats off to the San Francisco based group. Their second
release is a winner in my book. With a melting pot of integrated
styles, 3rd Eye Blind unleashes their best album yet. O.k., enough
praise, the music here is good. In fact I"ll tell you my favorite
pick right now, "Never
Let You Go". When I popped the CD in my car I just couldn"t
wait to get to my home stereo system and turn this song way up.
"Deep
Inside Of You" sounds like something the Red Hot Chili
Peppers would do on a slow day. Where as "1000
Julys" sounds like AC/DC meets Aerosmith. All in all the album
is pretty consistence, no real big surprises, just straight ahead
rock "n roll for the millennium masses. So with all this good
music, what are these guys sayin" I'll get to that later.
First
lets meet the band, Brad Hargreaves' drums, Arion Salazar-bass,
Kevin Cadogan-guitar, and singer/song writer Stephen Jenkins.
Jenkins also had a big hand in producing the project along with
Arion Salazar. There is good production here, the overall mix
is excellent. The instruments are well blended together. Vocals
are clear but at times the words are not well defined. The project
was recorded at The Mud Room in San Francisco.
Lyrically
the album is monotone, with most every song dealing with the various
highs and lows of a relationship between two people. "Camouflage"
echoes stereotypes and people who put up fronts. "I"ll take in
anyone who"s taking off their camouflage"" The song deals with
a subject that is prevalent in society today, people want to meet
and talk to people who are genuine and not fake. Say what you
believe and believe what you say, be real. "Darkness"
deals with self worth in a negative response to life.
In
the first part of the song the words are uttered "I want someone
to know me, maybe tell me who I am, cause I faced down my demons
and cried out to a god, a god I've never seen." The song then
ends with "There"s no hope for people like you and me, bring me
the sun, cause I slide off the moon, bring me the sun." I find
it interesting the choice of words, "Bring me the sun." I know
for me, sun is the one and only "Son" of God, a God who"s works
I have seen in my life and in other's.
"Darwin"
wraps the album (all except the hidden track). It's a fun campy
beat with really absurd lyrics about evolution and space aliens.
Watch out for that "F" bomb in the opening verse!
The
song that I really dig is "Never
Let You Go", which is the second single. It has that pop-rock
feel that makes you happy no matter what the previous mood you
had was.
Over
all I enjoy listening to Blue better than 3EB"s last record, another
artistic second album.
