| the music critic. |
[Oct. 29th, 2008|04:37 pm] |
it's almost five, and you know darn well you have to sleep because you've got work tonight. you were already out last night after deciding to rest at home and watch a zombie cult classic on dvd instead. but you can't sleep even if you tried because you're mind keeps working overtime and it's hot. so what do you do?
do a music review.
you must think i'm a really bored nuthead to make such an extensive review for an album that was released nearly ten years ago. well, i am kind of feeling bored lately, but i wanted to write about something. i came across this one while i was arranging my mp3 folders this morning, and it was a pleasant surprise to find out (almost ten years later) that the whole piece was worth listening to after all. critics and professional reviews, such as allmusic and rolling stone, gave this album three stars. i'd probably give it four.
two singles were released from the album, and it's such a shame only one song became a hit. if "you wanted more" wasn't included in the soundtrack for american pie, i don't think this album would have made it out of obscurity at all. but like i said, the songs are actually worth listening to. in my personal opinion, the whole concept of the album was geared towards fusing heavy riffs and pop-friendly soundscapes - kind of like a poor man's third eye blind meets matchbox twenty. in fact, i couldn't help but compare it to 3eb's debut album, which also had a number of nice songs. it's rare these days to find records that have consistently good music. but then, tonic isn't third eye blind in terms of musical creativity, as i find 3eb to be the more prolific among the two from a melody standpoint. emerson hart isn't rob thomas either, although some of the songs do show his lyrical prowess and more importantly, his emotions. all in all tonic was able to get their point across, as this album reeks of musical versatility at the time when alternative was considered a "dying" genre.
the lyrical theme focuses primarily on everyone's favorite topic: love. it makes you want to think of the tons of teen flicks and tv shows that were en masse during the late 90's: american pie, she's all that, dawson's creek, well, you get it, right? "you wanted more" and "sugar" are easily the favorites. the other gems in this record are: "future says run", a personal favorite; "mean to me", a nice song with a slow intro that picks up right before the chorus; "waiting for the light to change", one of the slower tunes here, with mushy lyrics to boot; "waltz with me", another emo track ("waltz with me my love/what are you dreaming of?" - wow.); and "knock down walls", a mid tempo song reminscent of the goo goo dolls. the others are ok (love a diamond/stronger than mine/drag me down/queen), while the remaining two don't quite tickle my fancy (sunflower/top falls down). again, there's a common thread sewn throughout the entire album - riffs laced with heavy guitar work, lyrics littered with references for the hopeless and the heartbroken, and melodic pop tunes evident in the chorus lines of all the tracks. nice job, guys.
artist: tonic
album title: sugar
date release: 9 november 1999
genre: alternative rock
released by: polydor records under the revolver label
producer: producer: jack joseph puig
time: 49:44
album lineup:
emerson hart - vocals, guitars
jeff russo - lead guitars, backing vocals
dan lavery - bass
session drummers: peter maloney and joey waronker
track list:
1. "future says run"
2. "you wanted more"
3. "knock down walls"
4. "mean to me"
5. "sugar"
6. "stronger than mine"
7. "queen"
8. "waiting for the light to change"
9. "waltz with me"
10. "sunflower"
11. "drag me down"
12. "top falls down"
13. "love a diamond"
|
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
rjdi's journal
