REVIEWS:
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COMMENTS
I thought nine days was a bad band at first, cause the story of a girl song wasn't all that great, but this song has a catchy piano tune, good lyrics, and overall on of the coolest songs I've heard in a long time
(reviewed by Kevin Baker)
This is a tough one for me to review. I genuinely like the CD, but I also know that admitting that you like this is like kissing your youthful machismo goodbye. Lord, please don't let any of my Limp Bizkit loving friends read this...... I genuinely enjoy this one. OK, before all the metalheads totally dismiss my opinions as one of a girly-man, let me explain. I am a songwriter. I enjoy well-written songs. This cd is chock-full of them, because John Hampton and Brian Desveaux both can write exceptional songs. Plus, the music is NOT wimpy. Yeah, it's not Mudvayne or Slipknot or anything remotely heavy. Is that such a crime? It's not like we're talking John Denver on dopamine here. They've got crunchy (though not leaden) guitars, decent drumming, fine bass, and excellent singing. Interesting keyboards, too. Is that a sin?????
Anyways, on to the songs. We start with So Far Away, which is an excellent album opener. Great kyrics, but I'll refrain from saying that from now on, because unless I say otherwise, that's the case. Very good song. Excellent dual delivery by Hampton and Desveaux. The 2nd track is the hit that we've all heard ad nauseaum---Absolutely (Story Of A Girl). This really did deserve to be a hit, but OVERPLAYING REALLY HURTS THIS ONE. The lyrics, while good, are simply not as good as elsewhere on here. The guitars really do sound good on it, though. I much prefer........... If I Am, the next track. Simply excellent. It starts of very delicate, but reaches absoultely majestic heights on the chorus. It's a very hopeful song. One of my favorites on here.
The following song, End Up Alone, is a lot of fun. Fun to sing along with (I can feel my masculinity ratings slipping even lower as I type :-( with a really bizarre keyboard part that at first sounds dopey, but is kinda catchy after a few listens. Also, this one is home to the best guitarmanship here. The solo in the midsection is quite decent. It also has a soaring chorus.....for that matter, it seems to be a trend for songs here to have soaring choruses. Brian Desveaux delivers his first ballad with the quite decent, but not excellent, Sometimes. This guy is really a good balladeer. I found his voice hard to adjust to at first, but it's like Dylan's on a lesser level---it takes a little listening to to get, but once you do, it's fabulous.
However, we come down off of cloud Nine (Days) with the middle song, Bob Dylan. Oh, I hate this one. The melody is awful, the words are only decent, and nothing works. Nine Days is only good when they have solid melodies and well-written lyrics. That is where their skill is at. Any deviance from that just doesn't work. However, they make up for it with the next two songs, which may be my two favorites on here. 257 Weeks is an up-tempo pop-rocker with some decent piano playing and some too-close-to-home lyrics. This is my mom's personal favorite, and for a REAL change, I like it myself. Another neo-anthemic chorus, though not as much so as If I Am or End Up Alone.
Now comes the epic ballad. Well, comparatively epic. Epic in scope. That would be Bitter. Desveaux creates and absolutely heart-rending bitter (duh) ballad that is REALLY close to home. The strings add a whole new dimension to the song. This one is an absolute classic and so deserves to be a hit. The following song, Back To Me, may actually get radio play as I heard one of my radio-obsessed friends singing this one. I put it in with Story Of A Girl in that case. It's a fine song, but it's comparatively weak in an album format. I'm undecided about Crazy at the moment. I do like the song, but I really can't decide how I should rank it in the album context. It does have some Dylanish organ parts.
Now I love track 11, Revolve. This is the loudest and hardest song on here. That doesn't say much, but still........The words are fairly suggestive, but I'm not a Puritan, so I'm fine with that. I really love the song. Finally, the go out with another Desveaux ballad, Wanna Be. It can't hold up to the much superior Bitter and Sometimes. OK, please don't judge the band solely by Story Of A Girl. Get the CD, listen to all the songs. Enjoy a change and some good songs. Get a life. I need to.
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