After listening to this album a couple of dozen times, I'm still not 100% sure how to accurately portray it.
House of Shakira has always produced solid albums that are released to great critical acclaim but fall through the cracks as their labels dissolve, suffer the fate of little to no promotion, and generally their discs are popped out, the few that know about them love them and then they disappear off the face of this earth, all of this only for them to cluster back into the studio and repeat the process all over again.
As bad luck seems to follow them around like the plague, it can only be assumed judging by past history that "First Class" will succumb to yet another series of tragic events and breeze by under the radar only to be rediscovered years later as a "hidden gem". But for those that want to take advantage of this diamond in the rough now, here's what you can expect.
House of Shakira's latest maintains the band's high quality standards while whistling out a refreshing breath of fresh air. This disc sees the band swapping between three distinct sounds, their typical brand of classy and catchy melodic fused rock, acoustic ditties to cool down between hot tracks, and curiously enough, a delightfully carbon copy of the "Empire" one-off Queensryche sound. The songs attempting to resurrect the sugar coated pop take on prog, rejuvenates the disc when the other two stylistic approaches begin to wear and tear. But for a disc that cycles through twelve tracks altogether, the proceedings remain snappy and interesting due to the outfit's willingness to branch out and tinker with the
AOR formula. Comparisons could be made to TNT,
Pretty Maids and of course Queensryche on a few tracks.
"Creep" and
"Black Barn" will whisk you away on a journey into the early 90s as it melds together the worlds of melodic
AOR and progressive rock in that slick "Empire" manner that lets the songs take hold with the giant hooks but manages to slip those complex prog touches in as well.
"Black Barn" even succumbs to a few blink-and-you-just-might-miss-it commercial fodder
Fates Warning flashbacks that brought the tune "Eye to Eye" to mind before they swept that feeling away for a more up and up hard rock sound, minus the cool frills for the chorus.
Acoustic HOS is best represented with the shiny
"Sunshine Song", uplifting and fulfilling, that makes nice use of Andreas Eklund's rich voice. He's sort of middle of the road, being a pleasant listen with surprises thown in for good measure, but not the sort of bloke that stands out with just a few crooned notes. He gets the job done and with time grows on the listener.
"Black and Blue Skies" is too twangy for my preferences and feels more like album filler, but will likely win over all those people that keep buying those "one night acoustic" discs that pop out all over the place.
Straightforward pick-me ups include
"You Are" which is bursting with backing vocals in a tight melodic rock package that flirts a bit with a subdued Steelhouse Lane vibe. Guitars sizzle and wail and rhythms are bust out with ease and never feel forced, giving the disc a consistent flow.
"Celebration Bound" has a meatier feel, incorporating backup vocals that would be at home on a power metal disc, that simply overbearing sound that works well under these conditions and lends a neat twist to what might have been a run-of-the-mill song. And the opener,
"Ain't Your Crowd" must be mentioned, as it fuels the guitar lover's fire with some tasty riffs and a blazing solo that just can't be wrenched from the mind after even the briefest of listens. "First Class" it is, all the way indeed.
"Hey Lord" seems ripped right out of a hairspray band's late 80s repretoire, that delivers in that
Stryper sort of way, and its not just the title with its religious implications either that put that thought into the head. All of these are solid tunes that border on terrific respectively.
There are a few tracks that don't sit quite well, but these are nagging problems at best. The production is a little floaty and could have been better, the highs and lows are not as crisp and rich as they should be. The worst offender song wise however is also the closer,
"Chicago Blue" which is a tad tedious, boring and strangely, forces the emotional hand, something that HOS doesn't really fall for but did here. It parades out underneath the acoustic banner and can be dismissed as a bonus that just didn't work out. After all, there are twelve songs offered up on here, each and every one can't be melodic bliss.
"Uncontrolled" also has a handful of issues, mainly it being chaotic and completely out of control, a moment feeling like an adrenaline trip a'la from the dawn of decadence, Motley Crue's "Live Wire". Yet with further investigation that is all part of the appeal in the end.
So for their fourth full length studio disc in a seven year span,
House of Shakira have managed to pull off their best gelled package yet by wandering all over the place but yet keeping the soul of the band intact, without selling it off to the highest bidder. Fans of the past albums may be disappointed to find a lack of ethnic influences here that peppered bits of the previous outings, but this mix-and-match set will likely appeal to a wider audience as they stretch out to try and embrace everyone with this diverse disc of ditties. Whether you are in a rocking, chilling or thoughtful mood, there's a song here to cover you, and not many CDs can claim to do that.
Written by
Alanna Friday, October 8, 2004
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