The Darren Smith Band's "Keep the Spirit Alive" is meant to do just as the title says, keep the rock n' roll spirit alive and kicking. The album is stuffed to the brim with songs that focus themselves on the lighter side of life, good times, love trysts and good ol rock n roll. There's also a bitter little piece in here too but it doesn't darken the overall brighter picture. With
Harem Scarem's ex-drummer turned frontman and band leader, ,he puts on a surprising show of song penning competency and a grittier take on the Harry
Hess vocal sound. Maybe a little
Paul Stanley flavor is thrown in here and there. His vocal prowess should not come as a shock, afterall he crooned the lead vocals on "Sentimental BLVD" on
Harem Scarem's "Mood Swings" album, which was superb.
This disc's sound is split and scattered, morphing for whatever the song calls for. You get some huge rock anthems, some power punk-ish pop tunes, the essential assortment of ballads, and a couple of real classy melodic numbers to even things out. The variations definitely keep it mixed up and some songs hit and others miss, depending on how far you are willing to stretch out the boundaries of your personal tastes. A modern glossy sheen is sported over the top of each track which keeps the disc sounding fresh and not dated. The songs are catchy yet instantly forgettable, only one or two bits have the lasting power to stay through the next day. One night stands only, which makes it a great disc to pop in and spend part of the afternoon with, no commitment required.
The production is handled by Harry
Hess of
Harem Scarem and he can likely be thanked for the lusciously slick sound that pops out on "Spirit". Guitar-wise we get Mike Hall previously from Killer Dwarfs and Helix behind the six string axe attack and his take is a bit crunchy, suitable for the material, as he takes you through the tuneage with all strings a-flying.
Yet there is a strange twist to this disc that has kept it in my queue but remaining unreviewed for an extended period of time despite being frequented. The product here is one that is well performed, has easy hooks, a shiny production and is overall a nice background listen, but that's just it. Not many songs here have any kind of longevity potential. "Spirit" is a dodgy guilty pleasure as an overall package, since there is likely at least one or two songs here that will spark the interest and not totally be detested. It also requires little time or effort invested in a getting-to-know-you phase, just as any good pop oriented disc should be, but that means that it lacks even more substance. You will either love the song or hate it right off the bat, there's not much room for anything inbetween. Except maybe mild indifference, a few garnered such reactions from me as well but with replays they can edge themselves over to the "like" column.
They went for style and lost a bit of heart along the way. The resulting relationship to this album is more along the lines of that combustible one night stand instead of a carefully planted seeds that grow into a long term love affair. This keeps "Spirit" a nice companion piece to
Harem Scarem's recently released "Over:Load" but without any fear of directly competing with it. Especially since "Over:Load"'s songs stay looping in the head for days, but Smith's band can't keep a tune in your mind for longer than it's playing time.
The opening number,
"It All Comes Back" is a rollicking romper of a rocker and has some of the most potential of the group. It frolicks along with all guns blazing and nothing is left to mystery, the cards are laid out in plain view from the get-go and the band pounds it home with rich harmonies, sizzling-hot guitar and an over-the-top vibe that screams "rock star" - of the modern age of course. It seems very "now" but with the anthemic vibe of yesterday. The verses bite down hard but the chorus seems almost KISS-like at times.
The title track is much in the same style sense but with even bigger harmonies and a slamming chorus.
"King For A Day" has a hooky chorus that could have come from any male fronted pop band's repretoir, but the guys pull it off with some style and a dash of substance and it makes for a nice breather inbetween. It won't keep you awake at night pondering your emotional sensitivities but as a ballad type piece, it works.
"Tragedy" is as cool as hell. It has a simplicity about it but the chorus is just intoxicating, like they have been practicing black magic on it and those incantations finally paid off in the form of one catchy little tune. If there's one song that you will remember, this is likely gonna be it. Very much in the vein of melodic hard rock.
"Still On My Radio" is simple and repetitive but is hefty in the modern melodic department. It may have a carefree feel but doesn't have much staying power. The same can be said for
"When I Was You" which is undoubtedly melodically bent but is more Rubber than
Harem Scarem and thus goes in one ear and then finds its way right back out.
"So Low" is so awful it makes me want to cry. Tears of sorrow, sadness and despair, just because of the distortion, the uber-modern/alternative/grindcore/whatever the hell this is sound that tries to drive me to poke out my ear drums. This is terrible, just terrible, and it has no place on this album. Thank goodness only a few lucky people will get this, because it's a bonus track!
The other bonus is a fairly cool proggy sounding ballad called
"Taking On Water". I find it to be bubbly pleasant like a freshwater creek. It's a little repetitive, so too frequent bathings in this will leave you still feeling unclean in the end after awhile, but it's a nice and very different addition to an album that's already very varied.
Having spent a good chunk of his career behind the massive overshadowing talents of the
Hess/Lesperance team, Darren Smith's band comes out as a surprise in many ways. It promises to be a tribute to rock, and it does do that, blending sounds for better and for worse. They are in their element when doing the various takes on hard rock that's heavy on the melodies and keeps the modern touches from taking over the disc and drowning it. Despite some drawbacks, and a couple of dreadful turns for the worse, this is an overall good selection to add to your collection if you know what you are in for ahead of time.
Written by
Alanna Tuesday, July 19, 2005
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