If I had to describe
Enuff Z'nuff with one sentence then I would say:
Enuff Z'nuff play the best Melodic Hard Rock out there, and they are the only band, I feel I can justly compare to The Beatles.
That is a bold statement, and one that may need a little clarification... What I mean is that I hold
Enuff Z'nuff in as much awe as The Beatles. Before you start shaking your head, hear me out :). When I listen to the music of
Enuff Z'nuff, it's impossible not to feel something. In terms of songwriting skills, the energy they play with, the timeless fresh feel of the songs, the unforgetable melodies that stay in your head long after others are gone, the fantastic vocal harmonies, all the sing along choruses, the simple yet deep lyrics filled with irony, humor and little word plays and the amount of quality music they have written in such a short time. All these things makes me put them in the same league as the Beatles in terms of quality, quantity and ingenuity.
Enuff Z'nuff is one of the only bands that are able to play seemingly simple music that inspires on many levels, and with time you suddenly see that the music is not that simple at all.
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately)
Enuff Z'nuff have never enjoyed the same popularity as that other band from the 60'ies. If that had been the case, I'm not sure that they would still be alive and making music today. Since 1989 where their self titled debut came out, they have put out 10 studio albums, all of which have their own strengths. So where to start if you want to discover one of the most overlooked, ignored and misunderstood bands out there? Well, Strength was where I started, so you might as well do that too...
Strength... That is exactly what this album has shown during the past 11 years, since I first bought it. Today I still get the same feeling of wonder, when I listen to it, as I got eleven years ago, when the album finally clicked with me.
The bass playing of
Chip Z'nuff is "one of a kind". This guy really has the groove. His bass is apparant in all the songs, keeping them tight, while at the same time giving them that special groove, and a kind of releaxed, laid back feeling. With the brilliant bass playing and perfect vocal harmonies he creates with
Donnie Vie, I have no problems proclaiming this guy a musical genius and a perfect layer of bass lines...
Guitar hero
Derek Frigo plays one awesome solo after another. Always melodic, always giving his personal touch thoughout the songs. His guitar playing makes this album a joy to listen to. There's always something going on. Derek Frigo fits the band perfect, and it was a shame that he left after Animals...
Donnie Vie is the other "one of a kind" musical genius in
Enuff Z'nuff. His vocals may take a little time to win you over, if you've never heard his voice before, but take my word for it. He certainly has the most charismatic voice in the world, and ranks among my favourite singers ever.
Vikki Fox on drums should not go unmentioned. He puts on a solid performance and gives all the songs the tightness and rythm that is necessary for them to work so well.
Strength is filled with classic Rock songs, that go beyond what you would expect of a typical Hard Rock band. Well,
Enuff Z'nuff is definitely not your typical Hard Rock band. These are not just simple straight ahead tunes. Though you might get that impression after the first couple of listens, I'm sure that, like me, you will suddenly see that this music has several layers, that takes some time and patience to peel away. Once you've gotten that far, you will see the true beauty of this band. That has always been the real strength of
Enuff Z'nuff, that they are able to give their music that extra special something that makes it timeless, and different from any other band out there.
A good example of this is the title track
Strength. Definitely the most diverse song the band had done at this time. By incorporating instruments like Violin, Cello and the unmistakeable Mellotron, the band creates a fantastic melancholic atmosphere, that in turn works perfectly with the lyrics about relationships and love. A slow emotional song where the vocal work of
Donnie Vie really shines. A touch of genius is when the violin enters the sound with a solo that fits the mood perfectly. Then notice the way the violin and cello help build the tension and atmosphere in the final chorus and climatic ending part. A definite highlight.
Besides
Strength, the album continues to weave magic through each of its other tracks.
Heaven or Hell is a solid opener that shows what great energy this band has. Already here you'll notice the awesome dual vocal harmonies that Chip & Donnie are capable of creating.
Missing you is a slow emotional song that drips with feeling both in the vocals of Doinnie Vie, but also in the emotionfilled guitar of Derek Frigo. The feeling this song sends across is a feeling of being hungover on a Sunday afternoon, after the girl you love just left you a couple of days before.
The world is a gutter is another of my favourites. The brilliant start of this song gets the juices going, especially when the volume is turned up loud. Check out the cool guitar work by Frigo at the end of this song. It makes me want the song to go on forever. Brilliant and melodic.
Goodbye is a power ballad of sorts. Starting out with just a piano and Donnie's voice, the song builds slowly to the lovely chorus. Donnie's unique voice rules this song, and perfectly conveys the sad lyrics dealing with breakups and realising that things just don't work out sometimes. Also notice the nice little cello part.
Hollywood ya is one of the weirdest songs on the album. Just listen to the way it starts. Weird in the best sense of the word. The sweet background rythm is a little Beatles inspired and it works great. This song has some nice little touches hidden in the background, that I suddenly started noticing after several years. The way I understand it, this song is about addiction.
There is something about
Mother's Eyes that gets me every time. The rythm and feel this song has is fantastic, and the way the music flows is really amazing. I think it has a lot to do with the groove of the bass and drums, which work together perfectly. As always the guitar solo is entertaining and just about perfect. The chorus is another example of the genius Chip & Donnie team. The way they harmonise with each other throughout the album is really special.
In crowd is a fast paced rocker, where the lyrics deal with the feeling of being an outcast. The lyrics are written with a nice glint in the eye. In this song the guitar work shines again.
The way home/Coming home is yet another highlight of the album. This two part song sees the band take on a more serious theme, war. Starting out as the perfect love song, sung with feeling and devotion, the song suddenly takes a dive into a darker atmosphere, when a heavy guitar riff takes over from the piano. Telling the story of war heroes returning from something that you can never really escape from. Also check out the brilliant guitar solo.
Baby loves you should have been the hit of all times. It is one of those perfect songs that will never leave your head, once it's in there. That's the way it has worked its magic on me anyway. An up-beat party rocker with a true sing-along chorus. This song can make you feel good under just about any circumstances.
Blue Island is not to be forgotten. Another highlight. This one again shows the diversity of the band, with lots of little touches in the music. The melody is really good and the chorus is sent straight from heaven, listen closely for the cool guitar work. The harmonies once again work perfectly. One word for the guitar solo: Glorious!
Time to let you go is the perfect closer, and a fantastic, sad love song. Once again the vocal harmonies of Chip & Donnie are one of a kind and work perfectly. I really like the atmosphere and lyrics of this song.
Long way to go and
Something for free are the only songs that, on their own, don't live up to the classic status all the other songs have. I just feel like I'm missing a little something in these two songs. Still, I coudn't imagine Strength without these two songs, as they fit on the album in their own way.
Long way to go gives the album some extra power, and here the party attitude, that was so apparant on their debut, rears its head.
Long way to go turns of to be a nice little breather after a lot of songs with more serious lyrics.
Something for free is a good song, but the chorus is repeated a few too many times and I miss a little more melody in this song.
As you can read on my staff page it took a long time before I finally started realizing how amazing this album (and band) really is. Suddenly, after 6 or 7 listens it just clicked, and I realised this is what a true classic is. A timeless piece of music that I will never tire of. After this Strength experience I never looked back, and I'm happy to say that every
Enuff Z'nuff album out there has it's own moments of genius. Strength has a lot of them, and the music is so powerful and true that I can only stand in awe of such brilliant songwriting.
Enuff Z'nuff have never really gotten the success they deserve. Since the release of their debut in 1989 they have only released high quality albums. When it seemed that they were close to breaking through something always got in the way. Be it bad management, no label support, a misunderstood image, no radio airplay, bad choices for singles or whatever. I think they have tried it all... In any case, it was never the songs that held them back. And that is what I like most about
Enuff Z'nuff. They have never really released any bad songs on any of their albums. They kept on going and never gave up. This is also one of the things I got from this album. Never give up and just keep on going, even if the world is falling down around you.
This is one of my favourite albums of all time, and what I would define as a perfect Rock album. A masterpiece of it's time, and today it still holds up just as well. Not a lot of albums are able to get the ultimate grade, but this album is one of the few that actually deserves it.
So, to conclude:
Enuff Z'nuff have always been about making fantastic music. That is what they do best and Strength is their finest examples of that. 14 songs of pure rock and emotion. A classic if there ever was one.
Ok, Time to let you go...
Written by
Steen Thursday, May 1, 2003
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