Artist: DecembeRadio
Album: Satisfied
Label: Slanted Records
Release Date: August 26, 2008
Review by: Michael Mayer III
As I opened this CD and popped the disc in I remembered that about 50% of sophomore efforts by bands don’t stack up to the debut. Sometimes bands just try too hard to capture the sound they had and they end up releasing the same one again. Other times bands try to reinvent themselves but fail miserably. I also think record labels can be to blame with wanting success (it is a business after all) and so they tell the band what they want. It’s rough, no doubt, but when a band can build and grow on their debut that’s very promising.
Thankfully, DecembeRadio did just that and have crafted a better album than their debut. A few of my complaints from the all around enjoyable debut have been fixed here, though a few still linger. DecembeRadio create hook-laden southern rock anthems with a couple power ballads. The good news is they do that very well and stick to it. The bad news is… well… they stick to it and there’s no originality. Whether that’s good or bad depends on what you look for in music.
I’m happy to say that those moments in the rock anthems of their debut where I was frustrated with them not cutting loose on the guitars more are no where to be found. The guitarist, Brian Bunn, is an amazing talent. From the moment the song ‘Satisfy Me’ busts out with a killer guitar solo you know they aren’t holding back this time. I’m of the opinion that if you’re going to do some anthemic southern rock you have to do it right. Catchy riffs are all over the place and when things quiet down an acoustic guitar takes over to set the mood. Again, a bit predictable but executed wonderfully.
Speaking of something executed wonderfully, there’s no better voice for this sort of thing than Josh Reedy. He has excellent range to belt out the high notes in the sing-a-long style choruses or to hit a mood with the worship ballad ‘For Your Glory’. This man is clearly annointed to sing and thankfully it’s for no better cause. He loves singing about his faith too and is certainly not ashamed to show it(he sings as much in ‘Believer’).
The album is paced pretty well with a few rockers in a row and then a slow song, rinse and repeat. ‘Gasoline’ did take me by surprise with the very creepy chant done by kids at the end with some 50’s style music in the background. I wasn’t sure if I wasn’t listening to the same album when that came on, but it was a great change of pace. Their hit single, ‘Find You Waiting’ is back and unchanged. For those that missed the Special Edition of their debut you can at least have it now. The only difference is there’s a one minute quiet space before a hidden jam track kicks in. I’ve listened to it once but I’ve heard better jams from Robert Randolph and the Family Band. All in all, I’m glad to have this in my collection as it’s one sophomore album that doesn’t disappoint.
Gems of this album are: ‘Satisfy Me’, ‘Gasoline’, ‘For Your Glory’, ‘Better Man’
Lyrics - 9.5/10
Vocals - 9/10
Music - 9/10
Continuity - 9.5/10
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Overall - 9.2/10
I’ll only post this for my first review here on the criteria of my ratings. I just want to show there’s a method to my madness.
Lyrics = Strength of all lyrics; Vocals = Strength of all vocals; Music = Strength of the rest of the music and originality; Continuity = How well the songs fit together to make one solid piece of art. Bad track placement and poor variety hurt this area.
