This is an open forum for staff members, contributers, and fans alike to submit their reviews on the latest music releases and concerts. In an industry that is drowning with overprocessed, grossly overrated, unoriginal crap these days, this is our chance to allow the real stars to shine, if only on our humble, little stage; and expose you to some of our favorite talents.
Reviews are given 1 - 5 stars.
I’m So Sorry
Bad Excuse
Back Home
Should Have Known Better
Get in Get Out
Learning To Love
Feels So Good
Super Human
One
Drift Away
Don’t Be Scared
In a world where there seems to be as many music styles as there are bands, it seems very few are satisfied with simply being called rock n’ roll. Baltimore, Maryland’s Cinder Road not only seems comfortable embracing the term, but the sound as well. Working with producer Marti Frederiksen, whose impressive resume includes work with Aerosmith and Def Leppard, Cinder Road has given the world SuperHuman, an unpretentious collection of foot stomping modern rock songs and sincerely written ballads.
With a quick blast of a snare drum, the band is off and running with “I’m so Sorry,” a song driven by a powerful rhythm section comprised of Nat Doegen (bass), Mac Calvaresi (drums), Pat Patrick and Chris Shucosky (guitars) laying the foundation under vocalist/guitarist Mike Ruocco’s apologetic lyrics. The band continues at full speed with “Bad Excuse” an infectiously good ‘love to hate you, hate to love you’ rock song that begs the listener to sing along with lines like, “You ain’t nothing but a bad excuse for love and I can’t get enough.”
The album’s first single, “Get in Get Out,” is a fair representation of Cinder Road’s musical styling, with a slower, thicker rhythm section heavy on the low end, and a great guitar solo, which is rare and refreshing these days. While it’s not the strongest track on Super Human, I can see why they chose it as a single.
“Should Have Known Better” is by far my favorite track on the record. Ruocco’s voice, which I can only describe as a cross between Enuff Z’ Nuff’s Donnie Vie and Buckcherry’s Josh Todd, sings the story of a man who lets a good thing slip through his hands, a popular theme throughout his lyrics. Musically, the band takes the listener on a ride through subdued verses, a half-speed bridge that’s one of the album’s finest moments, and an all out big rock chorus.
Like any good rock n’ roll outfit, Cinder Road knows how to get the cigarette lighters waving with a power ballad to showcase their softer side. “Back Home” is a sweet, but sad tune about how being on the road takes its toll on a relationship (“I hope that you’re waiting for me when I get back home”), while a simple piano melody introduces “Learning to Love”, a mid-tempo love song complete with vocal harmonies and a bridge that conjures up fond memories of Def Leppard.
Other notable tracks are the upbeat rocker “Drift Away” and the album’s title track, a sizzling three and half minute chunk of rock n’ roll gold.
These days, the music scene seems to be more about marketing than music. If you’re looking for an honest gimmick-free rock album, then Super Human is definitely worth a listen.
Reviewed by: Ryan Labbe | June 2007
