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CD REVIEWS |
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WRITING
REVIEWS
SILVER
BELLS WEDDING
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311 got their star in, of all places, Omaha, Nebraska. Although various members moved to Los Angeles to make a stab at getting a recording contract but drummer Chad Sexton would be the first to grow disillusioned and return to Omaha. He began to jam with bass guitarist P-Nut and soon persuaded vocalist Nick Hexum to also return to Omaha. They added lead guitarist Tim Mahoney and vocalist/DJ SA Martinez and 311 was born. They released three albums before anyone took notice. While Music (1993) and Grassroots (1994) have since went Gold, it was not until they released their self titled album that they took the world by storm. “Down” was the first big hit from 311 and went to #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Chart and the follow-up “All Mixed Up” reached #2. Uplifter is the band’s ninth studio release. As the band reaches the end of their second decade together, can they still remain relevant?
Track Listing
In their first studio release since Don’t Tread on Me (1995), 311 once again prove they are never easy to categorize. They are a little bit reggae, a little bit hip hop, and a little bit rock ‘n’ roll but at the end of the day they are very unique. From the first track, “Hey You,” it is clear this album could be the same old 311, meaning a lot of influences that refuses to be categorized by any specific genre. The hard rock in both the guitars and drums shows the immediate influence of producer Bob Rock (Metallica) but then Hexum and Martinez takes the song all over the place, from reggae to melodic harmonies and back to rock. It’s strongly familiar to anyone who has heard their music but retains a unique quality that makes you appreciate the talent on display here. I’m not a big fan of track two, the poppy sounding “It’s alright.” The drums are sick but the vocals just seem off and are not sung with very much passion. The next song, “Mix It Up,” embraces their reggae once again but to be honest it sounds like a song from their self titled album but with less passion. I started to notice a pattern here. I had a growing concern this album was going to be a complete letdown but the next song, “Golden Sunlight,” while a little too poppy sounding, started to win me over time. It’s a nice song that helped keep a smile on my face. It started to help me thaw to the lackluster effort of the previous songs. “India Ink,” reminded me of why I fell in love with the band way back when. The lyrics are tight and the beat is strong. It is a fun, exciting song that gets the head beating and the feet moving once again. It might have been the saving grace for the album and I loved the sitar solo. While I don’t like to compare bands, “Daisy Cutter” reminds me of the type of music Sublime did so much better. The band does their best with the song but once again, I don’t hear heart in the music. “Too Much Too Fast” is another strange one, seeming to share its base in lounge music with a reggae musical twist. One thing the song does is remind me of how great Hexum and Martinez are when harmonizing. It’s one of the unique, original songs I was hoping to hear on the album. “Never Ending Summer” is the most similar to their chart breaking days of old and is a great mix of the lyrical prowess of the singers and the hard rocking musical track playing off each other. When I listen to 311, this is the kind of song I want to hear. “Two Drops in the Ocean” once again makes me believe when Hexum doesn’t believe in what he is singing about, he just doesn’t try. I don’t know what the problem is on this album, but I think it might all lead back to the vocalist. He’s not singing with heart on most of these songs. He is at his best when harmonizing with Martinez, which he does on “Something Out of Nothing,” the hardest rocking song on the album. This song will make your head bang and your foot tap and thanks to Martinez helping to raise the level of the vocals is another rare success on the album. Unfortunately, when he does not have Martinez there to raise the bar he is just flat. “Jackpot” keeps the sound hard with guitars that could sound at home in any metal band and then gives us some great funk-driven metal. The two leads exchanging lyrics is great. Those two hard rocking metal songs are followed by a very groove infested track called “My Heart Sings,” the equivalent of a ballad on a metal album. Is it good? No. Is it needed? No. The final song asks “How Long Has It Been” and I find myself how long it has been since 311 has given me what made me fall in love with them in the first place. I had high hopes for Uplifter. 311 promised their hardest album yet, but what they delivered was anything but. The music itself, as always, was top notch. The band did everything they could to deliver a hard pumping album but was hindered by uninspired lead vocals. There were moments where I caught glimpses at what I came looking for, such as the solid opening track “Hey You” and great numbers such as “India Ink” and “Jackpot”. A 311 album is something that should make you bob your head and jam out to the music. The vocals make that impossible and this is a huge disappointment from a band that at one time promised so much more.
6.0/10 |
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