 Shooting
Rubys
"Mood Swings and Cravings" CD
Self-Released
Genres: rock, country-rock, folk-rock
PO Box 53135
340 Dorval Ave.
Dorval, QC
H9S 5W4
Sep 23 - 29 2002 |
I'll
give credit where credit is due - Mood Swings and Cravings is a catchy
album. That said, though, it is also important to note that the band's
musical style isn't really anything that hasn't been done before.
However, if you're willing to disregard this flaw, you'll be likely to
find a lot to appreciate in Shooting Rubys' music. The most impressionable song on the album is, conveniently, the
first, "Even If." With a strongly infectious chorus, the song
has got a very pleasant, albeit familiar, sound to it. This sort of
rock is what the band do best, and, fortunately, there is a
significant amount of it on the album. Unfortunately, though, a few of the
songs also document a brief flirtation with country music, which isn't
nearly as successful. Nashville-influenced numbers like "Dream
Like You" and "Perfect Mood" have some nice features,
but will not warrant repeated listens. Thankfully, many of the other
songs downplay the country aspects. "Consequences," for
example, is a nice pop song that, while not perfect, is warm and easy
to swallow.
While Mood Swings is far from being a classic, it is a relatively
successful pop album that's loaded with hooks and pleasant melodies.
Not only that, as this is largely a collection of demo material, it
shows a lot of promise for the Rubys' future. In fact, they come off
as being much more polished than most bands in their situation, and it
will be most interesting to see how their sophomore release turns out.
70%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
46 min 10 sec; 12 tracks; distributed by Not
Lame;
released 2001] |
