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Blue Shade
Witness: Self-Titled EP
The debut EP from Blue Shade Witness is a shoo-in for modern rock radio. This Chicago four-piece has released a six-track disc that is well-produced and should be right up your alley if youre a fan of Matchbox 20, the Goo Goo Dolls, and the like. Unfortunately, this commercial high point is also the artistic low-point. Blue Shade Witness sounds a lot like most of the other non-rap-rock rock-discs that have been released in the past few years. The overall sound of the EP is very professional; the guitars and drums sound great, although I would like to hear a little more dynamics in their sound. The songs, while pleasant enough, dont stray from the formulas that have been run into the ground by bands such as those mentioned above. The album suffers from my main criticism with this sort of music theres no passion. To sell this kind of stuff, youve got to be willing to take chances and try to do something that hasnt been done before why would someone spend money to hear your songs when Rob Thomas has won oodles of Grammys for his? A quick look over the press section of the Blue Shade Witness official website shows a band struggling to paint themselves as an antidote to the stuff thats currently on the radio when, in a lot of ways, they fit right in. Theres no bite to any of the songs the lyrics are fine, the music is fine, the production is fine. It seems like the band might be pretty good live, and the songs definitely seem like they might be more crunchy when played in front of a bunch of sweaty people. But this release just gives us more of the same. When it seems like there are a million new bands every day, the last thing we need is more of something we got enough of five years ago.
This album can be purchased at Amazon, CD Universe, and Insound Blue Shade Witness Official Website About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content © LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
