Music Review: Sebastian Bach: Kicking & Screaming
I'm going to start here by saying that Skid Row is one of my favorite bands of all time, and Sebastian Bach is also one of my favorite singers. I will still sit back and listen to In A Darkened Room or Skid Row's cover of the Jimi Hendrix song Little Wing for hours. Skid Row and Aerosmith were the first and only real live show I've ever been to. (Incidentally, I went into Richmond Coliseum a Skid Row fan and walked out in love with Steven Tyler.)
I've really been anticipating the release of this album and pre-ordered it from amazon.com. I had heard the lead single (Kicking & Screaming) and had also seen the video. I did not like the lyrics or the vocals on the song and the video seemed too cheesy to be believed. Sebastian is hanging out in front of a wall making these shy (for lack of a better word) faces that just didn't look authentic. I was also treated to shots of Sebastian's girlfriend, Minnie Gupta, trying to dance the sexy dance in front of the same wall yet only managing to look embarrassed and uncomfortable.
With all that said...
I tried to look at this album as being Sebastian Bach, and not Skid Row. Unfortunately Sebastian with Skid Row set the bar pretty damned high. While I cannot find fault with the music itself, the lyrics and vocals are just south of generic while also managing to border on cheesy. Though it is somewhat a genre specific trait with hair metal, I had some difficulty understanding what Sebastian was singing and that degraded the whole listening process (Lamb of God's singer Randy Blythe is two or three smidgens easier to understand than Sebastian on this album, and that's saying something). By the third song on the album, I found myself not caring what he was saying. I don't know if it's the fault of the songwriters or if Sebastian is just not as good as he used to be, but the vocals/lyrics were awful to the point of being distracting. The only redeemable song on the album, for me, is Tunnelvision. The rest is just unremarkable.
Regardless, Sebastian will always be one of my favorite singers. I will say that he does still have "the scream," and it's damned good to hear it.
Remember that opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one and they usually stink. Look Sebastian up on You Tube and listen to some of the other songs on the CD, or listen to the samples on amazon.com and make your own decision.
On a scale of zero to ten stars with zero being the worst, this album gets THREE STARS.
Buy Kicking & Screaming on cd from amazon.com.
Buy Kicking & Screaming on mp3 from amazon.com.
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I tend to agree with the casual way he lays down the vocals. I was expecting something that would blow Skid Row away, and just didn't get it. I wanted it to work, but, it just doesn't...
ReplyDeleteIt was sad, really. As if I needed even more reminders of days gone by.
ReplyDeleteI tell you, it's as if everyone I grew up listening to just wants to land in the same direction as the young upstarts, for fear of being under sold.
ReplyDeleteAnd the major problem with that is that most of these upstarts are not talented. That's why I love Pandora so much. I get to listen to things that aren't played on MTV or regular radio.
ReplyDelete