Well, the 'Ryche has been pretty hit and miss this century. They came out with an unnecessary sequel to one of the greatest albums ever, and then followed that up with a cover record. This release sees them in another concept record, and one I was not necessarily too excited about. The life of the American soldier.I'm as political as the next guy, but I just assumed I wouldn't relate to anything here. Which is true, but I was still able to enjoy it from a songwriting perspective. It was a compelling account and it wasn't too trite or ass-kissy. The narrated stories are a hard sell initially, but it wasn't just ham-fisted flag waving like Kid Rock and it's certainly not protest music. This album really compels the listener to take the perspective of the conflicted integrity of the character(s).
For example below, "Home Again" sees Geoff Tate singing with his real life daughter. It describes the hardships of going off to answer your call of duty while leaving something behind. It works for any vocation or any trade in one's life experience. And while I don't need to carry these themes around with me forever, I can still stand up for the effort. (3/5 stars)
No comments:
Post a Comment