Five Men Down
Untitled release
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
Ska, baby, ska! This album starts off with a real bang (nice guitars, vocals and horns), but proceeds to get less inspiring as the 12 song CD plays on. The horns and guitars start off in "Stand Firm" and "Running Out Of Time" in tight, aggressive, and bouncy form, but by the time you reach a song like "Robert," the horns begin to sound unconvincing. Kinda like a practice instead of the passion you'd expect in a live performance. The lyrics are humorous and upfront (the song "Kickball" is a good example), and the vocals are fairly pleasant. You hear some creativity, like the James Brown-like voices and the scratching in "Get Real," but the energy is missing that's found in their more well-known counterparts. Most of the criticism of this disc can be attributed to the production quality, as the band shows room for growth and promise in the songwriting department. For ordering info, write: c/o Dave Diller, 10 S. 107 Springbrook Dr, Naperville IL 60565