Guardian fans, rejoice! Jamie Rowe, frontman for the now-defunct hard rock band, has released a solo EP on Massive Groove, with the promise of a full-length album early next year. Don't be expecting Guardian-esque driving music, however - the Beautiful E.P. is pure power pop, complete with fuzz guitars and catchy melodies.
Rowe's voice is certainly good enough to handle the genre, and he also proves himself to be a competent guitarist. The problem comes in the lyrics, which sometimes suffer from the same malady that plagued certain Guardian songs--cheesiness:
I'm gonna make it through
I know you're with me tonight
Nobody lives their days without a fight
And I cannot face it alone
I struggle still, but one day I'll be home
(From "Let it Go")
In all fairness, Rowe himself describes the song as "bubble-gum rock," so perhaps the cheesiness is intentional.
The most Guardian-sounding among the four songs (and one remix) is the title track, "Beautiful." Over a gentle bed of sparsely used electric lead guitar, Rowe's pleasant vocals sing worshipfully to God, in an overall effect reminiscent of "My Queen Esther" from Guardian's Bottle Rocket album. The "lo-fi loop" remix is also enjoyable.
The standout track, though, is the demo version of "Amy," recorded in Rowe's home studio. The song is about the success of Guardian's former labelmate, Amy Grant, and contains many cute puns about her music.
the Beautiful E.P. has its faults, but it is overall a good album, and ushers in a new era for Jamie Rowe. I'm looking forward to the full-length.
3 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Opus 2001Reviewed by Jason MoreheadJamie Rowe was formerly a member of Guardian, a Christian hard-rock/metal group that achieved some prominence in the early '90s. I always lumped Guardian in with all of those other pretentious axe-slingers that put more emphasis on singing cheesy lyrics and getting their hair as big as possible than actually making relevant music. That stereotype, as fair or unfair as it may be, didn't really…HM Magazine #82Reviewed by A Girl Called GordonFollow Rowe as he takes you on a journey of a 5 song project of his favorite styles. Touching on the pop of his youth with "Let it Go," I found myself bouncing and recalling those joyous days in middle school! The Gary Newman-esque guitars are something I have been missing. "Do You Know" is a simple love song for those who need a pick-up from God. Rowe states in the liner notes that he wrote…
