Squad Five-O

Item: Squad Five-O
Author: Matt Modrich

(2002)

Reviewed by Matt Modrich

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Label Tooth & Nail RecordsDecapolisMarch 2002

hard rock punk

Squad Five-O has always put on an incredibly entertaining live show, but their albums have left a lot to be desired until now.

Squad started as a ska/punk band, but then they decided to denounce ska to become an 80's glam-rock band. With the demise of glam-rock, Squad has once again reinvented themselves with their fourth album. This Squad project mixes bluesy southern rock with poppy 80's punk. Just think of Aerosmith meets the Ramones with a twist of the Rolling Stones.

Newly acquired lead guitarist Kris Klein and drummer Dave Petersen have been an intricate part of Squad's new sound. They add significant music talent to Squad's ever-growing musical repertoire helping to make this Squad's first serious recording.

The first track on the CD, "I Don't Want To Change The World, I Just Want To Change Your Mind" may be worth the price of the album. Other standout songs include: "Make You Dance," "Underground Hearts," "The Adolescent Night" and "Crystal Coastline."

The only major problem with this CD is the repetitive nature of the songs, which are on average about four minutes long. Squad's old songs were so short they were over before they even got started. This minor change could take some getting used to for Squad listeners.

Overall, Squad shows maturity in songwriting and musicianship with this record, but there is still more potential growth for the band. Now that Squad has proved they are more than just a good live show, the only question is whether their live album will come out before they tour all of the lower 48 states.

B+