Esthero displays a great variety in musical styles in her latest release “We R in need of a musical ReVoLuTIoN!” This does provide a nice change, but Esthero takes pleasant diversity a step too far. The songs are so contrasting that it seems illogical to have them grouped together in one album.
The first track, “We R in Need of a musical revolution,” provides an upbeat and pop-filled sound, while making a statement about the current state of today’s music trends. It demands change: “We’re so tired of the same old same old/ We are in need of a musical revolution/ We’re in need of a lyrical evolution.”
It criticizes only a small number of artists and companies for contributing to stagnant sound. Yet later in the CD, the only thing Esthero manages to accomplish is mirror sounds from other artists.
“Everyday Is A Holiday (With You)” was featured on the “Down With Love Soundtrack,” although it did not appear in the movie. It tells of falling in love and being unable to get the person out of her mind. The abundant use of horns lends a great jazz feel to the track, while the lyrics are much more reminiscent of The Monkees. A strange cross, but it works well for the overall quality of the song.
After listening to the first two tracks, which are enjoyable, not amazing, but worth hearing, the final three tracks present sounds and styles that simply follow along with all other major artists.
“Gone” is a typical presentation of wanting to escape and lamenting the downfall of a bad relationship. Esthero sounds like a more mature version of Pink than an original artist wanting change.
The first thing that comes to mind when listening to “This Lull-a-bye” is elevator music. It has a semi-catchy rhythm that could also lend itself quite well to the type of songs you hear when you call a company and they put you on hold.
If you want a preview of how “I Drive Alone” sounds, watch the credits of a James Bond movie. Not the good opening song they replay over and over, but the one after it, at the very end of the credits, that no one really listens to for a reason. The song is tolerable in small bits and would contribute to any movie scene as background music.
Typically, instrumental intros help set the tone and feel for a song. They provide a brief preview of the message. In the bonus track “Amber and Tiger’s Eye,” the intro rattles on for a seemingly endless period of time. The entire song is a continual loop of repetitive sounds with only the occasional bit of lyrics that fluctuate from the previous line.
“We R in need of a musical ReVoLuTIoN!” falls short of its one demand: change. In a rather short five tracks with a single bonus track, Esthero manages to only mirror styles and sounds presented to the public time and time again.
Some songs do break away from the continual drone of pop that most radio stations play, but the album still manages to fit into distinct categories without challenging the concepts that are causing originality to be withheld from the public.
Esthero ultimately fails to create even a ripple of change in the ocean of musical revolution.
Tara Templeton can be reached at [email protected].
