Welcome to 2004!
Okay, sometimes we are all a little late to the party, and in this case it is me that fell behind. I just purchased the If It Ain’t Broke, Break It album (GREAT title) released by Starwood in 2004. For those of you that do not know, Starwood is a side project fronted by none other than Lizzy Borden. Now, I am a huge Lizzy Borden fan, as I think he has an amazing voice and the energy he (and his entire band) put into a live show is always top notch. So how could I not purchase this album. The first thing that grabs you when listening to this album is that it is not a Lizzy Borden album, which is great. Performing under a different name gave Lizzy the chance to break character and not be confined to the role he has created in his main gig. The songs do not have to be about axes and voyeurism, but instead he is free to write and sing about anything he so chooses. Overall the album is strong, and I find myself listening to it again and again. "Subculture," "What’s Your Damage" and "Social Zero" are among my favorite tracks, but taken as a whole, this is definitely a solid effort. However, there are a few things I would have liked to have changed about this album. I wish Lizzy and the band had spent a little bit more time developing the songs and the lyrics. I think with a little bit more time, the songs would have finished stronger and have made more of an impact. For example, there is a song called “All My Girlfriends Have Boyfriends” on the album. I give them credit for coming up with a clever song title that really could have been developed into something perhaps humorous and memorable. Instead, the chorus simply repeats, “All my girlfriends have boyfriends, ohh no, ohh, no” over and over again, and is ultimately forgettable. To me, this seems like a missed opportunity. Also, I wish Lizzy had looked further for the members of Starwood (most members of Starwood are also members of the Lizzy Borden band), as several of the songs actually sound like they could be Lizzy Borden songs, and I think it would have been good for him to break further away from that character and sound he has already created. While Joey Scott is a great metal drummer and is a perfect fit for the Lizzy band, I think he lacks a certain amount of "flow" in his playing for something that is more pop rock sounding, and I think Lizzy would have fared better with a more groove-oriented drummer for this project (…and yes, I know that Joey is Lizzy’s brother).
At the end of the day, I do dig the album, and would encourage any fans of Lizzy Borden to buy a copy of the Starwood release (under $10 from iTunes). Even for the shortcomings mentioned above, it is still a great, solid record.
Thursday, October 11, 2012 at 12:01AM