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Album Reviews
"Remedy" is the debut release from a new rock band out of
Nashville - Strange Celebrity. The foursome features Luke
Brown on vocals and guitars, Rick
Wilson on drums, Tracy Ferrie playing bass, and Quinton
Gibson on guitars. Brown is the primary songwriter, as well.
The band bio describes the music
as rock and roll and lists wide ranging musical influences
including classic rock, alternative, and millennium pop.
Wilson says, “Nothing too outlandish, but also something
that will set a standard of quality music as well.”
As a freshman release, this CD is very credible. The music
is tight and well played; the lyrics are clear and easy to
follow. Overall the tracks are smooth and easy to listen to.
In a genre where formulated music is the norm Strange
Celebrity has done something interesting: each song seems to
have a different formula. The problem is that none of the
formulas really grab my attention. For instance, every time
I listen to "I Can't Breathe" there's a musical phrase that
stands out which reminds me of the theme to The Drew Carey
Show. It's still a great tune but it points up one of the
weaknesses of "Remedy" - over and over I hear the
'influence' behind the songs rather than the originality of
the artists. Which leads to what I feel is the second
weakness. Songwriter Luke Brown says, "This record deals a
lot with a rollercoaster of emotions. It's very human
relationship based..." Lyrically that's true but those
emotions haven't translated well into the music. There's an
evenness to the tracks which feels like it's holding the
emotions in check.
Neither of these weaknesses make this a bad CD. The music is
very accessible and should appeal to a lot of people. The
challenge is it may not stand out
enough in the crowd of rock bands. I look forward to hearing
a second CD after they've had the chance to tour a while and
refine their musical vision.
There's a lot here to build on.
Key tracks: If I, Ruin, I Can't Breathe
~
John Venvertloh
This CD is the Squint debut from Strange Celebrity, and
this CD doesn’t disappoint. This CD is a refreshingly
positive CD with a good Rock edge to it. I was impressed
with this CD from start to finish and the band has shown
Christian radio strength with their first release of
Free as a single to Christian radio. This
song is probably just the start as I could see 2 to 3
more songs also possibly going to radio in the future.
My favorite track on the CD was the first single that was
released but I also liked the second track If I.
This band has the powerful WB and Curb Records in its
corner and their deep pocketbooks and resources should
only help this band succeed in the future.
Overall, this is an excellent first time offering from
Strange Celebrity. This CD has already made some waves
on the Christian Rock charts with their Christian Rock
chart climbing first single and this pop/rock offering
probably has more in store for the Christian radio
scene. If you are into a softer alternative rock sound
then this band is for you. This band is hard to compare
to other bands, but they do have a noticeable influence
from Aerosmith and U2, and if you like Switchfoot’s style
of music this band is similar. This band is not
objectionable by any means and has taken the stance of
being a positive band in a hard world. Overall, the
lyrics are positive and there is nothing offensive on the
CD and parents should have no problem with getting this
CD for kids of any age. I would say this is a good CD to
add to your collection if you are into softer Christian
Rock music.
~
Natedog
Strange Celebrity(Homepage)
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