UNIFIED THEORY
Unified Theory (Universal)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

---

Here are the quick facts: Shannon Hoon OD'd and Blind Melon was history, leaving behind some players needing people to play with. David Krusen was the drummer on Pearl Jam's breakout album, Ten, but... okay, I don't know why he's not still there. Chris Shinn got a super-fat publishing deal with Chrysalis as a teenager, which may piss some of you off because it wasn't you, but the fact is the kid is a hell of a talented songwriter.

Okay, put all that in the shaker, shake it up, pour it out and you get this unique band that sounds nothing like you expect it to. Shinn's sometimes delicate, sometimes razor-sharp vocals turn out to be the perfect front end for the music of Christopher Thorn (guitar), Brad Smith (bass) and Krusen (drums). The sound is decidedly ethereal, but unlike most music with that tag, it pounds, surges and rages, swirling around you in a storm of emotion. Turn it up loud on "California" and even louder on "Cessna" for maximum motion. It's all to the good, and far, far away from the standard fare being offered in the mainstream this year. (They don't seem to hate anyone. Imagine.)

Funny thing about this band is that I'd say they had no chance if they were coming up on an indie label with little backing. That's what happens to bands this good. But we're talking about a label with muscle, a guitarist and bassist from Blind Melon, a drummer from Pearl Jam, and a singer/songwriter whose talent is only just beginning to bloom and is already something special, and who, on top of all that, appears to have his head together. It may take a few albums, but Unified Theory is gonna happen. Maybe they'll start a trend. One I'll welcome, I'll tell you that.

© 2001 - DJ Johnson