FRICKIN' A
Big Egos... No Ideas (Toucan Cove)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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I dunno. A big ego (and a thick skin) is an essential requirement for anyone with the fortitude to put out a CD in today's crowded marketplace. Let's face it, asking people to pay good money for your music is a pretty big exercise in "dig me." Anyone who plops down their dollars for Frickin' A's Toucan Cove debut, though, is likely to disagree with the idea that they have 'no ideas.' They have lots of them, and some pretty good ones, at that.

Maybe none of their ideas is better than the notion that rock music should be a lot of fun for the audience and the band alike, and these guys seem to be having as much fun as they provide - which is lots. As guitarist Dave Harris puts it, "We refuse to be just another depressed band singing depressed songs that stand on stage and play their depressed instruments." (Which leads us to the musical question - why do so many 'No Depression' acts sound so morose...)

Of course, ideas are ultimately only as good as their execution, and if the idea is to create music that rocks like crazy and delivers lots of fun, this Cincinnati-based quartet delivers on every track. They mix the brightness of the best power pop with the energy of punk and an attitude that's all fun, all the time.

Is this a terrific first album? Frickin' A.

Track List:

Drive * Just Friends * Trend * Jessie's Girl * Party Like A Rock Star * Dump Me * Naked In My Bed * Cut Number 7 * Last Summer * One Step Away

© 2004 - Shaun Dale