State of Man - Swallow Your Fears

ALBUM REVIEW

It's been a while since I've reviewed any music. There have been a few albums that I've listened to that I really need to get on here at blab about soon.

I couldn't keep putting this one off, because the CD was a gift. Not only is it signed, it's good. There's a southern rocker belle(that may sound like an improbable combination, but it's true) that is so connected with music it makes me terribly jealous. Lara's her name, and these fellas are her friends.

State of Man is getting a lot of good press, and from the four songs on the maxi-single I have, it's for a good reason. They're definitely radio-friendly, but not in some bereft way. These gents have latched on to a key element that it seems a lot of the marketing excuses for bands out there have skipped - how to craft a hook!

By the time you've heard any of these songs twice, you feel like you know them. They're well crafted, without being over-produced in any way. I don't even know what they are "categorized" as, but they're rock to me. There's a nice soulful touch to the vocals, and I think that you can hear the southeastern touch, without it ever being a bad thing. I think that lead singer, John Stringer, has an amazing ability to enunciate very clearly, and yet still infuse emotion into his voice. The guitars come over in a nice wave, and with moments of crunchiness that I'm very partial to. The rhythm section allows the tracks to remain simple, but also can pull along the driving force that's needed.

The single itself, Swallow Your Fears, comes sweeping in with a sparse arrangement and a nice wall of guitar sound. The real star here, for me, is the vocals, and when you get to the harmony in the chorus, it's instantly likeable. The lyrics are actually very positive too, and I hope it does very well. I'd much rather hear/see this on MTV than most of the stuff on there.

Echoing guitars strum "Be Still(My Heart)" into life. Once again, the lyrics are solid(I actually really like sentiment in the bridge), but the really choice thing is the way the chorus kicks in with the guitars sweeping up to meet it. I can see every crowd singing along to this song after the first verse. I've heard that State Of Man is great live, and with songs this accessible, I'm not surprised. This is anthemic, and could easily be a single itself.

"Bound In Chains" sounds the most southern to me - with it's piano and slower tempo. Maybe it's just me, but this song sounds laid back like a rainy day. The most soulful vocals come through on this one, and I really like it.

"Symmetry" wraps things up, and is probably the heaviest track. This has things cranked up, with the drums and the guitars to the fore. There's even an honest to goodness guitar solo on this song, and yet it still manages to have this infinitely catchy hook. Almost reminds me of Living Colour on this one, and if you know me, that's a pretty big compliment.

I think that if this is a taste of what they're capable of, then the full album is definitely worth snagging. Who couldn't use a few more rock songs in a row they can actually enjoy?

Rating = *** out of 5 stars