How many times has somebody told you to "act natural"? Sounds like good advice, doesn't it? Eric Champion begs to differ. His new album, Natural, argues that not only is this opening statement bad grammar, it's also deceptively bad advice. Acting naturally involves following what our nature tells us to do. But because our untrustworthy nature is a flawed piece of equipment, such behavior leads to a world filled with the kind of malfunctioning beings we see each morning in the mirror. Champion's latest acts as a laundry list of such dysfunctional traits: "Am I Looking Good?" reeks with vanity; "Just Me" stinks of envy; the title track speaks of how any honest fight against our natural impulses is often a losing battle (Between my conscience and my flesh/ My flesh always wins). The only truly poor selection is "Hacker's Prayer," which uses a too obviously convenient computer metaphor to describe the receipt of God's love. But this is a small complaint, and only shows up as a tiny bug in an otherwise nearly flawless program. Champion's musical neighborhood consists of applying asphalt-thick guitar parts for the music's foundation, then allowing keyboard steps to hop-scotch all over the mix. The end result is a playground symphony with a modern edge. His vocals often pass on straight singing--whenever a good snarl feels better--and this musical characterization he's created comes off sounding much like a snotty and spoiled little child. This character-acting is all intentional, since each of us would grow up just like that selfish little brat, if the Creator had not first instilled within us a little of His own charitable nature.
Other coverage for this album
The Lighthouse Unsorted 1998Reviewed by Alex KlagesWhat a difference a few years can make! The last time I paid any serious attention to Eric Champion's music he was doing dance/club music. That wasn't really my style at the time, so I ignored his music for a while. Listening to Natural, it is clear that his style has changed. He's still the keyboard and synth wizard he has always been, but instead of heading down a Joy Electric-style pathway,…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Daren Allder1996's Transformation album saw the consolidation of Eric Champion's bright new rock/dance fusion, replete with crunching guitars and assorted synth bleepery. The time was right for such a beast, riding the last few breakers of the early/mid 90's tide of grunge, and simultaneously fuelling the public's need for something a little new. This was the era of the similar-sounding Babylon Zoo, who…Similar sounding releases
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