Attached to this cd was a note that read, "'Warning: This CD has the potential of putting you in a good mood. Listen at your own risk.' Signed: The Drummer, Tim." Well, boy, was he right. (Incidentally, the aforementioned drummer, Tim, whose last name is Clo, is the brother of All Star United's guitar player Dave.) Within 30 seconds of pushing play, my head succumbed to the tendency to bounce back and forth, as I delighted in the piano chords which opened the silly but spiritual "Pillow For Your Soul." Horns, and jazzy beats, pounding pianos, string sections, 1960s Farfisa Organ, Kellie Hutchins' sassy and smooth vocals, and retro grooves combine effectually to create a sound they themselves describe as "new stream pop." I would liken this to the love child of The Beatles, Ben Fold's Five and Deee-Lite, with a dash of Burt Bacharach. This music is light-hearted, but loaded with messages. And it still is rock and roll. Without assigning any specific song writing tasks to one member of the band, they all have taken turns creating music on the album, and as such each song has its own flavor.
"It's All Good," is a reminder of Romans 8:28 (that all things turn out for the good) with a smooth, Jackie DeShannon delivery. There is a flavor some might call swing, or ragtime, to the song "Glee" which urges us to "smother the world with" it, and well . . . I can't recall the last time any Christian band purposefully used to the expression, 'doo-waah' with such panache. One of my favorite songs on this album is "The World's a Gonner," and it would deftly fit in on an Austin Powers soundtrack with its psychedelic groove. The next song, "You Said," fits the same bill, easily, and is the kind of song you'll hum for days. "Still Gonna Die" is ironic, but it is so hip that it leaves you singing while thinking about the lyrics. "The Jones' never had it so rough, keeping up gets you further behind, are you losing touch?"
In a nut shell, Life of Riley has a sound of their own. And that's about all I can say, without gushing too much. (But journalistic ethics aside, I really like this album.)
