It's hard to know where to start with this band. Not The Joneses' eponymous debut album is a tight, well-polished classic rock album, yet very much a product of the 90's. By this, I mean that on one hand, the album is full of those big pop hooks and rock riffage that is associated with the 70's, but on the other hand, there's a definite modern rock edge to the music.
It's almost as though there are two distinct band sounds on this album; the classic-rock stylings on some of the songs ("Ashes To Ashes," "J-Lite," "Draggin' Man," to name a few) and the modern rock stylings on others ("I Love You Anyway," "God Is Dead," etc.). Some songs bridge the gap, however, such as "Time Ain't No Reason," with its Soundgarden-meets-The Guess Who sound. In short, the musical package, for the average rock fan, will fit well within their listening comfort zone, no matter what that zone may be.
This is because the players, guitarists Dug Schoenbeck and Mark Chaffee, bassist Russell Bergum, and drummer Vince Consolo are adept at the various styles on this disc. Chaffee's vocals change to fit the nuances of each track. Chaffee, as the principal songwriter, also contributes some noteworthy lyrics to the album. In the track "God Is Dead," (hopefully not destined to suffer the same fate as Steve Taylor's "I Blew Up The Clinic Real Good") the lyrics focus on the second verse:
Inside a dim lit tunnel I saw somethin'
That I never thought would teach me
"God is dead" was written on the wall and it was signed Mr. Nitchze (sic)
Alone in the dark I felt a helpless sinking in my heart
But my spirit lifted when I saw those words so gifted
Cuz someone wrote beneath in red, "Nitchze's dead"
Signed God
This sense of humour permeates the lyrics of most of the songs. It's not really a hilarious album, but the band's sense of humor is certainly evident throughout. The song "I Love You Anyway" is from the perspective of Christ to us, His often stupid and unlistening people.
I Love You Anyway!
Through all the games that you play,
Even if you turn and walk away or nail me to a tree everyday
I Love You Anyway!
It's hard not to like that song, because it shows God's grace to us, the people who play these games. Plus, it has a very catchy, upbeat melody.
This is a solid, well-produced, straight-up rock album. And I think that that's also its drawback. It's too tight, and needs a little more room in spots just to let it fly. But that's not necessarily a problem, as it depends on where your tastes lie. There's a lot of room for this band to grow from this first outing.
3.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Lisa ReidNot the Joneses is well-named. This isn't your little brother's garage band -- your little brother only wishes he could jam like this. Russell Bergum, Mark Chaffee, Vince Consolo, and Dug Schoenbeck are the stuff labels dream of -- talented, committed and just waiting for the right deal to come along. Not the Joneses, new to True Tunes Records, was originally released independently and proves…The Phantom Tollbooth 1997Reviewed by Linda T. Stonehocker"Hey, Linda, when are you going to review that CD I gave you last winter?" Mark Chaffee never misses an opportunity. He doesn't give his band's Not the Joneses full-length, professionally produced self-titled debut CD away to every member of the press in Chicago, so now it's follow-up time. "When they ask you to play Cornerstone," I responded. The Phantom Tollbooth publishers are always on the…Similar sounding releases
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