Yep. It's ska. It's good ska, though. The guitar breaks from the typical upbeats to turn out some strong chords. They even break from the traditional ska sound to do a pop thing, "Nothing Without You," sort of sounding like the Five Iron horns playing with All Star United.
The Seuss-ean lyricist of the group shows a deep passion for God . . . and girls. With lyrics like "The Holy Spirit will fill the hole / and through the water God will cleanse your soul" ("Fill the Hole") contrasting "I miss your smiling face and your sparkling blue eyes / I miss the times we've laughed, even the ones that we've cried," ("Past Times") I got a little confused and came to the conclusion that these guys were teenagers. If that is the case, then bravo on the music. Few people at your age can play as adeptly as you can. Keep going.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Eric DaamsSka--energy, average vocals, guitars dragged over from the punk rock scene, and mediocre lyrics. That's the general formula to much of today's ska. Ten To One join this scene, offering little ground-breaking material, but still managing to create an enjoyable debut. They shine when they get around to churning out the hard, grinding guitar punk numbers. Perhaps it's the fact that they've got two…ReAL Magazine 1999Reviewed by Stacy H.I've never heard of Ten to One before, but I was dazzled with their music. Their ska style (which included drums, guitars, trumpets, and a keyboard) held my attention throughout the whole CD. Although there isn't much variation among the instruments, each song has its own distinct melody that helps draw you in to the song. Each of their songs have a particular message and a lot of them hit home.…
