|  Comments:
For reasons unbeknownst to this reviewer, Enuff Z’ Nuff is
not a household name, nor are they a multi-platinum selling artist.
This just goes to show you how outright ignorant the bulk of people
who buy music are. Have you listened to them before, seriously?
If not, well, pick up last year’s release Welcome to Blue
Island and their newest release, ?, NOW!
The
mysteriously titled ? begins with a song that isn’t
their best, “Gorgeous.” The effects on the song, though,
are worth your time. It begins in mono and with static, almost reminding
you of an old country song, with some sort of broken-keyboard sound.
Enuff Z’ Nuff is not afraid to be overtly sappy, as their
first hit “Fly High Michelle” proved, and in this case,
the guitar and bass make things right, but the lyrics are just a
little too much for the first song on a disk.
And
then, you’ll jump into “Home Again” when the second
song strikes. Holy shit, this has all of the pop sensibility of
every hit song from the ‘50s on up to today. It’s eerily
melodic, almost damn perfect. Vocally, Donny Vie, say what you will
about his problems, is an immense talent. A sheer and pure talent;
you can’t fake vocals like this. If you like good music, you
have to be amazed at how many times these guys hit the bulls eye.
“Help
…”, yes, with the ellipsis, is up next. This is a faster
song, with more attitude, a song that will pick you up and make
you realize that whining and complaining just means you are a bawl-baby
pissy-pants. “One of these days I’m gonna find another
way to beat it, one of these days I’m gonna stop feeling sorry
for myself …” It’s almost like a theme song for
losers, or underachievers.
The
hits honestly never stop, song by song. Take track 4, “No
Place Like Home.” The bass playing here is stellar, the melody
is again something 99.9 percent of the bands out there just can’t
write, and the overall groove will make you hit rewind again and
again and again.
Do
they ever strike out? Well, with titles like “Harleya,”
yeah. The title is dumb. But the song is great. When they decide
to crank it up, distort the voice and rock out, like on “Hang
On for Life,” well, they emphasize their musicianship a little
more, with fast, pinpoint guitar playing, and the focus is on the
beat and music more than the vocals. Yeah, they can do this too,
and well. What CAN’T they do?
Probably
the best song here is the soft “How Are You?” No matter
what kind of music you like, if you don’t like this song,
then you don’t like music. Period. You have no taste. Basically,
the song is about a guy whose girl left him all alone, and he isn’t
going to whine about it. At the chorus, though, it’s as poignant
as you can get: “How are you, are you doing the all thing
things you want to do? Are you finding new romances? As for me,
I guess I’m as good as I can be, under these circumstances.”
Reading it doesn’t do anyone justice, though; you gotta hear
the vocal delivery. Haunting, just freakin’ haunting.
To
be fair, “Joni Woni (Likes to Ride the Pony)” is quite
possibly the dumbest title ever.
They
end things with a cover of “Stone Cold Crazy.” While
they could have gone out with a whimper, they crank the amps up
to 11. It’s an admirable cover, with tons of energy, but you
can’t really compare it to Metallica.
So,
in summary. Go buy this CD. They get a 9/10 just because no one
is perfect. And because no one should have to hear the words “Joni
Woni likes to ride the pony.”
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