CD REVIEW: ONE LESS REASON – The Memories Uninvited

Label: Tattooed Millionaire Records

Release Date: August 26, 2016

Rating: 7/10

Reviewed by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur

I remember reviewing the last release from this band and thinking they may be on to something.  Then they disappeared and took a few years to pull together new material and ready it for public consumption.  That wait has culminated in the new disc, The Memories Uninvited.  If you dig modern radio rock, this album will be right up your alley.  Disc opener “Break Me” comes out hard and gives you a reason to bang your head a bit and get the foot tapping.  The chorus drops a scream before Cris Brown delivers an emotional lyric.  “Something Beautiful” follows the lead of the opening track – chugging riffs, heavy handed drumming, and steady vocals – with a bit milder tempo less intense sound.  “Where Were You?” is the lead single and brings a few different sounds together on one track, but it also sounds like a lot of other contemporary rock music – think Hinder meets Shinedown.  “The Trade” has a heavy bottom end courtesy of pounding drums and a thumping bass that support the soaring guitar sand catchy chorus.  The song ebbs and flows from verse to chorus and back again.  “On The Way Down” fits perfectly within the parameters of the other songs on the disc and gives us another listen to Brown’s vocals.  The guitar solo on the bridge is one of the best on the disc.  “You Didn’t Know” takes a slower road and seems to walk away from the other rock tracks on the disc, with a more ethereal groove and tempo that doesn’t seem to fit on this collection… or maybe the couple rockers don’t fit in with the more emotionally driven and moodier tracks.

“Sometimes” is a rock ballad that keeps a heavy guitar twisted into the mix at times, keeping the song in line with the other tracks from a sonic standpoint.  “Time” comes at you and unfolds slowly.  This song has a very Blue October feel to it, thanks to the tempered vocals and chorus that seems to march along without shifting in a vocal range.  “One Day” is a cool piano-driven ballad that allows the vocals to shine from the first word until the last.  While mild compared to some of the other tracks, this one grabbed me the most.  Be sure to check out the cool guitar work at the bridges.  “The Lie” is one of the surprises on the disc, as it has a different vibe and musical backdrop on the verse, but quickly conforms to the mood created on other tracks like “Time.”  “Rainmaker” closes the disc on a slower and stripped back sound and note.  The song brings a cool vocal and guitar duet that suits Brown’s vocals, but drives the rock quotient even further from the opening of the disc.

Tracklisting: Break Me – Something Beautiful – Sometimes – Where Were You? – Time – The Trade – One Day – On The Way Down – The Lie – You Didn’t Know – Rainmaker

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Category: CD Reviews