Upon first listen this band fails to impress. Same with the second,
but by then you begin to notice a smattering of decent hooks and song-writing
on par with most alternative-rock radio fare. Some songs crank with power
pop distortion, others kick back with mellow strumming, while others combine
both extremes. There is even a funked out tune with some '70's lead guitar.
For better or worse, harmonicas occasionally add their shrill sound to
the mix. Vocals are of the current, common pop/alternative kind (Semisonic,
Matthew Sweet, Plankeye, etc.), with a tiny bit of emo-passion and a big
dose of classic rock style.
Aaron Sprinkle's (Poor Old Lu, Rose Blossom Punch) production is
competent, but the indie limitations are still distinct. Unfortunately,
his own unique alternative style isn't transferred to Red Shoed Star in
the production process either. A little more song consistency would also
be appreciated; one moment the band is churning out a great modern rock
tune like "Water," with its deep-lung chorus, and the next they're singing
a dated, CCM-ish ballad like "You Lifted Me." The band has obviously not
decided on their direction, which may throw off some people.
Most of the lyrics are in the first person and deal with life struggles,
relationships, relying on God, and so on. Nothing too profound, but sure
to find listeners who relate. The last song, "Fish, Frog, & a Mountain,"
has some completely nonsensical lines. A note in the sleeve says, "There
is absolutely nothing spiritual or religious about this song...so get over
it, move on with your life and quit hounding us, it's just a dumb song!"
It shows a band fed up with legalistic, Christian music fans who try to
enforce their religious rules of acceptability onto bands. Good call.
For an indie band, Red Shoed Star is off to a promising start. They are going to need more than red shoes, however, to stand out from the thousands of other stars shining in the sky.
By Josh Spencer (8/14/98)
The main selling point for this band before I heard their album was that it was produced by Aaron Sprinkle, formerly of Poor Old Lu. Naturally, this raised my expectations, but the finished album is well below my standards.
Red Shoed Star's music is best described as a mix of modern rock and alternative, to my ears sounding at times like Blues Traveler and at others like Dear Ephesus. The opening track, "Take Me Away," is a near-perfect Dear Ephesus clone, while the second, third, and fourth tracks all sound like Blues Traveler, Poor Old Lu, and Dear Ephesus, respectively. The vocals overall seem weak, often lost in the mix and poorly executed when out in the open. Throughout the album it sounds like the lead singer is trying to emulate many different singers, without success.
Lyrically, the band is on stable ground, with songs about selfishness, people being slaves to time, and girlfriends. Here are the lyrics to "The Richest Bum":
Where do all these things come from
Am I supposed to understand
Why am I the richest bum
It's only in God's hands
A man comes home from work one night
His wife is there but she's gone it seems
A love relation from the start
But now it only happens in their dreams
I honestly don't know how this one got out of the studio with Mr. Sprinkle's name on it. While some songs seem to work okay, others just sort of stumble along. Plagued by unoriginal music and sub-par vocals, this band has some serious work ahead of them. They have going for them the good production quality (aside from the poorly-mixed vocals at times) and the occasionally interesting lyrics, but Red Shoed Star needs to write and play together for a while more before they mature.
By Joe Rockstroh (8/20/98)
