Driveblind’s self-titled debut CD is polished like an officer’s shoes, but singer Terry McDermott’s soulful Paul Rodgers vocals transform relatively predictable music into surprisingly good company. The Los Angeles-based group, originally from Scotland, thinly disguises its European roots. It exhibits not a single ounce of American ‘woe is me’ hard rock psychobabble, and completely sidesteps greasy emo kid stuff. A slight Coldplay affection plays into “Light Sleeper,” while it shares Crowded House’s winning knack for melodies throughout. Power chords energize “I Know You,” along with organ, bringing to mind a nostalgically one-two punch hearkening all the way back to ‘70s hard rock when keys and electric guitars were nearly conjoined. Unfortunately, Driveblind also imitates Coldplay’s vague lyrical laziness. Is the band serenading us about girls? Politicians? Heck, are these songs about female politicians? Listeners cannot be certain. In the ‘80s, Big Country (another Scottish band, by the way) emerged with U2. But while Big Country painted with broad brush generalizations, U2 evolved from enigmatic to issue-specific. Big Country’s been forgotten, while U2 is amazingly still relevant. If Driveblind hopes to throw its arm around the world, it better come up with many more meaningful and memorable lyrical nuggets to illuminate its subject matter in order to avoid the fate of the forgotten Big Country.
~ Dan MacIntosh
Release date: October 24, 2006
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