MattA75's Full Review: Get the Picture? by Smash Mouth
When Smash Mouth hit it big in 1997 with Walkin on the Sun, there weren't many people around who would have argued they were most likely headed for 1990s one hit wonder compilations. Their mix of upbeat, peppy rock with reggae and ska overtones was, well, the right thing at the right time. After all, 1997 was "the great ska resurgence," as other bands broke through, most notably Reel Big Fish and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Even bands who weren't reggae or ska in the least ended up in the mainstream, as Sugar Ray broke through with Fly, a reggae tinged song that was on an album full of metallic punk rockers.
Smash Mouth defied the odds though, returning in 1999 and hitting it as big as possible with All Star, one of the most infectious pop songs ever written. The band scored a couple of other minor hits from their second disc, Astro Lounge. They continued to defy the odds by scoring big with their cover of I'm A Believer from the Shrek soundtrack.
The band's luck seemingly began to run out on their self titled 2001 effort, which tanked in terms of sales. This wasn't much of a surprise, as it was by far the worst album of the three the band had released up until that point. And they further antagonized long time fans who wished the band would go back to their peppy punk/ska roots by opening for N'Sync and with lead vocalist Steve Harwell's claim that "the record company pays me to write hits, so that's what I'm gonna do."
So after taking some time off and regrouping, Smash Mouth returned to record stores this past week with their fourth album, appropriately titled Get the Picture?. The album is a much welcomed return to form for the band, as they've abandoned their somewhat experimental side and gone back to what they do best: writing breezy, pop songs that were made to listen to at high levels of volume on a sunny day while doing 85mph on the highway.
The album's first single, You Are My Number One, has a nice little reggae touch to it, and I absolutely love the fact that the band has Rankin' Roger from The English Beat guesting on this track. He adds to this song tremendously, as his voice is perfect for the laid back feel of the track. The radio remix version of the song that appears at the end of the disc isn't much different from the original, just some small little changes.
The band kicks the disc off with a pair of higher energy numbers, Get On, and Always Gets Her Way. I like Get On, but it's Always Gets Her Way that really grabs me. The song is built around 3 simple chords, and numerous songs have been built around those same 3 simple chords, but for some reason, this works. I also love Harwell's vocal delivery on this song, the energy he brings is perfect.
Looking For A Wall has some nice simple guitar work from guitarist Greg Camp. I'm actually surprised this wasn't the first single, it's pure pop song sheen probably would have gone over extremely well with radio, at least better than You Are My Number One seems to be.
The last 3 tracks on the record (excepting the radio remix mentioned above) are all excellent summertime pop songs. 105 has a nice frenetic pace to it, while Fun is exactly as the title states: just a lot of fun. New Planet, meanwhile, is a nice little shout along of a ditty that makes me want to dance.
The one awful song on the record is by far Space Man, a track that sounds way too similar to some of the more "spacey" tracks on Astro Lounge. The two songs that I'll listen to but aren't wild about are Hot, which isn't so hot, and Seventh Grade Dance, which is catchy enough but the lyrics are just ridiculous, even for a Smash Mouth song.
All in all though, it's refreshing to see that Smash Mouth has "gotten" it with this record. Much like Sugar Ray, they are better off just writing pure summertime pop tunes. For them to try to be deep just does not work, they lack the songwriting talent and artistry to make it work. Get the Picture gets 3 and a half stars, and I'll round it up to 4 as it is a very pleasant surprise after the disappointment that was their self titled album. Besides, can it really be summer without a Smash Mouth tune on the radio?
Check out the music video for You Are My Number One. Click here The GRAMMY&-nominated multi-platinum band, SMASH MOUTH, is back with their 3rd album G...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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