Artist: Speak Easy
Title: Low Moral Character
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: Independent
Website
Low Moral Character is what this album is all about. Take a look at the titles of the songs…"Serotonin," "Scum Recital"…. it pretty much tells the story. There is some hard rockin' music to help the words hit home, and that is what really makes this album digestible.
A young buck on a mission named Kevin Verni is out to prove a point, that he can play the guitar hard, fast, and sing some ruff and tumble vocals to go along with it. The mix is just right, his vocal style has a roughshod edge to it and it ain't pretty, but then it should not be. He leaves the niceties to a young lady by the name of Maggie Arnold, whose voice gives the music an entirely different attitude. It is an interesting and entertaining combination to say the least.
When you first hear this CD, you may think it's just okay, then after another listen you start hear a little more, then you give it another spin and what do you know? It really starts to grow on you. I have always enjoyed music with a punk attitude and feel to it and this music definitely fits the bill. Even if I do call refer to it as alternative rock, I can hear where the punk influence finds its way through Verni's guitar playing and vocals. They spice it up a bit with an organ that has a reggae island feel to it on some tracks, which again, is a different way to present this type of music. There is not anything new going on here but I have to hand to Verni for his creativity and versatility. I hear nothing but room for growth and a lot of potential for this band.
October 2, 2004
01. Fuse and Melt (4:56)
02. You Ought to be Happy (2:06)
03. Low Moral Character (3:47)
04. Serotonin (4:12)
05. The Muse (3:37)
06. No Good for Me (4:34)
07. Oh Melanie (5:18)
08. 99 Favorites (2:39)
09. The Waking Dream (5:28)
10. Danni (6:37)
11. Scars (5:25)
12. Sacrifice (4:30)
13. Scum Recital (6:21)
14. Disco (3:42)
15. The O (5:28)
(hidden tracks)
16.Blue Moon Saturday (1:20)
17. The Monkey Song, (3:11)
Rating-7/10
Credits:
Maggie Arnold: backup and lead vocals
Casey Grattadaria: keyboards, claps, and backup vocals
Jameson Hollis: bass, backup guitar, and backup vocals
Steven Patton: drums, claps, and backup vocals
Kevin Verni: guitar, lead vocals, backup vocals
Article comments
1 - Justene
This review was chosen for Advance.net. You will be able to find it on newspaper sites including Cleveland.com.