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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Chris Katris’ Songs From the Basement
Wednesday 13 June @ 12:13:36 |
 
CD REVIEW
by MICKEY CAULFIELD
There's a reason Chris Katris' fifth album is called Songs From the Basement and not Songs From an Actual Studio. It's not that it's necessarily "bad" in the traditional sense--he nails all the licks, he hits all the notes, it's all solid. It's just all been done before. The album's first song, "Turning the Corner," sounds more than a little like Clapton ... but why would someone listen to a moderately enjoyable Clapton imitator when they could just listen to Clapton himself?
Another factor critical to the rock musician is the "cool" factor. Listening to "Stairway to Heaven" and knowing it was recorded by 10-year-old fat kids in shirts advertising their church's youth group just wouldn't be the same as knowing it was recorded by the members of Led Zeppelin, who were, at the time, the epitome of cool. This applies to almost all post-modern music (besides Billy Joel). This is where Chris Katris fails.
As harsh as I sound, I don't want to make you think Chris' fifth album is without merit. If you love classic rock or Southern rock, you'll probably enjoy Chris Katris. And if you enjoyed his previous albums, you'll probably like this one. I can't say that some of the riffs aren't catchy at all, and I can't deny his talent for making the kind of bass parts rarely seen outside of jazz, but I doubt this will garner him much critical success.
Getting farther into the album, another fact becomes apparent to the listener: Most of the songs sound pretty much the same. Listening to the seventh track, "Far Above the Crowd," and then listening to the ninth track, "Tripping Over Barb Wire," one must note that the difference is minimal. Katris never really experiments with any new styles, sounds or effects. "Songs from the Basement Vol. 5" is pretty much the same sort of riffs with chords held over them, and the same tired vocals. That is acceptable in popular music though: At least 50 percent of albums suffer from this problem. Ultimately, the greatness of music is held completely in the eye of the beholder, so fans of previous Katris releases should certainly pick up this one.
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