I recently bought Ra’s sophomore album from Wal-Mart for the unusual price of $8.64. I thought that I was getting a good deal on it, which is the main reason that I picked it up. The only previous song I had heard from this band was “Do You Call My Name?” off of their debut album, From One. And although I liked the song, I didn’t find anything particularly enthralling about it; so, I don’t really know why I bought Duality. Maybe it was the exciting thought of discovering some new aspect of the band that I had overlooked before. Or maybe it was my conscience telling me to give them a second chance. Most likely, it was the fact that it was $8.64.
With my expectations somewhat skewed, I hoped that I had made a wise purchase. I’m one of those people that feels cheated when they dish out their hard-earned money for a CD only to discover that listening to it is more painful than having your wisdom teeth pulled by a dentist with an on-the-job drinking problem. Luckily, this album provided enough decent songs to justify its purchase; however, it also provided enough mediocrity to justify its cheap price.
Ra uses an ominous, short narrative, entitled “Fear”, to set the mood at gloominess. This leads us into the first song and first single, “Fallen Angels.” It starts with what sounds like a military march-like riff, which segues nicely into a short acoustic bit, laying the groundwork for one of the best songs on the album. This song most likely represents what the concept of the album was supposed to be: the amalgamation of hard and soft. Unfortunately, there are few instances that do this as well as this song. “Tell Me” and “Take Me Away” both attempt to follow along that same path, but only one of them succeeds. “Tell Me” gets by on its magnificent chorus and thought-provoking lyrics, while “Take Me Away” buries itself underneath its own uselessness. Although the guitar solo provides a tiny glimmer of hope, I would’ve liked it more if it didn’t sound so desperate to fill up space. The word we’re looking for here is “filler.”
"The Only One" offers some of the unusual guitar work that was featured on "Do You Call My Name?" The opening riff is almost mystic in nature. This is one that will have your head thrashing to the rhythm. Meanwhile, I’m not entirely sure why I like “I Lost Everything Today.” It’s nothing more than an ordinary rock song, but yet I can’t get it out of my head. I think the passion behind lead singer Sahaj Ticotin’s voice really pushes it over the edge and accomplishes something that Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger could never do: breathe life into a dead song. Unfortunately, not even Sahaj can resurrect the holy tones of “Superman,” a painfully plain ballad. The constant religious references get wearisome, and upon the first listen, you’ll most likely find yourself reaching for the skip button after the first minute or so. But you might as well leave your finger there, because the second narrative, "Love,” is a pointless interlude. The slump continues with “Say You Will,” a mid-tempo track that loses steam about halfway through because of its unrelenting repetition.
“Got Me Going” brings the disc back from the dead thanks to its captivating chorus riff and the stop-and-drop delivery of the vocals. The lyrics are nothing to write home about; in fact, they’re actually a bit repetitious too. The only thing that makes this okay is that you hardly notice since they’re being sung over the catchy-as-the clap guitar hook. Just trust me on that…it stings. Hey, what a smooth transition into the next track, “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” originally by Sting & the Police. There’s not a huge difference between Ra’s version and the original in the vocal department. Picture a slightly raspier Sting. The guitar drives along in a much happier vibe during the verses than the original though.
Following that trip back from the time portal, there is a group of songs that chugs along like a blur. None of them sound much different than the next, making them as easy to distinguish between as a wet pubic hair in a dewy meadow. These short & curlies include "Far Enough," "Taken," and "Undertaken." The last highlight of the album is found on the acoustically strummed “Swimming Upstream,” which is a solid way to end a shaky album. The sentiment that he expresses using the metaphor of swimming upstream is truly heartfelt, which you can hear in his voice. As far as the actual lyrics go, the chorus has some of the best you’ll find on this album: “I can’t say I miss you/You’re always around/I can’t say I love you/’Cause you’ll cut me down." That's beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.
Even with the general mediocrity of Duality, I would still suggest picking this up because there are some sporadic hard rock gems to be found. And if you’re unsatisfied with the music found on it, you can always use it to set your drink on.
