Review Summary: Though it will not sway its detractors, Innocence and Instinct evolves Red into a solid rock band.
About a year ago I was strolling down the music aisle in Wal-mart with my recent paycheck burning a hole in my pocket. I happened across Red’s first album
End of Silence , and bought it on the spot. Being that Kutless and P.O.D. occupied the top of my “heavy” list, Red surprised me with its harsh screams. It carried a very nu-metal sound, much in the vein of Linkin Park, albeit without the token rapping. Front man Michael Barnes’ voice was riddled with the teen angst that makes the genre popular and the guitars formed a simple, yet effective backdrop for his vocals. The rhythm section also brought little to the proverbial table, being competent, but not the focus of the songs.
So what does
Innocence and Instinct do to change this? Surprisingly little in fact, yet the changes made effect the album as a whole. The first noticeable change is with Barnes’ voice. He seems to have mostly dropped the slightly whiny tone he had in
End of Silence , adopting an edge in this album. His screams are vastly improved from before, and although they are placed farther apart, they hit harder and sound much harsher than before. Barnes is also a very capable singer, and he has a more versatile voice than many of the vocalists littering the charts. The guitars follow a similar pattern, though to a lessened degree. The heavier parts are heavier, but still technically simple. As with most mainstream bands, the guitars are meant to be a support to the vocals, and this album does little to change that statement. As before, the rhythm section is fairly par for the course. It complements the music nicely, but still comes off as more of a session drummer situation. It should also be mentioned that Red's previous drummer is absent from this album. He had an injury on tour, but it wasn’t made clear if that is the reason for his absence. Their touring drummer recorded the drums on this album.
The album kicks off with
Fight Inside , a basic rocker that is most definitely Red, and will call to mind songs from
End of Silence . Nothing that stands out, but nothing that really detracts from the song. This song is the epitome of Red.
Start Again is probably my favorite song. It plays much like
Already Over from the previous album, which is a good thing. It is mostly a “power ballad” if you will, with soaring vocals (sorry for the cliché) and an overall sweeping feel. As stated before, with mainstream rock, instrumentals take a backseat to vocals and lyrics. So in that light,
Start Again excels.
Ordinary World is a cover of the Duran Duran song of the same name. Executed competently, it just lacks emotion, and since that is a gimmick of Barnes’, it hurts the song on a whole.
Out From Under is probably the heaviest song on the whole album. As such, this song will call to mind
End of Silence more than any of the others. Not a bad song in the least, it is string driven and electronic influences peek through every now and again. The false ending seems to be a point of contention among some, but gives the song a stronger ending that fits nicely.
Innocence and Instinct closes with
Take It All Away . Definitely the softest track, it draws comparisons with
Pieces from the debut album. One of my personal favorites, a piano opens and leads into strings which guide the rest of the song. Clocking in at 5:40, it is the longest song and takes more time to get into than the other tracks.
All in all, Red made an admirable sophomore album. Still seated firmly in the mainstream genre, they have managed to expand and improve their core sound. Though some appeal is lost in the transition (read: less screams), for a generic rock album, this is pretty good. The main problem is that, though they have improved, they remain in a musically dying genre. It’s akin to supercharging a Mini Cooper, sure it’s faster, but it’s still a Mini Cooper.
The Good:
Michael Barnes is a very capable singer.
Production is solid.
No major problems.
The Not So Good:
Can be painfully average at times.
Instruments are steady, but leave a lot to be desired.
No problems...but no pluses either.
Recommended tracks:
Start Again
Death of Me
Out From Under
Take It All Away
Final Rating - 3.5/5
