Review Summary: Typical, simplistic radio-pop that borrows more ideas than it invents.
Nowadays it is difficult to find interesting mainstream pop. In a scene dominated by the likes of OneRepublic, The Fray, and Jason Mraz, one would not expect it to be all that great a task to deviate from the norm. Yet, band after band continues to emulate the current formula for success, and there is perhaps no better example than The Script. The Script’s self-titled debut album takes elements of all of the aforementioned artists, and does little more than mix the styles together to create a new one that is honestly anything but
new.
The Script may have yielded a few heartfelt singles, but the majority of the album is a mess of filler tracks that wallow in their own unoriginality.
The Script fails far more often than it succeeds, and the inconsistencies present are enough to warrant legitimate concern for the band. From the opening track “We Cry”, vocalist Danny O’Donoghue’s similarities to both Jason Mraz and Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic become apparent, and the listener has no choice but to be underwhelmed by the comparative lack of talent. It is clear that The Script attempts to get listeners to take stock in their lyrics as a means of compensation, but unfortunately that aspect of their music is equally as unimpressive. Songs like “Talk You Down” and “The End Where I Begin” are supposed to be poetic, but end up sounding like they were written by an angst ridden teenager venting his emotions on paper for the first time. “Rusty Halo” and “Fall For Anything” attempt to change the album’s tempo, succeeding only in the latter of the two. As a whole, the music offered on
The Script is simplistic and easily forgettable, with little to no distinguishing features to separate one song from another, let alone the band from its peers. This facet of the album provides their biggest obstacle, one that they will have to eventually overcome if they want to establish any kind of artistic integrity.
Honestly,
The Script does not really offer much outside of a few mid-album gems that are just catchy or touching enough to be memorable. One example would be “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved”, which isn’t the first song of its kind, but nevertheless is a well-executed ballad with lyrics that might pull at the hearts of the lonely:
Some try to hand me money, they don't understand
I'm not broke I'm just a broken hearted man
I know it makes no sense but what else can I do
How can I move on when I'm still in love with you
The song is immediately followed by the album’s biggest radio hit, “Breakeven (Falling To Pieces)” which features some strong hooks and a continuation on the theme presented in “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved.” Although the musical aspects on both songs are extremely basic, the nature of the songs does not call for impressive instrumental displays. The Script seems to be most at home on the mid-tempo ballad, with frequent incorporation of piano-rock influences and acoustic guitar. Quite simply put, anything else appears to be overstepping both the band’s ability level and their creative ambition.
The Script certainly has its place in modern radio, but that place is not its own. The music present on this record has already been explored and accomplished with higher levels of competency by numerous artists; many of whom blazed such a trail no more than a couple of years ago. Perhaps that aspect of The Script’s music is the most detrimental…often, a band that mimics another’s style is still able to ascend to great heights if released under the right conditions and at the right time. Unfortunately for The Script, it seems their debut album is, at best, a case of the right music at the wrong time. However, one could make an even greater case that they are wholly unoriginal second-rate versions of the real pop-radio geniuses dominating the music scene. The choice is yours, but either way, The Script find themselves in a pickle.
