Review Summary: 1 song is good, 2 songs are average, the rest? Ask Jonny, I haven't a clue what happened
Jonny Craig is renouned for being one of the most hit & miss vocalists on the scene right now, hits in the studio, and misses in live performances. He's been kicked out of two bands; Dance Gavin Dance (Although reformed with them late 2010) and just recently, Emarosa (2011). To be kicked out of one band is enough, but two? In any case, with DGD or Emarosa, or any other band he's been affilated with or provided guest vocals for, has always been an average listen, his voice sometimes screeching, sometimes flowing out of the listeners speakers. It was the band in the background that made his voice listenable, as it provided a cushion of softness that almost apologised for his voice screaming down your ear. No-one, bar no-one, asked for a solo record. But Jonny Craig being Jonny Craig has recorded a solo record, and even though at time of review, this record has been floating about a bit, it's only just recently come into the public eye, and people are still discovering it. Which they shouldn't bother doing. Whereas before, you had an excuse to listen to his voice, because he was part of a band, now you don't. Listening to Jonny Craig solo is a bit like dogging in a city centre bus stop- people will give you dirty looks when they see you doing it, and you will almost certainly not get any pleasure, only discomfort.
Besides all of this, there are 3 tracks on this album that are worth even mentioning, and they seem to be the 3 that have been shunted out for video/single release. 7AM, Two Bottles and the Wrong Road, a hefty title you would admit, is probably the albums selling point, as it's a genuinely good song. It has a rhythm, it's not bad vocals at all, and he doesn't mention himself in it, as is Jonny Craig's forte. I must admit, (I have no time girl, To play this game with you) is a lyric that managed to embed itself in my brain for a while, and made me keep coming back to the song. The second track thats worth anything is Istillfeelher Part 3, and even though it's one of these annoying multi-part song series that all of Jonny Craig's bands seem to follow, and even cross-address, such as DGD with The Robot With Human Hair, or the Istillfeelher 'franchise', (many of these songs don't even lyrically follow each other in the first place), it's a relatively good song. Again, it's unique, easy to sing; if only it didn't have that annoying title. The last track, Children of Divorce, (finally a song title that doesn't confuse or leave you gasping for air), is actually a beautifully written ballad about not feeling right or fitting in with a certain someone. It's unique, and it actually feels like top grade stuff.
These 3 songs, however, are not enough to keep the album afloat. The remaining tracks are underwhelming, painful to listen to (in both his voice, and the lyrical nonsense that he's written). There's no depth, no feeling, nothing to entice the listener, nothing that shows he has had a good lengthy musical career with multiple bands. It seems he has leant nothing, and the only thing you can say about this album is that it can't be worse next time, it can only get better.
