Mid-Life Crisis. When I found out that was the name of the band that I would be reviewing, I had to laugh. I have been wondering when MY mid-life crisis would occur, and maybe it’s already come and gone. Probably not though. At least I have something to look forward to. And when it comes, I think I’ll jam to the bluesy rock of Mid-Life Crisis as I dance, probably badly, and try to make the best of it.
The album kicks off with a great tune, “Blues, Soul, Rock and Roll.” This is a song with attitude and strength. This is a dancing tune, no doubt. I’ve discovered, while listening to the album “It’s Always Something,” that there isn’t a lead singer in the conventional sense. The band members switch it up quite a lot, and there are many members in this band. That makes for an album that will be sure to keep us on our toes. The variety is nice. On “Blues, Soul, and Rock and Roll,” the singer is Tara McLaughlin and she absolutely nails it. I also especially enjoy the piano in this song and the guitar simply screams. After listening to the opening track, I was hooked.
The next track, “Lucky,” has a different vibe altogether. It starts off with some great guitar work and a good beat. The singer on this song, and I’m not sure which of the eight members it is, has a mellow voice that vaguely makes me think of country music even though the song is clearly not country. It has a snappy little rhythm and the lyrics are exceptionally well written. The sound is very clear and I enjoy the backing vocals as well, especially the haunting reverberations of Tara’s aaahhhhhhs.
“The Grand Rapids Song” has more meaning to people who are actually from Grand Rapids or are familiar with the city, I’m sure, but I like it anyway even though I can’t relate to much of it. It’s a funny song with a beat that makes you want to bounce a little when you walk. I think it’s pretty cool that Mid-Life Crisis wrote a song about their city. This clearly shows their pride in, and gratitude to, Grand Rapids. I never knew that President Ford was laid there to rest, or that Da Vinci’s horse is a permanent guest. I got a little history lesson on the city of Grand Rapids during this song.
Up next is “Something Blue” in which Tara graces us once more with her melodic vocals and the rest of the band members support her exceedingly well. Mid-Life Crisis does a wonderful job harmonizing on this song and I especially like the different sounds that I’m hearing in this one. I hear some maracas, I think. A small touch, yes, and one that perhaps not everyone would pick up on, but the maracas are what endeared me to this tune, oddly enough.
“One More Dance” is a sad song. It’s melancholy. This is a good song for couples to slow dance to and realize how lucky they are to have each other. Listening to this piece, I come to understand once more that the people I love may not always be here and that I should not take them for granted. Aside from the lyrics, the piano in this track is the perfect accompaniment to the guitar and drums, and the entire song is well done and flows with a smoothness that is comforting and soothing.
“Stages” is the next track and it begins with some heavy drum beats and rockin’ guitar, which is welcoming after the slow sadness of the previous track. This is a song about getting older and the stages of our lives, hence the title. While I like the song overall, it sometimes seems to swing dramatically from hard rock to the melodic chorus, and perhaps that is what most listeners would prefer, but I would recommend trying to smooth the transitions in this song slightly. Aside from that, “Stages” shows us a side to Mid-Life Crisis that we have not yet seen on this album – The hard hitting, hard rocking, down home American classic rock song.
After rocking us out with “Stages,” the band slows it down a notch with “Forgotten Souls.” The harmonic vocals and acoustic guitar work well together, but the lyrics are what really grab the listener’s attention. And that’s exactly as it should be. The lyrics are deep and should be heard clearly. This track is rather simple when compared to the relatively complicated songs that preceded it. There is the guitar and there are the vocals, and it is refreshing to be able to just sit back and simply listen to this song and take it for what it is rather than get distracted by all sorts of other wonderful sounds going on. There are not many layers to this song and I like it for that reason. “Forgotten Souls” is the bare bones of Mid-Life Crisis, and even the bare bones are fantastic.
“Chasing Fireflies” is another Tara specialty and this song will be sure to take you to other places in your mind if you listen to it with your eyes closed. The imagery of this one is great and I am remembering warm summer nights and innocence and simplicity and tranquility. This track is youthful and the music behind the words is excellent as well, especially the piano once again. Some songs are just made for the piano, and Mid-Life Crisis does a good job of knowing which ones they are. I also enjoy the trumpet, which is a nice touch that adds the final ingredient to this masterpiece.
“You” makes me think immediately of Santana as soon as I hear that guitar. That’s about all the similarity there is though. This is a snazzy little jazz number that makes me want to drink sophisticated cocktails and wear a beautiful evening gown and saunter along, snapping my fingers in time to the music. The horns are well done – not overly obvious but certainly not overlooked within the music, at least until the sax solo, which is amazing. “You” really does an excellent job of showing the diversity of Mid-Life Crisis and all the various styles of music and the plethora of instruments that this band is capable of playing. And they play them extremely well, I might add. Nicely done.
After the skillful “You” comes “Heavenly Dreams” which has wind chimes at the beginning. That’s a subtle and brilliant touch that not many bands take advantage of. It gives the song a dreamy quality, which is appropriate because the listener may feel caught in a dream while giving this track a whirl. There are a few odd things about this song, such as the imagery of space and the analogy of rolling dice and studying cards. The two don’t seem to mesh, but this simply adds to the eccentricity of the song. Also adding to this is the vaguely carnival-like feel to the keys during the bridge, and the blaring trumpet makes me think of angels at the pearly gates. The guitar solo is stellar and the drums carry the song through till the end. An odd song, yes, but that’s why I like it.
The guitar at the beginning of “I Laid My Eyes On You” makes me think of the Cure. There is a significant Cure undertone to the rhythm of this song and the singer’s voice is slightly reminiscent of Ian Curtis at some points. Unlike the Cure and Ian Curtis, however, this song is cheerful and upbeat and it’s about falling in love. Once again, the musicianship is way beyond average and I only wish this song was longer. I very much enjoy the singer’s voice, and this is a tune that I could listen to repeatedly until I know every word by heart and can sing right along with it. And maybe attempt to play the air guitar too. Maybe.
“One Horse Town” is slower and rather sad. I get a sense of discontent with this song, as if the singer wishes he could change so many things, get out of the one horse town, do something different. Very melancholy but also something that much of the world populace can relate to. This is a song that is best listened to alone, after a couple of alcoholic beverages, with plenty of time for reflection and deep thinking. It is a very well crafted song and the sound is excellent. The guitars ring out nice and clear and the vocals are crisp.
The final track of the song is a trip. It’s called “Pick-Up Lines” and begins with a man laughing. There is much satire in this song, and as the title suggests, it’s about pick-up lines. This is a great song to end the album on because it leaves the listener with a good feeling and also shows that Mid-Life Crisis has a sense of humor in addition to being an octet of skilled musicians. The song contains a few doozies, such as “Take a good look, I could be yours for free” and “Yes, I’m rich, but you can call me Steve.” Do these lines ever really work, I wonder? Excellent choice to end this album on.
Mid-Life Crisis was a pleasure to listen to and I’m suitably impressed with their skill, talent, and the sense of camaraderie that I get while listening. It is clear that this band is comfortable with each other, can play extremely well together, and probably actually enjoy each other’s company. This is a band that takes themselves seriously, but not TOO seriously, and they clearly enjoy making music together and having fun. The sound of this album is exceptionally good and the engineering and production are more than professional quality. The sound is clear and crisp and each instrument can be heard, but none of them are overbearing or too obvious. Mid-Life Crisis is a band that knows what they’re doing and they do it well. I am anxiously looking forward to having my OWN mid-life crisis with the hope that I too will be able to produce something as well crafted and skilled as this. Cheers.
Reviewed By Rhonda Readence
