In all honesty, I am not that familiar with King’s X. I have one CD, their self titled disc from 1992 and never quite warmed up to it. I recently heard a cover band(?!) do a version of their “We Were Born To Be Loved” and came to the conclusion that I might want to reevaluate my opinion of the band. This new disc by King’s X guitarist Ty Tabor has also called to question my previous opinions of the band.
The CD opens with “Ride,” recalling a Jason Falkner/Greys sound. I am a big fan of this style of music, so color me impressed. “Stalker” follows with a big, heavily produced sound that the CD maintains until the last track. Quite often, I hear influences from many of the current post-grunge bands out there like Foo Fighters and Weezer.
“Beautiful Sky” has a great Lennon-esque chorus with a real memorable hook. I understand that Tabor is a big fan of John Lennon. It certainly comes through in this tune. I like the uplifting and clever lyrics on this CD. There is one couplet on “She’s a Tree” that I found especially humorous.
“Take It Back” has a very memorable and distinctive guitar part. The last track, “Pretty Good” talks about the music Tabor is playing and that sums up this recording, pretty good. Wait until the end of the disc for a little doggy blues surprise.
This CD is eclectic, yes. Interesting, yes. Prog? Not really. However, if you appreciate strong harmonies and decent melodies recalling the Beatles or any of their followers like Del Amitri or The Rembrandts… This CD would sit nicely in your collection.
Reviewed by Terry Jackson on October 24th, 2006
