You can’t tell a book by its cover.
And after one listen-through of Splender’s “To Whom it May Concern,” CD buyers will realize that the old adage holds true for albums as well.
The cover of Splender’s sophomore effort depicts what seems to be an edgy, aggressive rock band you might find drinking Jack Daniels from the bottle. The music, however, reveals the band’s true colors. “Concern” sounds not unlike some early 1990s Christian rock bands such as DC Talk or the Newsboys.
Crisp, well-produced and lacking in minor chords –– the ones that sound like a frowning face –– this record is refreshing because it’s easy to listen to. Sadly enough, though, the lack of anything too drastic results in a lack of anything too memorable.
The record isn’t completely devoid of substance. “Happier This Way” and “High,” the first two tracks, have drive and direction, giving the listener the feeling that the tunes really go somewhere. “But, Anyway” has a sound distinctly similar to Sum 41, and “No Big Deal” sounds like a happier, more fun version of Papa Roach. The musicianship and enthusiasm put into these tunes set an optimistic mood for the rest of the record.
Which is, unfortunately, a bit of a letdown. As a cohesive unit, “Concern” just doesn’t entice the listener to keep listening.
There’s very little variance in style or sound throughout, and though all the songs have a strong sense of drive and purpose, they’re just not quite as exciting as those mentioned earlier. What seems fresh and new at track one is old hat by track six, leaving one to wonder how Splender expected anyone to even hear track nine, one of the best songs on the record.
Lyrically, “Concern” is no miraculous achievement either. Aside from some nostalgic, wistful words on “Here I Am, There You Go” and some powerful, desperate lines in “No Big Deal,” frontman Waymon Boone proves himself to be less of a John Lennon or Bob Dylan and more of a … well, Waymon Boone.
Overall, “Concern” is a lot like a young kid’s magic show. Thanks to the excitement of actually making an album, the band was well-rehearsed, impressively polished, but the end result is really just 39 minutes of the same trick.
Splender does deserve some credit: They’ve made a CD full of good, listenable songs. But a lack of flow and variety keeps “Concern” from being a truly impressive, cohesive album. Perhaps with time, this pseudo-edgy band will learn that to live up to its image and make a record as opposed to a bunch of songs, there has to be as much edge as there is shine.
Until then, though, “To Whom it May Concern” is an album probably more at home on the music store’s shelf than in your CD wallet.
–– Review by Peter Celauro
October 03, 2002
