The Journey
no comment
Independent
2001
10 tracks
There's no doubt that AJ Houston and the members of his musical troupe are competent musicians. Sometimes, though, simply being able to put the notes together in the correct order is not enough. In their present form, the songs on The Journey have no spark to bring them alive. The instrumental arrangements seem written for a low-rent elevator and the vocals are weak and sometimes off. It doesn't help that the lyrics are mostly maudlin and sometimes just plain sappy. The music here may be strong enough to hold its own half heard in the local make-out lounge, but it doesn't bear closer scrutiny than that.
Because of my backlog and for other reasons, there are some types of release I don't as a rule accept for review. One of these is burned CD's with paper labels, many of which are made to be demo and not commercial releases. The Journey is one of my exceptions to this rule. It arrived well packaged. The jewel case and CD label showed elements of a professional designer's touch. The included materials described a band with a certain track-record. This was clearly intended to be a commercial release.
This release has some of the problems associated with burned discs. It tends not to play well in all players (I have four of varying quality), and at times to skip or to drop out all together. If any number at all had been produced, the group might have been wiser to invest a few dollars more to have a glass-mastered version made. The paper label tends in many peoples minds to suggest an amateur production. Again, even if burning the copies, it might have been wise to order blanks with the label printed right on the disc. Even at relatively small volumes, a glass-mastered product with printed label would end up being less costly per unit and would give a more professional first impression.
While the music on these songs is performed by actual musicians, it has a very artificial feel. Each song feels like a set of instrumental loops, each layer slightly overlapping the other. It's the sort of thing some of the more clever teens make using a midi keyboard and a multi-track computer recording program. After a while, the repetition becomes quite monotonous. That's a shame because, done different, this music might have been quite interesting. The overall sound is like the moodier late Sixties and early Seventies sounds: The Sandpipers, perhaps, or The Mystic Moods Orchestra.
The lead vocals, which I'm assuming are by AJ Houston, often sound flat and sometimes seem to slip slightly off key. His voice has a plaintive quality which, with better control, might be a real asset to songs in this genre. As with the instrumental music, the combination of a flatline vocal style and repetitive melodies tends to make the songs less interesting than they have the potential to be.
There are no lyrics included, either in the package or on the group's website. Listening to the songs, the lyrics tend heavily toward cliche, expressing well-worn sentiments without originality. The imagery used is sparse but, when present, seems drawn from sentimental poetry of the last century. The Journey seems intended to be a theme piece with the songs connecting in some way. There is a musical continuity which can serve this purpose. However, some of the songs seem out of context, their lyrics not on the same path as the rest. As an example, most songs appear to be about time-honoured values, yet "Emerald" Isle" is a reflection on history that dwells on the past and future fate of the Irish. Polishing of the lyrics and editing for consistency would greatly improve this overall impact of the songs on this release.
This band has been performing live and recording (beginning with their first release in 1985) for more than twenty years. Clearly, there's a wealth of experience shared among the members of this group. They're certainly a group with the tenacity to keep making music through the decades. Anyone curious might want to give them a listen. It's possible that you may not agree with my appraisal of their work. And that's alright.
For more information on the music of AJ Houston and no comment, you can visit the no comment website.
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Review written: February 20, 2004
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