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Review of Second Skin by The Daily Texan. Go here to see original article.
Volume 101, No. 174 Mayfield Four make pain beautiful. Sugar Ray continues to ride the road of selling out. And MTV's Carmen has a soundtrack as forgettable as the film. All of this in today's edition of Sound Bites. The Mayfield Four delivers with Second Skin, the follow-up to its acclaimed 1998 debut Fallout. The band's second effort deserves equal praise for its smooth combination of intelligent lyrics, penned by lead vocalist Myles Kennedy, and rockin' harmonies. Second Skin attacks a variety of issues ranging from thoughts of suicide to the effects of child abuse, and turns them all into quality rock. Of course there are songs that deal with matters of the heart as well. One of the more memorable tracks is "Eden," the first single, which compares the death of a relationship to the fall of the Garden of Eden. The insightful lyrics discuss the reluctance, but necessity, of acceptance and letting go. Though "Eden" starts off slow, the chorus explodes with an edge that secures the passion behind the song as is the case with a number of songs on the album. However, there are always disappointments. Harder tracks such as "Sick and Wrong" and "Loose Cannon" abuse the ears and listening to Kennedy's yelling gets tired quickly. Kennedy's purpose for this may be to express the anger inside the lyrics, but as shown by other songs, this can be achieved without over-straining the vocal chords. Luckily, the unnecessary noise of these two tracks are eclipsed by the less harsh-sounding, but still jam-worthy, songs like "Mars Hotel" and "Flatley's Crutch." These two manage to get the point across in a harmonious and smooth fashion. Everyone loves an ear-drum-friendly song. It is safe to say that Second Skin will get under your skin. And in a world where the pretty boys of N*Sync and Eminem rule, it's nice to know that there is still room for rock, sweet rock. Vickie An The Mayfield Four is scheduled to open for Everclear at Stubb's on July 25. |