Grade A
Rusted Root fans have another disc to add to their collections.
"Welcome to My Party," the band's fourth studio album, is in stores today and is definitely worth buying. The album comes four years after Rusted Root's 1998 self-titled disc and 10 years after its debut effort.
For those who have never heard Root's music, the band's vocal and musical style sounds something like a combination of the rhythmic styles of Crash Test Dummies and wailing vocal lines from Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder.
Michael Glabick's serene, gentle voice gives a relaxing quality to the band's overall sound and remains consistent in "Welcome to My Party." Glabick at times resembles both Vedder and Brad Roberts, the lead singer of Crash Test Dummies.
What's fascinating about this album is the instrumental parts and the overall quality of the work. Of course, this is something at which Rusted Root excels, but it is just as impressive on its new album.
One such example of the instrumental talents of the band members is in the track "Too Much," which uses a flute and soft guitar to carry the song along.
The flute part has a few intricate sections of fast rhythms and complicated high parts.
"Too Much" also has simple, down-to-earth lyrics such as "We have it all, we have it all, too much thinkin,' too much worryin,' rest your head beside me now."
This is a refreshing change when one wants a break from harder alternative music whose lyrics might be unintelligible.
The album's title track also has simple lyrics, but is a little more upbeat and energetic than some of the other songs on the album.
"Welcome to My Party" employs several percussion instruments other than drums, such as a tambourine, which gives the song a more lively feel.
Some tracks were somber, such as "Blue Diamonds."
Although the songs lyrics were serious, they did not convey the mood as much as the hypnotic, simple chords of slow guitar rhythms.
"Welcome to My Party" is definitely one to add to a collection because of its diverse style. It mixes harder rock and soft sounds and instrumental talent.
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