Press Skip
Posted June 02, 2009
By Nathan,
It’s been said you can’t be all things to all people. Politicians, movies and even music have all tried to debunk that theory and few if any have ever met with success. The new group from Los Angeles called Press Play makes an almost commendable effort to be all things to all people with their hybrid of hip hop/pop/rock/praise and worship. But like virtually all of those who have gone before them, Press Play’s debut Life is Beautiful doesn’t reach it and what’s even worse is they don’t even come close.
The album starts off by trying to duplicate the techno pop rock tunes similar to Skillet and their CD Invincible thanks to Dave Hanley’s vocals which are parallel to John Cooper’s of Skillet vocals. However watching talented and experienced musicians pull off something doesn’t mean it’s as easy as monkey-see monkey-do. “Break it out”, which has a little of Family Force 5 crunch mixed in, is a electronic influenced dance rock tune which, while upbeat, is not very catchy. “I give my love” follows the same vain and doesn’t fare much better than it’ predecessor.
Next style shift. The Hip-hop and rap portion pop up here and there but make its most infamous appearance in the short song “Say Say.” The co-singer Paige Adkins gives this song and others similar to it a hip hop sound like Group 1 Crew. “Say Say” also includes the guest appearance of rapper Irocc Williams who does add some life into a solid song but even he can’t shake the feeling that Press Play really isn’t a band to take seriously. Another song which isn’t complex and doesn’t even seem to aspire to be is “I love who you are.” The title track wraps up the tone of the album with its music (A bad impression of Group 1 Crew along with some average pop rock) and it’s ‘deeply’ theological lyrics (‘Cause you and me, will always be /We've got the best thing going on’).
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better (or worse) Press Play throws the listeners a curve ball: praise and worship music. But it’s not much of curveball because the modern worship used in Life is Beautiful are really generic. “Angels sing” sill appeal to the Chris Tomlin fans, but sadly, the lack of something new will lead to more Tomlin listening than Press Play. Smaller musical expansions include pop with a punk influence like Hawk Nelson on “I’m Alive” and the techno dance music on the enjoyable “sound of love” sounds like new band And Then There Were None.
The best song on the album is “One Life”, which is a fine inspirational ballad that uses a little rock to make it a little interesting. The song’s message, to live our lives without regrets or sorrys (‘When my life is over and I read through my own review/The meaning of my life with no regrets/No questions why/No sorrys for all the things i could have made/No sorrys I gave it all I didn’t say someday’), is also the strongest on the album but while that formula works, it’s hardly original.
I would usually discuss the lyrics more but it's almost irrelevant at this point. It will either take fans of the bands clichés and unchallenging simplistic song writing to pick Life is Beautiful up. Or it will take hard core fans of Press Play’s genre… which really isn’t anything specific. Sadly, there really isn’t anything Press Play is really good at, leaving a lot of would-be listeners hitting skip.
View All Music And Book Reviews By Nathan | View Nathan's Profile
|
