O.C. Supertones - 'Revenge of the O.C. Supertones'

The O.C. Supertones has always been synonymous with horn-driven rock and Revenge of the O.C. Supertones doesn't attempt to reinvent their own brand of wheel. It does, however, show something of an evolution in their sound by blending the "The Supertones Strike Back" sound with something a little softer and a little deeper. The sound quality, musicianship and positive message this release offers make it worth checking out.

This CD brings a unique blend of 80's punk rock, modern alternative rock and reggae to the table ... basically the same Supertones we've come to know and love, just minus the ska. Some have called this "recycled," but I find that their blend of musical styles and use of instrumentals both ear-catching and to be a breath of fresh air compared to most other bands out there. The straight forward messages in their lyrics are as powerful as they are true and add to the appeal of this release. While it may appeal more to more hard-core Supertones fans, new fans won't be able to turn away from cuts like "We Shall Overcome," "Wake Me Up On Time" and "Faith Of A Child" easily because there is just too much honesty in the lyrics.

The insert includes short explanations of each song and the truth behind them and that is a nice extra. While each listener will get what they get out of each song, it's always nice to see where it came from in a sense.

The only downside I found with this CD was the way it started out with a bang and then slowed down to something close to a crawl. That in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it was really unexpected since most CD's are either all in your face or soft and easy and previous Supertones releases didn't seem to slow down from start to finish.