ALO – Roses and Clover

ALO – Roses and Clover / 2007 Brushfire / 10 Tracks / http://www.brushfirerecords.com /

This is the fourth album by ALO. I was not familiar with the act before reviewing this album. The disc starts off with “Maria”, and the song feels as if the Counting Crows and Rusted Root united with the seventies pop stars. This is to say, there is a high amount of focus on the instrumentation on the disc, while the vocals still maintain an important role on the disc. There are elements of jam bands present throughout the entirety of “Roses and Clover”, but the insistence on a more definite structure on the disc shows a break with the style.

Thus, a track like “Try” blends together sixties boy-band rock with reggae, but with a more formed structure than would normally be present in a jam band. This occurs again with the title track, which follows the same general formula, only adding a Randy Newman-like set of vocals to the mix. There are overtures to previous pop styles throughout the whole of “Roses and Clover”, but individuals may have to dig the style before they can appreciate what ALO does here. There seems to be a little bit of an odd style present with ALO, in that what the band does is unique, despite having many influences and approaches taken. However, individuals that have seen ALO in a live setting when they were on tour with the Dave Matthews Band or Jack Johnson have already been inculcated to this slightly more difficult style of music.

This bodes well for those individuals, but for those fans that just come “off of the street”, it may take a few listens before the nuances of the disc are readily acceptable. The band comes through with so many different chunks of sound and influences that it will be easy for ALO to continue along the same path on subsequent albums. Given a few more years, ALO will be the next big thing in the jam-band circuit. More bands that are currently out on the market should do what ALO does with “Roses and Clover” in that the band shows individuals what their influences are but never to do they the influences run the show. Sure, reggae may play a large role in “Try”, but it is a reggae that is infused with early rock and countless other bands and styles before coming down to listeners’ ears. If you are into unique albums, give “Roses and Clover” a listen.

Top Tracks: Try, Maria

Rating: 6.2/10