Slang starts out their “Every Day” with a style of rock that does not have any specific ties to current styles. In fact, the slightly gritty style of the vocals present on “That Is Why” seems to play to the era of rockers like Don Henley. The instrumentation on the track does not give listeners too much of a reason to stick with the album, so the duty of Slang is that much harder for future tracks on the disc. The fact that “Every Day” starts out with a well-over 5 minute track in “That Is Why” also gives Slang that much more work. The second track is “No Matter What, No Matter Why”, and this track speeds up the tempo and gives Slang a different style that more individuals can rally behind.
However, the track shows that the band does not have enough in the way of gas to fuel the four and a half of minutes of this track. “Colored Shadows” is the first track by Slang that is done wit a serviceable runtime, and this really is the pivotal track for the band. “Colored Shadows” blends together Mr. Mister and Stephen Curtis Chapman into a perfectly serviceable rock track. While this is not a slam dunk for Slang at this point, it is the first step that the band needs to make before they can really can call this album a success. Slang slows things down further with “Stay”, but there seems to be too many bar points present on the track.
The solid vocals and compelling arrangements are both present on this track, but they are not present in the amounts that they need to win the hearts and minds of listeners. The style of Slang is solid throughout the entirety of “Every Day”, but the band needs to compile their sound into a more tightly-knit one before the band can achieve tracks that would be ready for rock radio. However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel, as Slang has a song in “I Go Crazy” that has a chorus that will easily bounce around listener’s heads for weeks to come. If the band can install more of these types of bits into their overall sound, then they could make an album that more and more fans would be able to pick up and love. Keep an ear on Slang and see how they evolve over the next few years.
Top Tracks: I Go Crazy, Kelly
Rating: 4.9/10
[JMcQ]
Slang – Every Day / 2006 Dives / 11 Tracks / http://www.slng.net / Reviewed 08 November 2006