Slant 6 – Driving to the Edge
Genre: Mopar superiority meets nostalgia, plus imports suck.
When I was handed this CD to review it, I'll admit I'd never heard of them. An internet search only turned up a former punk band that broke up in '95, which clearly had no relation to the disk in my hands. So, with no leads to go on, I had no other course of action, save to actually listen to the CD.
I know, crazy, isn't it?
What I got was, by and large, a pleasant experience. Craig Martin is on guitars (Bass and Lead), while Scott Henderson handles the drums, and both lend their vocals, and both do a fine job. Musically, the song quality varies, going from truly bad (The title track, Driving to the Edge), to really good (Woodward Avenue). Speaking of the title track, I have to say that it's one of the
weakest tracks on the album, boasting a flat beat, little energy (Especially given the title), and incredibly strained rhymes. Just two tracks later, however, comes the really excellent Woodward Avenue which, if its nostalgic theme isn't the most original, still manages to pull it off with a panache seldom seen in nostalgia songs.
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Give Slant 6 credit though. They weren't content to stick with nostalgic pop rock. No sir. With Smell the Rice, they light heartedly address the rivalry between import street racers and Mopar drivers, with hip-hop verses and crooning choruses, as the two camps banter and trash talk back and forth. El Camino Man reminds us all of everyone's favorite car-truck-thing, and All Night Texaco issues a solemn warning for anyone traveling late at night who thinks that a super-sized drink was a good idea in the middle of nowhere.
Nearly every album has its oatmeal. Those average, sort of bland and tasteless songs that sit in between the good songs, whose only r4eason for being is to make the CD four or five tracks longer. Fast With Class, Street Racer, and My '55 do their job adequately.
At the same time, Mopar or No Car fills the Mopar elitist niche passably, while Cars From Yesterday ends the album on a disappointing note.
I'll be honest. When I was preparing to listen to this, and even through the first track, I wasn't expecting much. However, as the album moved on, it picked up a bit, and by the end, left me with the feeling that with a little more songwriting experience Slant 6 can have a great future ahead of them. An above average freshman offering.
To buy Slant 5 and other great music, go to www.carsongs.com.
