Above The Golden State:Self-Titled
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Above The Golden State- Above The Golden State
Links Above The Golden State on MySpace
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The music from Above the Golden State can best be described as what I call “drive” music – as in “These songs are pleasant to listen to as I drive.” The music is uplifting and holds a likable sing-along quality. Even the “The Haunting”, which has a slightly disquieting melody played in an alt-folk style, is surprisingly “pleasant”. But, still, the music is merely that – pleasant.
The band itself calls its music “West Coast Rock/Pop” , which is why I presume their band references California and this debut CD features a bear along with band members on the cover. (A bear is prominent on the California flag.) I only mention this as the band actually hails from Portland, Oregon, which is known as the Beaver State, with, well, a Beaver as its mascot. I guess “Above the Beaver State” didn’t seem as catchy – but I digress.
The predictable pop/rock melodies hold a strong thread of praise and worship on many of the tracks – most notably “All My Heart”, which is sung in front of a strong percussion beat as a prayer of submission. Michael Watson (lead vocals/songwriter/guitars) draws heavily from the Psalms in his lyrics, which I have no direct beef with – it just makes their songs sound a lot like the other new bands who seem to be deluging the market right now. If you listen to Christian radio, you’ve probably heard the first single – “Sound of the Your Name”, which released back before summer. But that strong resemblance to other new pop/rock bands may have kept you from correlating the song with the artist.
If you’re a fan of Tenth Avenue North or Starfield (who is currently touring with the band throughout the West and Midwest), you’ll probably enjoy this CD.
I’m only giving it 3.5 stars because, while it is technically a good album, it lacks originality and a punch that could/should set it apart from the rest of the contenders in this genre.
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