Music Review - Morningwood

Depending on how much you listen to the sound of your music, you may have a weird appetite that you cannot satisfy. Unquestionably, the top 20 b.s. on the radio is generally overproduced. Every sound wave is painstakingly processed, altered, refined and tweaked innumerable times before being burned to a cd. The result can be a soulless collection of shiny sounds that don't carry any emotional heft. On the flip side, some music is so underproduced, that the only thing you hear is guitar and vocal, and neither of them sound like they've eaten in a week.

Enter Morningwood, they tread a very fine line. First, much of the album is straight up rock, with an aggressive beat and bombast that might make you think of bands so loud the only explanation is cocaine and lack of a father figure in the home. Cock rock, is another term that comes to mind, except that the "frontman" of Morningwood is a chick.

Second, the album has actually been produced. It's just a four piece band, but you hear every sound. It's not overdone, it sounds like it could be easily played live with just four people, but each sound sounds correct.

Third, the songwriting is fun. From straight up rocking, yell-along anthems (To the Nth Degree was their big hit), to lascivious songs (babysitter) that sound like a feminist take on the age inappropriate feelings of The Knack from "My Sharona."

In sum, it's a fun album. Sounds like it could be loud and dumb, but there's just a little bit more there in songwriting and production that really make it a good buy.