Joey Champagne

D'Michael Noogeman

Our first CD review and I am excited! Late Arrival’s “Machine” comes at you with 12 tracks of solid rock. The band consists of Jeff and Tom Dunham on guitar, drums and vocals with Zella Lavender laying down some solid bass beats and backup vocals. If anybody knows a thing or two about rock it's this group, once driving big rigs for the Guns ‘N Roses tour in the early ‘90s. I’m sure they have an Axl story or two! For more info and fun facts about the band check them out at www.LateArrivalRocks.com. Onto the CD review . . .

The album starts off with “Red Vest.” A track about valet parking (one of Nooge’s favorites), I can’t say the same but that’s the beauty of music, everyone has their own opinion. The first half of the album starts off strong and is much better than the second half. My favorite tracks off of the disc are “All-E-All,” “Shout” and “The Hard Way.” All three are in the first half of the CD. “All-E-All” is a song about hide n’ seek and the beginning vocals sort of sound like the Count from Seasame Street. So that alone makes it worth checking out, besides it is a good all around track. “Shout” reminds me of a Kiss like song. It’s a great tune to get going and sing along too. “The Hard Way” is about different musicians and one of them includes the man, the myth, the legend, Axl Rose and Guns ‘N Roses. An all around solid track.

After the solid foundation is laid, the CD begins to lose its momentum. Not that the tracks are bad by any means, they just seem to be lacking something. The songs begin to sound a lot alike and nothing makes them stand out and make you say, “That’s a great song.” So I was a little disappointed with how the CD ends. The band comes back with the title track “Machine” as the last song, a decent song but not enough to leave you wanting more. The tracks sound well produced and thought out, I just wish the CD ended on a better note, not a C minor, ba-zing. But all kidding aside I would give the CD a 3 out of 5. I really liked some of the first tracks and these guys drove big rigs for Guns N’ Roses, so they have obviously put in their time in the rock n’ roll world, and for that fact alone I have to bump them up to a 4. I highly recommend checking out some of their tracks and if you like those tunes show some love for Late Arrival and pick up an album and support some hard working rockers.

Late Arrival can play all of their instruments and they can vocally handle all of their songs (their songs don’t call for great vocal feats). The problem here is that there is nothing really that different about them. Sure they sing about different topics than a lot of artists, but in the end it sounds like a lot of other artists you will hear in this genre. Take the track “Red Vest” for example, this track is chalk full of rhymes and what not that will get stuck in your head. But after the repetitive rhyme pattern you realize it is about valet parking. Yes, valet parking. Give them credit here, I never really heard a track about valet parking, and I promise you after you listen to it you will have it stuck in your head for the next day or so. The rest of the CD continues like this. All – E – All is a track about hide and go seek. Yes, hide and go seek. Or how about the title track, “Machine” or “M-m-m-machine”, yes he keeps it clean. It’s a song that will stick in your head but do you want it there? They sing about different stuff, but it sounds like your run of the mill rock band doing it. It isn’t a unique sound.

That is basically the story for the whole CD, the tracks are catchy, but that doesn’t make them “great”. I’m not saying it is bad either. I’m just saying I don’t think this is a CD you could listen to multiple times without going crazy. Sure you could buy the CD, but if you do, use it with caution! It is just so darn rhymey. Rhymey is not a word, but I felt like it really describes this CD. Late Arrival put a lot of effort into this album and that makes me hate to knock it, so let me say I would recommend this CD to a rock music fan who is looking for a change up in song topic but not sound. In the end if you are looking for a CD that you have never heard and find rhyme patterns interesting pick this bad boy up! It is absolutely well put together and you don’t cringe at anything like you do with some “indie” artist’s albums.