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Stroke 9
“All In”
Sixthman 2004
CD Review By Keith Joseph, Rockstarpix.TV
Stroke 9 has been around since 1989 and they have released five albums. “All In” is their sixth record and it shows the band with a more mature sound than their previous work. There are many different influences on the ten track album and the band also did the production work themselves.
The album starts off with “How Am I Gonna Know”, an alt-rock song that has a good, strong sound. Vocalist Luke Esterkyn sounds as if he could sing for a band such as Fuel, or Nickelback. The song is slower-paced and has more pop-rock feel to it. The second song “Run Away” is a faster paced song and has much more of a pop sound to it. The song includes piano, and keyboards. The chorus is catchy but a little maddening. “Set You Free” is the third track on the album. This song has a very different feel to it. It is slower, begins with guitarist John McDermott playing acoustic. The song incorporates some instruments that normally would not be on a typical rock record. This just brings good variation to the listener and could be one of the top songs on the album. “Faux Gucci Girl” is the fifth track on the album and it is a very different style than the previous tracks. This song almost sounds as if would fit on to a Crazy Town record. The song is okay until the vocals come in to play and deliver an upbeat, hip-hop tone.
The sixth track “Rod Beck” begins sounding like a rhythm and blues song with a mix of pop-rock. The vocals consist of talking and meager lyrics. The music portion of the song is alright but again, the vocals weigh the track down. “Words To Live By” is the seventh track on the album. The song is another example of a track that could have used better attention to the lyrics and vocal arrangement. The song itself has a good quality sound, pretty original in fact, but the lyrics are juvenile for men who have been writing for so long. The track is fueled by drummer Eric Stock who keeps the tempo going with the time changes. The use of drums and a drum machine are high points in the track, but the synth-vocals just do not sound good at the beginning and the end of the track. The ninth track “My Advice” begins with an acoustic guitar and Esterkyn’s vocals. The song has a good, fresh sound and stands out from the other tracks on the album. The song has a very ‘chilly-cool’ sound to it and is another track that is at the top of the albums track offerings. The mix of acoustic and electric guitar is prepared well in this track. “Part’e” is the final track on the album and it begins with a more cheerful type sound. The song has a fine pop-rock sound and is a very strong finisher on the album.
Stroke 9’s sixth album release “All In” is an average effort for a developed artist of their caliber. The songs show a lot of variety and different types of rock music. This album would be for fans of groups such as Third Eye Blind, American Hi-fi, and Sr-71. This band has some high points and they have some low points, this is evident and could hinge on the music styling of the listener, the highs and lows may be reversed. Stroke 9 deserves credibility for mixing rock-genres but they lose some credibility by including some tracks are just not on par with the rest of the album.
Rating: B- (8.0)
Significant Tracks- “Part’e”, “Set You Free”, “Words To Live By”
Keith Joseph
www.stroke9.com
produced by Michael Giambra / rockstarpix.tv Copyright 2004
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