Reviewed by Ewan Jones

Listening to Article One curiously brought to mind both Switchfoot and S-Club 7 at the same time. Opening track "Without You (I'm Not Alright)" has a disco feel with pounding beat, funk bass and the first of a bunch of catchy pop choruses that litter the CD. In the tradition of bands like Yellowcard, Article One benefit from a violinist -sometimes up front and delicate, often drenched in reverb and placed masterfully into the mix. The violin features heavily on ballads like "Never Too Late To Call" and "Love You Tomorrow" but even the rockier songs have a produced, boy-band feel to them and lack grit. The album's not bad by any means and definitely grows through repeated listening. Lyrics are generic positive pop-rock fare encouraging you to believe, aim high, to trust in love, to make the most of life and to search for more. The band's lack of questioning wit and darker touches keep a band like Switchfoot ahead of the game. It's all good stuff in this solid effort, but in a crowded market Article One will need to pull something more original than a violin out of the bag for their next release.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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