More info: http://www.redgoodbye.com
Verdict: Alt-rock for AOR-heads.
Red Goodbye came into existence when Grammy-nominated songwriter, and founding member of Spyro Gyro, Jeremy Wall introduced songwriter/vocalist Andrew Horn to songwriter/guitarist Alex Ruimy whilst they were at college. The guys quickly gelled and the songs on this EP are some of the many they have penned together.
I stumbled upon their music through a music submission website. With less time than I would like to devote to writing reviews for Mood Swings, I have to say the vast majority of artists I preview get rejected, but even though Red Goodbye are a little outside what I normally feature at Mood Swings I asked them to send me the full EP for review.
The other item that peaked my interest with these guys was the fact that they list one of their early-90s influences as my fave prog rockers Dream Theater. That list of influences also includes Alter Bridge, 3 Doors Down and Creed, all of whom I have to admit I don't know that much about. The little bit of research I did suggested that Creed are a definite reference point and based upon the positive experience with these guys I plan to check out Creed at some point in the future. The Dream Theater influence doesn't seem to have made it through onto this collection of songs.
The most striking point on first hearing their music is the deep rich vocals which remind me of a country singer, but I can't remember the name. I guess if I mention the Crash Test Dummies and Hootie then you will get the idea, but only smoother than either of those two.
The music is polite alt-rock with a big production and seems pretty radio friendly to these ears. Almost like an AOR version of Nickleback or Daughtry. The fact that I mentioned AOR in the description might give you a clue that I surprised myself and really liked this one. There is something stirring and yet relaxing about Red Goodbye's music that keeps me listening, whereas many of their contemporaries fail to make an impression. Yes, many of the song's are all similar sounding, but in this case I like the basic sound enough to overlook the genre's rather uniform approach to songwriting. I think that this has a lot to do with the positive vibe I get from the music. In the lyrics department, the band are a notch above average. I especially like the words of "God and Girl".
In my stereotyped world these guys should be pigeonholed as alt rock which an old-time rock fan like me shouldn't be listening to. And yet, despite the criticism that I level at this type of music over lack of variety in the songwriting department, I find myself listening to this album frequently.
