:: The Red West - The Red West

The Red West

The Red West’s self-titled debut album is a combination of adult contemporary and 90s rock. Present are all the ingredients for sophistication and elegance but the album does not deliver on either count. The album suffers from an overdose of slickness and a tragic shortage of substance. Nearly every track is cliche: guitar-picking intro ramping up to a heavy beat; wailing vocals over intense drumming – there isn’t much on the album that will surprise or inspire. Of the very few highlights the third track, Twenty One, stands out. It is alone on the album because it is understated, not convoluted or imposing and it is uncannily reminiscent of Alex Lloyd’s Easy Exit Station. However, most other tracks such as The Balance seem nostalgic for the forgotten parts of grunge – a doppelganger Temple of the Dog that is ten years too late.