Rarely does a St. Louis band make it big. The last two of note (Pale Divine and Three Merry Widows) both broke up after getting signed. Hopefully that won't happen to ska, funk, and hardcore newcomers The Urge. Local fans of the band have dreaded the day when The Urge would be discovered, and their killer small venue shows would be a thing of the past. But, when a group like 311 befriends you and takes you touring across the country, well, even a midwest band is bound to get noticed.
Not that The Urge wasn't working up to it. With the same lineup for four years, the seven piece band is tight and has carved a reputation providing an incredible live experience. Three excellent independent CD's led up to producer Michael Vail Blum (Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Grooves, Low Pop Suicide) working with the band and producing Receiving The Gift Of Flavor for independent release. The album sold 20,000 copies on its own before being snatched up by Immortal/Epic records and re-released with an added track, "Take Away".
Wailing guitar strikes the flavor alarm with the pulsing "Brainless". The bass flies back and forth and the horns pipe up. Immediately, the album reminds you of a cross between Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Living Colour. There is the driving force behind the music and Steve Ewing croons with a rock and roll attitude and an R&B flair. Then there's the ska-core beat that gets your head bobbing and your brain throbbing.
The Urge mixes up so many familiar styles to create its particular sound that a single label would be misleading. There's the R&B, ska, and rock influences juggled up with rap, funk, and punk. Those who have seen The Urge live can rest assured that the album does the band justice. It's a little bit punkier than previous albums, but still keeps The Urge's edge.
Those who are new to The Urge will be surprised on first listen. The band refuses to be tied down to a single style. The aptly titled, "It's Gettin' Hectic", starts out ska, moves to a 311 style sound with rap over a hardcore groove, smoothes to a funk sound with quiet horns, and builds right back up. All of this is the space of less than 3 minutes. "Where Do We Go" reflects a serious side of the band with an ode to Dr. Martin Luther King. Except for the morose horns, "Where Do We Go" could pass easily for a Living Colour song.
The main targets of most tracks are either people they're pissed at or silly shit. "Drunk Asshole" and "Dirty Rat" are self explanatory, and "Violent Opposition" takes a jab at bad cops. "Open All Night" and "Damn That Shit is Good" are blithering tales of the joys of convenience stores, and "Frying Pan" is a fast, kicking, slamming jam with a funky horn/R&B groove about a mad girlfriend.
Like their live shows, The Urge focuses Receiving The Gift Of Flavor on two things: having a good time and tearing up the place. They are ferocious and funky in all the right places. Although newcomers to the national scene, The Urge has been doing its thing since 1987 and the album shows it. This is a seasoned touring band that is guaranteed to turn it out on stage, and Receiving The Gift Of Flavor does a good job of capturing the band at its best.
Check out .WAV and RealAudio samples at The Urge's web page at http://www.crl.com/~urge or email the band at urge@crl.com.
