INDEPENDENT REVIEWS: Pete Forbes / Tabitha's Secret / Genghis Angus
- Bob Gajarsky
The former lead singer and writer of the Phoenix-area based group And I Am, Pete Forbes, has ventured out on his own with the release of The Gulf Between (Stemming Music).
The leadoff track, "Clock Tower Face", smoothly fits into the pop realm forged by Matthew Sweet and the Rembrandts. Not far removed from fellow southwest brethren Gin Blossoms in geographical distance or musical background, Forbes' slightly-breathy vocals (think of a more refined Jakob Dylan) work best on cuts such as the Donald Fagan-like "A Lot Like Me", "She Will", and the reflective, somber view through another's eyes on "Dysfunctional".
Backed by an able assortment of musicians including David Revelli (who has worked with Jewel) on drums, The Gulf Between proves to be a welcome addition to the AAA arena.
To contact Pete, check out his web site at http://www.peteforbes.com
Tabitha's Secret has one of the stories that unfortunately happens in the music industry. Their key song, "3 a.m.", is what might result if Counting Crows' vocalist Adam Duritz fronted Hootie - or if it was Matchbox 20's Rob Thomas. As fate might have it, that's *exactly* who is on (uncredited) vocals.
Three years ago, the Orlando, Florida based-band appeared to have a bright future, with the usual courting from major labels. During this period, (depending on the source) either the band excluded two members from forming Matchbox 20, or Atlantic Records demanded that two members be excluded from the new group. Both stories have a varying amount of plausibility, based on the amount of criminal behaviour in the industry. In any event, a lawsuit filed by members John Goff and producer/songwriter Jay Stanley charged Matchbox 20 with fraud, breach of contract, and non-payment of royalties (on songs which appeared on MB20's national debut album).
Now, in 1998, Don't Play With Matches (a play-on-words against their former bandmates?) finally sees the light of day. The highlights are clearly two versions of "3 a.m." and "Forever December", but other cuts including "High" and the piano-backed "Jesus Was An Alien" would easily fit into the playlists of stations looking for the 1990s version of southern rock.
There's a sense of irony that Don't Play With Matches (Forbidden Records) can stand on an equal footing with the (then-future) multi-million selling Yourself or Someone Like You.
For further information on Tabitha's Secret, point your browsers to http://www.magicnet.net/rz/audio/tsecret
A rougher rootsy-rock sound can be heard on Genghis Angus' latest album 12 Days (Adrenachrome). Laid back without a sense of urgency - that's a good thing, really! - Genghis produce a collection of twelve tracks which steal equal pages from Hootie, Wilco, and Gram Parsons.
In particular, "Rusting Bridges" sneaks up on you and takes hold, daring you *not* to press the repeat button while tapping your foot to the rhythm. Heartfelt lyrics and picture-perfect chord switches ensure further listens without fear of getting boring.
The band's song selection implies that they'd make perfect appearances at Border's bookstores - and then follow it up by playing a 3 hour set at the local club.
Genghis Angus has their own website, located at http://www.genghisangus.com
