REVIEW: Blessid Union of Souls, Walking Off The Buzz (PUSH)
- Linda Scott
Blessid Union of Souls is not a Christian rock band. Despite the name, the Cincinnati-based group is a standard rock/pop group with a name chosen from the dialogue of a M*A*S*H episode. Walking Off The Buzz is the band's third album, and they have done well so far. Their debut album, Home, released in 1995, generated the chart-topping single "I Believe," which eventually became the 4th most played song of 1995. "Let Me Be The One," their second single, pushed Home to platinum status. Their second album had these hits: "I Wanna Be There" and "Light In Your Eyes." However, the sophomore album was not as successful as Home, probably due to their label (EMI) folding just after the album came out.
Many bands today are also undergoing the confusion of label disappearance and artist shuffling. Blessid Union found themselves with Capitol. Capitol picked up the third album option, but the band decided to ask for a release and move to an independent where they would have more musical freedom and attention. Blessid Union feels they work more tightly on Walking Off The Buzz than ever before.
The first single is "Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me For Me)," a crazy little song with a catchy melody and lyrics. The celebrity references are funny, and range from the great DiCaprio to Cindy Crawford and Robert Redford. This song is sure to be a winner. The single was released in March and is soaring up the CHR/Pop charts.
But not all tracks are happy tunes. The title track deals with broken relationships. It's a good song, but painful. One of the star tracks is "Standing At The Edge of The World," which Blessid Union did for the Armageddon Soundtrack. Although they lost their spot out to Aerosmith, Blessid Union is rightfully proud of this cut. One that is good but is not being pushed is the cover of the Beatles' "Revolution." This track ends the album and is really an amazing cover.
Blessid Union is touring in support of Walking Off The Buzz with Matchbox20 and Sarah McLachlan. If you like a good pop/rock band with grand vocals, some great lyrics, and rocking melodies, pick up Walking Off The Buzz.
