REVIEW: Spin Doctors, Here Comes The Bride (DAS/Universal)
- Jason Cahill
Here Comes The Bride, the latest release from the Spin Doctors, is not the worst album I've ever heard (Scott Weiland's 12 Bar Blues still has that distinction), but it's pretty damn close. A disjointed assortment of musical styles, the album fails on almost every level, signifying the demise of a band long past its prime. While their debut efforts were rooted in classic rock, the band always managed to build upon the format and create a sound both contemporary and vibrant. Here Comes The Bride, however, is proof that the Spin Doctors may have gone to the creative well once too often.
In reality, the version of the band that exists today is quite different from the band which crafted Pocket Full of Kryptonite, one of the more memorable releases of the early 90's and certainly the band's finest hour. Absent today are bassist Mark White and lead guitarist Erik Schenkman, both of whom contributed heavily to the sound that gave the Spin Doctors huge success, if only for a short while. That they left the band soon after the success of Pocket Full of Kryptonite and immediately before the band's string of commercial failures is a great example of blind luck, considering that once upon a time it looked as though by leaving the band they were shooting their respective careers in the foot. Enter guitarist Eran Tabib and renowned keyboardist Ivan Neville, both of whom try admirably to plug the holes in a sinking ship.
As an album, Here Comes The Bride is music's version of running fingernails down a blackboard. The title track begins with promise, but soon implodes once the lyrics begin. That the song actually contains the lyric "...something borrowed, something blue, something old, something new..." exemplifies the paint-by-numbers aspect of the album. What's next, appropriating lyrics from the birthday song? "Vampires in the Sun" is the band's failed attempt at incorporating Latin grooves with traditional rock rhythms, "Waiting For The Blow" starts off nicely, but disintegrates once the almost indecipherable chorus kicks in, and "The Man" seems heavily influenced by the funk/rap style of classic Red Hot Chili Peppers, but without any of that band's self propelled urgency or flavor. Perhaps the only songs of merit on the album are "Siren Dress" and "The Bigger I Laugh, The Harder I Cry", both well crafted gems reminiscent of early Grateful Dead with their light, breezy arrangements.
Here Comes The Bride is supposed to be the culmination of a two-year musical odyssey taken by lead singer Chris Barron and drummer Aaron Comess, during which time they discovered a handful of influences including jazz, fusion and world beats. That the resulting album is as disappointing as this says much for the state of the Spin Doctors. Granted not all musical odyssey's turn out to be Graceland, but given the bands' past efforts and diversified line-up, it would surely be within reason to expect something better than this.
