Ryan Brymer

Stories, the new album by Addison Road releases today. I’ve had it for about 5 days now, so here’s what I think…

Disclaimer: I love these guys. They can really do no wrong by me.

Ups: They just keep getting better across the board: songwriting, vocals, musicianship. They craft catchy melodies and hooks that are easy to sing along with. For me, the high points are “Change in the Making” and “Who I am in You”. Both are pretty straight forward and simple, focusing more on lyrical quality than production value. Also, there just aren’t enough songs out there with Hand Clap and Harmonica solos, so for that, you have to love “Fight Another Day” which is a great album opener. I also love the last song, “My Story,” I only wish that they had come back in at the end with a little piano outro to “Blessed Assurance” (this is my story/this is my song)

Downs: The production on this record has me scratching my head. I appreciate albums with timeless production. That is, just listening to it, you might think that it just as likely that the album was made 20 years ago or yesterday. (Examples: August and Everything After by Counting Crows, The Bends by Radiohead) This album has a couple of songs that are really dated in their production – specifically, “Won’t Let Me Go” and “Don’t Wait”. While there are some things that sound really “today,” as a rule, the album sounds like it was made back in the early 2000s when the band was just starting to play together. You’re going to take this too far to the extreme, but the production really reminds me of the first Avril Lavigne record. None of this is necessarily bad, just not what I went in expecting.

Overall: It’s a great album and totally worth having. You can get it on Amazon for $7.99 digital download. When I heard their first record, I knew that there was greatness lurking just below the surface and I’m glad to know that they are realizing their potential and have connected with people who have helped them discover it. I can only hope that this album helps them snag a Dove award after getting robbed of the New Artist award last year.