I think I finally have Enuff Z’Nuff figured out. After slugging
it out for over a decade, both in and out of the spotlight, Chip
Z’Nuff and bandmates have come out with
10, their latest effort which takes the sound they’ve made a
career out of and builds a strong layer upon it.
Listening to this disc for about the fifth time, it came to me:
people have been incorrect classifying Enuff Z’Nuff as a
Beatles-like band. Listen closely to this disc, and you’ll swear
you’re listening to Badfinger at times. Follow me on this for a
minute: both bands have (or, in Badfinger’s case, had) an edge to
their music while glorifying their pop roots, both bands count The
Beatles as major influences, both bands have been unfairly ignored
after initial success.
A stretch, you say? Maybe… but you won’t care about that when
you listen to
10. This is the record that Z’Nuff and crew have been
working their way towards their entire career.
The partnership between Z’Nuff and guitarist/vocalist Donnie Vie
is one of the most underappreciated in rock’s history, and the two
bandmates take major steps to correct this on
10. From the opening notes of “There Goes My Heart” (there’s
that Badfinger influence), Enuff Z’Nuff lets the listener know
they’re tired of being ignored, and are going to leave everything
they have musically in the studio. And we should be on our knees
thanking Yahweh for this.
Oh, sure, I’m creaming over one song, you may think. But
10 is just getting warmed up. Tracks like “Fly Away,” “What
Can I Do?” and “All Right” are evidence that Enuff Z’Nuff is easily
at the top of their game. And then, there’s “Wake Up”. This track
makes me think that this is what N*Sync will sound like once they
hit puberty. It’s simply killer – and honestly, while it’s not the
kind of sound you’d expect from Enuff Z’Nuff, it’s incredibly
good.
There are very few moments of weakness on
10. One such moment, “The Beast,” is simply a track that
takes a few listens to really appreciate, and is by no definition
of the word a bad song. The other track, “Suicide,” is similar, and
though it has a deeper meaning, I can’t say I’ve found this to be
as satisfying on repeat listens.
Even the two covers are pure magic. Yes, I can hear people
saying, “What!?! ‘Everything Works If You Let It’ again?!?” Yes,
only this time the mix is “improved” so that guest musician Billy
Corgan can be heard. (I didn’t have my copy of
Paraphernalia handy when I wrote this, so I can’t do a
comparison of the two mixes.) And the band’s take on “The Jean
Genie,” originally from the pen of David Bowie, captures the spirit
of the original while adding just enough of a Z’Nuff flavor to
it.
Will
10 go out and become the massive blockbuster that it
deserves to be, and restore Enuff Z’Nuff to the upper echelon of
power-pop/rock? Sadly, no. But then again, genius never is
recognized in its own time. For those who are in the know, however,
this is going to be a disc that damn well should be at the top of
people’s “best-of” lists for the new millenium.
