Leif Garrett can’t buy a break. People still think of him either
\nas the teen pop sensation he was made out to be in the late ’70s
\nwith “I Was Made For Dancin’,” or they see him as a washed-up
\nhas-been whose battles with addiction created such a grand soap
\nopera that is now known as VH-1’s “Behind The Music”.<\/p>\n
People will refuse to listen to anything that Garrett does in
\nhis musical career with an open mind and unbiased ears. To them, I
\nhave this simple message: Your loss, chumps. After listening to the
\nself-titled debut EP from F8, Garrett’s latest project, there’s no
\ndoubt in my mind that Garrett has finally found the place he should
\nbe musically – and if these five songs (clocking in at just under
\n20 minutes) are any indication, F8 is only going to get better.<\/p>\n
Here’s a fun party game to play: put this disc on when you have
\nfriends over, but don’t tell them who is singing. The first time I
\nheard this disc, I couldn’t believe how much Garrett sounded like a
\nyoung Joe Cocker – and I am not putting down Garrett’s work. All of
\nthe pain and hell that he has been through is manifested in his
\nvocals on
\nF8<\/i>, and the end result is surprisingly excellent. Listen to
\nhis vocals on a song like “Clear,” or backed with only an acoustic
\nguitar and a simple bass line on “Alive (Today)” and try to
\nconvince me that Garrett isn’t worth a second listen. Fact is,
\nyou’ll<\/i> want a second listen – and a third, and a fourth.<\/p>\n
Granted, things build a little slow on “Symptoms,” but the early
\nbutterflies the band – Garrett, guitarist Joe Gaines, bassist
\nDarrell “D” Arnold and drummer Chuck Billings – may have had are
\nquickly washed away on songs like “Still I Wish” and “Clear”. The
\nlive take on “Just Like Me” is a powerful (and appropriate) way for
\nF8 to close out this disc.<\/p>\n
Yet there is room for growth, particularly in the rhythm and
\nharmony sections of F8. No disrespect is meant towards Garrett or
\nGaines, but I personally would have liked to have heard a second
\nrhythm guitarist, especially when Gaines breaks off to guitar solo
\nland. And maybe it’s the inner pop child in me, but I’m a sucker
\nfor well-performed harmony vocals; I’d have liked to heard some on
\nthis disc. (Oh, yeah, let’s not forget my standard EP complaint –
\nespecially in F8’s case, I would have loved for this disc to have
\nbeen longer than five songs. The talent is there, people, let there
\nbe no doubt.)<\/p>\n
For Garrett, I sincerely hope that people put aside any
\npreconceived notion they have of him (as a musician or as a human
\nbeing) and just
\nlisten<\/i> to what
\nF8<\/i> has to offer. I would not be surprised if, in a year’s
\ntime, I am reviewing the full-length major label debut of F8 on
\n“The Daily Vault”. All Garrett and crew need is a chance and the
\nright people to believe in this band – and
\nF8<\/i> proves they’re more than worthy on both counts.<\/p>\n