K-Tel and various “collection” records documenting the passage
\nof a musical era can be viscous judges when it comes to “one hit
\nwonder” bands. I laughed, almost spilling my beer when I saw the
\n“Hair Metal” series. I laughed at the immortal “Freedom Rock” ad on
\nTV. But, the 90s collection made me wince like I sucked on a
\ngrapefruit after sipping Newcastle.<\/p>\n
“90s Rock!…featuring Deadeye Dick with ‘New Age Girl’, Better
\nthan Ezra with ‘Good’.” Then, they put Cracker in that collection
\nwith their semi-hit, “Low”. Ohh…stop right there, boys. That
\ncan’t be right. But in every sense, it is. Cracker did not have a
\nhit after “Low”. They’re too rockin’ for the country-alternative
\ncrowds who dig Sun Volt. And they’re too countryish for the
\nelectronica-leaning bands like Smashing Pumpkins and Garbage.<\/p>\n
Lead singer David Lowery has a memorable voice that draws
\ncomparison to Tom Petty. Lowery also has the wit and experience to
\nmake Cracker a definitive “alternative” band of the 90s. His last
\nband, Camper Van Beethoven, was one of the founders that have
\nspawned more successful acts like Matchbox 20. Still, Cracker is a
\nfairly safe band. It’s the type of music that you’re accustomed to
\nin jukeboxes in sports bars and your run-of-the-mill college bars.
\nMore than enough classic rock with just a dash of something
\ndifferent to make them relevant in today’s world.<\/p>\n
That all said,
\nThe Golden Age<\/i>, their last album, was a commercial letdown.
\nNever mind that it sold more than all of Camper Van Beethoven’s
\nalbums combined. But, when
\nKerosene Hat<\/i> went gold, record execs thought this album
\nwould be a million seller. While
\nKerosene Hat<\/i> may have had more inspiring moments,
\nThe Golden Age<\/i> is a more well-balanced album.<\/p>\n
Johnny Hickman and Lowery have improved in their chemistry to
\nmake a compelling guitar duo. The countryish sounds of “How Can I
\nLive Without You” and “Big Dipper” are perfect for people who like
\nthe genre, but just aren’t ready to start a Wilco\/Uncle Tupelo
\ncollection. And their punk roots are evident in “100 Flower Power
\nMaximum”, sort of a hippie\/punk\/whiskey ranting number.<\/p>\n
With all the genres covered in
\nThe Golden Age<\/i>, it’s easy to take pot-shots of the album.
\nBands like Bush and Sugar Ray try new directions such as
\nelectronica or ballads and try to chalk it up to experimentation
\nwhen it really is just a sham to sell more records. And
\nThe Golden Age<\/i> has classic rock, country-alternative and
\nhard rock plus a nifty duet with Joan Osborne in “Nothing to
\nBelieve In”. The difference? Lowery has a track record. After over
\nfifteen years in the business, Lowery deserves to let loose and
\nplay it safe with
\nThe Golden Age<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Violins keep popping up throughout much of
\nThe Golden Age<\/i>. The swelling sounds veer dangerously into
\nsentimental cheese, but are constantly off set with Charlie
\nQuintana’s subtle percussion work. The strings are best used in the
\nbeautiful last track, “Bicycle Spaniard”, a great summer backyard
\nporch sitting song.<\/p>\n
What does all this mean? In essence,
\nThe Golden Age<\/i> is a good album. If you’re a fan of the band,
\nit’s a must buy. If you think Cracker is a one hit band, this album
\nprobably won’t change your mind. Maybe a few more risks or a
\ngenuine outburst of inspiration, like the drunken-sprawl anthem of
\n“Eurotrash Girl”, off of
\nKerosene Hat<\/i> could have elevated
\nThe Golden Age<\/i> from a really good album by Cracker to a
\nreally good album of the 1990s. Sadly enough, it looks like Lowery
\nmay be headed back into obscurity. They sound about as fit for
\nmodern rock radio as Soul Asylum sound right now. In a good way
\nthough, this means Cracker has more freedom than ever to become one
\nof the great hidden-gem bands of the 1990s. With little pressure
\nfrom the label to turn out a hit, 1998 may indeed be
\nThe Golden Age<\/i> for the band. In the meantime, check out this
\n1996 gem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":27743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[7462],"rating":[5615],"class_list":["post-39122","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-cracker","rating-rating-b"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/39122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39122"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/39122\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=39122"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=39122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}