{"id":39660,"date":"2006-02-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-02-24T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/uphill-to-purgatory\/"},"modified":"2006-02-24T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-02-24T00:00:00","slug":"uphill-to-purgatory","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/uphill-to-purgatory\/","title":{"rendered":"Uphill To Purgatory"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Oh good, another white male singer\/songwriter in his
\nmid-20s who sings about relationships. At least, that’s what I
\nthought when I received JJ Appleton’s second disc, this one
\nrecorded in New York (instead of L.A.). What could Appleton have to
\nsay that John Mayer and Sting haven’t already said before?<\/p>\n

Not much, really, but at least Appleton is diverse in
\nhis tastes. The opener “Anyone” is a Fountains Of Wayne-esque song,
\nwhile “The More Things Change” has a surprising amount of grit in
\nthe Black Crowes-esque riff, as well as a good solo. “We Always Say
\nGoodbye” would have fit nicely on mid-90s rock radio right next to
\nthe Cranberries and Tom Petty, while “Someone Else’s Problem” is
\nlyrically biting but musically average, a bit like a Steve Miller
\nsong with an ex-girlfriend rant theme.<\/p>\n

But not everything works. “Because I Do” tries to be
\nmeaningful but comes off as a second-rate Train rewrite, while “I
\nMean Well” is decent but uncomfortably close to Tom Petty, who
\nAppleton is a dead singer for. (He is a dead ringer for Ben
\nAffleck, so I had to alter the clich\u00c3\u00a9. Sorry…) And
\n“Picture This” just sounds like Appleton is trying too hard (in the
\npress release, he says he is trying to write a George Harrison
\nsong. I don’t hear it…)<\/p>\n

“Still Think About You” is derivative of all those
\npop-punk clones like Good Charlotte, only without the annoying
\nhigh-pitched singer, but it’s redeemed by “If I Can’t Have You,”
\nwhich is the best Rolling Stones song I’ve heard in a while — and
\nif the album had been more like this, it would have been more
\nsuccessful. “There Is No Pill” has a good message about America’s
\ndependency on medication, with some good cello work to boot, but it
\ngoes on a bit too long.<\/p>\n

JJ Appleton is obviously talented, although his
\nlyrics need a bit of work, but musically he fails to find his own
\nvoice. His influences are diverse and his heart is in the right
\nplace, but Uphill To Purgatory<\/i> is just like its title —
\nneither excellent nor terrible, it floats in limbo right in the
\nmiddle.<\/p>\n

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