Albums by this artist

Glow (1997)

Reef

Glow

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» JONATHAN COHEN | SENIOR EDITOR

Reef Glow Epic, 1997 RiYL: Black Crowes' Amorica, Led Zeppelin, Bush's Sixteen Stone, classic rock

News flash: "A gallon drum full of unreleased Led Zeppelin studio out-takes has been reported stolen from the Atlantic Records vault in London. Fleeing from the scene of the burglary was the English rock group Reef, who are expected to re-record these songs and release them as their own before anyone can tell the difference."

Glow, Reef's second musical homage to their classic rock forefathers, probably didn't originate with the aforementioned scheme, but it might as well have. The 12 songs on the album are so steeped in gaudy, AOR songwriting that one is tempted to check the liner notes for Jimmy Page or John Fogerty's presence. No, this is not a good thing.

Reef makes no bones about the influence of old fashioned, balls-out rock on their music. That's all well and good, "Lately Stomping" and first single "Place Your Hands" reek of the trademark Zeppelin crunge, while the goofball "Summer's In Bloom" and dubious "Consideration" stumble out of the Black Crowes' tour bus in a haze of pot smoke and straight whiskey.

But why bother with imitations when you can have the real thing? Reef don't even make it convincing. Vocalist Gary Stringer is a sad excuse for a lead singer, whining through half-assed melodies on "Come Back Brighter" or ranting like a caucasian B Real on "Summer's In Bloom." Kenwyn House's guitar riffs bow at the altar of all things classic rock ("I Would Have Left You" nicks Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" unabashedly), attempting to make fertile a landscape plowed and left barren years earlier. At least the Black Crowes, themselves classic rock torchbearers, change up their formula every now and then.

As listeners, shouldn't we expect bands to attempt something original? Reef join the unholy conglomerate of bands such as Silverchair, Tonic and Bush who embrace and copy that which has already been done, unburdened by the concept of musical creativity.

JONATHAN COHEN | Jonathan Cohen co-created Nude As The News with his Indiana University mates Troy Carpenter and Ben French. When not traversing the globe for business and pleasure, he holds down the fort as a senior editor for Billboard in New York. Stop him and he just may ask, "what for lunch?"