Matthew Sweet
In Reverse
»
Matthew Sweet
In Reverse
Volcano, 1999
RiYL: Beach Boys, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Dishwalla, Lemonheads |
The press bio says Sweet is experimenting with Phil Spector's "Wall Of Sound." But Sweet's reverie has the same effect as a made-for-TV movie: all the ingredients are there, but the performances are sub-par.
There are a few positives on In Reverse. Sweet's voice is sounding better (yes, sweeter) than ever. He also pulls out a rocker or two from the morass of Beach Boys-esque ballads with "Split Personality" and "Faith In You." The former has some good-natured guitar solos and a much more fuzzy, retro sound, almost like a white Lenny Kravitz.
"Hide" features a lonely piano intro and Sweet's half-falsetto overdubbed more than twice, which is a very bad idea on a ballad. This makes it sound like an '80s power-rock ballad that went wrong somewhere. This is where Sweet should shine but it turns into a mockery of what the songwriter is trying to achieve.
It's almost painful to hear Sweet on tracks like "I Should Never Have Let You Know." The outcome is a poor 1960s pre-Beatles teen heartache lament. Sweet must be watching too many of VH1's 'Where Are They Now' episodes, where he saw groups like Jan and Dean end up. Unfortunately, it might not be long before we see Sweet on one.
DAVID THOMAS |