Wednesday, December 28, 2011

CD Review: Slaughterhouse 5 - Wide Open

Another reason I like Facebook: Thanks to the band Go Time and musician Tim Ferguson of The Red Plastic Buddha for some kind words posted about my efforts for Broken Hearted Toy and the Illinois Entertainer. Here’s a review I originally wrote for the Illinois Entertainer in 1993.


Slaughterhouse 5’s debut CD, Wide Open, should bring a smile to the face of any Anglophile with 14 tracks of catchy melodies and unmistakably British vocals. Lead singer-songwriter Davy Lawrence uses clever lyrics to keep things engaging even when he’s depicting the pitfalls and frustrations of romantic affairs. The Manchester-based group has been racking up comparisons to The Buzzcocks with its energetic arrangements.


Lawrence is particularly effective capturing the anxiety of a guy overwhelmed with a fear of losing his girlfriend on the haunting “If She Leaves Me Again.” “You’re Not So Beautiful,” “Inconvenience,” and “No More Mr. Nice Guy” bristle with hostility. Wide Open has its lighter moments as well, with “Right Next To Her” and “Don’t Go All Funny On Me,” and Slaughterhouse 5 switches from its usual frenetic pace for the more laid back satire of “The Stupid Ones.”

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