Pros: A few good songs, Kelly Jones sounds like a less weathered Weiland.
Cons: Too much blandness, filler, and sound-alike pop-rock schlock.
The Bottom Line: Definitely not worth buying, this Stereophonics release is boring, bland, and monotonous (and any other word that you can come up with for "sounds the same").
lambchops's Full Review: Just Enough Education To Peform by Stereophonics
What do you get when you blend blues sensibility with grunge guitars and a lead vocalist that is exceptionally derivative of a smoother Scott Weiland? Well, the Welsh band Stereophonics of course!
The Stereophonics came to be some time in the mid-1990’s and hail from Cwmaman, South Wales. Their sound was a definite change of pace in the largely pop-based UK music scene. And while I do indeed much appreciate the effort to be different, I’m positive that there are better UK rock bands from the same era. Gomez, in fact, comes immediately to mind.
Boasting just three members, the Stereophonics have a simple enough idea of how to make music. Put guitars to drums and garnish with vocals. There’s no flash or dazzle to the production or the songs themselves, in fact this lack of life is what probably in the end makes their music less interesting than some of their contemporaries. Vocalist and guitarist Kelly Jones fronts the threesome while Richard Jones (bass) and Stuart Cable (drums) round it out. And as one of the first bands signed to the V2 label (later housing such acts as The White Stripes, Aimee Mann, and Rickie Lee Jones) they continue to reap the benefits of major and mainstream label support.
Debuting in 1997 with the well-received Word Gets Around, the Stereophonics soon birthed their first and progressively more popular hits Looks Like Chaplin, More Life in a Tramp’s Vest, Local Boy in the Photograph, Traffic and others. The album went to number six in Britain. Following the success of their debut, the Stereophonics looked to further expound upon their music ideas and came up with sophomore effort Performance and Cocktails. Again much more a rock album than a pop one, the disc did somehow also managed to tone down their previously harder edged nuances. The disc sold well, though wasn’t as well-received by critics.
By the time 2001 rolled around, Stereophonics were once again looking for charting hits. This album did that, and even crested at 188 on the US Billboard Top 200. Just Enough Education to Perform (nicknamed J.E.E.P., a title hotly disputed by DaimlerChrysler) is meant to show some new sides of the band, namely a softer and gentler self. But regardless of their intentions I’m not particularly fond of the band or this album. The music just seems hollow and stale. Almost as though it’s all old material, just covered by some new and slightly different band. This line could be translated as “comfortable,” but I just see it as uninspired.
J.E.E.P. touches on a number of slightly varied influences. Certainly, the straight ahead rock is still present, but so is a touch of alternative, soul, blues, and pop (gasp!). And while I completely get the fact that the Stereophonics are trying to be something different than the vast majority of UK acts, their sound on J.E.E.P. is still pretty mediocre and rather old-hat for Americans. But there are a few decent things about the album.
First things first--I do like a few of these tracks quite a bit. Though, I attribute that appreciation more to my enjoyment of a good blues-rock song now and again then to the talent of the Stereophonics. The songs that I’m most particularly fond of are lead Mr. Writer (a sarcastic song dedicated to all those music journalists out there), Vegas Two Times, Step On My Old Size Nines, and Have a Nice Day. And if you peruse the track list below, you’ll notice that all four of those songs appear in the first half of this material. Indeed, J.E.E.P. loses momentum as it progresses. I usually find it impossible to listen past track five because the second half doesn’t do anything new or interesting.
As mentioned, album opener Vegas Two Times is a lovely song. Beginning with a gospel-esque choir, the song soon breaks into tidy blues-rock riffs. It all works pretty well, but I can help but think I’m listening to a band that splits its influences between the Black Crowes and Stone Temple Pilots. It really is a strange, almost perverse, combination.
Also decent is Mr. Writer. As I said earlier, it is an ode to all pessimistic and disingenuous music writers out there. And maybe it’s because I like the topic of the songs that I’m drawn to it. Because in retrospect, the song itself is a bit too sing-songy, melodramatic, and boring for my tastes. But it is a good enough effort, definitely one of the better on J.E.E.P. The chorus is as follows:
Mr Writer, why don't you tell it like it is?
Why don't you tell it like it really is?
Before you go on home
Step on My Old Size Nines is a welcome reprieve from the wanna-be Oasis stylings of the song that proceeds it. But with that said, I’m not quite sure what to make of the song itself. See, I like the band when they rock (as with Vegas Two Times). This song on the other hand is soft and acoustic, maybe even emotional. I like it quite a bit, but with this disc jumping from place to place I’m having problems with the consistency. But kudos to Stereophonics for the inclusion of the fiddle and the harmonica, both sound brilliant.
Finally, I enjoy Have a Nice Day but definitely not as a rock track. It is a Wallflowers-type pop song. The guitars are acoustic and the melody is memorable. Even the lyrics are pleasant. I also am moderately impressed by the wavering, smoky vocals provided by Kelly Jones. They are a really nice contrast to the otherwise very mellow song.
The seven songs that remain are pretty easily dismissed. But for a few really bad ones, the album floats along with little need for attention. I prefer music that is a bit more challenging—this just lulls me to sleep. Lying in the Sun, Nice to Be Out, and Maybe are the most troublesome offerings. The former is particularly bad because it appears in the second slot, and as the worst song of J.E.E.P. with a bland chorus and predictable vocal line it shouldn’t have made the album much less put that far out front. Nice to Be Out on the other hand sounds like pretty much all of the other disposable pop-rock of the mid- and late-1990’s. Choking down the vomit, Maybe echoes painfully in my ears as a incredibly annoying song. The vocals are bad (I mean REALLY awful) and the song itself is forgettable (although I do like the use of the piano).
Those songs not mentioned just blend into the woodwork. And that assessment pretty much goes for this entire album. I can see that the desire is there, but the direction is not. J.E.E.P. is a forgettable and bland album with a few bright spots. And unless you are a fan of Stereophonics or any of these songs, then I suggest you not buy their third full-length album and instead invest in something from Gomez.
You’ll thank me later.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Vegas Two Times
02. Lying in the Sun
03. Mr. Writer
04. Step on My Old Size Nines
05. Have a Nice Day
06. Nice to Be Out
07. Watch Them Fly Sundays
08. Everyday I Think of Money
09. Maybe
10. Caravan Holiday
11. Rooftop
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