Before I begin my rewritten review of this album, let me say that this review will not consist of me calling The Mighty Mighty Bosstones sellouts, as so many people do. The Bosstones remain second only to Pearl Jam as far as my favorite bands go, but that does not mean I will like everything the band does. Hence the following review:

Released in March of 1997, Let's Face It shows the band tinkering even more with their sound, with good and bad effects. The excellent prior release, Question the Answers, showed the band had heart, soul, and that they were slowly but surely growing up.

Let's Face It is a large step back for the band from that musical masterpiece. The album seems rushed, and the songwriting lacks a lot of the punch that previous efforts (even those deemed "immature" by music critics) had in spades.

The album opens with a one-two punch that is, at best, ok. I won't bash these two songs, for a couple of reasons. For one, in a live atmosphere, they fit together like a glove (as they do on the album). For two, the second of the songs, The Rascal King, is based on the life of former Boston mayor James Michael Curley, who's life also inspired one of my favorite novels, The Last Hurrah. I personally feel that as far as songwriting goes, this may be one of the two or three best lyric jobs on the album. And while I like the guitar solo in the middle, the music doesn't do much for me.

The opening song, Noise Brigade, is just the opposite. I love the music, but the lyrics are completely stupid and non-sensical, as if lead singer Dicky Barrett just put together a bunch of words that rhymed and hoped for the best.

The third song, Royal Oil, has grown less and less favorable to me as I've listened to it more and more. Once again, the lyrics seem forced, as if Dicky couldn't come up with anything better to go with the music, which, don't get me wrong, is certainly nothing great in itself.

We then hit the Bosstones' biggest hit of their career. First off, let me say I absolutely despise this song. I have despised this song from the first time I heard it. It has nothing to do with it being the Bosstones breakthrough song (and I could make one hell of an argument that this isn't, in reality, the Bosstones breakthrough song), although I'm sure the fact that radio and MTV played the hell out of it hasn't helped it's appeal with me. There is some positives with this song. The bassline is, as usual, stellar. The drumming is creative and keeps up with the traditional "breakbeat" style of ska. But I keep coming back to the chorus and I cringe. The verses are great, but "I've never had to knock on wood etc?" Couldn't the band have come up with something better than that!?

Song five, the title track, is an exceptionally well written song, but the music itself is cheesy and lacksidaisical. And while some of the lyrics may be cheesy as well, at least they fit the overall tone of the song of having "unity" and "brotherhood."

I feel I should know go into the songs I like on the album, which are few and far between. One of my all time favorite Bosstone songs, Numbered Days, is held within. The song is by far one of the greatest odes to schoolyard bullies ever written, and it's anthemic chorus and bridge will have you screaming right along with Dicky at the top of your lungs. It's here where you first see what the Bosstones are capable of.

The song immediately before Numbered Days, the mellow yet uplifting Another Drinkin Song is almost as good. The extremely down-trodden bassline that is the main musical focus of the song creates a great mood and atmosphere for the lyrics of the song. The song seems to follow a man who is extremely depressed, who seems to always to go alcohol to help solve his problems. By the end of the song (where the guitars and horns become a much more intrical part of said song), the man has realized the err of his ways. And it cannot be lost on anyone the wonderful irony suggested by the title and the Bosstones' history of being a "frat boy band."

And the album does finish strong, with the last two tracks, Desensitized and 1,2,8 both showing the promise that would come to fruition on the band's latest release, Pay Attention. Desensitized is a song about how we're all becoming desensitized to the ways of the world and the violence that the world contains nowadays, how the nightly news has no effect on us anymore, that we come to expect these things such as murder and rape.

<>1,2,8</i> is a joyous anthem that, while somewhat silly lyrically, remains a crowd favorite at shows, and a band favorite to play. It's refrain of "if you can't stand the heat in the kitchen, get out it will increase" has become a rallying call of the band's longtime fans.

Perhaps if I was younger I would enjoy this album more. And as much as I enjoy some of the tracks on this record, I can't help but come away feelign disappointed that the Bosstones would put forth such a lackluster effort in my eyes. Perhaps it is the overall weakness of this record that has led the Bosstones to nowhere near the success of it with Pay Attention. Whatever the reason, I find it sad that this, the band's worst record by far, is their best selling.





Recommended: No