lambchops's Full Review: Living on Ritalin * by Greg Kroll
Always willing for a challenge, I examined Greg Kroll’s 1998 release Living on Ritalin carefully and with an open mind. Was I impressed by what I found on the indie release? Uh. No. But at least it didn’t hurt my ears send piercing chills down my spine.
Kroll has never been a prolific rocker. In fact, over the course of over two decades, the New Jersey native recorded and released a total of just three albums (the other two being the 1976 Two Sides and the 1985 Wheels of Desire). Unfortunately not a one made him anything close to a great musical success. Not to mention the fact that not one of the three received positive reviews from critics. But as mentioned, there are much worse things to sink your money into. It is refreshing to hear a rootsy rocker like Kroll, especially on the 1998 album. But refreshing isn’t enough to make it a worthy purchase.
Living on Ritalin lacks direction, energy, and in the end sounds like a parody of sorts. He sounds like a mix of New Wave, Rusted Root (most specifically front man Michael Glabicki), and a cut rate Depeche Mode with a bit of Black Crowes tossed in for good measure. Nothing about Living on Ritalin is cohesive. The production works against the songs. Kroll probably has more talent than his album would have you know…but then again the world will remain ignorant to his potential as a direct result of his lacking, hollow, and overall unappealing songs.
Kicking off with Psychotic Reaction, a cover of the minor 1966 Count Five hit, the album would seem to have some amount of potential. Of course, it is difficult to measure the quality of an album based on the work of an artist on a cover track. After investigating Living on Ritalin a tad more closely it is clear that this is the case. Psychotic Reaction resonates at first with a Monkees-like energy. The keyboards and clap-along beat are soon joined with Kroll’s forced vocals. He sounds as though he’s trying hard to be a rebel, and in the end he just comes off as a farce.
While Psychotic Reaction is modestly appealing, most of the eleven remaining songs leave much to be desired. I say “most” because Boom Shake is also worth hearing. The percussion that almost exclusively drives the track is pretty impressive. Even the flat backing B-52’s-like female vocals are enticing. But as with much of what Boom Shake has to offer would have been much more fitting fifteen years before the album’s release. It was horribly outdated upon release, thus eternally damning the album and Kroll to the bargain bin.
What is left of Living on Ritalin is a strange hodgepodge of rock, new wave, and psychedelics. Ranging from the almost punk rock feel of Situation Suicide to the down home acoustics of Carnton and from the cliché early 80’s synth ringing mixed with faintly Latin tones of Law of the Jungle to the hair metal-esque ballad Streets of Hell. With any amount of consistency, Kroll’s work would be much more palatable. But this is not consistent nor is it palatable. It just seems as though Kroll is an aged rocker with too much inspiration and too little guidance. His work is at best mediocre and at worst downright horrible.
Living on Ritalin is an unfortunate example of what can happen if a singer-songwriter tries too hard to be different and creative. Creativity is something that oozes out of every pore of a truly talented artist. It would be to Kroll’s advantage to stick to one musical idea rather than jumping through hoops to explore them all. Living on Ritalin is crap. Unfortunately, bargain bin, indie crap. End of story.
Rating: 2/5 stars (for the two decent songs)
Track Listing:
1. Psychotic Reaction
2. Living on Ritalin
3. I'm a Stranger
4. Boom Shake
5. Situation Suicide
6. Great Wall
7. Law of the Jungle
8. One of These Days
9. Streets of Hell
10. Carnton
11. Code of Love
12. Adirondack
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