After we graduated high school, a friend of mine moved out to Boulder, CO to go to school. I thought he was nuts, although his stories would later convince me to move out there myself. Amid the tales of climbing and hiking and microbrews, he once handed me a tape of a band he liked - Big Head Todd and the Monsters. "Listen to this band," he told me. "They are going to be big someday." It seems that he had discovered this group at one of his favorite bars - J.J. McCabes - and thought they were worth letting his friends know about back east.

Not too long after he gave me that tape, Big Head Todd made a splash with the album Sister Sweetly. I had that disc in my car when I began my trek out west, and would have the fortune of seeing the band several times, either in larger shows at Red Rocks or smaller venues like The Fox Theater. Their unique blend of blues and rock was a refreshing difference from the grunge that was all over the radio at the time, and their performances won me over quickly.

I liked their early stuff much better than their later work, and after a time, they seemed to fall off the map. I heard some things from time to time but nothing that really stimulated me. So, when I saw Crimes of Passion available as a free selection in the music club, I figured it was worth a shot.

[ • about BIG HEAD TODD • ]
The band members of Big Head Todd - singer/guitarist Todd Park Mohr, bassist Rob Squires and drummer Brian Nevin - first got together when they attended Columbine High School together. They then stayed together at the University of Colorado at Boulder, getting their first break at McCabes in the late 80's. Fiercely independent, the band released their first two albums (1987's Another Mayberry and 1990's Midnight Radio on their own label, and saw very successful local and regional success. But it wasn't until they signed with the larger Giant Records that the band found national airplay with Sister Sweetly (1993). Two singles, "Broken Hearted Savior" and "Bittersweet", hit the charts and propelled the band into nationwide fame. They followed these two albums up with blues-influenced rock with a touch of experimentation with Strategem (1994) and Beautiful World (1997), which while critical successes, never matched the commercial popularity of their previous disc. 1998's live Live Monsters helped get back some of their audience, and proved to be the last album that the band did with Giant Records.

On their own again, it was 4 years before they released Riviera, again a critical success that started to get them fan appreciation again. Two years later, the band has fully returned to their roots with their latest release, Crimes of Passion.

[ • track LISTING • ]
1. Dirty Juice (4½) (4:30) - This song about being with a woman who's trouble starts out well, a blend of old school and electric blues that sounds like something from an R.L. Burnside album. Todd Park Mohr's (TPM) familiar voice fits perfectly with the heavy beat as they start the disc out in overdrive.

2. Beauty Queen (4) (4:38) - Slower and more familiar, this song is a mellow blues-rock tune in the tone BHTM is known for. A throwback track, it would have fit right in with something on Another Mayberry or Midnight Radio. The music is simple but interesting enough, especially the introduction of calypso-like percussion in the background.

3. Conquistador (2½) (3:48) - Heavy blues beats open this tune, quickly followed by TPM's deep voice adding to its challenging tone. The chorus, however, is a little weak despite a good surrounding base. The distortion on the vocals thing also seems out of place and hurts this song in the end.

4. Angela Dangerlove (2½) (5:18) - Slower, pretty opening leads into classic BHTM sound with Mohr signing - until the chorus. For the second straight song, this song convulses and dies as Mohr uses a nearly falsetto voice to sing "Angela Dangerlove" repetitively. What could have been a really good song is ruined by the WEAK chorus.

5. Come On (3½) (2:48) - A little funkier blues intro brings us this more experimental sound. The songs sounds more than a little like a Peter Gabriel song. The distorted voice is back, but it's not as grating here. The lyrics are also similar to something that you would have expected on So:

Come on,
pick up your knee and your steep side.
The river is deep and running all night
from your tender moonlit lake.

I sit on the ground in the city light
I live in the traffic and I sleep light
Might I touch your illustrious face?
Come on...

6. Drought of 2013 (4) (4:13) - Kind of an odd song, TPM takes a political edge here. Starting with a nice guitar intro, they then move back into a blues-rock style. TPM uses his voice to its best effect, and you can imagine him sitting in an empty bar with a bottle of beer on the stool next to him as he plays this. Slower-paced but well-developed, this is BHTM's modern cowboy song.

Politicians blame each other, preachers swell with pride
The wealthy killed each other and the poor gave up a smile.
'Cause 750 days without a drop of rain, made everyone the same.

7. Love Transmission (3) (4:42) - Funky electric blues are good in this song, although I don't like the synthesized voice that they use. The guitar work is the best part of this song, as both the topic and lyrics are a little weak. The fact that the whole tune sounds like it was sung in a tunnel is distracting and doesn't work.

8. Imaginary Ships (3½) (5:22) - This song irks me. The vocals on the whole thing sound strained until he reaches the chorus, which sounds vaguely familiar - I think Seal but I'm not sure. Musically simple pop blues, this song would benefit if Mohr had used his normal voice.

9. ICU in Everything (4) (4:16) - 70's funk, Big Head style here. Part Curtis Mayfield and part Bee Gees, TPM takes his voice to a higher register as this song rolls from the speakers. I can imagine this song being fantastic in the hands of Lauryn Hill or
Joss Stone, but I think Mohr does an adequate job with it. The funky keyboards (played by Mohr) complete the retro effect nicely.

10. Lost Child Astronaut (4) (4:46) - The soft dance over the guitar strings provides a mellow and catchy backdrop to Mohr's soft and throaty vocals here. The harmony is again familiar, similar to something a later Led Zeppelin would have tried.

11. Peacemaker's Blues (3½) (3:09) - From the opening harmonica, I thought that this was a cover of the Beatles You've Got To Hide Your Love Away until he started singing. His Dylan-like style on this song doesn't work very well (who would want to imitate Bob Dylan's voice?). The music is good, but the song could be better if he used his normal voice.

[ • the MUSIC • ]
From the beginning notes of the album, this is clearly Todd Park Mohr's show. He takes control over almost every aspect of the disc, from playing four different instruments to being recorded, produced and mixed by Mohr, not to mention writing all of the songs. Musically, his vocals and guitar lead the way and the rare glimpses of Nevin and Squires are muted and secondary. Throughout the disc, the band finds its best success when sticking with what made them in the first place - a mixture of gritty blues and rock, although ICU in Everything is a great song even straying from their M.O.

Big Head Todd's biggest strength from the start was that they played a style of music that was different - and they played it with heart. Their first two albums were great, and Sister Sweetly - while having a more commercial sound - also retained that trademark style. I thought that they strayed from that for a while, but Crimes of Passion for the most part gets back to the blues. They experiment a little, and it doesn't always work but the overall music is well done and great to listen to.

[ • the DISC • ]
The booklet is nothing special. Other than the false-color image of a sexy woman on the front, the rest of the booklet is fairly plain. It includes pictures by Mohr (more of that control thing), and lyrics to the songs but not much more. The disc itself has a copy of the red velvet background from the back of the booklet. The disc has no enhanced features.

[ • final THOUGHTS • ]
As a whole, it took a couple of listens but I like the disc. Granted, there are a couple of really weak songs (Conquistador and Angela Dangerlove) that hurt the album, but it doesn't kill it for me. I'm glad, because I always liked Big Head Todd, and I'm glad to see the band I knew has returned. OVERALL RATING: 3.5

[ • more INFORMATION • ]
www.bigheadtodd.com

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Hanging With Friends