Pros: Alex Band is a good singer, a few songs, good quality overall
Cons: boring, very average if you glance at the rock music scene
The Bottom Line: If you like young boys pretending playing rock music and singing deep songs, this is for you. But remember -- it might as well be fake.
kuuleimomi's Full Review: Camino Palmero by The Calling
The Calling associate in my mind with a boy band because the lead singer looks a lot like Nick Carter from Backstreet Boys (if you don’t take a closer look at Wherever You Will Go video). Since that their first single not much changed in my attitude towards those lads. Alex Band is very talented, cute and, though he has a rather low voice for his looks, I still think of him as Nick Carter.
First time I heard the band was in Coyote Ugly, where as I recall they performed at a new talents show or something of a kind. A couple years after, we heard their Wherever You Will Go in early 2002. Since I had a quite emotional break-up at that moment, I liked that song. It has nice melody, nice lyrics and everything else to help along getting the pieces of furniture together after the necessary fight with yourself.
As it turned out later, this disc is only meant to be listened to in the context of a past relationship that you’re trying to recover from. Naturally, suitable only to those, who get strength from their own pain.
Even though The Calling play a good-quality pop-rock, they are boring as hell. Lyrics are mostly in a cliche-pop style [she’s all that he needs, she’s all that he needs], even though some tunes have the promising beginning – like Things Don’t Always Turn Out That Way and Adrienne.
I liked a few songs on the disc [surprise, ha!]. Above all is Stigmatized. I’ll put it in a rock ballad category, though feel free to debate. This song is about love against all odds – about believing in your second half, being with him/her no matter what. Lyrics are better than average and a very beautiful song, too.
Second favorite of mine is Adrienne. Alex makes this song. His voice is perfect. Bloke’s really got a talent in singing. Words and music are not bad either – more than bad, frankly. Once again, a really good example of a good-quality pop-rock. The only problem -- it's another break-up song. I'd advise Alex to get a more positive attitude towards relationships.
Main theme of the album is insecurities youth is facing these days. If you don’t fall in the young adult category or just grew out of this music, record might appear naive to you. Alex sings about break-ups, loneliness, the world in general (without digging in the subject) and similar things. Overall quality of the CD is good, but since it’s nothing to write home about, I’ll mark it as an average production, hoping to hear something stronger and more mature from them.
My last piece of advice would be to logically rearrange order of the songs. It would make more sense (musically, first of all), to move Stigmatized to the beginning and We’re Forgiven to the very end.
1. Unstoppable
2. Nothing's Changed
3. Wherever you will go
4. Could It Be Any Harder
5. Final Answer
6. Adrienne
7. We're Forgiven
8. Things Don't Always Turn Out That Way
9. Just That Good
10. Thank You
11. Stigmatized
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