Jeremiah Freed

Jeremiah Freed is a five piece rock combo that blends the post-grunge pop rock of bands like Tonic and Nickelback with uptempo blues rock. The results are mildly satisfying, making way for some good songs but ultimately not making much more of an impression beyond that. The band obvious cares about what they're playing, bringing some much needed passion to the material here. But the songs are just not that catchy, often times relying on the general sound that the band emulates more than melodies. A good example is "Wash Away," the almost catchy rocker that appears towards the end. The guitars deliver riffs that tow the line between grunge and blues, therefore they basically sound like the typical jagged guitar work that comes with albums like this. None of the other instruments contribute anything noticeable while singer Joe Smith does the same things that every other angst-filled singer in the industry does, but with over-produced vocals to emphasize his emotive ramblings. The music here isn't that bad, but it's unmemorable, which might be a bigger problem than the band realizes. Much like the last dying gasps of the hair metal scene during the early 90's, the faux grunge generation spun its wheels long enough, and to try and capitalize on that trend is crazy. Jeremiah Freed is not a bad band, but this album is not the right first step for them.