I once wrote a record review for this site while I was on a long road trip while enduring the effects of food poisoning. Fortunately, I came to my senses before submitting the review, and realized that the venom I had been spewing at the record in question was not warranted, and that I was really angry at my physical condition. I relistened and rewrote.
This Album Is Better Than Food Poisoning
So much music depends on your mood. Loving, hating or simply being indifferent on an album is often determined by the time, place and mood you're in when you hear it. No Shame is an album that happened to hit my mailbox at just the right time. It happened that I first heard the album on one of the first bitterly cold days of fall here in Detroit; a day when I had to scrape frost off my windows before driving anywhere.
Had this album hit my stereo on any other day than this, I probably would have given it a quick listen, chalked this trio from Kona up as a 311 clone fit for frat parties and not much else, and gone on without a second thought. As it was, they caught me off guard, while I was thinking wistfully of warm weather, and their feel-good brand of Reggae-infused rock hit the spot.
Honestly, this album is formulaic and really too mellow for my usual tastes, but sometimes it's exactly what you need. Sometimes, I want to chill a bit and not be challenged or overly excited by what I'm hearing. This record is perfect for that, and that's not meant to sound as bad as it may come out.
Music To Chill To
From the opening track, "Bring Me Along", These Hawaiian guys lay down some smooth grooves that are simply made for lounging and relaxing, in the way that fans of Sublime or Slightly Stoopid are already used to.
For song after song, Pepper mixes soft island rhythms with a bit of funk. Their music is best when there's a hint of an edge to the music, like on "Lost In America" when the band relates a drive cross county, and much flatter on the more mellow tracks, but either way it's nice.
"No Control", is a standout track, with a bit of a twang and a great groove, despite the fact that its chorus wants to sound a bit like the Red Hot Chili Peppers (and I am talking about current Chili Peppers rather than the good stuff from the "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes" days), and the addition of goofy little skits throughout the album break things up nicely.
All in all, it's a pleasant little diversion of an album. It's a bit predictable, but if you're a fan of reggae-styled rock, you'll get some enjoyment out of it. Fans of 311 will get into this album for sure, but people with taste will like it too. Just play it alone so nobody accuses you of being a hippie. Words like that can hurt.
