IV

I have always loved Winger. As a singer, as a writer, I just think he had it all. I even developed a grudging respect for his solo material. Not what I wanted, but I could appreciate it for what it was. That being said, I've been hoping he would come back and do a rock album for almost fifteen years. This is not what I was hoping for. I honestly don't know what to do this cd. There are moments that are brilliant. There are moments that are crap. It would be one thing if there were some brilliant songs and crap songs, but there aren't. I almost wish the whole thing was crap. That would be easier. I could just dismiss it entirely, but it's all blended together. There are moments that are great, where you can hear little glimpses of what they were, or even what they could have been, but that's all they are ... disjointed, mismatched pieces. If these were demos, I'd say they had the groundwork for some great songs, but as a finished product ... Everytime I heard something I liked, they would ruin it with something weird, something unnecessary, something bad, or sometimes just for fun, all three. Here is what I think happened. Kip is very talented, but he got famous for having a pretty face and catchy songs. That worked for a while and then it collapsed and nobody would take him seriously. And let's be honest, with Beavis & Butthead, he got hit worse than almost anybody. So this time he wants to prove he's an artist. Unusual chord progressions, abrupt time changes, anything to avoid being labeled as predictable or formulaic. And damn he nailed that. He wanted to prove he could do something besides write catchy songs. So he wrote songs that are not at all catchy. This cd has so many twists and turns that you don't even feel comfortable listening to it. The whole thing is just unsettling and unfortunately on this cd I just think the bad outweighs the good. This band still has talent, that's obvious, but this cd is a mess. --Scott