Published on Nov 9, 2000
The old saying goes that the third time’s the charm. In the case
of Chicago-area rockers Enuff Z’Nuff, the third time around, 1993’s
Animals With Human Intelligence, worked in reverse of the
old saying. It is the first album from Chip Z’Nuff and crew which
doesn’t quite seem to know which way it wants to go on the musical
spectrum.
To be sure, Z’Nuff and crew had made sure their musical horizons
were broad from the start, and their first two albums reflected
that synergy of styles. But this time around, things were different
for the band – much different. First, they had parted with Atco
Records and signed up with Arista. Second, they let drummer Vic
Fox, relegating him to the status of “additional musician” for
Animals With Human Intelligence (despite the fact he played
on the entire album).
But the biggest problem might have been with the band and the
revolving door of producers. Some of the disc was produced by
Richie Zito; the bulk of the chores were handled by Z’Nuff,
guitarist/vocalist Donnie Vie and Phil Bonanno. Zito had the
knowledge of how to keep the band sounding fresh to a fickle
musical public; Z’Nuff and crew, on the other hand, seemed to want
to go deeper into the structures of the sounds, tackling more
mature expressions.
Did it work? To be frank, it really depends on when I listen to
this disc.
Animals With Human Intelligence is not the kind of disc that
lends itself to instant fan gratification. There are days I find
myself impressed with most of this disc; there are days when this
disc sounds like a tremendous disappointment. After owning this
disc and listening to it for seven years, I’ve never been able to
come to a consensus on it – though the listen I gave it before
writing this bordered on disappointment.
It’s not that Z’Nuff and his bandmates didn’t know a pop hit
from a pop tart. Tracks like “Takin’ A Ride” and “The Love Train”
prove that the chops that had been laid out on the previous two
albums were still there. Even some of the material that Zito
handled, like “These Daze” and “One Step Closer To You,” snaps with
freshness.
Yet when Z’Nuff and crew turn the seriousness up, things tend to
fall apart. Tracks like “Black Rain,” “Innocence” and “Mary Anne
Lost Her Baby” all don’t have the same spark that the light, poppy
tracks do. And I’m not merely singling out ballads; “Mary Anne Lost
Her Baby” is a rocker by all definitions of the word. The
difference is, it’s not an interesting rocker, despite having
subject matter which could have been quite promising.
Arista didn’t seem to know just what to do with this disc; after
one album, the band found themselves without a label. For that
matter, with all the changes happening around the band, I’m not so
sure the boys themselves knew just what to do with this disc.
That’s the price one pays for being cutting edge, I guess – even
though the paisley suits and hippie beads of the Beatles-era rock
fit Enuff Z’Nuff just fine. That’s always realized in hindsight,
though.
Animals With Human Intelligence is Enuff Z’Nuff’s most
challenging record to this point. Unfortunately, it also ranks as
their most confusing.