Published on Apr 6, 2002
Leif Garrett can’t buy a break. People still think of him either
as the teen pop sensation he was made out to be in the late ’70s
with “I Was Made For Dancin’,” or they see him as a washed-up
has-been whose battles with addiction created such a grand soap
opera that is now known as VH-1’s “Behind The Music”.
People will refuse to listen to anything that Garrett does in
his musical career with an open mind and unbiased ears. To them, I
have this simple message: Your loss, chumps. After listening to the
self-titled debut EP from F8, Garrett’s latest project, there’s no
doubt in my mind that Garrett has finally found the place he should
be musically – and if these five songs (clocking in at just under
20 minutes) are any indication, F8 is only going to get better.
Here’s a fun party game to play: put this disc on when you have
friends over, but don’t tell them who is singing. The first time I
heard this disc, I couldn’t believe how much Garrett sounded like a
young Joe Cocker – and I am not putting down Garrett’s work. All of
the pain and hell that he has been through is manifested in his
vocals on
F8, and the end result is surprisingly excellent. Listen to
his vocals on a song like “Clear,” or backed with only an acoustic
guitar and a simple bass line on “Alive (Today)” and try to
convince me that Garrett isn’t worth a second listen. Fact is,
you’ll want a second listen – and a third, and a fourth.
Granted, things build a little slow on “Symptoms,” but the early
butterflies the band – Garrett, guitarist Joe Gaines, bassist
Darrell “D” Arnold and drummer Chuck Billings – may have had are
quickly washed away on songs like “Still I Wish” and “Clear”. The
live take on “Just Like Me” is a powerful (and appropriate) way for
F8 to close out this disc.
Yet there is room for growth, particularly in the rhythm and
harmony sections of F8. No disrespect is meant towards Garrett or
Gaines, but I personally would have liked to have heard a second
rhythm guitarist, especially when Gaines breaks off to guitar solo
land. And maybe it’s the inner pop child in me, but I’m a sucker
for well-performed harmony vocals; I’d have liked to heard some on
this disc. (Oh, yeah, let’s not forget my standard EP complaint –
especially in F8’s case, I would have loved for this disc to have
been longer than five songs. The talent is there, people, let there
be no doubt.)
For Garrett, I sincerely hope that people put aside any
preconceived notion they have of him (as a musician or as a human
being) and just
listen to what
F8 has to offer. I would not be surprised if, in a year’s
time, I am reviewing the full-length major label debut of F8 on
“The Daily Vault”. All Garrett and crew need is a chance and the
right people to believe in this band – and
F8 proves they’re more than worthy on both counts.
For more information, please visit F8’s
Web
site.