Published on Dec 29, 1998
In New York, we have a free-form radio program on Sunday nights
called “Idiots Delight.” One night, the DJ, Vin Scelsa, got excited
about this new band called the New Radicals. He described their
music as a melding of 1970’s Todd Rundgren and 1980’s Prince. Being
a fan of both, that made me sit up and take notice. And when he
played the first single, “You Get What You Give”, the sound was
unmistakable. The music and the song is definitely influenced by
Prince, and it is the piano playing by Richard Knowles and the
chord changes that remind me of Rundgren’s “Hello It’s Me.”
And that is pretty much what you get throughout the audicious
new album by The New Radicals called
Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too. The brains behind the
band is guitarist Gregg Alexander, who surprisingly looks like a
young, small town midwesterner, sort of like Woody from the TV show
“Cheers,” not the sort of person you would expect doing this kind
of funky music. The song “Technicolor Lover” sounds so much like
Prince, you might think it is him playing some sort of hoax. And on
this cut, Alexander plays all the instruments in true
Prince/Rundgren fashion.
There are a few possibilities for the next singles: my choices
would be either the Rundgrenesque ballad of love lost “Someday
We’ll Know,” the funky first song “Mother We Just Can’t Get
Enough,” or the midtempo R&B ballad, “Gotta Stay High.” The
remaining songs on the album are an odd combination of songs about
God and drugs, and in the song “Flowers” there is a little of both.
But when the music is this good, who really cares?
“Jehovah Made This Whole Joint For You” is a winning religious
song which comes off more clever than preachy. It is actually funny
the way Alexander depicts the non-believers as “So original in her
black lipstick, listening to obscure bands”. But the best song of
all might be, in a different twist, a love song with religious
metaphors. “Crying Like A Church On Monday” sounds like a gospel
tune, dominated by piano and bass. But it is actually about him
trying to win back his girlfriend.
The New Radicals do share some of the flaws of both Prince and
Rundgren. Like those two artists, sometimes the performances are a
bit over-the-top. “I Hope I Just Didn’t Give Away The Ending” is
clever at times but is also occasionally grating, especially the
beginning where he sings nonsense lyrics. And the title song is a
throwaway that goes on way too long.
However, if you can forgive Prince and Rundgren for their
excesses, then why not the New Radicals?
Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too is a fun album, with many
cool songs, and a truly original, off-center outlook. And let me
also add that it is nice to hear an R&Bish album that uses
acoustic piano instead of synthesizers, for a change. All in all,
it is Alexander’s obvious enthusiasm for his music that especially
makes this album worthwhile.