Published on Jun 6, 2000
Enuff Z’Nuff is a band that remains a paradox to me — which is
one reason why I’ve been spending a lot of time listening to their
discography in the order of release. (Memo to the band’s publicist:
That’s why you haven’t seen the reviews of the re-issues… but
they are coming!) And yet the more I listen to
Strength, the band’s 1991 sophomore effort, the more I get
confused.
On one hand, you have Chip Z’Nuff and crew putting forth a solid
effort that abandons the few silly concepts that they tried out on
their debut release. But this disc also seems to feature the band
taking a turn towards more serious music fare — and the results
can get a little spotty at times.
There’s enough material on this disc to let you know that the
group hasn’t forgotten how to turn up the amps to 11 and rock out
until the plaster falls off of your ceiling. Tracks like “Heaven Or
Hell,” “The World Is A Gutter,” and the slightly slower “Holly Wood
Ya” show how far the band has come since
Enuff Z’Nuff hit the stands.
But more often than not, Enuff Z’Nuff seems to stray into music
that is less flash and more substance on
Strength. Tracks like “Mother’s Eyes,” “Blue Island,” “In
Crowd” and “Baby Loves You” work well in this fashion, proving that
there was much more to this group than the hair styles of the
day.
Ah — but there are occasional craters. “Strength” gets weighed
down a little too much in the arrangements, including a violin solo
from Johnny Frigo (father of guitarist Derek Frigo). Likewise,
“Time To Let You Go” seems like too slow of a way to end an album
that had so much power and promise.
What’s interesting is that
Strength, in overall approach alone, is a stronger album
than
Enuff Z’Nuff was, but it’s pooh-poohed by many people
because it doesn’t have an instantly recognizable song like “Fly
High Michelle.” Well, tough.
Strength is the kind of album that you really have to spend
a lot of time with in order to appreciate how far Z’Nuff had come
in just one album, even though the journey was still very much a
work in progress. I know that each time I’ve listened to this disc
(and it’s been about 10 times in the last month), I find new things
to like about it.
Strength is a suitable title for this album, as Enuff Z’Nuff
began to really find where theirs lay music-wise. It’s not a
perfect album, but it’s a natural next step for the group.