Published on Nov 4, 2017
On their seventh album, The Toadies has returned with an album full of purpose and meaning. After 2015’s semi-acoustic misstep Heretics, they have come back with a rockin’ sound once again. Kicking things off with the slow burning rocker “When I Die,” the band has made a statement: “Rock isn’t dead!”
Personal favorites include “Polly Jean,” a track on which bassist Doni Blair has to be applauded for his work and the intensity of the riff all throughout. “Human Cannonball” is a catchy sing-along and one of the catchiest songs the band has released in quite some time. “Mama Take Me Home” reminds me of something off of Hell Below/Stars Above and would be great for slow dancing to a moon-filled night.
“You Know The Words” works as another slow-burning rocker with some great backing vocals from the band. Not everything is a winner, however; the unnecessary cover of the classic “I Put A Spell on You” featuring organ from Journey/Santana keyboardist Gregg Rolie does absolutely nothing.
First single “Broke Down Stupid” is a good track; it’s not heavy enough for the radio but is still a pretty decent song that one will remember long after the record is over. “Echo” is a quick little cut but works really well.
All in all, though the band has gotten a bit greyer and older and the songs have slowed down a bit tempo-wise, they have proved they can still rock with the best of them. They are also one of those few ‘90s bands that I feel can give some of the newer ‘rock’ bands a run for their money. As it turned out, this is one of the finest rock albums to come out this year and deserves to be heard by as many people who still love good ol’ alternative rock without any frills.