JULY 2008 ONLINE EDITORIALS

Mad September - She’s a Sin

By Erik Myers

Craigslist really should be used as a last resort for many things in life: love, sex, babysitters and, above all, band mates.

Case-in-point for the latter: Mad September, who came to be after drummer Cisco Romero posted an online ad in 2007, seeking musicians interested in a “sleazy and smokey” brand of rock. But that’s a sound the four-piece group hasn’t really accomplished with their debut EP, She’s A Sin.

Generally, the five tracks of She’s A Sin come off as lighthearted hard rock, featuring guitar and bass lines likable to Buckcherry mixed with vocals that seem more attuned to pop punk. It’s the kind of combination that’s destined to fail from the get-go, wavering worse than a drunk and weepy Chad Kroeger driving a first-edition Geo Metro.

What’s truly tragic about She’s A Sin is the promising moments that end in sheer disappointment. “She’s Leaving Home” opens with spooky stringing that straight-up channels Alice in Chains, building a kind of tension that’s effectively killed the moment you hear the nasally vocals of lead singer Troy Hudson. Forty seconds later, he kicks into the hyper-whiny chorus and all possible redemption is killed.

It’s a different situation for the title track, a made-for-radio single that sounds nearly solid.

While their mixed sound will certainly appeal to some, Mad September could benefit from finding a vocalist whose style actually connects with the music backing him. And hopefully they’ll consider conducting the search on MySpace, where you can preview the voice before you buy it.