The album features ten “radio-length” songs, whizzing by without any filler. It’s worth noting that the lyrics aren’t a cultural assault. There’s no gratuitous hatred or sexuality. This music is good enough to stand unaided by a crutch like that.
United States is a solid rock & roll release, with no genre sub-classification needed. The music has a lot of drive to it; it’s quite active and kinetic, with natural ebb and flow to the track listing. A variety of influences are present – everything from ’60s pop, ’70s classic rock, ’80s-style heavy metal, to modern (alt?) ’00s rock.
Songs range from mellow to very heavy. Your ear is bound to be intrigued by many nuances or textures in these songs. One of the finer touches is the ‘rapport’ or ‘dialog’, where the vocals and the lead guitar do trade-offs: the guitar will echo the note or part the lead vocal is carrying.
The fact that the bass guitar doesn’t simply emulate the rhythm guitar is something I noticed immediately. There are a variety of tempos provided by drummer Matt Muckle. Each instrument carries it’s own voicing and weight. Further interesting accents are created with Emi Gilbert’s keyboard work.
The music itself has two main highlights, the incredible vocals of Freddie Nelson, and the searing lead guitars of Paul Gilbert. You can be a prior fan of either or neither and yet can enjoy both. This album doesn’t alienate fans of either. It’s downright enjoyable, without trying to re-invent the genre.
I didn’t expect to hear someone so at ease, and unconstrained across his entire range, as Nelson is. His voice is rich and facile, plus it has an exquisite timbre and natural vibrato. There’s no strain evident when he switches so effortlessly between octaves. Nelson reminds us that the voice is a lovely instrument.
Gilbert’s consistently high-quality guitar and bass work, along with the arrangements, are the ties that bind the numbers together, with both being a real treat to my ear. Gilbert provides a solid foundation to build on with his versatile, groovy, and enjoyable string-work. The tasteful solos, some of which are face-melting, fit nicely within the songs.
If there is one complaint that I have with the record it’s this, there’s a really nice full-color inlay, with no lyrics. I had to get the lyrics online from a teenager who’d spent the time transcribing them off the record. Another extremely minor complaint is that the low end, on my speaker system, seems to be quiet, or light. Maybe it’s the compression. There’s plenty of low end and grit when they play these songs live.
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