You Made Me

Album Review

As the former lead singer of Buck Cherry, Josh Todd had a hard rock edge that worked. On this album, his first under his own moniker, the performer offers up a series of slick, radio-friendly rock tunes that are slightly catchy but far from memorable. In fact, disposable might be a crueler but more honest assessment. Such an example is the opening "Mind Infection," which veers all over the musical map from rock to grunge to a metal-c*m-nu metal malaise. The Limp Bizkit style of "Broken" and "Blast" has a nice opening, but then descends into something Methods of Mayhem or Crazy Town might try on for size. The buildup to the chorus is OK, but then completely misses the mark. The softer touches on "The Walls" seems safe, but far too clichéd despite the improved chorus and arrangement. The tighter power riffs on "Flowers & Cages" fares better, sounding like an angry Jimmy Eat World in places. Possibly the highlight is "Shine," which recalls Creed or Collective Soul as guitarists Mike Hewitt and Jesse Logan live up to its song title. The melodic "Afraid" follows a similar blueprint with Todd singing more than growling. However, one sleeper is the mid-tempo pop/rock of "Circles," which is far catchier and infectious than nearly everything else presented. The play-by-numbers rave up "Straight Jacket" brings to mind a military-styled Nine Inch Nails as Todd echoes the refrain often. The last few numbers are basically filler, including the appropriately titled "Wasted."