Strawberry

If I could have only 10 albums, this would be one.

     

Every once in a while, you pick up an album by a band you are mostly unfamiliar with, for a song you may have heard once a while back. Often you listen to the album, grin a few times, and maybe listen to the one somewhat familiar song a few times before shelving the CD. That is what should have happened to me with Strawberry's eponymous album. I am a huge Pearl Jam fan and picked up both Strawberry and Pearl Jam's "Riot Act" the same day. When I made the choice to listen to Strawberry first, I had no idea that meant putting off Pearl Jam for a full month. This album is so engrossing, it immediately draws you in to its overal sonic tapestry. Some songs immediately stand out, such as "Strawberry Planet"or "Princess" but only the second time through I found myself with new favorites, like "Little One" and "You've Got a Way." I listened to the album countless dozen times before remembering I had been looking forward to Pearl Jam's new release and finally breaking the seal on it. While I enjoyed my new Pearl Jam, Strawberry's CD is so unique, so cohesive, and so enjoyable, it quickly rose to the top of my 25 Most Played playlist. This album delivers on every level. It continues to deliver after several listenings as you begin to understand more of the lyrics deliberately obscured by the vocoder. It's all at once poppy, techno, metal, and rock, but the genre that best contains it is "amazing." Buy this today.