Rarely does a band come along that just blows you out of your shoes. And, even when a band comes along that impresses you, they rarely are able to back it up with a solid album. Karma’s Running on Adrenaline is the exception to the rule. They asked me to review a cut a while ago that wasn’t even on the album. It was a good song and I gave it high marks with some hesitation, I was worried they couldn’t produce more than one good song.
A few months later they asked me to review the first release on their new album, Complicated, which I agreed. Again, I heard a good track but thought, can they keep this up for an entire album? Well, the answer is a resounding, YES.
When I received this album I put it into my CD player to get a feel for the band, it never came out. I can now sing along with nearly all of the songs. I’m not going to take you through a blow-by-blow, play-by-play run down of the CD, so let me just cover some of the stronger tracks on the album;
Complicated is a good cut, you can read my review of that song on Godsofmusic.com
Believin’ In shows a rare maturity in this indie wonder. The lyrics are incredibly powerful and the musicianship is top notch.
Waiting For You has a rare subtle sadness that makes this possibly the most memorable song on the album. I predict that this one will get some airplay. Not only is a solid hit but it also has a rare depth that alternative bands sometimes shy away from.
Maybe is another solid sing along rock song. Karma has some of the same qualities has Creed. They attack and defend with their music, but find a way to bring a certain depth to the lyrics without oversimplifying larger issues. It should also be noted that Karma is not a Creed Knockoff…they stand on their own.
Once Again is another absolute stunner and arguably one of the stronger cuts on the album.
The Other Side is the only song that doesn’t stand on its own, it feels more like an intro than a song.
Greener is a great cut. It is easily another strong cut. In fact, this one is probably my personal favorite cut.
The Worst Time, gee, is this becoming monotonous yet? Here’s another strong song. It would probably not be a hit with the masses but it holds strong as an AMAZING album cut that someone might find.
Blame, another strong album cut.
Please, Anna is a pleasant change of pace. Wonderful song that almost sounds like a different band, but still fits the overall feel of this great band.
So, those are the only strong cuts on the album…whoops, my mistake, I covered every single song didn’t I? Well, that’s what happens when a quality band sets their sites on producing a quality release. I have been in the music industry for a long time now and I’ve been handed a lot independent musicians CD’s before. Rarely have I found music of this quality. In fact, in this genre of music, I haven’t found an album of this quality before.
Karma may be Running on Adrenaline but as a band I think they’re running on talent. I want to take another moment to say this: David McGhee has tremendous talent, Patrick Boyd’s bass is haunting, Paul LaMarr leads the beat and deserves a heads up, Chris Starks puts up some of the strongest vocals I’ve heard. And, you can’t put your hands together for this band without mentioning Rick Beato, Glenn Tabor, Patrick Boyd, and Ken Lanyon who all had some hand in the production of the album.
Now, all Karma has to do is find a way to control their egos, stay humble and stay together. With this kind of talent it doesn’t take long to get noticed.
For more information go to: http://www.karmaband.com
