The Presidents of the United States of America

Make no mistake, this trio could rock as its cover of MC5's "Kick Out The Jams" attests. They also reference ZZTop, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Beatles musically and lyrically. The topics were fun ("Kitty," "Lump," "Dune Buggy") and the group had a way with a guitar hook. Moreover, like that fun 60s rock, the Presidents made their points quickly and got out (most songs struggled to make it to three minutes.) This is the album the infamous Shaggs wish they could have made.

But it wouldn't last. Green Day took the same approach, added a whinier voice, slacker world view and a touch of schmaltz to bring LPs like "Dookie" and songs like "Time Of Your Life" to the charts, while the Presidents recorded another year, cut a movie theme, then split. A shame, really, we could have used tunes like "We're Not Going To Make It," and "Peaches" one of these every couple of years, to remember that rock and roll needn't be angry to be enjoyable - or good. Recommended.

The CD begins with one of the band's best: "Kitty". The second single on the album is actually the reason I became such a huge fan of The Presidents. "Peaches" and "Lump" also took part in that. Most people know it by now. One of my particular favorite songs here is "Feather Pluckn". The first track was pretty straightforward, as it was about a cat, but "Feather Pluckn" is a great song about nothing too specific. The first verse reads: `10 million monkeys all pick up guitars / 5000 fishies rockin really really really hard / check out chickie, drivin piggy's little blue car' with a background shout of `...and nobody taught them how'. There's really nothing we as fans can relate to, but it's still an awesome song. All I have to say about "Lump" is if you like it, you'll like the entire CD. The main single showcases the album's sound quite well. The song "Stranger" is also one of my favorites. It's about a striper and is a little more harmonious in its beginning than the previous three. The citation of the Lynyrd Skynyrd hat is hilarious yet smart at the same time. A song that's become a fan favorite over the years is "Boll Weevil". "Boll Weevil" is catchy, but it took me a while to fall in love with it. It's about a bug; as if you couldn't guess. What I said for "Lump" easily goes for "Peaches" just the same. There's just so many excellent songs that it's hard to find a low point. And "Dune Buggy" is certainly not a low point. Again there's not much to allow us to relate, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's a stellar rock song.

Starting off the CD's second half, The Presidents produce their most cynical song. The title "We Are Not Going To Make It" kind of speaks for itself (seeing as how they have, in fact, made it). And the false start that I'm pretty sure was intentional gives the song true character. It will always be a certain favorite of mine. Next we have a cover of MC-5's infamous "Kick Out The Jams". It's one of the shortest (at 1:24 or so) yet still one of the best. Again, it'll always be a favorite. With the exception for the start of "Stranger", all the previous songs have been hard rock songs. But "Body" breaks that mold; in a manner of speaking. "Body" tells the tale of different reptile deaths that become embodied in the singer's head. Hence the phrase `I can't get your body out of my mind'. It's a fun song, but is rather sad in the end. Another fan favorite is "Back Porch"; and that's for good reason. The way the band handles the `two-string/one-string/no-string guitars' part is amazing and probably makes the song good in its own. The worst song on the disc is, hand's down, "Candy". It's not terrible, but on the other hand I find myself usually skipping over it. Even if "Candy" is moderately bad, the closer "Naked And Famous" makes up for it. I'm not sure if The Presidents' singer is actually a nude model, but he tells a funny story nonetheless. All in all, "Naked And Famous" rounds out this 5-star release with absolute perfection. `Everybody wants to be just like me / I'm naked and famous' wraps it up quite nicely.

To conclude this review, there is not enough good things I could begin to say about The Presidents Of The United States Of America and their debut. It was just so great to see a new type of music. And this type of music seems to be living on thanks exclusively to this band and this CD. If you enjoyed "Lump" and/or the other two hits from this album, you MUST own this CD. No matter what your musical preference, you should be able to enjoy all these songs; or at least form seedy opinions about them. This is one of the top 10 albums I own and will always be in constant rotation in my CD player. The only way you'd not be able to enjoy this type of music is if you lack a sense of humor, dislike occasional simplicity, or you hate straight-up rock & roll music. Otherwise The Presidents Of The United States Of America are surely for you. Don't miss out on one of the 90's greatest American rock groups; and one of the greatest albums ever.