With the third place winner, Jacob Hoggard from Canadian Idol as their front man, Hedley exploded into the Rock scene. Coming from Abbotsford, British Colombia, the original band named themselves after a town that was for sale named Hedley. After Hoggard finished the Canadian Idol series third, he signed with Universal Records, which replaced the original members to make the following current band:
Tommy Mac, bass
Dave Rosin, guitar(s)
Jacob Hoggards, vocals
Chris Crippin, drums
Currently touring Canada again (yes they are Canadian by the way) after their huge tour with Simple Plan, Hedley likes to keep in touch with their fans. On their website, you will find a blog which is updated regularly and you can tell Jacob is a joker. With 3 singles currently released, the first being
On My Own, this album is currently platinum.
The good stuff:
- The guitar work. Even thought it’s just simple guitar chords through out the album, it sounds really good. And not just all the songs are distorted; there are two acoustic songs which are pretty good, one is one of their singles,
Trip and the second
Gunnin’. The second is a song about a guy trying to get a girl. Sounds like your typical scenario but it’s a good song. Also here and there, Dave will add in a little solo, which adds a nice touch to the songs
- The songs are easy to listen to and understand. The songs are pretty fun to sing along and they are great anthems for teens. They show the reality of relationship problems along with how girls will try to control you.
- Most of the lyrics. Jacob and the band pull of rhyming words that don’t even rhyme and they are pretty deep and emotional.
- The band comes together really well. In a lot of the songs, you can really hear the great bass riffs and guitar effect. Put those two together with average drum beats (could of been better) and some vocals and voila. Jacobs sound fits in nicely with the guitar and the songs flow pretty smoothly through out the album.
The bad stuff:
- What the songs are about. I found most of the songs is about breaking up with his girlfriend and not letting her take control,
On My Own,
Villain,
321 and
I Don’t Believe It, just to name a few. Now unless the band has serious girl problem, even if they do, I find that this topic shouldn’t of occupied most of the album.
- Jacobs vocals. I was really disapointed with the vocals. Don’t get me wrong, they are all right but I expected them to shine because when I heard that the third place winner of Canadian Idol was coming out with an album in a rock in a band, I thought it would be something huge. To me, he sounds just like any other singer, I expected some big ranges in his voice but I didn’t really find any. Also I tend to hear his voice squeak a little.
- This album is relatively short, only lasting for 40 minutes. When you listen to it, the time fly’s by and before you know it, it's over.
Recommended tracks:
-On My Own
-Gunnin’
-I Don’t Believe It
-Johnny Falls
I expected a better album then what I got but I still enjoyed it. I hope they will release a better album with better vocals. Don’t get me wrong, they are a good band and I see a pretty good future for them but I don’t think I’ll buy their next album unless it’s something amazing. I will recommend this cd for younger teens (especially girls), if you like stuff along the lines of Simple Plan, you will most likely enjoy this album. I would rate this higher but the disappointment of Jacobs vocals really brought this rating down.
Final Rating: 3.5/5
