Credence Found's New Beginnings

If you'd like a debut album in which every song features different musical styles, Credence Found's New Beginnings is the CD for you.  It has jazz, funk, classic rock, some progressive rock, and...yes...even hip-hop.

It is possible to take a 30-odd-year hiatus from fronting a band, and in those few decades, pursue other professional and personal endeavors, and come back better than before.  That would describe lead singer Tracey West. Having heard his voice in a video of him singing karaoke, I assessed it as deep and high-pitched, and no in-between.  This had me wanting to hear him more often. I got my vocal treats from him in "Sleeping Daylight," and "Dysfunctional".

I love how in "Sleeping Daylight," he's mostly deep....until towards the end of the song.  This is a great song to start the CD off with.

While I appreciate the cowbell in "Natalie's Song," (because I needed a high dose of it), I don't think the same of the song.  I'll try to be as diplomatic as I possibly can:  It is on the same level as Guns & Roses' "Used to Love Her."  The downright, outright derogatory message AND the frequent use of "bitch"and "whore" totally distracted me from the percussive therapy.  Last but not least, notwithstanding "Wake Up America", this song stood out unfavorably.

To their credit, they didn't do the same in "Wake Up America."  Though it was a nice attempt to throw in a short hip-hop song, since they're a hard rock band, they should have had a song of that genre about asleep-at-the-wheel America.  That would wake America up because  (1) Rock's not dead and  (2) We rockers would love to have a song in our favorite genre about America.  

However...Credence makes it up to me in "What About Me?" and "Addiction."  Guys, please make more songs like these and less of "Natalie"-style ones.  I can't hear and feel your music in the latter.

I consider it, for a lack of better words, backwards to have a song titled "Dysfunctional," when they have a killer hi-hat/bass intro and vocals to accompany it.   No-let me come right out and say it:  It is in this song that West is at his best.  Even better than that (and in the hopes to end on a good note): With this song, the band could have their music in the palms of their hands.

To take a lyric from "Addiction," "I pray to God you see the light."