Got 'Wood'?

I generally favor the singer/songwriter whose focus is on the acoustic guitar or the piano. I'm not known to listen to the harder rocks or the ghetto raps. We all know that there's generally no way to justify pumping a DMB or Hootie song at a party: enter Morningwood. At first listen, one may liken their sound to the one-hit wonder style of bubble gum rockers, however, it's after listening to a third or fourth track where you start to realize, these guys (& gal) have talent.\nWhen your band's front-man is a woman and the members go something like, vocals, guitar, bass, drums, it's hard not to compare that lineup to Gwen Stefani's band. Although there's 'no doubt' that they paved the way for a band like Morningwood, they're trying to influence their fans in the same way. \nThe album starts out with the roaring guitar riff of "Nu Rock." The drumming of John Paul Keenon O sounds much like Meg White's (White Stripes) simple, yet powerful beats. The lyrics are difficult to decipher at times, but the chorus goes a little something like, "come on get over it, come on get into it." If you are looking for complex musicality, you might want to look elsewhere. \nThis band offers the party-like pop/rock that some people might have a desire for once in a while. It's funny how, "it starts right now," closes out "Nu Rock's" non-stop energy. In track two, "Televisor," the bass lines of Pedro Yanowitz, Wallflower-drummer-turned bassist, really come to the forefront of the music. This track also features a better chance to hear lead singer Chantal Claret's vocals. Jamband lovers read this: you're going to have to listen to "Televisor" to hear one of the album's few electric guitar solos, coming around the 2:09 mark and lasting a whopping 13 seconds.\nFeatured single, "Nth Degree" is the type of song that you might guess to be the single, coupled with a video and high promotion. It's got that hook that sticks in your head, paired up with a chorus that everyone and their mother can remember, "our love is to the 'Nth Degree.'" I do, however, find it difficult to take a song that has lyrics that say "whoa oh, here we go, turn up the radio" seriously.\nAnother "hit-single" quality that "Nth Degree" has is good old-fashioned self-promotion. Claret comes right out and spells the band's name for you, or perhaps to cover the band on the off-chance that Stevie Wonder stumbles into his local record store and randomly grabs an album out of the new release bin. \nOne of my personal favorites on the album has to be "Take Off Your Clothes." It's not because of the song's title, but because, after careful research, I found that attendees at Morningwood's shows have been known to follow the lead and strip down while dancing and jiving. That must be quite a sight. Overall, Morningwood has the makings of an opening band, but definitely a good one.