Blessid Union of Souls

Blessid Union of Souls are something of a paradox. Never quite “making it” as a mainstream success story, they’re not exactly undiscovered indie greats either. Their single “I Believe” left them exposed to the world (recently covered by Building 429 on their sophomore album Rise) and belated follow-up “Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me For Me)” also climbed the Billboard Hot 100. Neither one of these successes testify to the band’s creative talents, only in their marketing agency’s ability to take fairly gummy pop/rock and make it sound like a musical epiphany for those stuck in rush hour traffic and thumbing the dial on their radio dash.

No matter. Even though the band will probably never make the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, they’ve certainly been responsible for more than a few bobbing heads and music listeners’ smiles. No, the biggest shortcoming on Close to the Edge is that it’s technically not a new album at all. Perception was the band’s previous release, and this record packs a whopping eight of twelve (!) tracks from that project. If labels would stop repackaging the same material and attempting to sell it, audiences might be more apt to respecting their artists by actually buying the albums they want.

What’s more, Perception was a relatively dull CD, producing no major radio successes and making no artistic advances in the band’s creative progression. In short, it was a fluke, so repackaging it seems a bad choice from a marketing perspective. Songs like “I Still Believe in Love” wear their purpose on their sleeve, but not before whiny lyrics like “Some things are better, but so much is worse” rear their head. Granted, the band seems content on being fairly positive, even in the face of their complaints. But the music is so derivative of Hootie and Train…honestly, folks, there’s nothing here in the way of strong musicality or above-average lyricism.

“Let’s Get Out of Here”—originally at the mid-point on Perception, now booted to album closer—purports to depict abortion from the perspective of an unborn fetus. I’ve heard this sort of thing before: the very serious topic of abortion reduced to simple black and white, Kleenex-moment emotionalism with a finger-shaking self-righteous approach to the whole discussion. This track is no more admirable than a certain Southern Gospel song I recall where an aborted child haunts its mother from the grave, driving her to repentance for her “evil deed.” No matter where you stand on the issue of abortion (an admittedly controversial topic), “Let’s Get Out of Here” doesn’t add to the body of genuinely creative work done by believers who tackle tough issues (think Derek Webb) but instead reduces its talking points to a shoddy chorus and denouement.

Bottom line, this album feels like a cash-grab, which in our poor economy and drooping music sales, is completely unacceptable. Close to the Edge could very well be the drop-off point for a band many have forgotten about since the time Train became uncool, dance beats began their reign, Katy Perry started kissing on girls, and Britney Spears shaved off all her hair. I’m not saying there’s not a place for positive pop; in fact, I’m saying the opposite. We need more sunshiny bands in the mainstream—but not at the cost of creativity.

Tagged as: Blessid Union of Souls, Close to the Edge

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