Starting their career in 2001, Gentleman Caller united as a 10-person band to combine their musical skills, hoping to give fans a fresh feel of their Southern rock sound. Now their latest album, Gentleman Caller Vs. The Elephant, gives listeners a strong backup chorus alongside heavy drumbeats and easy guitar riffs. This results in a music aesthetic akin to bands like the Kings of Leon and The Redwalls. Despite these generous comparisons, Gentleman Caller still fails to give listeners inspiring lyrics, and instead offers the cheesy anecdotes of a brokenhearted singer.
Gentleman Caller Vs. The Elephant, as a whole, is nothing new to the music scene. The short album contains songs with basic guitar riffs, a soothing chorus and simple rock beat from the percussion section. Unfortunately, because every song follows this same format, it’s simply too difficult to distinguish one song from another.
The album begins with the rock song, “The Locusts.” Over the song’s upbeat guitar riffs, Kenny Childers sings in a raspy tone, “I have been singing in the shower/ And drinking in the car/ I got a condescending mama/ With an astrological chart/ Don’t put your cosmic fingers in me.” Following Childers, Chris Kupersmith provides a short guitar solo, giving listeners a Southern rock melody that matches the rhythms of the rest of band.
Gentleman Caller maintains the same mood of “The Locusts” in the next song, “Dress For Yourself.” Without the lyrics of this song, it would be hard to determine when “The Locusts” ended and when “Dress For Yourself” began because of the similar beat and sound. And, as the album continues, it becomes increasingly more sullen.
The tempo of the album slows down with the song “When I am Traveling.” Childers’ lyrics carry on his mood of depression while he sings, “A spotted dog/ On the corner of a dream and Washington/ You were there/ You were a ghost/ You disappeared when I needed you the most.” And Childers continues to sadden listeners with “Lake Haunt (You’ve Still Got Me).” Childers’ hoarse voice screams into the microphone, “When I let you go/ I didn’t know how long it would haunt me/ But you still got me/ You still got me.”
Lyrics of the loveless singer are by far the worst part of the album. The repetition of the same beat and lyrics in song after song tend to grow tiresome, and the band rarely explores different areas, which they are more than capable of.
Perhaps the best song on the album, though, is “War Drum.” The song begins slowly with easy strums of the guitar and a simple tone in Childers’ voice. Una Winterman provides backup vocals, and when the two are together, they reach perfect harmony with each other. Percussionists Derek Richey, Erica Harris, Mitch Harris and Brian Winterman experiment with chimes and shakers in the background to give the song a feeling of a church choir that should be praised.
In general, Gentleman Callers’ new album, Gentlemen Caller Vs. The Elephant, is far from great and desperately needs to rethink lyrics to keep from boring them with tales about past lovers.
2 stars out of 5
