Album Details

• Artist: The Body Politic
• Album: All Too Human
• Label: Independent Release
• Year of Release: 2011
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: carlito on 2011-08-25

Media

The Body Politic debuts with their full-length effort All Too Human.  The cover is promising.  Artsy.  A naked man sitting, wearing nothing but a Venetian bird beak mask.  One hand holding his leg in place, while the other rests on his head.  He looks stressed.

"Nocturne", a short piano solo opens the album up and doesn't quite prepare you for the rest to come.  "Split The Ground" however, does give you a taste of TBP's overall sound.  It's hard rock, but with a range of influences and emotional dynamics.  You hear the first example of this a little over two minutes into the song, when the instruments drop out, a piano plays, and the lead vocalist sings.  It gave me a throwback vibe, like something Meatloaf or Queen would have done.

My favorite song by far was "Act II: The Prophet".  High energy, screaming vocals, awesome electric guitar rhythms, another soft piano solo.  The track has it all.  Though, I have to say, I wasn't crazy about the synthesizers sprinkled throughout the album.  For me, it gave the record a cheese factor I could do without.  The playing was topnotch, so it wasn't a deal breaker.  Just not my taste.

I was really impressed with the mixing job.  Enough to mention it.  This may not mean much to most, but listening to lots of independent music makes one grow weary of poor production and shoddy mixing.  So it's a good thing when I hear every sonic element perfectly balanced on a record.

All Too Human is all in all a solid album.  A strong debut that showcases TBP's talent and diversity.  In my opinion, the lead singer sounds best screaming.  But what can I say? I'm a New Yorker.  I like my angry music.  Other Key Tracks: The Citadel and Wait for the Sunrise.

User Reviews and Comments