Review:

on 2012-01-26 jk666 Said:

Having tested the waters with their debut Out Of The Silent Planet, King's X was ready to take things to the next level and did so with album number two, Gretchen Goes To Nebraska. No sophomore slump for this Texas trio, if anything they began their ascent to rock royalty here.

Bolstered by the meticulous production of Sam Taylor the band continued to turn heads and open ears with a new kind of music that was unique for its time. Unusual tunings and vocal harmonies anchored intelligent and poetic lyrics sung from the heart. Remember that this was the hair metal era and though bassist/vocalist sported an impressive 'frohawk they did anything but fit in with their peers.

Some felt threatened by this and others didn't understand, but musicians and critics got it right away and claimed the band for themselves. The fans started to come around after hearing the anthemic 'Over My Head.' Gradually a fan base developed and their live shows became heavy soul filled events that ironically bordered on religious experiences.

The ballad 'Summerland' is now competition for 'Goldilox' as the standard bearer of the form and we finally get to hear 'Pleiades' which was the first song to capture the King's X sound a few years earlier.
Rating: 10/10