Album Details

• Artist: Junior
• Album: Are We Famous Yet?
• Label: Toucan Cove
• Year of Release: 2007
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: solitaryman on 2007-09-06

In between their big leap into stardom and the release of this, their debut album, Texas' Junior have earned themselves some bragging rights for strong touring featuring energentic shows and plenty of crowd interaction. Indeed, these three southern boys are passionate about the whole rockstar thing, and that's the best thing they've got going for them from what I can gather on Are We Famous Yet?

   I've heard a few of these songs elsewhere, I think Junior has some deal with the NFL because I've heard a song or two on the Madden NFL videogame and during an NFL highlight reel. What they play is simple pop-punk, effective but most obviously uninspired. To be quite honest I'm surprised a market for this music still exists, but it's so by-the-books and honest (in a naive way) that I suppose it'll hook all those who miss the genre's heydays. I'm not one of them, and that's okay. 

   Junior has an audience out there, and I'd recommend this album to any fans of modern punk. They do manage to infuse some southern and glam-rock flair here and there, and a couple songs are impressive (their cover of Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me" and the race-fan anthem "NASCAR Man"), but overall this is a pretty bland debut. Are We Famous Yet? Well, you're certainly headed in that direction. Only I can't be sure 2007 has room for another genre-revival. Or am I wrong, and is this stuff still all the rage? You be the judge on this one, I can't fully credit or discredit Junior because they're simply not my thing. 

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