The Uninvited

The Uninvited

****

Nobody does pop-rock better than -the Uninvited-. After releasing three exceptional albums on their own, the Bay area quartet landed a big label deal. This self-titled release on Atlantic is essentially a greatest hits album to long time -Uninvited- faithful, it hardly contains any new material. Only three of the twelve tracks are previously unreleased. It doesn't matter. The record company big boys knew what they were doing. Can you say, "radio friendly?"

Consistent with their unabashed ambition to make the big time, "Mega Multi-Media Hero," blasts the record into orbit with a manic, deeply hooked frenzy of power chord pop with a sing-a-long melody. Fronted by the Taylor brothers, Steve takes the lead on the poignant, meaningful stuff. Introspective ("Is That Me"), defiant, ("Down In Flames"), or philosophical ("Rose Street"), ST is never heavy, just real. On the other hand, his brother John can be quite unreal. A dazzlingly slick and funny wordsmith, JT deals in vivid, over the top images. From the altered state observations of "Too High For the Supermarket," and the divine enlightenment of "What God Said," to the less obvious, "That's What You Get," a hilarious tale of a "future-ex-girlfriend," JT is eloquently outrageous. -The Uninvited- have released a highly danceable, well-produced and thoroughly enjoyable record that might just launch our newest mega multi-media heroes.