- This Could Be Our Day
- All That Matters
- Sticking With You
- Hope Now
- Start Over Again
- It Just Takes One
- Always Love
- Casualties
- Run
- What Do I Know of Holy
We all love a good underdog story, so it's hard not to root for Addison Road. The Dallas-based band has been working the indie circuit since 2001 before finally signing a record deal with INO—a tribute to the power of perseverance. After three independent albums and a slew of tour dates to their credit, the expectations are high for "the little band that could" now that they have a bigger budget and better production values. All the ingredients are here—standout vocals from frontwoman Jenny Simmons, radio-friendly pop hooks, meaningful lyrics for teens and young adults. Yet there's still something lacking about this self-titled effort.
Instead of favoring the more experimental musical palette of albums past (see 2005's Always Loved You EP), the band opts for a conventional pop/rock sound that doesn't distinguish Addison Road from its peers. Someone could have told me that mid-tempo opening track "This Could Be Our Day" was the latest Superchic[k] single, and I would have been none the wiser. That ho-hum first impression thankfully improves with the band's first single, "All That Matters," a sassy rally cry against our appearance-obsessed society. Much like Gavin DeGraw's breakout hit "I Don't Want to Be," Simmons confidently sings the praises of a life that goes against the grain by living according to Christ's teachings.
Unfortunately that welcome burst of energy doesn't last long once the faux-rock anthem "Sticking With You" kicks into gear. Filled with one yawn-worthy cliché after the next, the song is in desperate need of an extreme makeover—lyrically and otherwise. Despite counter-cultural (albeit predictable) musings in "Casualties" and "It Just Takes One" later on, Addison Road plays it much too safe to really make much of a memorable impact. Instead of embracing the scrappy and creative underdog spirit of a band who's fought so hard to make it, Addison Road takes the well-traveled road, making their debut just another so-so effort with a positive message. They're capable of much more than this.