Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too in Bloomington, MN

The more things change in music, the more they stay the same. The alternative rockers of the 1990s may have caused so-called corporate rockers like
Poison
and
Bon Jovi
to become less visible, but at the same time, the worship of 1970s baby boomer culture was alive and well among post-baby boomers. In 1998, one of the most memorable examples of 1970s-flavored music came from
the New Radicals
. Although
Radicals
singer/leader
Gregg Alexander
was quick to espouse a left-wing point of view,
Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too
doesn't beat listeners over the head with a sociopolitical agenda. Nor is the CD an exercise in angry 1990s angst
rock
. Rather,
Alexander
's band is a congenial and highly melodic throwback to the
blue-eyed soul
of the early to mid-'70s.
's vocals have a very
Mick Jagger-ish
quality, but while
the Rolling Stones
were a
rock & roll
band that occasionally dabbled in
soul
funk
,
the Radicals
favor
pop/rock
that is consistently mindful of classic
Northern soul
. Hook-happy offerings like
"Jehovah Made This Whole Joint for You,"
"Flowers,"
"Mother We Just Can't Get Enough"
give the impression that
holds
the Stones
and the artists of
Motown Records
in equally high regard. Without question,
Brainwashed
was among the more promising releases of late 1998. ~ Alex Henderson