There as a time when an
alternative pop/rock
release like
Wonderful Nothing
would not have been described as commercial, radio-friendly, and mainstream. But that was before the early '90s, before the rise of
grunge
icons
Pearl Jam
and
Nirvana
, and before
post-grunge
bands like
Matchbox Twenty
,
Third Eye Blind
Creed
, and
Eagle-Eye Cherry
(just to give a few examples) became the sound of
rock
radio. By 2002 standards,
Familiar 48
's
isn't groundbreaking; anyone who listened to
radio extensively in the late '90s or early 2000s has heard a lot of similar material by similar bands. But while this
Don Gehman
-produced CD won't receive any awards for innovation, it still wins the listener over with sincerity, warmth, and solid songwriting. The Philadelphia band formerly known as
Bonehead
has a definite asset in lead vocalist/songwriter
Jayy Mannon
, whose vocal mannerisms bring to mind
Eddie Vedder
Rob Thomas
(among others).
Mannon
is an expressive and emotive belter who fares well on tuneful, melodic,
pop
-minded offerings like
"Place of You,"
"Learn to Love Again,"
"Miss You"
(not to be confused with the
Rolling Stones
' 1978 hit). His songs are, by early-2000s standards, quite radio-friendly -- if
Led Zeppelin
Bad Company
Deep Purple
Peter Frampton
were the sound of
radio in the '70s, bands like
are the sound of
alternative rock
radio in a
, post-
era. And that isn't necessarily good or bad -- commercial radio (
urban
country
, or otherwise) takes a lot of well-deserved criticism for playing it safe, but that doesn't mean that everything it plays is without merit. No one will accuse
of trying to reinvent the
wheel; regardless, there is a lot to enjoy about this solid, if derivative, outing. ~ Alex Henderson