Post by Erik Rupp on Aug 22, 2009 12:03:31 GMT -5
ZO2 - Casino Logic (2009)
Four songs into the new ZO2 album, Casino Logic, I found myself nodding in approval. I wasn't even aware that I was nodding at first, but it occurred to me that I was so pleased with this album that I was giving visual approval to four people (the band and their producer) who weren't even in the room with me.
ZO2 has been at it for quite a while, and their big break came in 2004 when they landed the opening slot on KISS' Rock The Nation tour on the strength of their independently released debut album, Tuesdays and Thursdays, (and also on the strength of their reputation as a great live band). They took full advantage of that tour to really impress a lot of Rock fans. The response to ZO2 was almost universal - most fans commented that they had blown away the, "Special guests," on the bill - Poison - on a nightly basis.
So now ZO2 has released their third album, and it definitely lives up to the previous two. Both their first album and the second, Ain't it Beautiful, were very, very strong Hard Rock albums that crossed the barriers between 70's, 80's, and 90's Hard Rock styles. Their hearts clearly lie in the Hard Rock stylings of the 1970's, but they also are in touch with the more modern styles that have shown up over the last 15+ years as well. The result is a timeless brand of Hard Rock that wouldn't be out of place in 1976 or 1996 or 2009.
Produced (as the two previous albums were) and co-written by Bob Held, Casino Logic features a very confident and comfortable band (Paulie Z - guitar/vocals; David Z - bass/vocals; Joey Cassata - drums/vocals) that again gives some fantastic performances. Strong vocal harmonies are on display, as is a tight rhythm section, and some strong lead vocals as well.
Opening cut, "Painted Lady," could easily have been on either of their first two albums. A funky beat, big riffs, and infectious vocal melodies and hooks immediately identify this as a ZO2 song. The band gets even funkier on, "I'm Alive," a song with it's roots firmly in the 70's, but still wading into later era Stone Temple Pilots territory vocally in the chorus.
And then ZO2 dips into the waters of 80's Metal with, "Red Line Highway." They only get their feet wet, but the Metal influences are clearly there (as are some noticeable Aerosmith-isms in the chorus). This is an uptempo Rocker that adds a needed burst of energy to the album.
If there is one thing you can say about this album that is undeniable and unquestionable it is that they have a tremendous sense of pacing in how the songs are arranged on the album. Funky straight ahead rocker followed by more laid back funkier rock song followed by frantic uptempo rocker followed by 70's R&B influenced rocker. The fourth of those songs (the one influenced by 70's R&B) is, "Show Me," a song that really wouldn't be out of place in 1975 or so with it's use of Hammond organ. It is a very strong song with a memorable chorus hook (that reminds me of something that I've heard before, but I can't quite place it).
So to keep the pacing thing going they change gears altogether on the next song, "Stronger." "Stronger," is a laid back near-ballad - the kind of thing that was more common in the 70's, but made something of a comeback over the last decade or so. It's not a rocker, but it isn't a full on ballad, either. It's just a slower, more laid back, and very melodic song. It's not bad, even if it is the album's lone near-weak spot, but it sets up the next song, "Money Talks," very nicely.
Again dipping into Aerosmith territory with the opening riff, they also add some Earth Wind and Fire stylings to the vocal mix for, "Money Talks," another very, very strong song with a Joey Kramer-esque beat led by a shuffling, jazzy hi-hat beat. And you've got to love the lyric, "Money talks, just ain't talkin' to me."
The band kicks things up a gear with the slightly more Metallic, "Hero," another powerful song with solid vocal melodies and hooks. This isn't Heavy Metal, but it does borrow liberally from the Metal playbook for the riff in the verse. This is a great example of how to cross all sorts of musical barriers as the band has some great vocal harmonies witht the big guitar parts.
After seven songs it seems that there's, "No Way Out," of this album. It's infectious. It's catchy. It's funky. It's melodic, but hard edged, and all of those descriptions apply to this song as well as the album as a whole. "No Way Out," again features a huge chorus hook that features some great melodic harmony vocals.
At this point the Casino Logic would seem to be to have the band go, "All In." This is a song with a shuffling beat that combines a traditional shuffle with the KISS, "Detroit Rock City," opening riff kind of thing. It's bouncy, but still has an edge and a lot of energy. It's no surprise at this point that this is yet another song with strong melodies and hooks.
"I'm Still Waiting," opens with a riff similar to Ted Nugent's, "Thighraceous," and, in fact, the rest of the song isn't all that far removed from that Nugent song from 1995. Funky, and again featuring that quick, near shuffling jazzy hi-hat beat, "I'm Still Waiting," works very well, especially when the groove of the song changes midway through for a nice middle section. This song is a great combination of Nugent, Aerosmith, and 70's R&B and Rock melodies. The pre-chorus is fantastic, and the chorus is funky as hell.
Last up is, "Infinity Rising," a song that is hard to peg. Where are these influences from, anyway? 80's Rock? 80's Metal? Modern Hard Rock? This is one of those songs that defies genres, and almost defies description. Again, it is very melodic, but this one has more of a straightforward beat with something of a near Peter Criss, "100,000 Years," type drumming. It is another very strong track, and is a good way to end the album.
ZO2 has maintained the high standard that they set with thier first two albums on Casino Logic. It is well produced with some great guitar tones, snappy drum sounds, and a full, rich bass tone. The guitar solos, while nothing that will leave Steve Vai quaking in his boots, are all very tasteful and well played. Everything on this album is well done, and that isn't something that can be said about a lot of albums.
With Casino Logic ZO2 has come up with a full house.
4/5
Four songs into the new ZO2 album, Casino Logic, I found myself nodding in approval. I wasn't even aware that I was nodding at first, but it occurred to me that I was so pleased with this album that I was giving visual approval to four people (the band and their producer) who weren't even in the room with me.
ZO2 has been at it for quite a while, and their big break came in 2004 when they landed the opening slot on KISS' Rock The Nation tour on the strength of their independently released debut album, Tuesdays and Thursdays, (and also on the strength of their reputation as a great live band). They took full advantage of that tour to really impress a lot of Rock fans. The response to ZO2 was almost universal - most fans commented that they had blown away the, "Special guests," on the bill - Poison - on a nightly basis.
So now ZO2 has released their third album, and it definitely lives up to the previous two. Both their first album and the second, Ain't it Beautiful, were very, very strong Hard Rock albums that crossed the barriers between 70's, 80's, and 90's Hard Rock styles. Their hearts clearly lie in the Hard Rock stylings of the 1970's, but they also are in touch with the more modern styles that have shown up over the last 15+ years as well. The result is a timeless brand of Hard Rock that wouldn't be out of place in 1976 or 1996 or 2009.
Produced (as the two previous albums were) and co-written by Bob Held, Casino Logic features a very confident and comfortable band (Paulie Z - guitar/vocals; David Z - bass/vocals; Joey Cassata - drums/vocals) that again gives some fantastic performances. Strong vocal harmonies are on display, as is a tight rhythm section, and some strong lead vocals as well.
Opening cut, "Painted Lady," could easily have been on either of their first two albums. A funky beat, big riffs, and infectious vocal melodies and hooks immediately identify this as a ZO2 song. The band gets even funkier on, "I'm Alive," a song with it's roots firmly in the 70's, but still wading into later era Stone Temple Pilots territory vocally in the chorus.
And then ZO2 dips into the waters of 80's Metal with, "Red Line Highway." They only get their feet wet, but the Metal influences are clearly there (as are some noticeable Aerosmith-isms in the chorus). This is an uptempo Rocker that adds a needed burst of energy to the album.
If there is one thing you can say about this album that is undeniable and unquestionable it is that they have a tremendous sense of pacing in how the songs are arranged on the album. Funky straight ahead rocker followed by more laid back funkier rock song followed by frantic uptempo rocker followed by 70's R&B influenced rocker. The fourth of those songs (the one influenced by 70's R&B) is, "Show Me," a song that really wouldn't be out of place in 1975 or so with it's use of Hammond organ. It is a very strong song with a memorable chorus hook (that reminds me of something that I've heard before, but I can't quite place it).
So to keep the pacing thing going they change gears altogether on the next song, "Stronger." "Stronger," is a laid back near-ballad - the kind of thing that was more common in the 70's, but made something of a comeback over the last decade or so. It's not a rocker, but it isn't a full on ballad, either. It's just a slower, more laid back, and very melodic song. It's not bad, even if it is the album's lone near-weak spot, but it sets up the next song, "Money Talks," very nicely.
Again dipping into Aerosmith territory with the opening riff, they also add some Earth Wind and Fire stylings to the vocal mix for, "Money Talks," another very, very strong song with a Joey Kramer-esque beat led by a shuffling, jazzy hi-hat beat. And you've got to love the lyric, "Money talks, just ain't talkin' to me."
The band kicks things up a gear with the slightly more Metallic, "Hero," another powerful song with solid vocal melodies and hooks. This isn't Heavy Metal, but it does borrow liberally from the Metal playbook for the riff in the verse. This is a great example of how to cross all sorts of musical barriers as the band has some great vocal harmonies witht the big guitar parts.
After seven songs it seems that there's, "No Way Out," of this album. It's infectious. It's catchy. It's funky. It's melodic, but hard edged, and all of those descriptions apply to this song as well as the album as a whole. "No Way Out," again features a huge chorus hook that features some great melodic harmony vocals.
At this point the Casino Logic would seem to be to have the band go, "All In." This is a song with a shuffling beat that combines a traditional shuffle with the KISS, "Detroit Rock City," opening riff kind of thing. It's bouncy, but still has an edge and a lot of energy. It's no surprise at this point that this is yet another song with strong melodies and hooks.
"I'm Still Waiting," opens with a riff similar to Ted Nugent's, "Thighraceous," and, in fact, the rest of the song isn't all that far removed from that Nugent song from 1995. Funky, and again featuring that quick, near shuffling jazzy hi-hat beat, "I'm Still Waiting," works very well, especially when the groove of the song changes midway through for a nice middle section. This song is a great combination of Nugent, Aerosmith, and 70's R&B and Rock melodies. The pre-chorus is fantastic, and the chorus is funky as hell.
Last up is, "Infinity Rising," a song that is hard to peg. Where are these influences from, anyway? 80's Rock? 80's Metal? Modern Hard Rock? This is one of those songs that defies genres, and almost defies description. Again, it is very melodic, but this one has more of a straightforward beat with something of a near Peter Criss, "100,000 Years," type drumming. It is another very strong track, and is a good way to end the album.
ZO2 has maintained the high standard that they set with thier first two albums on Casino Logic. It is well produced with some great guitar tones, snappy drum sounds, and a full, rich bass tone. The guitar solos, while nothing that will leave Steve Vai quaking in his boots, are all very tasteful and well played. Everything on this album is well done, and that isn't something that can be said about a lot of albums.
With Casino Logic ZO2 has come up with a full house.
4/5