Messenger - Head for Glory
by Jonjo McNeill
published: 11 / 8 / 2007
Label:
East Central One
Format: CD
intro
Formulaic and totally unimaginative FM rock-pop on debut album from Norwegian-based group, Messenger
Messenger are here, from Norway, to ‘bring the party’ with their upbeat FM-rock pop songs. Veering from the cock-rock of Bon Jovi to the uber-blandness of Maroon 5, ‘Head For Glory’ is their first long-player, and as such I tried incredibly hard to overlook the cheesefest of opener ‘Amazing’, the stink-ballad ‘Angel Eyes’ and the sub-Lenny Kravitz ‘No One Cares When You’re Gone’. The musicianship is second-to-none, unfortunately there is no real feeling behind this music, and all the tunelling beneath the surface I done brought me no closer to finding anything in these songs. There’s been no expense spared on the production, and I can see from the publicity photos that the boys all play shiny posh instruments, but this can never make up for a lack of substance. These songs wouldn’t be out of place on an X Factor winner’s album, and no amount of sunglasses and ripped jeans can hide that fact. Unfortunately, ‘Head For Glory’ just proves that no matter how much money you throw at something, if it’s shit it’s gonna stink.
Track Listing:-
1 Amazing2 Angel Eyes
3 No One Cares When You're Gone
4 Head for Glory
5 That's Why We Play
6 John Strong
7 Go Change Your Attitude
8 The Words
9 Guilty
10 Good, Bad, Evil
11 Back on the Road
most viewed articles
current edition
Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies - Sala Apolo, Barcelona, 29/11/2023 and La Paqui, Madrid, 30/11/2023Anthony Phillips - Interview
Difford and Tilbrook - Difford and Tilbrook
Rain Parade - Interview
Oldfield Youth Club - Interview
Autumn 1904 - Interview
Shaw's Trailer Park - Interview
Cafe No. 9, Sheffield and Grass Roots Venues - Comment
Pete Berwick - ‘Too Wild to Tame’: The story of the Boyzz:
Chris Hludzik - Vinyl Stories
most viewed reviews
current edition
Marika Hackman - Big SighSerious Sam Barrett - A Drop of the Morning Dew
Rod Stewart and Jools Holland - Swing Fever
Loves - True Love: The Most of The Loves
Ian M Bailey - We Live in Strange Times
Paul McCartney and Wings - Band on the Run
Autumn 1904 - Tales of Innocence
Roberta Flack - Lost Takes
Banter - Heroes
Posey Hill - No Clear Place to Fall
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart