Album Review: W.E.T. - Retransmission

Some bands are greater than the sum of their parts, others are less, and some are made up of spare parts that never fit together in the first place. When dealing with these bands composed of notable members of other bands, any of the three are likely options. I've heard more than enough 'supergroups' that have put together multiple people who can't write songs, which means the 'super' band is less interesting than where they came from. W.E.T. proved on their last album, "Earthrage", to be one of the rare bands to be better than their origins. That album was a gem of melodic rock that I was listening to not long ago, and still found to be jam-packed with amazing songs. I don't get that same vibe from anything else Jeff Scott Soto does, nor Work Of Art, or even Eclipse. Something about that record was special.

So now we find the band trying to follow up that highlight, which is a difficult task for anyone, no matter how talented. The opening track, "Big Boys Don't Cry", was the first single, and didn't present us with the best evidence they were going to pull off the feat. This was threefold; 1)The song boasts one of their flatter hooks, 2)It reminds me of the (gasp) superior Fergie song "Big Girls Don't Cry", and 3)Many people will only hear the title and get the wrong impression.

"Got To Be About Love" hearkens right back to the previous album, where the blend of chunky guitars and cheesy charm is right on balance, and the sweetened backing vocals make the chorus both huge and irresistible. It's a perfect example of W.E.T. at their best, and one of those songs I know is going to be stuck in my head through much of the year. What I loved about "Earthrage" was that regardless of the tone or tempo of the songs, there was a feel-good sense I got from everything. The songs are amazing, but the record felt uplifting and fun. This record dials back on that feeling, and that makes quite the difference.

"How Far To Babylon" has an aggressive tone that brings more darkness than usual to W.E.T., and while the backing vocals make the chorus stand out, the song lacks the sparkle that still made it come out with a smile. I get that this record was written and recorded during times when being happy and/or optimistic wasn't easy, but the slight change in tone does make the music a tad less effective. "What Are You Waiting For" is a ballad much like "Heart Is On The Line" from the last album, but there's just a dip in the energy that holds things back from getting to that next level. That happens a few times on the record, and it does leave this record feeling a bit like a re-run of "Earthrage", rather than its own entity.

That being said, while "Retransmission" is a tick below "Earthrage" in my estimation, it's still a very good melodic rock record. The songs I've already mentioned, plus "Coming Home" and "You Better Believe It" are top-notch tracks that deliver exactly what we want from this style of music, while "How Do I Know" is one of their best songs yet. There's no shame in not bettering a career highlight, which is all that has happened here. Without the shadow of "Earthrage", "Retransmission" is a great record to get the year started. We all could use a jump-start, and W.E.T. has provided that for us.