Album Review: The CEO - Redemption

Sometimes, a band just walks right into the joke. Just as I was making comments about how rock has largely become soulless, which includes that dreaded speak of it being too 'corporate', here comes a band calling themselves The CEO, which would smack of irony, if I thought the guys were clever. I don't think that, so they are making it glaringly obvious that they intend to deliver a safe and sanitized rock record that does all the usual things we expect of the mainstream, and we can then decide whether to be bored or angry with it.

Now, why do I laugh at the 'corporate' nature of this record? Chiefly because the main selling point that all the press materials make sure to drill into our memory is that the band features the bassist of Sevendust in the group. It's almost at the level of "Hi, I'm Troy McClure, and you may remember me from....". Even if you like Sevendust, are there going to be that many people excited that the bass player has another band where he is also playing bass? There's no mention of him as a key songwriter in either band, so I'm confused why that connection is supposed to be important. Other than it being a corporate tie-in, that is.

As for the music, The CEO is exactly the kind of mainstream rock you would expect it to be. I'm not the only one who must have said over the years that the only difference between Sevendust, Shinedown, Seether, and all the other bands like them are the members. Now that this band does away with even that distinction, it's hard to find anything here to be excited about. Even when the hooks are solid and the songs are enjoyable, it sounds like so many other records it becomes disposable.

We get guitars that chug out conventional riffs. We get song structures that build to radio-friendly choruses we've heard hundreds of times. We get vocals that fit the same post-grunge mold we've been listening to for over twenty years. The mainstream rock bands that are most successful, to me, are the ones that manage to carve out a sliver of identity for themselves. Ghost and Volbeat have unique vocalists that set them apart. Alter Bridge has the same, along with a higher musical proficiency. Ask me what makes The CEO different than any other band, and I can't tell you.

That doesn't make them bad, because they aren't. They are completely competent at what they are doing, and they deliver a dozen songs that are as blandly enjoyable as the next radio rock band. Put any of them on, and it's a fine time. Turn any of them off, and you're going to struggle to remember them from the torrent of similar songs. The songwriting is good, but not so good to become instantly memorable. And this is where you have to ask yourself; are you ready to listen to a bland album like this half a dozen times to see if those songs will grow on you? More power to you if the answer is yes, but I think most people will find repeated listens to make the album stand out even less.

I find myself wondering if these musicians are truly excited to make another record that sounds like everything else on the scene, especially that bassist who already has a band doing this same thing. I sort of wish I was so amazed by the mundane, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards. The CEO will not be sitting at the head of the table, but they deserve a seat at it as much as anyone else.