HOUSTON
Relaunch II
Livewire / Cargo (2014)
Rating: 4/10
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Well it’s only been a year since I reviewed the last Houston composition, which was entitled II. It was an above average offering of pop-tinged tunes which in spite of their slushiness never really dug in deep enough and so I was looking forward to this third release from Hank Erix and co.
The band’s 2010 debut opus was self-titled and the 2011 sophomore opus – a collection of relatively obscure AOR cover tunes – entitled Relaunch, so with cover songs aplenty here too I guess it only makes sense that this fourth album should be titled Relaunch II.
This time round there’s been a bit of a shuffle within the Houston pack. Guitarist Tommy Denander is nowhere to be found and so the line-up consists of the aforementioned Erix on lead vocals, with Calle Hammer now taking over all the guitar duties. The familiar face of bassist Soufian Ma’Aoui props up that strong rhythm section, which also boasts the talents of drummer Oscar Lundström. Elsewhere, Houston brings in two keyboard players, Ricky Delin – who produced the album – and Victor Lundberg, both of which, alongside Hammer, supply backing vocals.
In the promotional page for this opus, Erix states that “The band has gone through some changes, we have a new line-up and we want this album to show that we are still paying tribute to the music that inspired us…”. This can be taken in the literal sense because Relaunch II sports ten tracks, six of these being cover versions with a few of these being extremely odd choices, but which also shows the versatility of Houston.
Thankfully there is a batch of new songs too, and it’s these I’ll concentrate on first. ‘Don’t Look Back’ begins not too many worlds away from Alice Cooper’s ‘Poison’, but once it settles into a low-tempo hum it becomes standard, pop-tinged rock bolstered by the crisp production of Delin and Hank Erix’s crystal clear voice. However, once again I’m reminded of the negatives which made the last opus so contemporary by design and just too cold on the ears. For me, this sort of rock should be warm and rich, cosy almost, yet Houston rarely treads within the waters of familiarity, because while they like to believe that they capture the grace and harmony of, say, Journey, there is a clinical feel to this icy plateau of pomp.
‘Don’t Look Back’ is typical of its time; dull and lifeless. But I’m happy to write it off, because ‘Our Love’ is a touch (but only a touch) warmer; strong in its lick, it still follows the same almost melancholic plod. Erix has a decent delivery and it’s his best performance when it comes to the new songs, but I just can’t escape the almost mournful nature of this album, which isn’t helped by a guest appearance from members of Reckless Love. It seems that in the modern age there is a depressive, clinical edge to music and a genuine lack of oomph or balminess, unless of course we resort to nostalgia as the likes of David A. Saylor have.
The third new track from Houston is ‘Downtown’; a mid-tempo plodder which is undoubtedly the catchiest of the new tracks, but it still borders on the mediocre mainstream rather than evoking images of the great bands before. The chorus is a tad watery, but Erix delivers well once again as he’s backed by the twinkling keyboards. “Tonight we can be 17 again” he promises, but I’m just not all that convinced that Houston is the time machine I want to aboard when it comes to slushy nostalgic rock.
‘Standing On The Moon’ rounds off the quartet of new songs. It simmers effectively, but the horrendous backbeat for all of its hip-hop quality suggests a band moving further away from its influences to the point that as a love song it just grates throughout; reeking of the bland US mainstream in all quarters.
And so with the original material being such a let-down we then have to suffer the malodorous melodies of John Farnham’s ‘Justice For One’, John O’Banion’s ‘Love Is Blind’, OneRepublic’s ‘Counting Stars’, Rick Springfield’s ‘Souls’, Florida Georgia Line’s ‘Cruise’ and, worst of all, Lady Gaga’s ‘Do What You Want’.
There are moments here that even in its novelty that Relaunch II borders on the shockingly boring. Of all the cover versions, John Farnham’s ‘Justice For One’ seems to work best simply because Farnham mastered in constructing powerhouse pop-tinged melodies which transfer well to the Houston sound. Yet at the other end of the scale we have the already mind-numbing virtues of One Republic, and so as expected ‘Counting Stars’ is a miserable affair; so irritating (some would say catchy!) that it is just pointless in its dire jaunt.
‘Love Is Blind’ (previously covered by Uriah Heep) and ‘Souls’ are reasonable affairs, again suiting Houston’s usually upbeat tempo, while ‘Cruise’ is typically cheesy but effective in its strong guitar sound. Then we come to Gaga’s ‘Do What You Want’, which features the talents of Lizette Von Panajott who you may know for her ties to industrial-styled rock. She takes over the reins here and thankfully so, although the track has more of an edgier Alanis Morrisette meets standard female fronted rock vibe. Admittedly, it’s one of the more interesting tracks, but hearing Erix beam, “Back in the club, taking shots getting naughty” is downright ludicrous and rounds off an album that transcends the levels of cheese and instead wades in the waters of the woeful.
Neil Arnold
