SEA SHANTIES

High Tide's "Sea Shanties" sparked my interest after reading some reviews of it here on PA. So, I bought the CD without listening to the whole album on the internet first, like I usually do before I buy a physical copy of music. I hate to say it, but I am regretting it. Not that "Sea Shanties" is bad, it's just not as good as I expected. Believe me, I tried to appreciate this album, listening to it several times over. Sometimes albums will grow on me after multiple listens, but not this one. Yes, it is kind of a cross between the Doors and Blue Cheer/Black Sabbath heaviness, with a violin added in for good measure. Unfortunately, it is really sloppily played and most of the songs just don't gel at all. There is also a sameness to the album, very little variation song to song. On the song "Pushed, But Not Forgotten," the violin screeches out of tune in a couple of parts, that has the same effect as fingernails on a chalkboard. Yikes! That's not to say that it's all bad. The first two tracks, "Futilist's Lament," and "Death Warmed Up" are pretty good, but nothing spectacular either. The album has it's moments, but, all in all, a mediocre effort. I'm still baffled why it is ranked so highly on PA, but, to each their own, right? Anyway, I give it 3 stars for a bit of originality, but nothing that really deserves any special attention.