The Rockfords

The Rockfords are made up of a bunch of friends from different bands. It may have sounded like a good idea over a couple of pints of Carlsberg Export. In the cold light of day it's a different story.

This time it is the turn of Pearl Jam's Mike McCready and Rick Friel from Jodie Watts, along with various members of Goodness, and what could have been an exhilarating, raw take on modern rock instead becomes a bland, bar-room jam.

McCready's axework is generally fine, and vocalist Carrie Akre has a decent set of tonsils, but the material itself is just not distinctive enough to warrant more than a cursory listen.

'Flashes' chugs along with a sub-metal stomp. 'This Life' comes on like American AORsters, Starship, 'Distress' is a pale imitation of the Indigo Girls, while 'Something True' and 'Windows' try to out-angst Alanis. Meanwhile, the lyrics have more than their fair share of runaway trains and a plethora of other rock cliches. "It's a far cry from innocence," sings Carrie on 'Spiral', without a trace of irony.

Close your eyes and you could be back in the 1980s, when Back To The Future brought the future to life and Huey Lewis and The News were hip (to be square). The feeling of dij` vu is reinforced with 'Riverwide', which features Heart's Nancy Wilson on vocal duties.

The Rockfords aren't totally awful: they're just so darn ornery, Pa.