Rez
Civil Rites (Grrr/Ocean) (STAR)(STAR)
Hard-rockers Rez, who have been living as part of a Christian community in the Uptown neighborhood for about two decades, are respected for their blend of meaty music and issues-oriented lyrics. Some songs on ”Civil Rites” are head-and-shoulders above much of what gets played on the radio these days. ”Lincoln`s Train,” for example, uses the country`s preoccupation with the Civil War to explore race relations, harking back to the anti-apartheid songs Rez was doing long before it became fashionable. ”Lovespeak” is a bouncy, bluesy hard rocker about putting love into action. ”In My Room” is a stirring confession about alienated teens. But the rest of ”Civil Rites”
lacks a certain punch, some musically and some lyrically. And Rez leader Glenn Kaiser`s voice is much more suited to the material than Glenn`s wife, Wendi, whose raspy, Janis Joplinesque vocals don`t measure up.
Ratings:
Excellent (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
Good (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
Fair (STAR)(STAR)
Poor (STAR)
