Search - Ian Ball :: Who Goes There

Good, but not great

Jeff Fielder | Kansas City, MO | 11/14/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm somewhere in between the fans who love seeing Ian break away from the Gomez sound, and those who are disappointed that it doesn't sound more like Gomez. I get that Ian is Ian and Gomez is Gomez. But one of the things I love about Ian's songs with Gomez is his desire to experiment and push the music beyond guitars and drums. There's always something else going on in the background, like a musical orgy of pots and pans and clapping hands. There's something else. For me, that's what this album is missing. It's an amazingly introspective album with songs that really come from Ian's heart, about his life on the road, his beautiful wife, his baby boy, his friends and lovers and band mates. But it's missing that "something else." The songs are good. I'm still enjoying this album 50 listens into it. I love the tell-all "When We Were Cool." My son and I enjoy singing the all-too-short but strikingly powerful "Batteries." "Enzymes" is the best track on the album with its myriad changes and amazing ending. I'm proud of Ian. And he should be proud, too. This album is good. I hope it's a precursor of more things to come from one of the most creative artists on the music scene today. Now, I hope he's got this out of his system for a bit and can go back to experimenting with Gomez. You promised me you were going to keep it real, Ian. I'm going to hold you to that."