Search - This Train :: Emperor's New Band

Put your hands together for the emperor's new band.

09/23/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mark Robertson remarked recently that This Train is something he does with passion. The proof is in this proverbial pudding. A beefed-up recording budget has allowed This Train to add a horn section for their second label release, The Emperor's New Band. Musically, the listener will hear rock-a-billy, jump blues, R&B and jazz--and lyrically the band is more upfront spiritually than ever. Robertson again composed most of the songs, and his lyric-writing shows improvement, depth, and the delightful humor fans expect. Snippets from the lyrically inspired title track, for example, provide plenty of play on words:"Tour bus wheels, solo deals, living off the fad of the land / Catered meals, keep it real and never get too close to the fans / VH-1, setting sons, way too much excitement to stand / Come on give the boys a hand, as they're striking up the bland / Come on give the boys a hand / Put your hands together, might be now or never, put your hands together / For the emperor's new band."Beginning with audio clips of Tex Williams, the first track, "I Wanna Be Your Man," is fast becoming a favorite among fans who have heard it performed live. Phil Madeira and Jimmy Abegg contributed to writing the music on the final version of "We'll Leave the Light On," and the demo version is included as a bonus track. Both renditions encourage listeners to grab a partner and dance. The album also includes a great cover of Rich Mullins's "Screen Door" and a remake of the classic fan favorite "Monstertruck," which appears here as a bonus/hidden track with Eric Hauck singing backing vocals instead of former co-lead singer Beki Hemingway. The music of "She's a Rocket" was written mainly by lead guitarist and brilliant engineer Jordan Richter with help from Robertson and Cobra Joe. This song is not only one of the album's standouts, it has also become the band's first-ever video. And "Technology" features another dose of welcome humor:"Wish I may, wish I might, wish upon a satellite / You can give us back our dream, networked in the datastream / Everything gonna be alright, 'cause 1 plus 0 equals 2 tonight / So don't freak out if I ain't home, you just leave your message at the tone / You just leave your message at the tone, and we'll get back to you!"Riki Michelle, Eric Hauck and Carl Herrgesell perform backing vocals on various songs, many of which will take you back to the days of 50's and 60's rock 'n' roll; and Alexia Abegg (Jimmy A's daughter) has a speaking part on "The Magic Bean."Although you can expect something different from the Trains this time around, as with previous releases, The Emperor's New Band will appeal to people of all ages and raises the question: "just how far could This Train go if more time was devoted to their development and promotion?""