On Your Marks, Get Set... (Say It Like You Mean It - Starting Line)

Member Name: rleigh

Product:	Say It Like You Mean It - Starting Line
Date:	15/03/08 (50 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Much of this album is excellent, superbly catchy Pop Punk expertly executed.

Disadvantages: In 'Leaving' the band try too many things at once and it just doesn't work.

The Starting Line have been together now since 1999. They formed in Philadelphia and are currently signed to Virgin Records. To date they have released only three studio albums, 'Say It Like You Mean It' being their first, an album that was released through Drive-Thru Records in 2002. It is an upbeat and fun Pop Punk album, a terrific début from the band and one which helped them make a big name for themselves in the Pop Punk world. This album is slickly produced and the band really shine through with their sugar coated Pop Punk music here.

When this album was released the band had already been together for three years and their cohesion as a band is clearly apparent in their sound. The Starting Line work well as a unit and each of the bands four members do their bit in completing the truly infectious Pop Punk sound on this album. All elements of the music are vital, and never do any of the band members let the unit down in the slightest at any stage during this thirteen track album.

One criticism that could be levelled against the band in this album is that the sound that they are producing here isn't exactly the most original in the world. To listen to, The Starting Line could be any one of many Pop Punk bands, there is nothing greatly distinctive about their sound and yet they do it extremely well and are greatly effective at what they do. What the album lacks in originality, the band more than make up for in quality. Excellent tracks riddle this album and tunes such as 'Best of Me' and opening track 'Up and Go' are absolutely brilliant. 'Best of Me' is by far my favourite track from this album and is in fact one that I have listened to many a time over the years. I first came across the track some time ago when I saw its video on one of the many music channels that there are, I took an instant liking to it and haven't been able to stop listening to it since. There is a superbly mesmerising quality about the track, a quality that is no doubt the reason I have listened to it so many times throughout the years. There are many times on this album when The Starting Line impress, but never quite so much as when they are blasting their way through this one.

It's not all good news on this album I'm afraid to say, in the track 'Leaving' for example there is just too much going on at once and the sound of the band is therefore extremely cluttered. On every other track on the album the cohesion of the band I mentioned earlier is greatly apparent, but on this one track each of the bands four members seem to be doing their own thing and it just doesn't work. With each of the four seemingly going off in their own direction, the track has no real path and instead it meanders all over the place and sounds extremely messy. It is only this track that I have cause for complaint with though, and with all other tracks on this album the band impress me greatly and I never have a bad word to say about them.

'Say It Like You Mean It' was a great starting point for The Starting Line, they went on from this release by releasing a further two excellent albums and no doubt there will be many more to come where those came from. This may have been the first album that the band recorded, but already they were showing great signs of their strength as a unit and indications of the greatness that was yet to come. 'Say It Like You Mean It' would be a proud addition to the CD collection of anyone, and I personally am definitely glad that this 2002 release is present in mine. This album is extremely strong and in these thirteen tracks The Starting Line prove themselves to be nothing short of sensational. Other than 'Leaving', all else on the album impresses and the band show themselves to be excellent musicians that play fantastically well together as a unit. Give this album a listen if you can, it was the start of something special, a perfect 'starting line' if you will for The Starting Line.

Summary: 'Say It Like You Mean It' is an excellent début album from The Starting Line.