Papa Roach soften the rock (The Paramour Sessions - Papa Roach)

Member Name: davey_26

Product:	The Paramour Sessions - Papa Roach
Date:	16/09/09 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Polished hooks, many accessible songs, impressive singing

Disadvantages: Too many ballads, lots of soft rock, feels contrived and forced

It is really to pinpoint what Papa Roach's musical direction really is. Their first album was a fusion of rap and metal which actually worked well but just as quickly as they had brought their fans this style of music, they quickly dropped it on their follow up album. This was in truth quite cynical as the "nu metal" genre was dying a death and so their style was reinvented. Their second effort was a muddled affair and difficult to really enjoy but after a terrific third album, I was truly looking forward to their fourth studio album.

The album is titled Paramour Sessions and comes from the fact that the album was recorded in the Paramour studios and according to the band members the place holds a very weird ambience where spirits can be felt. I don't know about how true this is but it is what inspired them to produce this album in the way they have.

However the important thing is how does the album sound? well it is certainly a far departure from their previous album Getting Away With Murder which was a ferocious album in many ways, packed with aggression but melody. Whereas this album is very polished, perhaps too polished. I can understand why this album might be highly liked there are a mixture of songs on here from quite heavy rock to essentially rock balladry. The lead singer is a very good singer and clearly is able to handle the demands of a ballad. The hooks are quite catchy and the guitar and drums serve as a good back drop to the crooning but it feels extremely contrived.

What I really liked about Papa Roach is their music was full of gusto and a raw heavy rock but also managed to appeal to a wider audience because of the quality and construction of the tracks. This album seems intent on thoroughly polishing everything and if anything almost moving completely away from heavy rock. Indeed even the heavier songs on this album seem to follow the same formulaic approach and it's disappointing.

What this album does well is demonstrate what a good singer the lead singer is but what it fails to do is seperate itself from the pack. There are some very good songs on this album including Crash, The World Around You and Fire. In addition there genuinely isn't a bad song on this album they are well crafted, but too well crafted. It seems like they are deliberately tempering their own natural instincts to truly unleash.

If I was guessing what was the primary cause I would point the finger squarely at the A&R. Just to underline this much softer approach, the last 3 songs on the album are all essentially ballads. Indeed perhaps if this had come from another band, I might have been more willing to embrace this style but it just seems so artificial.

In short this is a good album if you love polished rock and many songs will appear to be a bigger audience. However this is such a big step away from what I thought Papa Roach were about that I can't help but feel deflated.

Summary: Papa Roach have another identity crisis but many will like it