Sam Roberts - Chemical City

Often guilty of judging records by their covers, reviewers have long used album art to aid in explaining the overall vibe of a particular record. The jacket for Chemical City, the second album by Montreal native Sam Roberts, depicts a fantastic metropolis with impressive structures, expansive roads and rushing waterways. The picture suggests a connection with fantasy often utilized on classic and progressive rock albums of past decades. With its ambitious songwriting and musical kinship to vintage rockers, Chemical City’s tone is (more often than not) consistent with the initial impression the artwork gives. From song one, Roberts and his musical mates state their intention to achieve an epic sound. “The Gate” builds and crescendos through its six minutes, employing retro vocal harmonies and guitar tones as Roberts’ lyrics establish the album’s setting: “Chemical City isn’t all that you need/But it’s all that you’re getting and they’ve hidden the key/Listen to the streets, there’s a heartbeat missing in the city.” Alternating between up-tempo tracks and lighter, acoustic-driven songs (some of the album’s stronger moments, “Uprising Down Under” and “Bridge to Nowhere”, are of this variety) the album maintains consistency in both energy and theme. Worthy of appreciation are the instrumental skill of Roberts and his band and the vigor with which their songs are played. Yet, while Chemical City features many accessible melodies and promising pieces of songwriting, the album ultimately fails to live up to its grand designs. After several tracks, lyrics begin sounding theatrical while tempos and riffs blend together in a sea of similarity. Oft-repeated classic rock textures and techniques make the album seem more imitative than timeless, more homage than fresh work inspired by an earlier era. Listeners who wish to have contemporary musicians remind them of classic rock glory will find much to enjoy about Chemical City. Any aspirations to find more significant meaning, however, will likely go unfulfilled. Roberts has a wealth of talent that might be more prominently displayed if he were to dial down the voices of the past. [www.samrobertsband.com]