by: Scott Kurt

Wes Tucker and The Skillets are a band from our nations capital…….that’s Washington D.C. in case you were sleeping in Social Studies class back in 3rd grade. To me, the music sounds like a mix of Jack Johnson, a little Ben Harper, and a splash of Jewel throw in. Well, before Jewel went down the road to cosmetics commercials and hip hop beats. Now these are all good artists, but the CD never seems to jump out and scream “this is who we are”or make an original statement. To me, it seems to rely too much on its influences. The music is good though and we need that. If you don’t believe me just turn on MTV and listen to the “music” that they play. Ugh.

The strength of the band is clearly Tucker’s soulful voice. It seems to be the focus of the CD and that’s a good thing. The guy can sing and it hits you in that nice laid back place that soothes the ears. Drummer Dave Rutkowski and guitarist Bryan Washam play their parts well and they do what most bands forget to do…………..they play for the song! They play subtle parts that fit nicely into the puzzle that Tucker’s voice weaves.

The strong points of the disc for me are the songs “Redeemed” and “Come Home to Me”. Nice melodies and lyrics that resonate with the listener. The band might benefit from a producer as some of the songs run together, but that aside, it’s a good cd.