Now more than ever, it's time we start putting artists in the category of "soccer mom rock." Montreal native Arthur Kall is at the top of the list, as his debut
Notes In Neon is a stack of acoustic-based soft rock songs peppered with a few genre blending tracks that all have one thing in common: your mom would probably love them.
Kall has a strange ability to write acoustic songs that bear an uncanny resemblance to late 90s pop punk. After the opening track "Young And Alive," he moves to "Grow Up," an ode to immaturity which sounds like an acoustic cover of a Simple Plan song (three guesses as to which one). Another notable lowlight is "Sunshine Girl," which resembles an RC Cola version of Jack Johnson's Coke.
At best,
Notes in Neon is conflicted: Kall can sing and there's no denying it, but the songs he chooses to display his talent on are sappier than a forest of evergreens. When the album doesn't sound like the All-American Rejects doing acoustic experimentation, it's slow, preachy, and too clean-cut. In short,
Notes In Neon proves vocal talent alone is not enough to produce a decent album.
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