Nutshell Reviews by Helen The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Lonely Road

Nutshell Reviews by Helen: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus "Lonely Road"

album released February 3, 2009

The scene: a Chili’s restaurant somewhere in Florida.

Red Jumpsuit member #1: Well, we have these 2 incredibly awesome songs. What should we do with ‘em?

Red Jumpsuit member #2: Let’s make an album! (makes phone call)

RJA#1: What are we gonna put on the rest of the cd?

RJA#2: We go into the studio in 45 minutes. Here’s a cocktail napkin. Write 9 more songs.

No, seriously.

The album’s first track, “You Better Pray,” opens with a wailing guitar lead coupled with a wailing vocal lead and doesn’t let up 'til the last note. That’s right; you’ve got yourself an undeniably kickass Velvet Revolver-ish tune right there.

After that, the band seems to have almost completely ran out of inspiration. Most of the other songs have a very pop music vibe, featuring simple melodies, “ooh-ooh” backup vocals, well-meaning overproduction, and inane lyrics on the order of :

No matter what the others might say,

We will always stay this way.

Only one other track rises to the occasion: the anthemic “Lonely Road.” Make sure your cell phone is charged before you go see these boys in concert. I guarantee you’ll be swaying and singing with the rest of the crowd when they perform this inspirational number. I wonder if they’ll bring the gospel choir on tour with them.

Boy, that should teach me not to buy a cd based on listening to the first single off of it.

Helen's rating: 3 Ozzys

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Comments (9)

	Legion of Doom: 02/26/2009 9:00 PM How many Ozzy's can you get? Is this out of five or ten? I have never been a RJA fan, and this review seems to sum them up pretty fairly: one song that works and a bunch of mediocre junk. I've bought a couple albums after hearing a single or just hearing ABOUT the album...sometimes it turned out, sometimes it didn't. The Ting Tings album was a mistake; The Black Mountain album was definitely worth it. Anyways, I like reading your reviews! :) :) :)
	Oh I c nao: 02/26/2009 9:20 PM Oh hey cool thanks you saved me ten bucks! =D
	candle 1988: 02/26/2009 9:57 PM Kool review! I'm not super familiar with the band myself but had heard mostly good things! Does Shane like it? My kids often enjoy music that is mundane for me! Did you just decide to write this, or is it for a group? Just me being curious! Also your last photo didn't how up! It's just a big box with an "X" in it! Bummer on that one, cuz I love your photos a lot!
	Controversial Art with deep Kitching expression: 02/27/2009 3:22 AM nice review 8D
	renata aka helen: 02/27/2009 1:19 PM missxshocking said: How many Ozzy's can you get? Is this out of five or ten? I have never been a RJA fan, and this review seems to sum them up pretty fairly: one song that works and a bunch of mediocre junk. I've bought a couple albums after hearing a single or just hearing ABOUT the album...sometimes it turned out, sometimes it didn't. The Ting Tings album was a mistake; The Black Mountain album was definitely worth it. Anyways, I like reading your reviews! :) :) :) aw, man, i'm not THAT mean! it's 3 out of 5! i don't care for the tingtings to put it mildly, but i'll check out black mountain. thanks for the comment!
	The Girl Behind The Stars In Her Eyes: 03/04/2009 6:33 AM i love your awesome review!!! Hah, RJA is one of my favorite bands, and i loved the intro... ...."here's a cocktail napkin. Write 9 more songs." LOL i can totally see that....well, i liked their Don't You Fake It album better than Lonely Road, but they're both good. And, "You Better Pray" is definatly my favorite on the new CD. It was, like, HUGE on the radio station i listen to, and when you listen to it that much...well.....you start loving it. :D ♥ (i love the Ozzys,)
	Um, yeah...: 03/09/2009 5:43 PM I don't like any material this band produces. They must have some fans out there if they bothered to put out a second album..
	Sanyyy: 03/26/2009 10:07 AM I didn't know this band until your journal. Thank you! I wil check them out.:)
	Queen Of Cydonia: 03/28/2009 10:48 PM I've listened to a couple of their songs but I was didn't care for them. Not that I thought they were horrible, but they sounded generic and didn't leave an impression on me. Although the illegal download is, well, illegal...this sort of thing supports the idea of having the ability to listen to an entire album before buying it. Even if the band/artist posts the songs temporarily for a slotted amount of time, I think it is helpful for music listeners to make informed decisions. That was always a peeve of mine when I was younger. Buying an album to find out there were two good songs and the rest was crap. I really enjoyed your review, by the way. You should do more of these! Have you joined the Daily Music Dose group? You should if you haven't already. You should do some write-ups, you'd be great at it. :)