The Summary Judgment Review:
Title: Bitter Shovel
Artist: Outspoken
Label: Lava Records
Release Date: 2/18/03

Rating: 2 Skulls
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    • Reviewed by Redwolff (4/9/04):
    From the promo sheets included with this CD, I would have to confirm that the band seems to live up to their moniker. At least the lead singer does. "I'd play Michael Jordan for money any day," the plucky David "E" Frazier states. This former Marine boasts a low handicap on the golf course and has been known to fire his producer with a quipped "eat shit and die" - isn't that a fine how-do-you-do?! Billed as "post-grunge alt. metallers," the PR sheet actually goes on to say, "Frazier's powerful singing is commercial and familiar without being pedantic; you can rock out to it, but it won't scare girls away." This explains both Outspoken's dated, mid-90's sound and their radio-friendly, decidedly unaggressive delivery. I'm not sure what definition of "metallers" they used for the promo blurb as this is about as metal as Nirvana, but without the catchy songs. It seems like some confused soul has once again lumped a rock band into the metal category; real metallers would eat these guys for breakfast.

    The band begins the title track with a Soundgarden vibe and unabashedly rips off Tool's background vocals in "Now." Outspoken, or perhaps their new producer, certainly has an ear for what has worked in the past for other bands - key words being "in the past." While staying old school in some genres of music shows integrity, that's best left to those bands who have been around since old school was new school. New bands should innovate, in my opinion. And why be so afraid to scare the girls? If this thought process is what's holding the band back from a more assertive stance, I would advise they lose it immediately. I read it more as "you can rock out to it, but it won't scare the Top 40 DJ's away."

    Outspoken are not totally without some charm, there are parts in a few of the songs that are almost hooks, but after listening to this album four times in the past few days I find that nothing of it is retained. The clean vocals are strong throughout, and the band obviously has talent, but they desperately need to find their own sound and some testicles. Without that, they are just going to get lost in the pack of non-descript rock bands clogging the airwaves.
    2 out of 5

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