ROLL THE BONES

The 14th studio album by RUSH starts off fairly promising with the excellent rockin' track "Dreamline." It brings you back to the RUSH of yesteryear when they still seemed passionate and energized, so they have finally delivered that album that everyone was so patiently waiting for. Or did they? Well, no. The leading track was just a teaser and then on the second track "Bravado" it reverts back to the slow paced uninspired material that makes the filler on the 70s albums sound classic.

RUSH seems like they threw in a token track of their former sound but don't really want to revisit that era and instead opt to throw in anything current of the era most noticeably alternative and indie rock of the early 90s. I hear an assortment of influences including funk and even woefully out of place hip hop on the title track. When I first got this album I absolutely hated it and immediately got rid of it. I recently picked it up dirt cheap just to reevaluate it with a more critical ear this time around. What i'm finding is that the music itself does not sound so horribly bad but the problem lies in the fact that Geddy Lee's vocals just don't fit any of the sounds they are trying to incorporate into their style.

The album just seems lackluster despite an admirable attempt to stray outside of their comfort zones and with vapid lyrics like "Why are we here? Because we're here. Roll The Bones. Why does it happen? Because it happens. Roll The Bones" it is apparent that RUSH has never been so estranged from the mythical feel of Xanadu or the milk of paradise. An awkward and tepid album but I have admiration for their adventurous spirit but still find this to be one of the least interesting RUSH album right at the bottom of the barrel with "Hold Your Fire."