The darker LATCHKEY steps lightly into Alanis More-Upset territory but with a sonic ferocity in it's wailing harmonies, shared aptly by bassist Julie Klein and Donna Acierno.

Guitarist Martin Lara single-handedly manages to recapture the spirit of engaging dance-rock, his restrained performances are solid and tasty. Relationships sit at the core of the stories, such as SO HAPPY, which reveals in the little things of life that we should be grateful for.

DEEP is a screaming, vivid portrayal of failed obsession that opens with a funky bass/drum groove and crystal flanged guitar. It quickly turns gritty with great lines like "every day at 4 o'clock, I touch myself/I call out your name." Indeed, "passion is no substitute for love." A delicate arrangement involving starkly rendered acoustic guitar sets the tone for BENEVOLENT SUSIE while CROWDED HEAD deals with the allure of too many lovers through an urgent, pounding verse and one heck of a sweepingly catchy chorus driven by the sharp and fierce attack of Peter Charles on the drums. The beautiful piano and strings of PERFECT WORLD are bittersweet counterpoint to dreamy idealism of escape from a humdrum lifestyle. Pretty and haunting at once, this puts Zen Dog firmly in Kate Bush territory and they wear it well.

There's a schizophrenic edge to ONLY ONE NAME, alternately embracing slow, blowsy arena rock and then loping into an aggressive and solid groove. Speaking of aggro- ELIMINATE YOUR MIND is the most balls-out cut on the CD and it closes the album with an almost techno-fied fire, growling guitars and tripped out synthesizers bookend a dreamy middle sweep of a bridge and sexy, confident vocals. Take this one into the car with you and ignore the radio awhile.

Now, I've only got one question: Will someone feed me Cristal and tangerine?

-Bing Futch
Jam Magazine

Zen Dog
" It Is What It Is "
Genre: rock
reviewed by Lolly Fleming

I gotta tell ya, there wasn't one song that I even remotely disliked on Zen Dog's CD! There's no point in impressing you with fancy words to describe how good this band is, it's just this simple - ZEN DOG IS AWESOME!!! Their pop/rock sound fits in perfectly with today's Top 40 music. With high energy and emotionally charged songs such as "Latchkey" and "Touch", my 2 personal favorites, this band is definitely airwave bound! In addition, the impressive female vocals are flawless. If you're a pop/rock fan, I definitely recommend their CD for your collection. It would quickly become one of your favorites!

Hit Picks: "Latchkey" and "Touch"