NEW ON CD
Former isle band
Pepper moves forward
with latest album
"In With the Old"
Pepper (Volcom Entertainment)
Five years of living on the mainland has paid off handsomely for Pepper, who left Kona on the Big Island in 1999 to try their luck in Southern California. Their third album, which hits record stores today, builds on the foundation provided by its two predecessors, "Kona Town" and "Give 'n It," but moves forward with fresh ideas and pushing forward toward new musical horizons.
The trio puts first things first, however, and opens with your basic mosh pit fodder for their longtime fans. While "Back Home" is an aural postcard that recalls the joys of an earlier, simpler time, it also showcases Pepper's strength as a hard-rocking concert act.
From there on, the band gets a bit more eclectic-sounding, both musically and lyrically, with each song segueing nicely to the next. Here are a few examples:
>> "Are You Down" is a brooding power rocker that expands on their first album's sexually charged theme and presents it two years later in a more mature context.Despite the diversity of songs, the album doesn't seem forced and everything fits, including the work of guest musicians Baxter, Barnhorst and keyboardist Ronnie King. With this new album, Pepper shows that they've got the goods to score as hit-makers on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.>> "Love Affair" is the kind of basic reggae-rock tune that will reassure the trio's Big Island homeboys that they can still crank out the rock, but with a slow and deep roots-reggae beat.
>> "Wanna Know You" is a modern crime drama about the experiences of a man who attempts to save a "street corner angel" from the clutches of "a real mean pimp named Paul." The story is suitably enigmatic to be interesting, so call it a short rock opera. (It could also make for an interesting music video.)
>> "Keep Your Head Bangin'" is a powerful tribute to '80s heavy metal, with an updated lyrical reference to Kobe Bryant. (Zachular Barnhorst guests on "extra heavy guitars.")
>> "Your 45" is the album's acoustic rock ballad, a song that could conceivably get Pepper more national radio airplay.
>> Finally, "Punk Rock Cowboy" is a big stretch for Pepper, but they pull it off. Former Steely Dan and Doobie Brother member Jeff "Skunk" Baxter adds some country steel guitar early on, providing a melodic counterpoint to the heavy guitar riffs that punctuate the tale of the titular cowboy who discovers that the girl of his dreams wears three special rings.
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