Cavo debut "Nickelbacks" its way to mundanity while Simplified's genre mix-up excites, entertains and succeeds

The St. Louis bred rock band Cavo presumably lays their souls bare with the debut album Bright Nights*\Dark Days but considering each track indulges in nearly identical mainstream rock innocuity, it reeks of corporate compromise. Each track fails to build upon the previous, making any sense of cohesion among the individual songs nonexistent. Even worse, the band hardly has a shred of originality, or even passable reproduction, to begin with. Like the equally putrid Nickelback, nothing resonates, or even particularly interests.

There's no better place to start than with the album's first single, "Champagne." All Cavo seeks is a nice hook rock stations can play over and over again, not disturbing nor arousing that afternoon drive home. They do a reasonably accomplished job: "Coulda been the champagne, coulda been the cocaine, coulda been the way you looked at me that told me we were through." The track isn't exactly musical poison, but nothing distinguishes it from any other hundreds of "flavor of the month" rock songs throughout any given year.

Unfortunately, none of the album manages compensation for the lackluster start, except for "Ghost," a lightweight rock/pop track that momentarily breaths a shallow breath of air into the otherwise widespread deflation. It remains a wholly superficial track, but contains the right amount of lament and nostalgia to qualify itself a sentimental guilty pleasure. Naturally, like its contemporaries, rugged masculinity must be countered by a few softer tracks; thus, the prom night slow dance track "Let it Go" offsets the knuckle-cracking badassery of "Champagne." Such calculated tactics attempt to lend the album balance. Instead, it signals the cynical ploy in play; diversify, pander through utterly bland party/relationship lyrics, drenched in ho-hum guitar rifts. Problem is, each track comes from the same manufactured sensibilities, denying hardly anything on every track the ability to transcend toe-tapping or head-bobbing lameness.

The soulful, bluesy tones of Simplified signal a hybrid that, if not wholly original, is wholly refreshing. Here is a band trying to do something a bit different, taking elements of reggae, blues, rock and country, throwing them in a blender and letting fly at high speed. Their sound isn't scattered, though; they conduct a surprising amount of control and efficiency in tracks like "Weeds" and "Six Strings and a Bottle." Lead singer Clee Laster evokes, perhaps intentionally, Blues Traveler front man John Popper; his punchy delivery method makes each track a treat to engage, since his vocal dynamism leads to unexpected places. The frankly titled track "Home" combines kaleidoscopic nostalgia with an easy listening hook, for an odd but compelling mix. Simplified's success stems more from their idiosyncratic sound than profound lyrics; should they manifest the lyrical bravura to match the sound, they would be a serious talent. Hopefully, further work will prove just that.