Go Radio – Lucky Street
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Record Label: Fearless
If you have the patience to sift through the generic muck that is the pop-rock genre, you’ll find some gems. Most recently, we’ve seen intelligent pop-rock outfits like Valencia, The Graduate, and The Dangerous Summer become fan favorites amongst this site. And during a time like this when uninspired and recycled ideas run rampant through the genre, it’s easy to give up. Maybe I’ve become jaded or maybe I just miss The Starting Line a lot – either way it’s been very difficult for me to back this genre like I once did.
And then I heard Go Radio’s debut album, Lucky Street.
Formed by Jason Lancaster (ex-vocalist/guitarist of Mayday Parade), this album has been three years in the making. Two EPs and countless tours later, it’s finally here, and boy it doesn’t disappoint. Lucky Street is pop-rock done exceptionally well, starting immediately with the title track. Sirens wail as the power chords rev up, and as soon as Lancaster begins the track with “And I watched the Atlantic Ocean rise to meet New York,” you feel something great brewing. They continue the momentum with first single “Any Other Heart,” which really shows off the passion behind Lancaster’s vocals. There isn’t a chorus on this album that Lancaster doesn’t knock out of the park, as his vocal performance is one of the best I’ve heard in this genre in recent memory.
Go Radio rip through the first five tracks with determined energy. You have the Graduate-tinged “Strength To Say” running wild in your membrane, while “Swear It Like You Mean It” adds some piano flair to the mix before crushing it with its huge chorus. The album takes a breather with string-induced and reworked “Why I’m Home,” before killing it with the aptly named “Kill The Beast.” The track immediately rips your face off as Lancaster absolutely shreds the chorus. One part The Starting Line with a little Dangerous Summer mixed in and you have one delicious pop-rock cocktail in “Kill The Beast.”
Lucky Street is a generous fourteen tracks long, and the band does a swell job of mixing in slower songs to break up any monotony that may show up. This includes the two versions of “Forever My Father” – one reworked version and the version that features Erin and Daniel Lancaster. Some fans may think the new version doesn’t match up to the original (and how could it ever match the emotional intensity of the initial recording), but the song still serves as a moving moment on the album.
Lucky Street closes in similar fashion to how it opened: fast and in your face with some ballads sprinkled in. Tracks like “Fight, Fight (Reach For The Sky)” add some flavor to the fix, while “Redemption In The Verse” features more rock than pop, which is always welcomed by this particular reviewer. Once again, Go Radio takes a breath with tracks like “House of Hallways” and swelling closer “The Truth Is,” two tracks that will resonate with you long after the album has finished playing.
Lucky Street may suffer from its many fans placing humongous heaps of hype upon it, but that’s not Go Radio’s fault. Sure it may not sound exactly like their blazing EP Do Overs and Second Chances, but it’s the natural progression the band needed to make heading into their debut full length. From the soaring opener to the powerful closing number, Lucky Street bleeds with emotion. Add in Jason Lancaster's one-of-kind vocals, and it should come as no surprise that Go Radio has created one of the best rock records of 2011.
I've been waiting for this release for weeks and have been playing the EPs for a while now. I adore Jason's voice and the emotion he puts into his lyrics. I especially like The Graduate, TDS, and TSL comparisons on this disc. Can't wait to hear it later!
I thought it was disappointing at first when I streamed it off myspace. My CD came in the mail the other day *luckiness*. Giving a solid listen again with some real quality backing it. This CD is perfect. It has mixs of Do Overs style, Welcome to Life's style, and a whole new range for the band itself. Go Radio reinvent themselves with this new cd appealing to old fans, making new ones, and showing a very talented display of musicianship and lyrical prowess in modern rock.
After a few listens this CD became completely addicting. Band is so amazing live, and great dudes that hang out after and before their set too to sell merch and hang out with fans.
I didn't make sense of this album right away because, as Drew stated, I put too much hype on it when comparing it to their EP. Once I got that point through my head and dropped all comparisons, the album made perfect sense and I appreciated it as I wanted to from the start.
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