Album Details

• Artist: Earth And The Next Society
• EP:
Live Earth
• Label: Discover Media Network
• Year of Release: 2011
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: carlito on 2011-05-05

Must be something in the air.  This is the second release this week--that I've reviewed--where bands are not just putting in some cheap lyrical fodder for their fans, but instead take a proactive approach to this whole idea of music with a message.  Earth and the Next Society is the band, Live Earth is the album.

At the heart of their sound is some straight-forward straight-shooting Rock music, complete with everything you'd expect: Harry Burns on bass, Ryan Baker on drums, Tom McMillan on keyboards, and Michael Shields with his soaring guitar solos and heartfelt vocals.

Stylistically, there's nothing pushing the envelope here.  They don't exactly have a "classic rock" vibe, nor can they be compared to your average radio cookie-cutter bands.  But instead, EATNS have a unique and consistent progressive rock sound that gels all their songs together.  

My favorite track on here is, "What Will You Do? (To Be The Change)."  It has a nice catchy U2-ish quality (if I may coin the phrase), with a simple yet profound chorus: "What will you do to be the change you want to see"--a question all of us should ponder once in awhile.  "People (Light and Love)", I found to be a bit of a break from the band's norm as it has an uptempo and energetic blues vibe, while "Create Reality" is a slower-paced tune with some awesome guitar riffing about three minutes into it.

In the end, Live Earth seeks to empower the listener to be, not only a better version of themselves, but also a better society as a whole.  And though the music has a definite message, I found that it never once got preachy.  Lead singer, Michael Shields puts the onus on us, to take responsibility for our own lives and get off our lazy butts to make a positive change in the world we live.  But he does it in a way that's both encouraging and enjoyable. 

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