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Album Details

• Artist: Bob Kemmis
• Album: Arena Ready
• Label: Red Hare
• Year of Release: 2004
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: challey on 2004-12-03

Bob Kemmis should be one of the biggest names in Canadian music, after working with such artists as Bryan Adams and The Odds. Somehow though, he's remained virtually unknown to most people, despite putting out three solo albums. His newest release, Arena Ready, is pretty a pretty forgettable (although mostly enjoyable) collection of power pop songs.

The first time I heard the second track on Arena Ready, "Let Down," I sat in my chair and cringed. It wasn't so much that the song was bad, but that the lyrics were completely unbearable. The chorus consists of "Stop sucking, stop sucking, I paid forty dollars for this ticket and you're sucking." Wow, what insight. Repeated listens have made the song a little more tolerable, but it would still be much better if it was possible to cut out Kemmis's lyrics and retain the melodies.

Fortunately, the album contains a few other moments which are actually decent. "Figured Out" is an upbeat song with playful lyrics, and at one point Kemmis even replicates the "Shut yo' mouth" that Shaft made famous. "Amy Elyse" is a beautifully-written ballad, enhanced by a trumpet solo at the end of the track to close out the album.

The major problem with Arena Ready, however, is that too much of it drifts into bland, adult-contemporary styled writing. With the exception of a few standout tracks, almost all the songs are interchangeable, and they aren't really good songs at that. They're enjoyable while they last, but there's not much reason to go back and give them another listen. It's clear that Bob Kemmis has the capability of making a good record, but he first needs to put a little more effort towards trying to create something more original.

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