Gravity Review

Released: Jun 2002
Genre: Rock
Styles: Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Grunge
Number Of Tracks: 10
The fact that every song on Gravity ends exactly the same way Our Lady Peace repeats the chorus at roaring volume.

Sound:	9
Lyrics:	9
Impression:	8.5
Overall rating:	8.9
Reviewer rating:	8.8
Users rating:	8.9
Votes:	17

overall: 7.7

Reviewed by: SameOld, on september 11, 2008

Sound: 'So they have a new guitarist, it sounds the same to me.' I said that during the piano-driven opening seconds of 'All For You', the first track on Our Lady Peace's fifth album, Gravity. I felt at ease, safe, knowing that good ol' OLP (Our Lady Peace) had produced another emotionally zany CD filled to the brim with jazzy drums and Mike Turner's jangling guitars.

Needless to say, my security was soon dashed, enter Steve Mazur. The new guitar player of Our Lady Peace cranks the volume up to 11 here, driving the songs with his grooving, heavily distorted guitar, a complete contrast to Mike Turner. The presence of Bob Rock is also immediately felt here - gone are the bells, synth and layered guitars, replaced with straight up rock that feels utterly generic. it's heavy rock, but Our Lady Peace feels caged musically, even the dazzling Jeremy Taggart is locked down, his staggering drum work sheared back or buried under the incessant churning beast of Steve Mazur. It's a little uncomfortable, but it gives Our Lady Peace some muscle, even if they didn't want it. // 8

Lyrics and Singing: Raine Maida has completely altered his voice, throwing in down several registers, creating an almost unrecognizable singer. He sings much deeper now, as if to display confidence, but it's easy to see that along with Our Lady Peace's music, their vocals are wary and uneasy with the drastic new direction they've been spurred on.
Lyrically Maida finally tosses any remnants of his cryptic crooning out the window and fully embraces simple rock writing, penning such songs as 'Do You Like It' and 'A Story About A Girl'. He seems almost embarrassed to have written such material, and it is a little embarrassing, honestly, when compared with his lyrical work on Happiness Is Not A Fish That You Can Catch and Spiritual Machines. // 8

Impression: Our Lady Peace tried to go superpop here, employing generic rocker Steve Mazur and producer Bob Rock to streamline their sound. The result is a band that seems off-kilter beneath the pounding sound, all the musicians are struggling, obviously, without Mike Turner to guide them and they try to bury that loss amidst a sonic wall. It's listenable, but if you liked old Our Lady Peace you probably won't enjoy Gravity very much. The highlights include 'Made Of Steel', 'All For You' and 'Do You Like It' as all of the singles just come off as shallow and contrived. // 7

overall: 10

Reviewed by: KevinKung, on august 09, 2004

Sound: Our Lady Peace outdone themselves in this record with a compelling and innovative sound. Knowing that the record was mostly produced live as opposed to tracking and layering, there is a lot more vibe and energy to every song. The CD has a wide range of styles from inspiring ballads such as "Bring Back The Sun" to vigorous post-grunge sounds such as "Not Enough". My favorite track on the record is "Somewhere Out There". Being a bass player, I am amazed how the bassist (Duncan Coutts) sets the mood of the song so well. He adds awesome bass licks and lines at the right times of the song to introduce new parts. // 10

Lyrics and Singing: The album sounds great lyrically. Again, because the record was produced live that the singer (Raine Maida) had a lot of energy to each track. Raine sings within his key with great passion as the notes and the styles of each song fits the lyrics. Lyrics are mostly in 1st person either singing about love, hope and begging for the truth. // 10

Impression: This record is a turning point of Our Lady Peace. With a new guitarist and sound, the styles were a lot more different than Clumsy. I love every single song on this album (especially No.3 Somewhere Out There). I would classify Our Lady Peace to join the groups of Matchbox 20, Staind and Nickelback. But I think this Canadian Modern Rock Quartet stands out as they create a unique style of its own. // 10

Comments

[Romulox13]

dont ever compare OLP to Matchbox 20 Staind or Nickelback. thats like comparing Gold to well... shit. cause thats what those other 3 are.

[magicalaks]

i just love olp'slead singer voice!!!!!

[miguelito2729]

OLP ****ing rocks!!!!! I love them so bad and I hate for not having been to the show in MTL. I think that Gravity is BY FAR their best album ever! IF not one the best Albums EVER made period.

[miguelito2729]

whops sorry my 2nd sentence isn't complete, it should say: ... I hate myself for not ....
sorry

[DemonDante]

OLP = Greatness, they are such an amazing band. Can't wait for A Decade (their greatest hits so far)

[HughF]

This review is very misleading. This album does not even begin to approach any of the band's other efforts, even though it is worth buying. Ten year old children should not write music reviews, or else they turn out like this, an absolutely glowing review on an album that was only average. That and the fact that it sounds like an essay, not a review. Anyways, I'm an OLP fan, so no flaming.

[SARASMiLE]

This, imo, was OLP's best album.
Raine's voice is incredible.
I love his solo stuff too.

[G&L18]

I didn't like the direction OLP took with this album. They went from producing distinct music to being another generic rock band. The only thing that separates them from the rest is Raine's voice now.

[G&L18]

I didn't like the direction OLP went with this album. They went from producing distinct music to being just another generic rock band, thanks to Steve Mazur and Bob Rock, who is known for pushing bands towards the mainstream. I completely agree with SameOld.