Album Reviews - Z

ZO2 - Tuesdays & Thursdays (2004 Splivey Cool Entertainment)
ZO2.com

1. Takin' Me Down
2. Temptation
3. Living Now mp3 clip
4. Dirty Water mp3 clip
5. Radio
6. Fly On Your Wings mp3 clip
7. Breakdown
8. Liar
9. Paper Breakup mp3 clip
10. Wait
11. Head Up
12. Sweet Lover

Mike's Review
I'm not sure what my obsession is with this album, but for some reason it has really pulled me in. Derek and I saw these guys open for KISS on their 2004 Rock The Nation tour and they put on a pretty good show. They weren't amazing, but they had some good tunes and seemed to genuinely enjoy rocking out on stage. Derek and I were interested in their album, but we were reluctant to pay $15 for it. We tried to haggle with just about every vendor at the venue, but no dice. Curiosity got the best of us, and we each bought a copy anyway. Needless to say, I don't regret it at all. It's far from being my favorite album, but I know I would've always wondered what I was missing. ZO2 is a bit more modern than I usually care for, but they still maintain a good sound. The guitars still have crunch, no nu-metal tone. The singer still wails, no senseless roaring. As far as the lyrics are concerned, the band's subject matter varies. Songs like "Living Now" and "Radio" have more of an old school, carefree feeling with lyrics like "Living now on my own!" and "She's in love with the radio." However, other songs are more current and serious. "Fly On Your Wings" deals with religion; "Head Up" is about the need for a father figure. I usually prefer my rock to stay on the lighter side, which is one of the reasons why I'm so surprised by my addiction to this album. But there's still plenty of material on this album to impress an old school rocker like me. "Dirty Water" is a ballad on the tougher side that really sounds like something out of the 70s, and "Paper Breakup" has a catchy, "shout it out" chorus.

One thing I really like is that these guys have potential. I think that if they're going to make it big, they're going to need to lean towards one side or the other (old school or modern), but that's just my opinion.

This album's booklet deserves a special mention. Instead of opening to the side like a book, it opens upward like a calendar (no doubt to fit with the Tuesdays & Thursdays theme). The album has twelve songs, and the lyrics to each one are printed over their respective month of the year. I have never seen a booklet like this before and it's a very cool concept.

Mike's Picks: Living Now, Dirty Water, Fly On Your Wings, Paper Breakup

Mike's Rating

Derek's Review
Man, I don't know what it is about these guys, but this has become my summer album. I have probably spun this disc more than any other this summer, and I'm still not really sure why. "Takin' Me Down" was the first song that ZO2 played live for us at the KISS show, and the song still draws me in every time. I swear, if only I could get rid of the slight modern-ness to their sound, I would be loving this CD completely. I like the fact this band (composed of two brothers, Paulie Z. and David Z.) have two singers. For some reason, hearing various singers balances albums out more for me (maybe it's from my KISS-loving ways). When I look at the lyrics from these guys, I can't understand what a single song is really about, and for some reason I'm really down with that. On "Temptation," one of the brothers sings "'Cause I can take you there," and for some reason they do take me there. This is a rocking album and I can't get the songs out of my head. I keep coming back to this album for more listens. Okay, I admit it, I'm addicted, and yet I'm not even sure what I'm addicted to. There are some really cool guitar moments on "Temptation" where Paulie Z. doesn't solo really fast but just makes some really cool noise. "Living Now" is an upbeat rocker with a tempo-changing chorus. I like the line, "Hey kids with nothing to do/Anything and everything is waiting for you." "Dirty Water" is as close to a ballad as you get, and yet this isn't really a ballad at all. I love the chorus of this song. "Radio" has a great funky beat provided by David Z. I must say this album showcases more bass rhythms than any other in recent memory (check out "Liar"). Like Mike said, "Radio" is a more carefree song and is better because of it. The lead singer shows off some great vocal range on the "Fly On Your Wings" chorus.

I agree with Mike that these guys have potential, and we really dig that. I also love the fact that this is an independent release, and I hope these guys get signed, because they deserve to.

I have to say that this is an excellent booklet, especially for an independent release. I have never seen anything like this, and I love my CD booklets. Great job.

So far this is my favorite CD of 2004. Good job guys. Keep up the good work!

Derek's Picks: Living Now, Dirty Water, Liar, Takin' Me Down

Derek's Rating

Faithful readers, Mike and I are asking you to please support this band, since they are deserving of your love and hospitality. I raise a glass to their future.