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ARTIST OF THE MONTH: An Evening With_____________________________RSS
Album Review "Cruel Intentions"

By Chris Brach

New York City moves faster then most places on earth, so it only makes sense that the band An Evening With would bring their high energy sound straight out of the Big Apple. With their newly released debut album "Cruel Intentions", An Evening With is ready to take their fast paced, energetic songs off Long Island and out to the rest of the country. An Evening With started following singer Jay Alexander's departure as a drummer from a previous project. He assembled the remaining four members; Guitarists Mario Mendoza and Mike DiRoma, bassist Adam Pallack, and drummer ReDi to create the Long Island sound that is unique to the band.

AEW's debut album, "Cruel Intentions", is as modern alternative of a sound as you will find. At first listen, it feels in a lot of ways like you've heard their music before. Their sound comes through very similar to Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory, or All American Rejects. But as you get further into the album the mold is broken and the band takes on a sound that is considerably more their own.

AEW comes out flying on the album with tracks like "For Ever Young" and "Bridge to Nowhere". On the latter, heavy drums start things off and lead into a fast paced, up beat song with soaring vocals. ReDi's drums stand out on the entire album given the speed of many of the songs, but "Bridge to Nowhere" is a great showcase of his abilities as the clean drumline sets the tone for what you are about to hear. The band tries to trick you with a slow start to "Die for You", but they head right into the powerfully quick rock that they started the album with. It is clear early on how dynamic Jay Alexander's vocal range is as he seems to find a way to hit just about every part of the scale in almost every song.

The duel guitars of Mario Mendoza and Mike DiRoma add considerable character to each of the songs. AEW, for the most part, uses the guitars in a strong rhythm and lead setup. However, on songs like "Hearts on Fire" the guitars team up in a lead role that opens with a very intricate sound that even with a processor couldn't be pulled off with a single guitar. Equally impressive is the bass line Adam Pallack carries on songs "Invincible" and "Time After Time". It reinforces Redi's work to carry the breakneck pace that embodies many of the songs on "Cruel Intentions".

Towards the end of the album you run into a track called "One Track Mind", which in my opinion is one of the catchiest tracks on the disc. This song about infatuation and obsession with the latest flavor of the month is ready for the radio today. Give it a listen on Rocksposure Radio, you'll see exactly what we're talking about. "One Track Mind" is as clean and polished as any song we have run across. Keep an ear out because we wouldn't be surprised to hear this song get regular airplay at the very least on the local level.

Another high point for AEW is when they really hit their stride on the bass heavy track "Tonight We're One". Again wielding the dueling guitars and strong vocals, they find their way back to the speed they started with. It is a great song on an album that keeps a strong pace from start to finish.

Be sure to check our Gig calendar to see when our March Artist of the Month, An Evening With, will be in your neighborhood to spend An Evening With you.

As the Webmaster and Founder of Rocksposure.com, Chris Brach is always looking for new music from up and coming rock bands. You never know, they could be our next Artist of the Month! If there is something you think he should give a listen to, email him at GetRocked@Rocksposure.com


Click here to learn more about An Evening With and to hear a few songs off of "Cruel Intentions"