Todd Thibaud has years on experience under his belt, shaping a mature alternative rock sound that displays a pleasant growth from album to album. Catchy and emotionally charged,
Thibaud's
Squash shows the singer/songwriter moving into a place where his dynamic songwriting matches his earnest lyrics better than ever before. His voice sounds stronger, his backing music is more varied and engaging; the only real problem is that he still hasn't distinguished his own style yet. "Dragging Me Down" is dangerously close to
Paul Westerberg's "Knockin' on Mine," the only blatant example but one that takes the steam out of the beginning to anyone familiar with
Westerberg's track. Mostly, the melodies and approach seem to recall specific artists without evoking specific songs. At different points
Thibaud vividly recalls
Toad the Wet Sprocket,
the Gin Blossoms, and
Duncan Sheik, among others. This uncanny resemblance doesn't negate his efforts, but it does make the listener sit and think about what the song sounds like instead of simply enjoying
Thibaud's music. The effect diminishes with repeated listens, but this problem keeps
Squash from gaining momentum on the first five tracks. After that,
Thibaud makes a subtle change in his approach and improves things dramatically. When he backs away from the moody alternative rock of the first half, he produces the shuffling pleasantries of "New World Coming" or the head-bobbing Americana of "Uninvited, Overdue."
Squash downplays this side of his songwriting by putting these tracks towards the end and breaking them up with songs that are hindered with the aforementioned problems. But
Thibaud is a gifted heartland rocker who struggles to move away from alternative rock. It's easy to recommend this disc for the five or so examples of his distinctive traditional rock, but be warned that the rest of the CD is a pleasant but distracting reminder of who
Thibaud attempts to emulate. ~ Bradley Torreano