Artist: American Hi-Fi
Album: Hearts on Parade
Label: Maverick Records
Rating:
Reviewer: John Frank

Don’t be fooled by what may seem an average rating, this album is not just another pop rock, run of the mill disc. American Hi-Fi has had success in the past with singles that were just cookie cutter copies of the last success, with hits such as “Flavor of the Weak”, “The Art of Losing”, and the first single from this one, “The Geeks Get the Girls”. While it is always great for a band to have a catchy hit, and AHF has had a couple of those, it is clear the band wants to be known as a group that can put out an entire album of solid songs.

“Hearts on Parade” immediately takes a different route than previous works, with what can be described as “groovy beats” opening the first song “Maybe Won’t Do”. The verse is also a nice diversion from the usual hook, and even the chorus is a different kind of catchy than I was expecting. I think this song could very easily be a decently popular single, but is definitely a good introduction to an album that doesn’t have the sound of the single. The second song “Hell Yeah!” has this same type of groove to it, but the chorus comes back to typical American Hi-Fi, which is in no way a bad thing, the guys do their thing very well. Interjecting this experiment with new sounds is “The Geeks Get the Girls”, which is personally one of my favorite Hi-Fi songs from any of their albums, and has garnered a moderate radio fan base since its release. This single is what has been associated with AHF since “Flavor of the Weak”, and it is sure to get the criticism of sounding like every other single that has been released, but after hearing the rest of the album, that criticism has little merit to it.

One problem with this new style is that it gets a bit repetitive. There are really only a couple songs that stand out as being different, “The Geeks Get the Girls” (which sounds like typical AHF, but different from the album), “Something Real”, and the title track “Hearts on Parade”. This album does have a great deal of potential though, with some powerful songs, mainly at the beginning of the album. However, once you get past about the first five songs, the album really fizzles out, as it is the same sound, just not quite as good.

Fans of the band’s first album might not take to this one quite as well as those who liked “The Art of Losing”. This album is a very good step into something new for a band trying to escape the “one hit wonder” label. It lacks in replay value, and the energy fades away as the tracks go by, but the strong points are worth listening to. I really think as the band continues to find a good mesh between this new direction and their old style, the albums will only get better. There is a small niche of fans who will absolutely love “Hearts on Parade”, but I don’t think the album has enough range to really be successful for the band. It is definitely worth listening to by anyone who has enjoyed a Hi-Fi song in the past, or just wants to hear some new sounds from a pop rock group. Final words, this album should prove to be a great stepping stone for the band’s future, and while it may not be appreciated for that now, the next album should fix that.