CD Review

Caution—Cigarettes and martini recommended, but not required

Mile 8’s Whatever Works is definitely a great choice for those into that upbeat, jazz club, lounge type of music. The record itself is an hour plus of recycled repetition - comparable to the Saturday Night Live Band.

Aside from the two twenty-some second intermissions, both which seem oddly misplaced, there really isn’t a well-divided transition between tracks. All fifteen songs seem almost mashed together with no apparent flow. Probably why the questionable chanting by God knows whom and the randomly added sounds of drums and saxophone are secret tracks waiting to be discovered.

Lyrically, Whatever Works is more generically written than intricately prepared. Lyrically uninspired, the dominating saxophone and drum leads allow one’s mind to wander away from the fact that the record is so vocally weak.

Mile 8’s efforts intensify toward the end of the album, picking up speed with “Awake” - which for the first time in over forty minutes shows some early promise. The only problem coming as that novice crutch, never knowing when a track is long enough. But the closing song, “Pale,” is a surprising treat with sound fading and transforming into a harmonious interaction.