There are many types of bands - from the proverbial rock band, the kind that sells records and appears on MTV, to the one that performs at weddings, high school teachers who play gigs on the weekend. And then there are cover bands—basically bands that will never cross over into the mainstream. David Singer and the Sweet Science falls into the latter category.
David Singer’s voice has an uncanny resemblance to Weird Al Yankovic, especially when he's belting out his rock/pop guitar tunes. And though it’s difficult for the music to be taken seriously when it's being compared to Weird Al, thankfully the music itself isn't a joke.
The first track off The Stars Burn Out is “Social Studies,” which introduces pounding keyboards and guitars with a song about human behavior and mundane observations. It’s catchy and upbeat, yet it begins a continuing theme of rhyming lyrics that were written quite simply because they rhyme. “When the Spring is Finally Here,” is a slower song, meditating on loneliness and isolation, and “Is There Anyone Out There” is a poppy, keyboard driven track with a pseudo-political edge: “They held a fake election/It was stolen by a Texan (he had the best connection).” Once again, the lyrics rhyme well, but play it safe instead of digging deeper into the social psyche. The worst example is the narrative song “Bad Babysitter.” Singer's voice echoes on this blues/jazz tune about a babysitter doing things that a good babysitter wouldn't do: “Baby likes sitter, 'cause the sitter takes the baby to the places where her mommy never goes.” Sounds a bit creepy actually. The penultimate track, “Rules of the Game,” is another off-kilter song about a woman not wanting to put out on a first date and not wanting to play the so-called dating game.
Despite Singer’s apparent lack of vocal and lyrical skills, the Sweet Science make up for it with a dizzying array of instrumentation including horns, drums and piano. But even the arrangements eventually remain simple and pedestrian, never offering enough variation and melody. With hokey lyrics commenting on love, death, relationships and bad babysitters, David Singer and the Sweet Science shouldn’t aspire for any dreams outside of their weekend gigs. The instrumentals are decent, but it’s the content that is unoriginal and uninspiring. As second rate bands go, at least David Singer and the Sweet Science try to put some thought and structure into their music, but it falls way short of greatness.
For more info see davidsingermusic.com
