The Audition - Champion

Band: The Audition
Album: Champion
Genre: Pop-Rock
Label: Victory

Tracks:
1. Bashbat
2. Warm Me Up
3. Heaven For The Weather
4. Edinboro
5. Hell To Sell
6. Ether
7. What Gets You Through The Night
8. Shady Business
9. Make It Rain
10. Have Gun Will Travel

Progression. It’s a word that seems to be on the tongue every band when asked what their “much anticipated” follow-up will sound like. The Audition, from Victory Records and hailing from Chicago, are one band who has actually lived up to their word. “Champion [out January 22^nd],” finds The Audition taking the pop-rock sound we found on, “Controversy Loves Company,” and allowing it to evolve into a much fuller, tighter sound. The album opens with, “Bashbat,” a song that catches you from the moment the guitars start and lets you know The Audition have transformed from boys to men. The guitars for the entire album are more focused on riffs than chords and Danny’s vocals are more complex and varied. One thing I always noticed about CLC was the lack of variety in how Danny approached the verses, but, “Champion,” finds him on a whole new vocal level. There is a slight different sound to his voice, but the band has attributed that to age, since most the band members are in their early 20’s, if not younger.

The lead single, “Warm Me Up,” is the 2^nd track on the album and showcases not only the sound of the new album, but also the Audition’s ability to right a truly catchy hook. The song my not be the most complex song they’ve ever written, and it surely doesn’t showcase the insightful lyrics of songs like “Dancehalls Become Ghost Towns,” but it doesn’t have to as it succeeds at being a strong, catchy single that can pull anyone into the band. From that point, the album continues to flow and showcase the new “evolved” sound of The Audition. “Heaven for the Weather,” and, “Edinboro,” are great pop rock songs with sweeping hooks that I found instantly ingrained in my mind. “Hell to Sell,” is a song that demonstrates how you don’t need amazing lyrics to have good music. “Go to heaven for the weather, but to hell to sell, your soul, I’ll show you where mine went so long ago,” is definitely not going to make Danny a favorite lyricist, but the riffs created by Seth and Timmy pull you in while the bass lines from Joe and drums from Ryan make your feet start to move without you even making the effort. The album does have it’s slower tune, the one for the ladies, and it can be found on, “What Gets You Through The Night.” The song finds Danny working some high notes and showing his softer side vocal wise. However, just as you’ve labeled this song as the cliché “slow jam,” Ryan brings in the toms and builds for a strong chorus before the song slows back down [but only a bit] and continues on. For a Victory band, the slow song can often be one of the weaker tracks on the album [Aiden’s, “Silent Eyes,” for example], but Danny and the boys pull it off quite well. The song is nearly single worthy, but it would take a solid fan base from a previous single for that to happen. The last song on the album may be the tracks that I personally find myself repeatedly returning to. “Have Gun, Will Travel,” is a slightly different sound than found on the rest of the album. It starts with band and vocals instantly, with an almost western feel as Danny starts to tell what seems to be an autobiographical tale of life on the road. As the song progresses we hear of the lies found in people you meet on the road and the desire for home as well as some awesome guitar solos. The song is a perfect closer, as it seems to summarize the life the band has lead since the release of their first album and leaves you wanting to start the whole album over.

As a whole, “Champion,” is a solid record that, if not raising their level of popularity, at least proves The Audition to be a band with staying power. The album showcases the musical prowess of the band as it is today, an evolved pop rock band ready to take on any competition in their path. If I had to nit pick about a weak point, I’d have to say the lyrics are less than I had hoped. They’re not horrible by any means, but cheesy lines are riddled throughout, “Champion,” and at times hurt the evolution the band is striving for. All in all, The Audition have more than solidified themselves as a real band who have a bright future ahead of them. A future that will no doubt last for quite awhile.

GRADE: 8/10