Catch 22

"Alone in a Crowd" was released on October 10, 2000, and was met with many varying opinions. Between the release of this album and their first ("Keasbey Nights"), Catch 22 had gone through many changes; the most notable being the departure of Tomas Kalnoky, the original singer, guitarist and songwriter, and the arrival of Jeff Davidson, the new singer. Tomas departure left many fans to wonder how the band would fare without his wonderful songwriting, and "Alone in a Crowd" was Catch 22's way of showing their new, non-Tomas sound and songwriting.

Personally, I really enjoy the first seven songs on the album (those being the intro, Point the Blame, It Takes Some Time, Sounds Good, But I Don't Know, Guilty Pleasures, Arm to Arm, and What Goes Around Comes Around), but the rest, with the excpetion of 1 or 2, leave something to be desired. The horn lines have matured greatly from the first album, and are the highlight of the whole record. They are able to portray the proper mood for every song, which is hard to achieve. Jeff's voice isn't outstanding, but is, for the most part, enjoyable. The songwriting itself is a pretty large depature from "Keasbey Nights", as well, and has resorted to more simplicity, which doesn't exactly hurt it, but doesn't make it superb, either.

If you pick up this album expecting "Keasbey Nights", you will be disappointed. However, on its own, without the expectations behind it, this album is enjoyable, and will make you want to shake your ska bum. Just try not to embarrass yourself in public.