Early in 2011 I reviewed the previous long player by the Van Buren Boys, Six String Love. I now find myself faced with the band's latest effort, Up All Night, and if I was being lazy and slacking in my role as a staffer here at the Org, I would just point you to that previous review and tell you to change a couple of things here and there but that essentially it was still valid with this current release. Basically, the Van Buren Boys stick to the formula that they used effectively (if high energy rock 'n' roll laced with power pop is your thing) on Six String Love and see no reason to venture from the path they travel.

So if the sound hasn't really changed and the band was already competent at performing, is there anything new here? With titles like "Turn It Up Loud," "Don't Wanna Stop" and "Up All Night" I get the impression that the band just want to rock and really that's what they do, albeit in a way that doesn't get any specific lasting reaction from me. I don't dislike this nor do I find myself itching to play it either at home or on the journey to/from work.

Therein lies my problem with this record--without that memorable hook or song, it's not doing what most of us require from music and that is to be moved in a way. Something should invade your being and keep niggling away until you realize you have found something worth hearing. Yes, sometimes music is much more immediate than that but some bands/records need a little bit of time to germinate in my brain, but here is an example of one that is easy on the ears and little else.

As sort of stated in the previous review, here is a record that is well executed but lacks the wallop to be a keeper. I'm sure the band has its fans who enjoy this kind of music, but 12 months on from first hearing Up All Night I'm left with the same feeling I had then of needing to move on to something that does excite me.