Business Up Front/Party In The Back Family Force 5
Arriving out of Atlanta like high school sophomores who stole mom's car to hit spring break in Daytona Beach, the 3 brothers and 2 others of Family Force 5 deliver their debut, Business Up Front/Party In The Back. Without a doubt the focus here is on the "party", as most of the record is devoted to getting down, chasing girls ("Drama Queen" sounds like it was written by a 14 year old who just got dumped), and driving around with the radio blasting. Not that there's anything wrong with these things, but ...
read more
Arriving out of Atlanta like high school sophomores who stole mom's car to hit spring break in Daytona Beach, the 3 brothers and 2 others of Family Force 5 deliver their debut, Business Up Front/Party In The Back. Without a doubt the focus here is on the "party", as most of the record is devoted to getting down, chasing girls ("Drama Queen" sounds like it was written by a 14 year old who just got dumped), and driving around with the radio blasting. Not that there's anything wrong with these things, but the band comes off more like Limp Bizkit's smart-ass little brother than a bunch of kids on a tear. No one would accuse FF5 of over-thinking their music and lyrics--when your album title is a.k.a. a mullet, intellectualism probably isn't your highest priority. Overall, the album seems genetically engineered to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, piled high with 80's synths, rap/rock riffs and shout-along refrains, and name-checking everything from break dancing to Speak & Spells. In the end, trying this hard causes the FF5 to wear out their welcome. It's only when the band drops the catchy chorus on "Kountry Gentleman" or "Love Addict", you may just find yourself speeding down the highway, bobbing your head a little despite your better judgement. --Ben Heege show less