Hedley – Never Too Late
Fontana / Universal (5/19/09)
Rock / Alternative
They are being touted as “Canada’s best kept secret,” and I know why I’ve been kept in the dark—rock critics will rip these guys apart like North American timber wolves fighting over the rotting flesh of a common deer. That was not meant to be a compliment, and I do apologize for putting that graphic image in your head.
First, a little about Hedley, whose U.S. debut, Never Too Late, includes seven #1 singles from their two double-platinum Canadian releases, Hedley (2005) and Famous Last Words (2007). They were #2 on Nielsen’s 2008 year-end BDS Top 10 Artist Airplay with 88,000 detections, surpassing fellow Canadians Nickelback (yuck) and Avril Lavigne (double yuck). They went on to sweep the 2009 Radio Music Awards winning awards for Song of the Year, Chart Topper and Fan’s Choice Award, and were nominated for three 2009 JUNO Awards (Canada’s top music awards), with Album of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Fan Choice Award. Not only that but you can also throw in all major categories at the Much Music VIdeo Awards in 2008. Hedley was even lucky enough to support Bon Jovi on a 12-date stadium tour in 2007 as well as tour with Sum 41, Yellowcard, 3 Days Grace, Finger Eleven and yes, one of my favs… Nickelback (Ahem! Douchebags! Cough!).
All right, enough with the accolades, let’s get down to the meat and potatoes. Now, imagine taking Bon Jovi and Poison (the band), then mix it with modern fare such as Sum 41 and Green Day; this is pretty much Hedley. Then enlist the services of three separate producers in Brian Howes (Hinder, Daughtry), GGGarth Richardson (Rage Against The Machine, Rise Against, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Greig Nori (Sum 41), and we’ve got the recipe for this album.
Upon first listening to Never Too Late, I began reminiscing about mullets and hair-sprayed bangs, then the mood shifted to dyed-green mohawks. But I will be fair and honest—these guys aren’t a bad bunch of musicians, and the album does include some guitar hooks that will take you back. But then they get caught up in the moment of who they’re really trying to be and “copycat” is the best descriptive word that comes to mind. Moreover, lead singer Jacob Hoggard was quoted as saying that, “We really take pride in our ability to emulate all sorts of musical styles. THAT is what defines us. You will never listen to our record and mistake one song for another. Ever.” Hate to burst his bubble, but half-way through, it all gets undistinguishable except for the occasional reggae or soft-metal chord. (Man, self-delusion can be some priceless comedy!)
Never Too Late starts off strong with “She’s So Sorry”, displaying 1980s palm-muted guitar riffs and a tight live feel. The lead is Brian May all the way, treble-charged and showing some real skill. “3 2 1” is another promising tune, featuring an old-school, double-octave, dual-guitar attack with another dose of palm-muting and enjoyable harmony vocals. The next three efforts (“Trip”, “For the Nights I Can’t Remember” and “Never Too Late”) are all simplistic ballads that really aren’t too different from one another. The only seperation is the instrument they choose to base the song around—piano, acoustic guitar or clean, amped-guitar.
“Gunnin'” comes next but fails to “hit” anything with its limp-dicked, acoustic-driven, ballad-salad with which they just tried and failed to win you over. “On My Own” features more fluff-metal riffage and quickly turns back into bland, three-chord melancholy crap. The last five tunes on the album don’t even need to be hashed out here because everything ends up becoming the same, happy-go-lucky, one-trick-pony, pussy parade that Canada shouldn’t be so proud of touting in the first place.
On an album of twelve songs, four are worthy as genuine “music.” The rest is all filler and no thriller, unless you’re some tween looking for a new act to worship. As far as Canada goes, they still have a long way to go in providing the world with great musical talent. Obviously, Neil Young comes to mind, but if you want to check out a more recent act from our friends up north that truly rock, their name is Sloan.
