VIRGINIA COALITION > Home This Year

It’s a tough call, really, because this is a talented group of guys, and Home This Year is a decent album, but when it comes down to it, this doesn’t seem like the album to either A.) solidify Virginia Coalition’s reputation or B.) create enough buzz to be an album that yet-to-be-converted fans revere.

Videos by American Songwriter

Label: Bluhammock
[Rating: 3 STARS]

It’s a tough call, really, because this is a talented group of guys, and Home This Year is a decent album, but when it comes down to it, this doesn’t seem like the album to either A.) solidify Virginia Coalition’s reputation or B.) create enough buzz to be an album that yet-to-be-converted fans revere. Poliakoff’s vocals are pleasant enough, but what the album lacks is a break in redundancy. Yes, transitions are nice, but played start to finish, track one sounds like track ten sounds like track seven-benign percussion in a finger-snapping, easy-listening kind of way. That said, there are redeeming moments when music and voice come together for a little more heartfelt push, namely “Sing Along” and “Look My Way”-and in these instances, the tracks provide enough substance for VACO’s audience to reciprocate with appreciation beyond a passive nod of the head.