2ND NATURE/WILL TO SURVIVE (2nd Nature Entertainment)

Let’s get right to the point here. This CD is the most commercially-polished effort that I’ve ever heard from a local band. Upon first listen you’d swear that this was the first release from some major label’s most promising new artist. The recording, production, and mixing are all excellent, the song writing is refined, the hooks are already here, and the vocal harmonies work well. The entire effort deserves the praise that it will undoubtedly receive. It’s not a perfect release but it’s definitely on a different level then you’d expect from a self-released project.

2nd Nature consists of Steven P. Santovasi on guitar, Troy Culver on guitar and vocals, Greg Thomas on bass and vocals, Andy Jarl on drums and percussion, and Danny Varrone on vocals and acoustic guitar. All five members contributed to the song writing on this disc, which contains 13 original songs Two additional musicians were added on some tracks.

The band is sharply focused toward the harder segment of the pop/rock market. Comparisons can be made to the best tracks from bands like Cinderella, Night Ranger, and maybe even Def Leppard, but not quite as raw a sound. This may hurt the band’s chances because today’s music market doesn’t seem ready to embrace this sound again, regardless of how good this album is. The best tracks here include "Long Cold Winter" (coincidentally(?) also the title of Cinderella’s biggest album), "Don’t Fly Away", and "Will To Survive." The entire disc is loaded with sweet lead guitar and harmonized vocals. I did say it wasn’t perfect so what’s wrong here? For one, the song "Lucky One" brings ELP’s "Lucky Man" to mind. The band was obviously aware of this because they chose to begin with the a cappella vocal line as ELP did. It may have seemed like a clever idea at the time but upon repeated listening it grows old fast. There are also some other very minor things that don’t even warrant discussion here. Overall this is an excellent CD and certainly deserves your attention. 2nd Nature is also great live so don’t miss them if you have the chance.