Todd Underwood – Outside

Todd Underwood – Outside – Album Review

Ayyyy…whaddya call that stuff…symbolism?  An appropriate match?  A clever addition?  Fitting?  The opening track “Welcome To The Stage” starts out with crowd-noise cheering on the first track, and if that ain’t encouraging, I mean, what else could be?  I just got back from a trip to the Sphere in Las Vegas, and U2 did that exact same thing, so why should Todd Underwood do that for his new album too, right?  Always good to get our annual record outta this guy…he’s really quite synonymous with quality.  With vocals projecting loud & proud throughout “Welcome To The Stage,” a beautiful warmth in his harmonies, and fantastically inventive drums alongside him, this opening cut definitely has an inviting vibe to it.  Great energy to be found here, really cool stuff happening with the backing vocals, depth in the bass sound, and I loved how “Welcome To The Stage” surges to its end on its instrumental strengths.  Love the way it’s recorded and uses the space in your speakers right off the bat, love the emotion and thought behind the words…”Welcome To The Stage” is well-conceived, and equally well-executed too.  Really dig the way that Todd and his featured guest Joe shift this song into its chorus…that’s real magic.

Ha!  I gotta admit, he got me this time around.  I thought Todd was gonna go with something a little softer for the second track based on the first ten seconds of “First In Line,” and then it explodes right open to reveal the louder sound we know & love him for.  Underwood has always been gifted with finding this impressively natural rhythm and flow for the music in his catalog, and that continues to be a highlight here on Outside for sure.  Even though you might experience brief moments where the guy turns on a dime and can send a song into a completely different direction than you might expect, when he settles into an idea and the vocals start coming into the picture, they’re always such an organic fit that pairs perfectly with the rest in terms of how his voice sounds & how the melodies move.  I really love the fact that he’s never been one to simply rely on that though – and I feel like the way these first two tracks finish off really goes a long way to confirm that…the instrumental ‘ending’ of “First In Line” is practically half the length of the song, and it is a powerfully moving part of the song no one should miss.  “Here we are in the middle of another fight” he sings…and admittedly, kinda sounds happy to be there.  Todd runs into a couple of odd points of contrast throughout the course of this record – this one is a minor example by comparison to another later on down the road – but yeah…”First In Line” finds its main strengths at the halfway mark on-forward as it hits its instrumental section, and glides to victory.

Good lord…sometimes you hear a song, and even though you might not be completely sure if it is, or isn’t for you, you can still hear how it came to be and WHY it exists, you know what I mean?  Like, it’s all Todd Underwood we’re listening to, so don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan, and I’m here for it – but “It’s Not Broken” is probably a track I’d say wouldn’t normally appeal to me as much as the opening tracks do – usually.   That’s the thing though…you can hear how much FUN and the pure JOY that Todd is playing with on “It’s Not Broken,” and I think a lot of folks genuinely underestimate how much appeal that can sincerely generate.  In a case like this, where I might have been more on the fence about the pepped-up vibe & single-worthy sounds of “It’s Not Broken,” I practically find myself with no freakin’ choice but to be onboard with it, because who can resist a song that possesses this much spirited sound?  I mean, Todd’s practically in space previously only occupied by the B-52s, you know what I mean?  Still, if you’re listening to the remarkable attention to detail and personality that he pumps into every ticking second of this song, you gotta give him credit for really going where the song takes him and delivering on that.

If it’s the crunch you’re lookin’ for outta Underwood’s sound, you’ll definitely find that at the start of the album’s title-track, “Outside.”  I had to look up the name of Joe Morin, whom incidentally makes the difference in the opening track on this album as well in the first of his two appearances – but he returns to “Outside,” and I gotta say…I knew what I’d find when I searched his name online, because he’s clearly an absolute beast on the drums.  There’s a lot I love about “Outside” overall…it’s a highly versatile tune and a fiercely ambitious one that possesses a lot to be admired, but I’d be lyin’ to ya by omission if I didn’t say that it’s the drums that make the initial impact so powerful.  While Underwood is competent from every conceivable angle you can think of in the craft of music-making…I dunno y’all…if I’m being entirely honest with the guy, I’d definitely be looking at exploring further collaborations with Morin, because this dude is insanely good at what he does from the throne.  Beyond that, I feel like Todd has really upped his game in the spots surrounding his main verse/chorus hooks…and the way that he’s gone about expanding his instrumental sections, save for the backing vocals that tend to act more like an extra instrument in the mix anyway, has been nothing short of impressive.  I really dig where he’s been choosing to throw the switch in though…so far to this point on the record, it’s usually right about where you’d assume you’ll hear a solo, and then you’d think you’d be right back to where you left off with the verse/chorus dealio…but Todd’s tossed that format completely out the window, and I am absolutely loving that.  “Outside” adopts that halfway pivot that he’s been taking to the other tunes so far, and dear readers, dear friends…you just freakin’ glide on the smoothest of rides to the end of this song…it’s completely fantastic.  Call it mesmerizing, hypnotic, captivating – it’s truly all of these things – and you just kinda sit there in awe of how the sound surrounds you so perfectly as it holds you, locked into the moment, fully spellbound and listening intently.  Everything about this track works extremely well, in my opinion…each of the first three cuts on the record, I could probably make an argument on behalf of them being a single, whereas “Outside” proudly embraces a deeper vibe & complex pattern that you know is designed to be more than just a catchy cut.  This is the meat in the sandwich y’all – eat up…Todd’s written an entire meal’s worth of sound into this one track, and between him & Joe, they play this track with equal doses of passion, intent, and purpose…”Outside” is authentic, and gripping.

Bringin’ in a wee bit o’ the Funk to get “Something You Wanted To Say” kickin’ off, Underwood balances it out by using his crafted shapeshifting sound to move into the more Rock-inspired sound of the chorus.  Solid bounce & energy to this cut though, and how about that solo that occurs around the 2:25-ish mark eh?  That’s freakin’ otherworldly, and might very well end up being the main highlight of this particular track for myself & many out there listening.  Todd really gets the brightness into his vocals on this song too though, and should be commended for that as well…a lot of the accessibility & appeal he builds into this cut exists because of his confident projection & clever vocal hooks.  There are a couple spots on this record that remind me a bit of the funky spirit you find in the early Chili Peppers album, and when you hear how “Something You Wanted To Say” starts up, you’ll know this is one of’em for sure.  I’ve got my moments here & there where Underwood leans into the rhyme scheme of his lyricism a bit too much to the point where I know he’s settled for a word that fits the pattern rather than him saying what HE wanted to say…but that’s kinda been a regular occurrence in his catalog, and he knows where I stand on that just like I know which side of that argument he falls on as well.  He’s here to make things flow in a seamlessly fluid way – and I can’t argue that his methods don’t achieve that, because they absolutely do.  So I relax & I relent, and I simply enjoy the rhythm, pulse, and excitement a track like this incites instead.

I’m definitely gonna advocate on behalf of lower-key cuts like “Too Soon To Quit” perhaps more than I would for tracks like “It’s Not Broken” or “Something You Wanted To Say” though.  I mean, chances are, the songs with a little more pep in their step are gonna have no problem at all securing their audience, but tracks like “Too Soon To Quit” could easily slip under the radar when being listened to by the exact same audience.  Have I made the Robbie Nevil comparison with Underwood before?  I must have by now…I’m sure that’s somewhere in the archives, but I’d have to check.  There’s just something about the work the two produce that seems like it’d be a complete match made in heaven, even though they generally go for two entirely separate sounds in the music they make.  All I’m saying is listen to the punch you find in a track like “Too Soon To Quit” and the color it has, and tell me that Underwood wouldn’t completely crush a cover of a song like Nevil’s “Just Like You” for example…I bet it would sound amazing through Todd’s perspective, and likely revive & refresh a beloved megahit from the early 90s for a whole new audience today.  Besides…I think like…the cover album is probably some of the only uncharted terrain that Underwood hasn’t explored to-date, ain’t it?  You never know folks…stay tuned.  Anyhow…part of me suspects I must have mentioned this before, because it seems so obvious to my ears.  In any event, “Too Soon To Quit” sounds nothing like Nevil on the surface throughout the verses, and then I suppose there’s probably more substantial comparisons to be found when he hits the chorus.

“Shadow Of The Battlefield” has the man shifting his sound once again to a more acoustically-driven vibe, accompanied by a much more serious theme & concept lyrically.  I’d imagine that of all the songs on the record, this one probably deserves a little push back…and I’d imagine most out there giving his music a dedicated listen will take no issue with punching a hole or two in this particular boat.  Look…I’m all for contrast, and that can be achieved in a wide variety of ways – but it’s always going to be most effective where it’s most considered…and I don’t know that I was as convinced that Todd really thought about the juxtaposition of singing about human shields & the sunny side up brightness of the sound of his vocals on this song.  I mean…he might have…you’d have to ask him…but from the Outside listening in, it really seems like a strange pairing, and I’m not that sure it’s gonna make enough sense to the people out there tuning in.  Usually, you’re gonna find grim subject matter like what Underwood explores on “Shadow Of The Battlefield” relegated to a much darker sound and/or slower tunes…and I’m not here to be the guy to tell you there are any rules in music that you HAVE to follow, but I think that’d be arguably the more tasteful approach in situations like this, yes?  On the other side of the scenario, remaining objective, you kinda have to dance with the one that brings you, right?  I fully understand that Underwood has but one voice and in that respect, little option for how his vocals are gonna come out, even when singing about something way more grim.  Could he have found a bit more of a desolate energy that matches the words he’s written here?  Sure.  Would that have sounded like Todd?  Probably not.  Does that mean he should have just tossed out “Shadow Of The Battlefield” altogether?  You see what I mean folks?  It’s still a good song on the whole…it should still exist for sure, I guess all I’m really saying is there could have been a more effective approach to bring this concept together like he was intending, and have the meaning of his words land on us in a more specific way.  Really interesting tune when it comes right down to it though, and one of the album’s more polarizing if you’re really listening to it.  As I always say around these pages of ours, polarizing is a good thing – it far outweighs indifference and usually generates discussion, which means that people truly feel something.

“Just like the old saying goes, I’m gonna reap what I sow” – and I reckon we just went through that in discussing “Shadow Of The Battlefield,” so we’ll keep this thang moving forward.  Dude’s vocals have come out really well throughout the vast majority of this record, and you’ll hear another highlight for Todd on “Reap What I Sow” for sure.  Playing-wise, I felt like this was another stellar example of the man creating a vibrant dose of fun as well…you can’t help but hear how much fun the guy has when he’s making his music, and “Reap What I Sow” is one of those cuts that communicates beyond what you hear to give you a glimpse of the man behind the music.  I can get behind this though – “Reap What I Sow” is a reliable cut that’s built on a lot of the moves we’ve heard from Todd to a degree, but I think that’s also fairly true of most of his material if I’m being truthful.  Consistency can be your best friend & worst enemy at the same time when it comes to the art of creativity I suppose.  What I really liked about how Underwood approaches “Reap What I Sow” was that extra bit of angst/intensity you get in his voice when he sings the title of this track out loud…that’s the kind of pairing between the concept & sound, music & message, that I believe we’re really looking for when we listen to music.  When he fires up the distortion, you’ll find his vocals find that inspired spark as well, and the entire track ignites to the next level of its potential.  He’s made really wise choices on how to approach this song from start to finish.

“Glass House” is a great example of the ever-comparable way that Todd creates tunes that resemble what you dig in the legendary King’s X…in fact, I don’t know that he’ll ever escape the comparison if I’m being real with ya.  I could have certainly pointed this out earlier on in listening to Outside, but he’s already heard that comparison from me plenty, and we even talked about it in an interview he did with us on the SBS Podcast back in the day.  We’re all the sum of our parts when it comes right down to it…and influences we have naturally bleed into what we create.  LISTEN to that spectacular vocal highlight for the man around the 1:45 mark though will ya?  WILD moment for Todd’s vocals, and he absolutely NAILS it.  All-in-all, I’m a big fan of what he creates throughout this entire track…it’s quite the ride, and displays some of the most dynamic & versatile moves he makes on a structural level.  I’m not entirely sure my ears are qualified to comment on this…but is that like…I mean…does he end this track on an array of harmonics, or is that just the way I’m hearing it?  Whatever he’s done for the finale of “Glass House” sounded truly exceptional to me, and I really dig the way everything mellowed out after producing such punch in the music and explosive fireworks from the microphone beforehand.  On a conceptual level, glass houses and the walls we put up are such great subject matter to work with…I felt like “Glass House” was a real tight ride, and while it rips by quick, produced a whole series of highlights.

It’s probably fair to say that Todd’s likely got a stronger taste for pure Rock ‘N’ Roll than I’ll ever have myself personally, but I understand where it comes from.  If you grew up on Van Halen & the like, chances are, you’re never gonna wanna give that sound up any more than Dee Snider would in what he creates in Twisted Sister…so don’t get me wrong, I understand it even if my own taste is different.  A track like “Ride It High” exposes those roots a bit more in Underwood’s work…part VH, part Journey for the most part…but I’d reckon where it branches out a bit more is in the bass lines, which add a little bit of early RHCP for flavor & crossover appeal.  “Such an oracle of wisdom – maybe you should hold your tongue.”  Yikes!  I feel seen.  Perhaps it’s not bad advice in this particular circumstance…I’d have likely suggested that Todd leave this track on the cutting room floor as it doesn’t feel like “Ride It High” quite fits the scope of sound that the rest of the record sits within…it’s close enough that he can get away with it I guess, but it still seems like a bit of an odd fit when compared to the songs surrounding it.

For myself personally, after having a solid listen through Outside over the course of the past week or so, I felt like the most impressive aspect of this record was consistently how Todd’s vocals turned out.  I’ve always thought his voice was great – and to be clear, it has been in the past as well – all I’m saying is that there’s practically very little he could have done to move the needle of his remarkable musicianship, so finding his instrumentation to be as amazing as ever came as no surprise…but hearing the slight improvement he’s made in his confidence, projection, and the power in his tone throughout this set-list from the microphone, was awesome.  I think as artists all we can ever hope for is that there’s still some room for us to evolve in what we do somewhere…or some new corners or cracks we’ve yet to explore in how or what we create – and Outside seemed to show that Underwood is still able to find his way to some of that growth we all crave, even this far into his career.  This final song “Tell Me Not To Worry,” in addition to the multiple highlights I’ve cited along the way throughout this review, again shows him at his best on the mic, conquering a challenging upscale with his melody in the chorus that he handled with resounding precision & power combined.  A song about trying to stay calm while the world is burning down around us, “Tell Me Not To Worry” is built on relevant and relatable content that’s a good mix of substance and style fused together as one.  Stellar solo to finish this album off as well…I felt like “Tell Me Not To Worry” was a great track to have saved for the finale, and a song that’ll entice us all into another spin through Outside for sure.

Find out more about Todd Underwood from his official website at Facebook here:  https://www.facebook.com/toddunderwoodmusic

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