New Radicals Album: “Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too”

...by some of the greatest power pop and rock artists of the last 30 years, but this guy puts a fresh spin on every track. The first time I caught "You Get What You Give," I stood absolutely still, convinced that I was hearing Todd Rundgren's protege...I bought the CD that instant and haven't stopped listening. Every cut has a different sound but the through-line is always the same incredibly versatile vocalist/songwriter. My second-favorite cut is the very last, "Church on Monday" -- reminds me very strongly of Gregg Allman's "Sweet Melissa," with a touch of the Stones' "You're a Fool to Cry." It's one of only a handful of CDs in existence that you can listen to from beginning to end, without skipping over the 'duds' because there are none. And what a refreshing change from the angst-ridden, self-absorbed posturing of the untalented recording masses! I hope Alexander doesn't get brainwashed by the jaded music industry and keeps his creative groove, because he's a tall cool one for an audience thirsting for more. Amazing harmonies, arrangements and lyrics -- what a concept. You definitely get more than you give for this!

In the late 90's, it was an era getting into the full swing of plastic pop-music, laced with atrocious orchestration, where gyrating hips and busty pseudo-blondes were dominating the airwaves, accompanied by male counterpart bands whos gimmick was the ability to sing in unison and dance at the same time (a step above walking and chewing bubblegum). As if it were a greek comedy, ironically, out from the middle of all this came the album "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" like a rose straining up between weeds and kudzu. The single "You Get What You Give" was music that actually sounded like genuine music, and from a major record label, and on top of that, it was getting airtime and had a video. I marvelled at this and had to find out who was behind it and what movement they were leading, so I did a brief internet search and found out "New Radicals" was pretty much a solo operation (Gregg Alexander) with the exception of studio musicians. Although some songs on the album do contain a few drug references, and Gregg at some points is not mild about his language, one reading of the lyrics to the album's title song (Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too) is comparable to the lyrics of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On?", or some singers and songwriters from the 60's but with a much sterner tone. Gregg brought out to the forefront many issues that musicians today are oblivious to, or are too delicate to touch. Anyone from this generation who would go through a collection of old albums would be in store for a real culture shock, not just on the quality of the songs, but of their content one might say "Wow, people actually used to sing about this stuff, and they were hits?". Yes, the problems didnt go away just because we stopped looking at them. Gregg himself claims he is a firm believer in the power of music, unfortunately much of the music out nowadays has about as much power as a hill-bound Hyundai.

Getting back to the quality of the songs, not all of them are upbeat and positive, but one thing Gregg always comes back to is life and love. He sings about real things, some songs are sad, but they're not dismal. Some songs have drug references, but they're not about drugs. He has a knack for being able to write songs that convey emotions that we've all felt. He sings them like he really relates to you but you can't find the words to express yourself. "Someday We'll Know"--The second single from the album has already been covered by two other artists/groups, one of them being the great Hall&Oates, and the other, Mandy Moore. It's no surprise that Gregg turned out to get the BMI music award in 2004 for his hand in writing "The Game of Love", a song that received over one million airplays in a year, sung by Michelle Branch. He has since written and produced for dozens of other artists after he disbanded New Radicals, and even if "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" did come out years ago, there obviously continues to be a small, but growing fanbase of his work.

I recently rediscovered this album, while rummaging through my vast record collection. When I was a young-mid adolescent, I really enjoyed the album. Now I not only enjoy the catchy pop-music, but I especially like the lyrical content. Gregg Alexander's subject matter ranges from romance, sex, tripping, addiction, radicalism, faith, etc. I especially like the narratives, "I hope I didn't...," and "Jehovah made..." The title track is very moody, but it does stand out as the most psychedelic/experimental track, and I it sounds great. Like many others I lamented Gregg Alexander's descision to end the project, which lead to the "One Hit Wonder" status. That title isn't too bad though since "You Get What you Give," is my favorite song on the album, which makes the New Radicals my favorite "One Hit Wonder." I'm not a huge fan of "pop" music, but this album has been one of the highlights of my music collection for quite some time now.

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The New Radicals CD "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too" has a rare unique quality difficult to find in pop. Gregg Alexander's voice really has an ability to reach you deep down to your core. When I first heard "Get What You Give", I instantly loved it. I assumed the album would be an up-beat poppish collection of music, however when I bought it, I was pleasantly surprised to find much more variety of music than one would expect after hearing that single song. "Flowers", "I Hope I Didn't Just Give Away The Ending", and "I Don't Wanna Die Anymore" are my particular favorites, because his voice carries the songs so well and when you listen to them, they hold a very personal quality. It is really a shame that Gregg Alexander is not singing for the band anymore, I have not yet heard a male voice that is as unique and soulful as his. If you don't own this CD, give it a chance, listen a few times, read along with the lyrics, and I believe you will get to treasure it as much as I do.

I bought this CD when it originally came out. Like many people i was interested in it b/c of the single "You get what you give." As much as i loved that song it isn't even in the top 3 of the songs i love on this CD. Crying like a church on Sunday is amazing. What I found interesting about the lyrics is that they caused me to think a little harder about the message and what the stories related to. I usually listened while driving and this is GREAT music to listen to on long drives when you just want to be in your own thoughts, day dreaming a bit.