I have never liked Ghoti Hook. I still kind of don't. I never liked Joel Bell's voice -- still kind of don't. This is the first album of theirs I listened to from beginning to end. Their new album Two Years to Never is a little bit different though. Yeah, he still sings, but it's more rock than punk this time around.

One song that does stick out, though, is "Lullaby." It's the third song on the album and it shows that they have a somewhat wide array of taste. It opens with a piano and changes into a punk-rock style. The vocals are soft and the lyrics are great. I think this might be one of the best-written punk songs I've heard. It's a prayer said in the morning about "changing into the man you want me to be."

Another good song is "Chevy Nova," a song about a car. "Next To Me" is a six-minute ballad about loyalty and reliance on God. "Campbelltown" shows once again their wide array of style by using an organ. I think my favorite song on the album is "Means to an End." It sounds like it'd be an incredible song in the first half a second of listening to it. It turns 'punky' again, but gets really good closer to the song's close. There's also a hidden track, which is better than anything else on the CD (with perhaps the exception of "Means to an End"). It's kind of a bluesy rockin-out song.

The CD finishes better than it started. I will give them credit for having some incredible lyrics. I just don't like the mix of the punk and rock and some occasional flickers of light. Joel's voice is a little awkward, too. The CD is a little more softer than one might expect from Ghoti Hook, but his voice is still harder...

- Review date: 5/24/01, written by Kevin Chamberlin