If you close your eyes when you listen to this record, you can see/hear/feel Lagwagon. In fact, under copyright laws, Craig's Brother should be sued for their Lagwagon rip-off act. Sounding like Joey Cape's men is no bad thing though, although there is a very fine line between plagarism and merely being influenced by a band. Craig's Brother sit quite nicely in the middle, sometimes veering towards one end of the scale, before rapidly shooting off to the other.
Released on Christian label Tooth and Nail, 'Homecoming' maintains the label's reputation for releasing solid, if sometimes unspectacular, albums. Religion plays quite an important part throughout, with references to God scattered amongst the majority of the songs, but it is by no means an album that preaches, or aims to spread the word.
Standout track is 'Lonely Girl' a song that previously featured on a Tooth and Nail sampler CD. It is far and away the band's best song, and whilst that isn't meant to be too derogatory towards the rest of the album, it is an honest reflection. Maybe the band even thought that, as 'Sorry' has the exact same guitar riff. Hmm...
'Insult To Injury,' 'Nobody' and 'Who Am I?' are great songs, but the rest of the album lacks any sort of depth and originality. There are some good moments, but it lacks a little something.
This is not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination. The harmonies are great, as is the drumming. But you just can't help but feel that they are a Lagwagon tribute band in disguise. Craig's Brother have enormous potential, but they don't quite fulfill it on 'Homecoming.'
Paul Savage
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