Artist: The Orchid Highway
Album: The Orchid Highway
Label: Rainbow Quartz

Reviewed By: Xanthe Couture (Edmonton Correspondent - Canada) 

There is nothing wrong with The Orchid Highway, but there isn't anything that is really right either. Their sound is tight and the vocals are good but the album sounds like it has been done before, whether it was ten years ago or five years ago.  

Men singing about a "pop tart girl" or a "sofa surfer girl" and how they either successfully got with said girl or failed and continue to pine for them, is nothing new.

References to early Oasis, or anything similarly Brit Pop that has drawn inspiration from The Beatles, is quite strong. The only problem is that this sound has been done to death and all these bands have moved on.  

The vocals even take on a faint resemblance to Bon Jovi at times, with the raspy vocals and repetitive lyrics, even though it's supposed to be a "neo-psychedelic adventure". The chorus for ‘Time for a Change' is, surprise, "Time for a Change", a basis for a song that lacks an imaginative idea or new statement to use as a chorus line. 

The Orchid Highway album could serve some purpose as a CD to keep in the car when you are about ready to punch a hole through your radio or you have a hankering for some predictable sounding rock-pop.

The band could have something exciting to offer if they tweaked their lyrics and tried to add some new elements to the music besides trying to sound like something out of the sixties. The album was produced by Steve Drake, who has worked with Odds, Tragically Hip and 54-40, so the guy has skill, but all these bands have shared a similar sound at times and he isn't branching out with this venture either.  

There is some hope for The Orchid Highway; they are recording a new album with Howard Redekopp, who has worked with the New Pornographers and Teagan & Sara. Hopefully he can help them create a unique sound that shows off their skills and experience.  

Track Listing:
1. Sofa Surfer Girl
2. Medicine Tree
3. Let's Stay In Instead
4. Next World
5. Ballad On Plain E
6. Opiate
7. Pop Tart Girl
8. Tea With Sarah
9. Time For A Change
10. Legion Hall