What You Wanted

Album review

Hearing the name Bone Daddy, those who are unfamiliar with this Idaho-based outfit might assume that What You Wanted is the work of a funk metal-type band along the lines of Living Colour, Fishbone, 24-7 Spyz, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, or Primus -- the type of band that can rock as forcefully as Anthrax but would have no problem touring with KRS-One or Public Enemy and could easily put a metal spin on something by the Ohio Players or Kool & the Gang. However, that isn't what Bone Daddy (not to be confused with a Los Angeles-based band called the Bonedaddys) sound like at all. Actually, the material on this 2005 recording is melodic adult alternative pop/rock that should appeal to fans of the Goo Goo Dolls, Big Head Todd, the Gin Blossoms, or Blood Red Velvet, but is much more restrained and less energetic. Although relevant to the adult alternative scene of the mid-2000s, What You Wanted is full of '60s and '70s influences; in fact, Bone Daddy's members have made no secret of their appreciation of old-school rockers like Supertramp, 10cc, Traffic, and the Electric Light Orchestra. But whether Bone Daddy are being compared to '60s and '70s bands or '90s and 2000s bands, this is definitely an album that thrives on understatement and restraint. Subtlety prevails on relaxed offerings such as "Not Gonna Give It Back," "Somewhere in Between," "Blue," and "Angel"; Bone Daddy's approach is so restrained that even when they express their disdain for President George W. Bush on "Son of a President," they sound more reflective than angry. Nonetheless, Bone Daddy get their emotional points across, and they do it fairly well on a 51-minute CD that falls short of breathtaking but is enjoyable, well crafted, and worth checking out.
© Alex Henderson /TiVo