CD Review: Reggie & The Full Effect

©2008 Vagrant

Former Get-Up Kid and Liberty, MO native James Dewees (a.k.a. Reggie) recently released what he calls his final solo record. ‘Last Stop: Crappy Town’ was recorded in 2006, but due to label problems wasn’t released until June 2008.

The songs are a lot more serious and darker than the rest of Reggie’s back catalogue. Dewees wrote and recorded the majority of the songs while going through rehab for alcoholism in Brooklyn, NY. The songs are even named after the trains Dewees took to get to his rehab meetings.

While the record still maintains some of Dewees’s trademark quirky yet simple lyrics, the mostly hard rock and metal core tunes may appeal more to fans of Slipknot than his typical fan base. Which wasn’t surprising once I found out that Slipknot’s bassist Paul Gray and Cory White of Lawrence’s The Esoteric helped Dewees record ‘Last Stop.’

Overall the record is a solid heavy metal record with a few stand out tunes. With tracks like “J Train” and “G,” Dewees has accomplished some of the catchiest metalcore songs I’ve heard in a long time, but ultimately it made me miss the fun loving Reggie of past efforts.

The band is currently on their “farewell tour” but when it comes to Reggie and the Full Effect, you never know what the future holds.