Rich Duncan
01/23/07, 07:07 PM
The Apprentice - Good Friends Don't Come Easy
Record Label - Future Destination Records
Release Date - November 21, 2006
Good Friends Don’t Come Easy is the follow up to the band’s critically acclaimed concept album, An American Portrait, which chronicled a typical American family dealing with the struggles of modern culture. The first thing I did when this album hit my mailbox was to look inside the lyric booklet, and inside is a message from Eric DeLong detailing the inspiration for Good Friends Don’t Come Easy. Throughout the course of three years, DeLong tried to live his dream of hitting the open road while playing music all alone, but quickly discovered that living life that way was not as glamorous as it appeared. Keeping this realization in mind, DeLong penned Good Friends Don’t Come Easy as a celebration of love and friendship
The album’s leadoff track, “Tonight”, grabs the listener’s attention right off the bat and highlights DeLong’s talent for writing incredibly infectious melodies. The lyrics to “Clint Eastwood Complex” read as if they were ripped straight out of DeLong’s journal, seemingly chronicling his former obsession to hit the road alone as his musical heroes did before him. DeLong’s folk influences shine brightly on “Clint Eastwood Complex” and serve as an ideal backdrop for his lyrics displaying his passion for folk music. “Be My Home” is a soft strummed ballad that would fit snuggly on that Valentine’s Day mix CD you have been painstakingly working on for that special someone.
The album’s title track details DeLong’s love for his hometown, using vivid lyrics to describe the little things he longs for when he is away. Using a chorus of friends as backing vocalists gives the track a warm, inviting feeling that may or may not cause you to look at your hometown in a more positive light. Good Friends Don’t Come Easy is a special album because it cuts across genres and its celebration of human relationships is relatable to everyone regardless of musical taste. A collage of pictures that give the album a very personal touch surrounds the message inside the lyric booklet from DeLong, and adds another emotional layer to the deeply personal songs on the disc. Good Friends Don’t Come Easy is a stellar EP and is one you are going to want to share with all of your friends. If the talent demonstrated on these six songs is any indication, the next full-length album from The Apprentice will put them in the spotlight where they belong.
http://www.myspace.com/theapprentice
Record Label - Future Destination Records
Release Date - November 21, 2006
Good Friends Don’t Come Easy is the follow up to the band’s critically acclaimed concept album, An American Portrait, which chronicled a typical American family dealing with the struggles of modern culture. The first thing I did when this album hit my mailbox was to look inside the lyric booklet, and inside is a message from Eric DeLong detailing the inspiration for Good Friends Don’t Come Easy. Throughout the course of three years, DeLong tried to live his dream of hitting the open road while playing music all alone, but quickly discovered that living life that way was not as glamorous as it appeared. Keeping this realization in mind, DeLong penned Good Friends Don’t Come Easy as a celebration of love and friendship
The album’s leadoff track, “Tonight”, grabs the listener’s attention right off the bat and highlights DeLong’s talent for writing incredibly infectious melodies. The lyrics to “Clint Eastwood Complex” read as if they were ripped straight out of DeLong’s journal, seemingly chronicling his former obsession to hit the road alone as his musical heroes did before him. DeLong’s folk influences shine brightly on “Clint Eastwood Complex” and serve as an ideal backdrop for his lyrics displaying his passion for folk music. “Be My Home” is a soft strummed ballad that would fit snuggly on that Valentine’s Day mix CD you have been painstakingly working on for that special someone.
The album’s title track details DeLong’s love for his hometown, using vivid lyrics to describe the little things he longs for when he is away. Using a chorus of friends as backing vocalists gives the track a warm, inviting feeling that may or may not cause you to look at your hometown in a more positive light. Good Friends Don’t Come Easy is a special album because it cuts across genres and its celebration of human relationships is relatable to everyone regardless of musical taste. A collage of pictures that give the album a very personal touch surrounds the message inside the lyric booklet from DeLong, and adds another emotional layer to the deeply personal songs on the disc. Good Friends Don’t Come Easy is a stellar EP and is one you are going to want to share with all of your friends. If the talent demonstrated on these six songs is any indication, the next full-length album from The Apprentice will put them in the spotlight where they belong.
http://www.myspace.com/theapprentice