The Mustard Seeds - "Red"

The Mustard Seeds - Red
1998, Radio Mafia

1. Sylvia Beams
2. Coming Up Roses
3. Can't Take Me Down
4. Dying
5. Farewell To Andre
6. I'm Okay
7. Alabama Sings
8. Queen of Misery
9. Way of the World
10. Blind
11. Quicksand (Acoustic)

If it ain't broke, don't fix it - just be more awesome. That's probably the thinking that went into making Red. It's exactly what I expect from the album between the self-titled and III. While it's mostly similar to the debut in terms of sound and style you can hear a little bit of the commercial sounds that were present in III. This is not a bad thing. Oh, and I LOVE the acoustic version of "Quicksand." I hope someday the boys do an acoustic "de-plumed" type album because that would be awesome. Honestly, I don't think these guys could make a bad album if they tried. I will say that this disc needs some remastering as it sounds to me like the vocals are pushed back in the mix - a shame for sure. Also, the cover art doesn't do much for me. Minor complaints though, The Mustard Seeds remain one of my new favorite bands and their albums are definitely the top picks for this year.

Useless Fact: There are actually two versions of this album. One with the cover I have and another that has a butterfly on the cover. I think that cover looks better than the one I have. It also has a different end track, called "Hollywood."