EVE 6 (RCA)
Eve 6
Punk lite? Eve 6 doesn't have the sneering, snot-nose attitude of a Rancid, but these California teen-agers aren't watered-down wannabes either. Still, once you get a few songs into this debut album it becomes clear this is more straight-ahead rock than it is punk. If only Eve 6 had put as much enthusiasm into every tune as it put into "Superhero Girl," this album would be stellar, but the full-tilt, garage-band approach to that track often disappears in favor of production and studio slickness. I'm not sure there's a big demand for radio-ready punk. Hey, don't get me wrong, we don't necessarily need another Ash, either. Eve 6 has its own sound, and that involves a certain amount of polish, presumably to generate some mainstream record sales. Besides, if this album tanks, Eve 6's members might be forced to go to college. Horrors.