By Kyle Francis
Some very famous and successful recording artists have come from Canada. Many Canadians know bands like Nickelback or famous divas like Celine Dion are Canadian, whether we like it or not.
Then there’s Starewell, a little Calgary band with their very first full-length album, Fully Extended. Though not famous or even infamous as the aforementioned artists, their debut CD indicates they very well could be quite soon.
The rocking riffs contained within this tight little package are just as professional and polished as any mainstream rock group, with some tracks displaying arguably more talent than some of the overplayed radio regulars. Packing a rawking 11-song punch, Fully Extended is sure to blow the nylons off many an unsuspecting grandmother–not a small feat for a little known band’s debut.
Although Starewell’s first release is on par with many musicians who have ‘made it’ from a talent perspective, it also shares a less than favorable trait with many mainstream rock. Most rock CDs have a few really good songs getting people to buy the CD and some slow ones everyone skips over. In this, Fully Extended remains akin to many modern rock albums. These sparse low-points combined with many of the songs seeming to run a few minutes too long degrade the experience slightly, but certainly not enough to bring Starewell out of the professional ballpark they aim to rock in.
Despite some shortcomings, Fully Extended is still a very good CD, especially for a first try. If this first album shows musical advocates anything, it’s that Starewell is a band to keep an eye on. Lets all just hope that if they ever get to an appropriate level of fame and meet Celine Dion, they kick her ass.