Isolated lyrics advocate taking personal responsibility (“You can only blame your problems on the world for so long”) and expose the vacuousness of some celebrities (“I’ve got a lot of friends who are stars, but some are just black holes”). Philosophical meanderings address life and death on “She’s My Winona.”
Stray mentions of prayer, monastic living, heaven, hell and the Holy Trinity are abstract at best and sometimes sound irreverent. F-words, promiscuity and drug use are as plain as day on “27.” Another cut shouts “g–d–n.” The cynical “Coffee’s for Closers” repeatedly claims, “I will never believe in anything again.” A cad takes advantage of a girl he doesn’t like or respect on “Tiffany Blews.” “W.A.M.S.” also alludes to selfish sex with no commitment. The singer praises drugs for calming his nerves (“West Coast Smoker”), can’t get enough Benzedrine (“20 Dollar Nosebleed”) and may refer to cocaine in the line “I got a lot of friends stuck on Classic Coke” (“America’s Suiteheart”). Elsewhere, a cheating man reflects on an affair (“Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet”).
Is the hit single “I Don’t Care” a profound critique of apathy, selfishness and superficiality, or is it an argument for it? Hard to tell. The ambiguity isn’t helped by sexual references. That song is a microcosm of this CD, which is often indecipherable and clearly not worth the fallout when profanity, sex and drugs pop up.
After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.
