I consider Chip Z'Nuff to be one of my friends in the music business. Chip has always been extremely friendly and willing to go that extra mile whenever I've asked him for a favor. In turn, if Chip ever were to ask me for something, I'd do whatever I could for him in the drop of a hat.
In a recent conversation, I told Chip, "You know, you have yet
to get a bad review from me." I have
got to learn to keep those kind of comments to myself.
Peach Fuzz, a collection of older tracks from the Enuff Z'Nuff library of songs, regrettably sounds like a compilation of b-sides and other tracks that didn't seem to have the right kind of magic that this Chicago band has become known for.
It's not that the ten songs on this disc are unlistenable. Z'Nuff and his partner in crime Donnie Vie are able to inject some absolute magic into this collection on tracks like "Happy Holiday" and "Make Believe". One particular track, "So Long," surprised me simply because of the level of anger that was reflected in the songwriting and performance. I don't pretend to know the situation that led up to that song (or even if there was a story behind it), but it is kind of weird hearing such strong negative emotions from a band who have made their name as one of the most upbeat bands out there. It's weird, yes... but refreshing in one sense.
It's not that there are any bad songs per se on Peach Fuzz, but the majority of the tunes on this disc don't strike me as being some of the band's best work. Almost the entire first half of the disc is pop-oriented with little, if any, bite to the music. It's almost as if tracks like "Let It Go," "Rainy Day" and "Message Of Love" were halted in mid-development, and these were the results to that point. Maybe that's the best way to describe the music on this disc - incomplete. With a little more musical development by Z'Nuff and Vie - a reworked chorus here, harmony vocals there, a little more musical flash - this could have been a great collection.
Maybe I'm a bit spoiled when it comes to Enuff Z'Nuff's music, especially coming off the tremendous album that was 1995's Tweaked. And there's no doubt that there will be some people who will absolutely love this collection of songs. To my ears, though, Peach Fuzz suggests what could have been on this disc, especially with the songs that are carried to fruition.