A while back I was e-mailed by one of the reps for a Shreveport, Lousiana-based band called Planet. He wanted to know if I'd be interested in reviewing their new album Forged By Fire. Always interested in checking out new stuff, I said sure. So, I got my grubby little hands on it and popped it into the CD.

Their press release may cite influences like Todd Rundgren and Crosby, Stills and Nash, I found them to be quite in the same vein as Louisiana bands like Deadeye Dick and Better Than Ezra. What do I mean? You can easily and convincibly notice the strong pop hooks and rhythm that those bands also have.

The album starts out with thunderstorms, baby's cries, chanting monks and the evening news. From there, it leads into the strong "Nothing I Can Do." In fact, that song seems to be directed at a baby. This does set a direction - where songs are directed towards a person or another.

A perfectly good example is "Song for Diane." If you should listen to it, you may get the idea that it's meant for none other than Princess Diana. The lyrics deal with helping children and suppressing personal pain. While those things are not singular to Diana alone, the song still seems meant for her.

However, there are some lighter songs. "Please Give Me Love" is a wonderful pop ditty about asking for...well...one night stands. Both the singer and the girl in the lyrics seem interested of only one thing. It's amusing how the lyrics seem to play off both's expectations. I found myself laughing at how the song ends.

Meanwhile, the song "Devilish Angel" is detracted by the overwhelming saxophone. Other than that, the song is very strong and beautiful. I felt like, if they just went with the slow piano, the song would have been much better. Instead, the sax forced me to think of it as a lounge act. The only other thing I didn't like was the short tracklist - only 6 songs are on this disc. I was hoping to hear more.

However, those are about the only minor points. The album regroups and closes out with the strong "Wasn't Telling A Lie." The song is good and reinforces the band's strength - the acoustic guitars, the pop hooks and the good lyrics.

Overall, Planet sounds like a very good band. Given time, they could do very well. So, if you ever come up to this one, pick it up. (It might go up in price later on.)

Rating: B

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