Craig Owens

With Love

With Love is the first true “solo” record released by Craig Owens, the former Chiodos mic-wielder and international man of many side projects, and it kind of leaves you scratching your head. Released in September 2009 just weeks before the band announced they'd given Owens the boot, you almost have to wonder if the EP, or its subject matter (mostly Owens either in or out of love), had something to do with his turbulent departure. Clearly, his head was in a different place.

The music isn't half bad on the EP; granted, the acoustic-dominated balladry that dominates the landscape is a far cry from Chiodos' crunchy post-hardcore, but it's soothing enough to the ear, if not a tad pedestrian. It's Owens' vocals that deal the death blow, over-saturating any semblance of subtlety or refinement with a syrupy, over-emotive varnish. While the singer seems to keep growing technically, performances like With Love leaving you searching for any semblance of an edge. A little fire would've gone a long way toward conveying some sincerity behind all the wistfully professed pain.

Equal Vision www.equalvision.com

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