2008 Woodie Awards
The Nightwatchman leads to disappointment
Justin Vaughn
Issue date: 5/4/07 Section: Gallery
Tom Morello is best known as the outspoken political face behind th '90s rock band Rage Against The Machine. A Harvard graduate who grew up on heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin was voted number 26 on Rolling Stones "Greatest Guitar Players Of All Time" list. He is also known as the guitarist and co-founder of Audioslave.
His unique guitar style was perfect for the rebellious lyrics of Rage, and it gives Chris Cornell, lead singer of Audioslave, a perfect backup.
Without Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave would have been subpar and plain. To say that Tom Morello is a very talented guitarist, his placement with any band gives them a unique sound that is seldom found anywhere else. The guitar parts for Rage Against the Machine are always melodic and a huge part of the sound that is so unique to their music.
Most Rage fans questioned his move to Audioslave, but The Nightwatchman might be the final nail in the coffin.
Most people would recommend a solo project for someone that can give a band such a great sound. But this time, it did not work out for Tom Morello.
His newest project, The Nightwatchman, recently released its first album titled One Man Revolution April 24. It is a solo project for which he sings and lays down all of the guitar tracks. The biggest problem that I see here is Tom Morello's inability to sing. He really does not sing; the lyrics are merely spoken in a very deep tone and his inflection hardly ever changes. The whole album sounds the same. The plain acoustic guitar sound and the occasional backup of slide guitar make this sound like Tom Morello turned to the country music audience for a re-birth.
One Man Revolution sounds like a rip off of Johnny Cash and is overall, pretty disappointing. I wish he would have done something with Rage Against the Machine, or anything where he plays the electric guitar.
Tom Morello does not have what it takes for a solo project. I love Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, but The Nightwatchman is just lame. That is really all I can say about it. If Morello used this album as a platform to voice his political views, which he does not, I still would not like it. It just does not work.
His unique guitar style was perfect for the rebellious lyrics of Rage, and it gives Chris Cornell, lead singer of Audioslave, a perfect backup.
Without Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave would have been subpar and plain. To say that Tom Morello is a very talented guitarist, his placement with any band gives them a unique sound that is seldom found anywhere else. The guitar parts for Rage Against the Machine are always melodic and a huge part of the sound that is so unique to their music.
Most Rage fans questioned his move to Audioslave, but The Nightwatchman might be the final nail in the coffin.
Most people would recommend a solo project for someone that can give a band such a great sound. But this time, it did not work out for Tom Morello.
His newest project, The Nightwatchman, recently released its first album titled One Man Revolution April 24. It is a solo project for which he sings and lays down all of the guitar tracks. The biggest problem that I see here is Tom Morello's inability to sing. He really does not sing; the lyrics are merely spoken in a very deep tone and his inflection hardly ever changes. The whole album sounds the same. The plain acoustic guitar sound and the occasional backup of slide guitar make this sound like Tom Morello turned to the country music audience for a re-birth.
One Man Revolution sounds like a rip off of Johnny Cash and is overall, pretty disappointing. I wish he would have done something with Rage Against the Machine, or anything where he plays the electric guitar.
Tom Morello does not have what it takes for a solo project. I love Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, but The Nightwatchman is just lame. That is really all I can say about it. If Morello used this album as a platform to voice his political views, which he does not, I still would not like it. It just does not work.
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