With the first track on the album, "Future Daze," it is immediately obvious that this is not the Tony Rich we've grown used to. The track features heavy guitar solos and is very uptempo. Still, with the heavy, fast beat, the song is very fun and enjoyable, moving along very quickly. The downside of this song, and many of the tracks on this album is its use of a guitar solo that makes the song longer than it should be.
The second track, "Free" is another number pumped with adrenaline and a lively beat. The song moves quick and is an enjoyable listen but again, goes far longer than it should. If Rich would just cut these songs a minute or two earlier, I think the album would have been a lot better.
"Red Wine," the third track suffers from the same fate, but also benefits from the infectious rhythm and fast firing vocals. Its incredible when held side by side with Rich's older stuff, as it really sheds light on his immense talent.
The fourth track on the album, "Don't Call Me," is the first allusion to even anything like Rich's older material. The song is meaty with a very solid first two minutes. However, the song hits a long musical interlude that concludes again with the chorus. It's almost frustrating to listen to the album as the tracks push you along so smoothly, only to halt halfway through for an extended musical piece.
With "The War Is Over," Tony Rich finally succeeds at placing a track at just the right length. The song has a nice soulful sound to it about getting through a struggle and continuing forward. The song is slower and shows some nice vocals.
"Traveling Alone," is another solid number, with an uptempo beat and some really nice vocals. The song is about being alone in the world and is a pleasant listen. If it had only cut off at 3:30, the song would have been perfect. But as is, it suffers the plight of most of the album and just goes on for far too long.
The seventh song on the album, "The Only way 2 Love Me," is a strange song. It has a very bubble gummy feel to it and is light hearted in its presentation. However, despite the likely heresy of saying this, I really love this song. It's got this cool quirkiness to it and has just the right delivery for its message. Anyone who's got a problem with my bad taste on this one, well, too bad.
The album starts to fall from here with "Let Me" being a bit disappointing. The song takes a long time to start, with over a minute of nothingness before it really starts to command your attention. Put simply, the song is boring and the vocals just don't really command much attention. On an album with fast paced tempos and quick moving tracks, this song stands out in an awful way.
If you'd fallen asleep on the last track, "Mental Purgatory" invigorates the body as its such a rocking track. It immediately sets the mood as it bursts out with a pounding beat. The lyrics are fast moving and the message pounds down on you. The song would be incredible IF it wasn't six and a half minutes long. The song has far too long of a guitar solo and for an artist labeled as R&B, it just doesn't work.
"Two Waters" is another slip up for the album as, after getting the blood pumping with "Mental Purgatory," the track is slow and features another minute before there is any signs of vocals. The song is very slow and is really just not that enjoyable. In the end, you'll probably skip over it more often than not.
"When I Miss You" is an improvement over "Two Waters" but it still doesn't carry the soul of Rich's old work. The song is an okay jam but again, it only reminds you how great Rich used to be.
The twelfth track, "Barbershop" is one of those songs that makes you say what? The song is about getting your hair cut at the barbershop and really, it's not too compelling.
The album at least improves for its closing with a few nice tracks in a row. "Be The One" is a nice sentimental track in which he asks if a girl will be the one for him. The song isn't that deep and lacks the powerful images of his early efforts, but it is still a loving track. The song also manages to be of the right length and overall, is very well done.
"Within My Soul," the fourteenth track on the album is Rich's effort at a religious track. The song is nicely done and has a positive message about how you can make your life better. The song suggests that optimism is the key to happiness and is a soothing number.
"Yeah! Yeah!" is a live track and an alright end to the album. It features some nice hard rock to it but again, it's nothing incredible. And much like many of the other tracks on the album, the song is just far too long.
