Simply put, this album will sell. The 10 cuts on No Sweat's full length debut are ready for the airwaves, yet still maintain the honest passion and entertaining writing that so many commercially oriented records lack. The album's most striking pluses are the contagious energy maintained throughout and Paul Quinn's soulful vocal seduction.
I won't go into the musicianship because there really isn't any groundbreaking innovation on this record. Suffice to say that drummer Ray Fean, guitartists Jim Phillips and Dave Gooding, bassist Jon Angel and keyboardist PJ Smith know their instruments and work feeling into their craft better than most virtuosos.
In sharp contrast to typical radio friendly records, this debut doesn't rely on the strength of one song for its value. In fact, there isn't a bad track in the package, which moves gracefully from the Bayou sounds of "Water Flows" to full-throttle rockers like "Shake" and "Generation." And when you throw Quinn's lungpower and expressive, bluesy style into the formula, you can't help but come out satisfied.
Another thing I noticed about this record is that it sports some of the most made-for-summer sounds I've ever heard, with a pervasive, energetic groove and the right amount of Keith Olsen's production polish. With the delayed public reaction that usually plagues debut releases, this one may indeed find its way into the summer album Hall of Fame.