The Everymen sounded like a big, pumped-up show band on 2014's
Givin' Up on Free Jazz, with horns, keyboards, and backing vocalists filling up the sound of a Jersey-centric rock & roll band. Things have changed a bit on the group's follow-up, 2016's
These Mad Dogs Need Heroes. The band has slimmed down from a nine-player ensemble to a mere five pieces, with longtime members
Mike V (guitar and vocals) and
Catherine Herrick (vocals) joined by
Scott Zillitto on sax and vocals,
Jamie Zillitto on bass, and
Ryan Gross on guitars and keyboards. While guest musicians fill in the spaces left by the new, smaller band,
the Everymen still sound like a more modest and intimate group on
These Mad Dogs Need Heroes. The opening track, "Co-Dependent's Day," is full of the swagger and flash of the band's best-known work, but much of this album finds
the Everymen exploring new territory. Overall, there are fewer horns here, with guitars and keyboards taking center stage most of the time, and the songs are often quieter and simpler. "Oh Sweet Lucia," "My Pretty Green-Eyed Carolina Girl," and the title track are (relatively) low-key numbers where the singers bare their souls to the ones they love. And even when
the Everymen rev back up to full power on "Christglider" and "Bridge and Tunnel of Love," the tone is more personal and contemplative, despite the bluster of the performances. And "I Woke Up" is a surprisingly sweet and perceptive sketch of a happy couple's life that trades the group's oversized attack for something simpler, and succeeds beautifully. If
the Everymen are a less hard-hitting band on
These Mad Dogs Need Heroes, they sound increasingly mature and ambitious, and this music suggests they're evolving into something more rewarding than they were. ~ Mark Deming
