Trip the Off

Sometimes a CD comes along that has so many cards stacked against it that you want it to succeed; it's a natural reaction to root for the underdog. The Bong Sessions was one of those CDs and I tried to like it, I really did. The name is an immediate mark against it and the cover of a leprechaun smoking pot didn't really help the band's cause. These are superficial things though, as the real tragedy began with the music is, quite simply, that it's trash. The lyrics are almost entirely about smoking pot, the singer's voice is atrocious and the music is extremely rough - the band simply isn't tight. I persevered, however, and hoped for improvement until "Cognac Dipped Medley" came on, which included a horribly rapped version of "Mama Said to Knock You Out" and a couple Sublime songs, including covering Sublime's version (not Toots') of "54/46." When bands begin to cover covers, it's a bad sign. I could go on and on about the flaws of this CD, but two words can sum it up nicely for me: total crap.