Adam Again has an exceptional talent for combining guitars, bass, and vocals into this hooky, loopy thing that wears out the repeat on the CD player. While almost impossible to sum up the album in few words, elements of funk and rock combine to force the volume up and the windows down. This strong, driving style remains throughout the album, pausing only briefly for the ballad-esk 'Dig' and 'River of Fire' and the short, poppy and extremely catchy 'Worldwide' that makes me wish I could whistle nearly as well as Gene. The only exception I had to this was 'Hopeless', where I felt the driving beat was a bit drawn out. Mind you, it was effective in driving the point of hopelessness across, but I still usually give the track a skip.

The lyrics stand out, in that Gene's vocals are really a part of the song, versus music accompanying the singing. You come away absently singing the lyrics, then think about what your singing, then have a compelling need to listen to delve into what the songs are saying. At face value, the songs are creative combinations of catchy phrases. After further analysis, you start to grasp what they are trying to say. On careful reflection, you are emotionally moved as you say "Yeah, I'm there.". At whatever level you take the lyrics, they often say more than face value. One of the most played tracks from my CD player is the smooth 'River on Fire'. Once I learned about the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio that caught fire due to pollution, the song meant much more to me. And so it is with many of the songs, where you are left wondering, "Am I really getting what's being said?"

This CD is definitely in the collector's category, and for good reason. A welcome addition to the Alternative genre, with hooks and vocals that make Dig a timeless classic. And if anyone knows what the front cover is all about, please let me know!