The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Don't You Fake It

Genre rock Publisher Virgin Records External Links Official The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Website Official Virgin Records Website

Don't You Fake It, The debut album from Middleton, Florida's stupidly-named Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (I would go so far as to say the name is perplexing, curious, but it's just not interesting enough to warrant use of either adjective or the effort involved in finding out what it means), is a glossy and overall pleasing undertaking, though one whose influences (Jimmy Eat World, Hawthorne Heights) render it's sound unoriginal. The record label (Virgin) could also have had a heavy hand in the band's similarity to labelmates 30 Seconds to Mars, though RJA is decidedly more intelligent and diverse. Ronnie Winter's vocals and lyrics stand out; the tag of "screamo" being an absolutely accurate description of the sound, though it's generally pleasing to the ear. Sounds a little like somebody about to vomit, yet somehow it's not bad to listen to.

The hit of the record, "Face Down," takes an uncliched look at domestic abuse; coming from a young male perspective it packs quite a wallop in both music and message. "Face down in the dirt,/she's says 'This doesn't hurt'/ she says 'I finally had enough'." This cut, like much of the rest of the record, is fast and earnest and full of energy, intent and purpose. Which works well in that instance, but the grinding urgency gets a little weary as the album progresses. We get a slight break to the softer side of RJA with the introspective "Cat and Mouse," which features some piano work interesting enough to give it pause. Joey Westwood's bass stands out prominently, in particular on the first song "In Fate's Hands," the other airwave-ready bit on the CD, and the guitars are consistently rich, complex, and mature, for lack of a better way to describe it.

Don't You Fake It demonstrates RJA's solid talent, raw energy, unbridled enthusiasm, and intelligent songwriting. It is cleanly produced and at times quite impressive, though they do hold back on nailing an truly original sound.