Messenger - Head for Glory
by Jonjo McNeill
published: 11 / 8 / 2007

Label:
East Central One
Format: CD
intro
Formulaic and totally unimaginative FM rock-pop on debut album from Norwegian-based group, Messenger
Messenger are here, from Norway, to ‘bring the party’ with their upbeat FM-rock pop songs. Veering from the cock-rock of Bon Jovi to the uber-blandness of Maroon 5, ‘Head For Glory’ is their first long-player, and as such I tried incredibly hard to overlook the cheesefest of opener ‘Amazing’, the stink-ballad ‘Angel Eyes’ and the sub-Lenny Kravitz ‘No One Cares When You’re Gone’. The musicianship is second-to-none, unfortunately there is no real feeling behind this music, and all the tunelling beneath the surface I done brought me no closer to finding anything in these songs. There’s been no expense spared on the production, and I can see from the publicity photos that the boys all play shiny posh instruments, but this can never make up for a lack of substance. These songs wouldn’t be out of place on an X Factor winner’s album, and no amount of sunglasses and ripped jeans can hide that fact. Unfortunately, ‘Head For Glory’ just proves that no matter how much money you throw at something, if it’s shit it’s gonna stink.
Track Listing:-
1 Amazing2 Angel Eyes
3 No One Cares When You're Gone
4 Head for Glory
5 That's Why We Play
6 John Strong
7 Go Change Your Attitude
8 The Words
9 Guilty
10 Good, Bad, Evil
11 Back on the Road
most viewed articles
current edition
Peter Doherty - Blackheath Halls, Blackheath and Palace Halls, Watford, 18/3/2025 and 21/3/2025Yardbirds - Interview with Jim McCarty
Johnny Cash - Video Vault
Max Bianco and the BlueHearts - Troubadour, London, 29/3/2025
John Philip Shenale - Interview
Deb Googe and Cara Tivey - Interview
Armory Show - Interview with Richard Jobson
Man From Delmonte - Interview
Loft - Interview
Vapors - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Bryan Ferry and Amelia Barrett - Loose TalkIvor Game - When Will You Fall Into My Loving Arms?
Gabriel Moreno - Nights in the Belly of Bohemia
Doris Brendel and Lee Dunham - Big Blue Sky
Brooke Combe - Dancing at the Edge of the World
Bryan Adams - Live at the Royal Albert Hall 2024
Shaw's Trailer Park - I Thought I Saw You
Ringo Starr - Look Up
FKA twigs - Eusexua
Leon Bridges - Leon
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart