G Tom Mac (aka Gerard McMann) has been around for a long time. His songs have appeared on countless television shows and in a number of movies. They have also been performed by the likes of KISS, Ice Cube, Roger Daltrey, and Carly Simon.While that eclectic mix of artists makes for a great career as a songwriter and in publishing, it makes for an album that's not very cohesive. Such is the case with McMann's new album Thou Shalt Not Fall.
The album opens with a remix of his track "Cry Little Sister" (featured in the film Lost Boys- The Tribe) and "Secrets Of 02". Both of these tracks are what I would call "industrial pop"; think Stabbing Westward or Econoline Crush. If this were 1996 that alone would be enough to doom the record. However, both songs sound surprisingly fresh in 2008.
"Box Of Fantasy" is a goth metal track that sounds not unlike many of Marilyn Manson's bigger hits, while "The Conversation" sounds like Scott Weiland singing the cabaret goth of The Dresden Dolls.
McMann also gives us some fairly straight ahead hard rock songs like "Wish You Well". He tweaks that a bit by adding a bit of glam for "Under Your Skin" (perfect for Buckcherry to cover). We also get songs like "You Are" which are best described as alt. rock power ballads.
Another stark style change and we get "I See You", an 80's Top-40 techno pop inspired song.
The album comes full circle with "The Downside", an industrial sleaze dance number worthy of The Thrill Kill Kult.
It's easy to see how McMann's songs appeal to a wide range of artists looking for songs. They are well written and generally very catchy. Unfortunately, most of these tracks don't belong on a record together. That makes Thou Shalt Not Fall a difficult piece of work for the listener to get into.
Best tracks: "Cry Little Sister", Under Your Skin"
Track listing for Thou Shalt Not Fall:
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