Billy Howerdel helped launch A Perfect Circle in 2000, now he returns with his solo outing under the name of Ashes Divide. This debut album is entitled Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright and I for one hope that wasn’t his thought about the quality of the music. Let’s find out.

 

The sound of the eleven songs found on this record is smooth-produced pop-rock with a high sense of commerce. Easy-listening emotional rock music with a super production, indeed resembling A Perfect Circle at some points. Only a bit lighter and more emo. The songs themselves seem to be a bit more to the point than those of his prior big band. But that might just be my misjudgement because I’m not that much of a fan of A Perfect Circle.

 

Nevertheless it is easy to hear the resemblances between the bands, even Billy’s vocals remind of Maynard, yet it is obvious the latter is the best of the two. And frankly that’s where I start to have problems with Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright. The vocal lines are thought through with the music pretty well, yet the voice stays with just one sound. That starts to bother me long before we even reach the end of the first half of the album. Add to that the easy songs and my first yawn doesn’t keep me waiting long.

 

To conclude this, I can’t say it’s a bad album, yet there’s not enough going on to get me really excited. Fans of Howerdel’s previous band are basically obliged to check it out though. And props to the artwork, good job on that!