live: v

BY DAN FEDER

Most of the blame for Live's gradual decline should be placed squarely on the shoulders of lead singer Ed Kowalczyk. Like many singers desperately trying to save their bands from VH-1 "Where Are They Now?" specials, Kowalczyk has asserted more creative control on each album, writing all the songs himself and making sure that other band members' musical contributions go as unnoticed as possible.

His megalomania results in a pretty worthless album, marred by amateurish songwriting, misdirected production, and unnecessary guest appearances. The lyrics on V continue to be as childishly bland as they were on The Distance to Here—Kowalczyk sings verses like, "I wait for you to understand/That we need each other/We gotta love each other" as if he were contributing something new to the rock lexicon. And while he's toned down the new-age-spiritual-guru crap that he tried to cram down listeners' throats on Distance, songs like "Flow," "Transmit your Love," and "The Ride" are just too intolerably preachy.

Another frustrating aspect of V is its poor production and mixing. The album, produced by Live with help from Alain Johannes, is pretty lightweight, particularly for a rock album. The drums and bass are surprisingly low in the mix for what is billed as a "harder" turn by the band, and apart from a few admittedly catchy opening guitar riffs on songs like "Simple Creed" and "Deep Enough," Kowalczyk's increasingly nasal and whiny singing is just about all the listener hears. V 's production problems aren't helped by the appearance of schlock-assurance master Glen Ballard, who overproduces "Forever May Not Be Long Enough" into Live's worst recorded performance to date.

Live's saving grace on their first three albums, most notably Throwing Copper, was their ability to turn arena rock into something both thought-provoking and tuneful. On V, Live can't make you think or sing. (Radioactive)

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