Upon first listening to Dr. Dog's second full length album, We All Belong, you are immediately seized with a faint memory of hearing this music before. Has your friend played it for you? Was it on the radio? A bar?
While those answers may be, and should be, "yes," the sensation of familiarity may be caused by the music simply being that good and comfortable. With influences drawn from classic rock (most notably George Harrison) and contemporary musicians, it is no surprise that the songs are at once refreshingly new and easy to fall in love with.
From the percussive beginnings of "Old News" to the melodic ending of "We All Belong," this album is nearly 40 minutes of pure aural bliss. Each song is sufficiently different from every other and sufficiently catchy to make you want to listen again and again. Lyrically the songs can be lacking (as in the beginning of "The Way the Lazy Do") but they make up for it with verses such as "Even gluttons gotta eat / well I ain't weak / but I hunger for your love" from "Keep a Friend."
It's not simply the lyrics or the music that make this album; it's also about how the songs are sung. Scott McMicken and Toby Leaman expertly tap into the emotion and energy that words are capable of portraying on their own, but require that extra vocal skill to make them believable.
The one fault I find happens in the middle. "Weekend" lacks in songwriting and production in all aspects. The lyrics are cliche. None of the instruments sound like they are being played with feeling. Its volume is vastly louder than the other songs. I first heard this album when I downloaded it and it was conveniently missing "Weekend." Maybe the bootlegger knew that it was not worth hearing. When I bought the album I was at once surprised and confused by its inclusion. We All Belong is a much better experience by skipping track six.
Wikipedia - Dr Dog
Allmusic - Dr Dog
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