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Track Listing: Just War Theory Stillborn Love Thy Neighbor Kaffur (Infidel) Painter Paint Tolerance Song (Edit) Set Me Free Jesus Would You Meet Me Slave Beyond The Garden / Kicking Against The Goads Just War Reprise The Murder Of Daniel Faulkner (4699)

Extreme frontman Gary Cherone took advantage of the band's long gap between the recording and touring cycles, and decided to launch his own band Hurtsmile in collaboration with brother Mark Cherone on guitar. The line-up is completed by Joe Pessia on bass and Dana Spellman on drums, thus making it more or less a "band of brothers", as all these musicians are connected to the Extreme family in one way or another. Gary Cherone has always been a frontman with a degree of swagger and flourish in his singing as well as persona, and I was curious to find out how he would carry himself on his own.

"Just War Theory" provides the album a fun, rock 'n roll beginning and should turn out to be an enjoyable sing along tune. Mark's guitar riff and solo have a very 70s feel to it, giving the song a demeanour that typified bands like The Scorpions back in the day. "Stillborn" comes as an interesting follow-up, as it's more of a grungy Alice In Chains-like tune that explores a vocal style that's different from Gary's earlier work in Extreme and Van Halen. "Love Thy Neighbor" is a slower, darker hard rock song that offers a great contrast from its preceding track. The chorus and guitar solo are the highlights of this song, specially the chorus which should catch on among listeners rather quickly.

"Kaffur (Infidel)" had me curious even before I heard it, as it's based on the beheading of Daniel Pearl. The music is as interesting as the subject itself, as the main riff reverberates along with some delightful bass licks. Gary has done an excellent job on vocals by holding some rather high notes in this one. Overall the track sounds quite exotic and stands out as the most unique composition on the entire record. "Painter Paint" keeps up with the trend of contrasting its predecessor, and is a short and slow, stripped down acoustic number with Gary's vocals and Mark's guitar being the dominant components. It adds a soft flavor to an otherwise rock 'n roll album, and leads into the next track "Tolerance Song", a dark but enjoyable mid-tempo tune. "Set Me Free" is a very bass-heavy tune and is another one of the more modern sounding tunes on the album. Bands like Audioslave come to mind while listening to this one, which more than anything proves the musical diversity from song to song.

"Jesus Would You Meet Me" is probably my favorite track on the album, as it has the most old school , country-type sound, consisting of fast acoustic guitar strumming and vocals with a Southern touch. It's delightful from start to finish and an instant classic in my opinion. "Slave" is perhaps an apt follow-up, as it's as far removed from country rock as you could possibly imagine. It varies from down-tempo to quiet and ultra-slow, and is almost single handedly carried by Gary Cherone. "Beyond The Garden/Kicking Against The Goads" is the most downbeat track on the album in which Gary expresses great emotion through his voice. The album comes to an end with "Just War Reprise" and "The Murder Of Daniel Faulkner (4699)", the former being a slow and soft tune with a tropical flavor, and the latter an endearing rendition that tells the story of Daniel Faulkner's murder. It's a haunting yet strangely delightful ending to the album.

Overall, Hurtsmile's self-titled debut is a roller coaster ride through a wide range of musical styles, from classic rock 'n roll to modern rock to country rock and even some exotic touches here and there. Half way through it you won't even feel like you're still listening to the same album, such is the diversity. While it's based on rock 'n roll roots, it takes the listener through a different side of Gary Cherone and co, one that's never been brought to light quite like this before.

With an entertaining debut that excellently portrays a plethora of musical styles executed with aplomb by four seasoned musicians, Hurtsmile is here to stay.