Album Review: Rooney's "Calling The World"

Artist/Album: Rooney- "Calling the World"
Released: July 17, 2007
Rating: 8.5/10

Rooney’s highly anticipated new album, “Calling The World” gives their usual old school rock and roll vibe, with the same catchy, poppy undertones Rooney gave us in their debut album. With Robbie Carmine(also known as Robert Schwartzman)’s smooth and signature voice, along with Ned Brower’s intense drumming and Louie Stevens’ keyboard and tambourine prowess, Rooney is an amazing combination of the rock and roll sounds of the 60s and 70s melded with the pop rock of their contemporary counterparts: a hard thing to find in the music world today. I've covered the best and the worst in this review.

The record starts off with various [obnoxious] ringtones being set off in their album opener, “Calling the World”; a slightly [well, very] corny beginning to a pretty solid song. Though the verses are upbeat, the chorus is very reminiscent of melodies used in the doo-wop songs of yesteryear.

"When Did Your Heart Go Missing?" is an upbeat, poppy song about a nice girl gone mean. this song is the most bubblegummy, happy song on the album, and it can make the most miserable adolescent in the room shake her groove thang.

“Tell Me Soon” was released on the down low months ago, and for those Rooney fans who came across it during its limited release on the web, it was quite lame. With children singing the chorus, it sounded much like the chorus of eight year olds in church who don’t know how to sing but whose parents force them to “participate” in Mass. Re-recorded for the album’s release, however, it sounds much more polished, and thank God (pun intended) the boys of Rooney finally came to their senses and decided to nix the whole kiddy-chorus bit; now having Ned, Taylor, and Robbie sing in unison instead of 100 first graders.

“Don’t Come Around Again” brings to mind if/when a boy bands tries to write a “bad ass” tune. The pre-pubescent lead singer singing in a lower register, a put-on scratchy voice...The clean-cut five-some telling me repeatedly not to come around again is just annoying---they don’t sound angry or the least bit intimidating. By far my least favorite song.

For those of you who own Rooney’s concert DVD [Spit & Sweat], you’ve seen Rooney perform “Paralyzed” with special guest Allison Robertson from The Donnas, playing guitar and CLAPPING with Rooney guitarist Taylor Locke. That’s right. The boys from Rooney have re-instated the “clap” as an instrument. Disappointingly though, they didn’t clap in the album version. They nixed that idea along with the singing kiddies. In this song, apparently Robbie "can't feel his coccyx". What happened? Only Robbie and his coccyx know.

The album closes out with one of the few Rooney songs with a more serious subject and sound, and it’s really the first time in two albums and 24 songs that Rooney has really gotten serious. In “Help Me Find My Way”, Robbie’s voice is just heaven, making teenage girls everywhere swoon. They went all out for this one, with the string instruments in the background and a serious tone in Robbie’s voice.

Rooney’s “Calling the World” earns an 8.5/10 from me. With it catchy melodies and classic rock flair, this is definitely one to keep on repeat for a while.