POD have come under a bit of an attack from the broader British music press. While it's true that their previous album, Payable On Death (2004) didn't live up to the success or overall quality of their break-out record, Satellite (2002), which yielded a bucketload of singles and general adoration over the pond.Testify shows the band a little more confident, and not so self indulgent throughout. The song-writing is tighter and more focused, with most songs having solid structure and some good melodies. Being a POD record, it would be incomplete without some reggae influences and flavours (I'm sorry, but I refuse to write 'flavaz'), which again add to the songs, rather than detract - as they did in Payable On Death.
The two opening tracks - "Roots In Stereo" and "Lights Out" - are good, strong numbers to start the album with heavier guitars. "If You Could See Me Now" is a softer, more soulful number, never really taking off like, or having the same style as "Youth Of The Nation" (which appeared on Satellite). It's a good song that, despite the drop in pace, doesn't derail the album.
"Goodbye For Now" sounds like POD trying to produce an Incubus song - mixing in their own rap elements, with the sweeping melodies we got from Incubus' Morning View and A Crow Left Of The Murder. There's a certain amount of irony that one of the lyrics is "when will we see a new song..." (repeated).
Overall, then, the album isn't as bad as the press has let on - most giving it a paltry 1 or 2 out of 5, which is rather harsh. Yes, it doesn't break the mould of what we've come to expect from the band, but really this isn't a bad thing.
More like Satellite than Payable On Death, I can imagine that the album will probably do quite well. This will probably be predominantly because of the die-hard POD fans (or 'Warriors', as they rather pretentiously call themselves).
Ultimately, though, rap-rock has passed its prime, so this won't help the band set the scene alight again. Dated, but competently written.
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