BIG BAD ZERO: IMAGINATION AMERICA (Self-Released)

The rapid-fire drums begin and, right out of the gate, Nick Mattera sings, “Tired of waiting, slowly fading/but this gift they gave me just won’t ever let me go.” This Las Vegas foursome—Mattera (vocals, rhythm guitar), Dave Meeks (guitar, backing vocals), Dan Gauthier (bass, backing vocals), and Rob Whited (drums, percussion)—has long been a favorite of mine. And though that major-label contract remains frustratingly out of their grasp (for now; really, it’s just a matter of time), they continue to write, record, and perform. And that first line of “Not Done”—itself the first song on Imagination America, their latest CD—captures the magic, the drive, and the gift that is BBZ.

This album’s more straightforward and rocking than its predecessor, Your Beautiful Mistake. In many ways, it’s also a happier disc, minus the emotionally honest breakup songs that comprised much of Mistake. Mattera has a unique, slightly nasal, yet commanding vocal style. On “Fall Down,” he professes, “And we’re never alright/something better comes along.” The disc’s title track finds him nearly chanting the stanzas before he lets loose vocally. This politically charged song, incorporating dubs from presidential and other speeches, asks, “Soldiers go on, lay your guns down/listen to the sound of someone begging you to let them dream again.” Following the stripped down, emotionally honest “Waiting for a Sign”—which, again, finds Mattera following his muse—is “Someone,” a rocking, sweet, straightforward love song. The song craft is pure pop rock and radio friendly, with a catchy guitar line, uplifting rhythm, changed-up bridge, and soaring vocals. Here, Whited proves his prowess, adding just the right variety to the percussion to keep the song moving but not predictable.

“Lose Ourselves” is simple and catchy; you’ll soon find yourself singing along. BBZ amps it up a notch with “How Will I Go Out”; Meeks’ runaway guitar leads the way as Mattera playfully reveals, “Yesterday I got an envelope with someone’s lipstick that I didn’t know/I replied, I like the shape of your imagination.” The easy way his voice slips into falsetto is positively divine. “Orano” is a personal favorite—soulful and rhythmic, its sound and lyrics perfectly capture the wide-eyed innocence of youth, of summers that never seemed to end. (Kudos, too, to Gauthier for his perfectly placed blues riff.) The melodic “Colored Walls” gives way to soaring possibilities of make-believe in “Who Would You Be.” Closing out the disc beautifully is the anthemic “Try for Me,” which finds Mattera pleading, “We’re hanging on to our last string ’cause we were magic/and this is magic.”

Optimistic, heartbreaking, realistic, inspiring, heartfelt—Big Bad Zero is all this, and more. Just imagine the possibilities, follow your dreams, and make them happen…

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