Into the Sun

CD Cover Sean Lennon
Grand Royal

Review by Dorothy Parvaz


Well, it seems that Sean Lennon has somehow managed not to take after mama Yoko and actually has some musical talent. His solo debut (he's also Cibo Matto's bassist, not that that's anything to brag about... useless soul-killing Japanese pop crap, mutter, mutter, mutter...), Into the Sun, ain't so bad. It's melodic, kind of cute, totally unoriginal and a bit on the boring side. But really, it's very listenable and even pleasant. It's the musical equivalent of a caramel candy... smooth, tasty, but kind of old and nothing to get excited about.

There are some Brazilian jazz driven numbers ("Into the Sun" is nicely done) and some sweet, sweet percussive work to be had (you'll want to hear "Bathtub" over and over again), but, overall, the album earns the distinction of being ambitious without really charting any new territory -- somewhat of a disappointment, given Lennon's young age and financial means. And holy shit does "Queue" ever sound like a Beatles knock-off! Then again, if everyone else can get away with ripping off his daddy, why can't Sean?

But when you are John Lennon's kid (oh, let's not be naïve here) and have all the money and resources in the world, how hard could it to learn how to play bass guitar and get a record deal?

Not very.

That old infinite number of monkeys on infinite number of typewriters thing comes to mind. This may seem unkind, but the facts are hard to ignore. On the upside, Sean is only 22, so there's plenty of time for a metamorphic change from this safe, studio-candy product he is to a bona-fide artist. He's got the talent, he just seems to be lacking in things to express and an unfettered way to express them.



First published in Drop-D Magazine on July 29, 1998

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