Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Quirky with that sweet, fresh and raw-sounding rock is exactly what “Face Full Of Cake” is. Just in time for summer, the solid groovy beats welcome the nice weather with laid-back riffs and basslines. The album marks the first release by Spin Doctors in 12 years, but you would never know it. Smooth, just modern enough to be palatable for a younger audience, the album is a breath of fresh air compared to the pop and rap-obsessed charts of today.

The album starts out strong with the suggestive and slightly silly “Boombox.” As the first track on the album, it is quirky and fun with a great beat that really brings rock back in a smooth and laid-back way, but keeps the hard-hitting guitar and drums the band has always loved to flirt with.

Highlights of the album include the third and fourth tracks, “Still A Gorilla” and “The Heart Of The Highway.” Both have the ability to be soft-rock anthems of the summer – something to roll the windows and fly down the road to, belting at the top of your lungs. What makes it better is that Spin Doctors’ interpretation of soft rock is close to the Eagles, Heart or Fleetwood Mac, while using modern beat pairings between the bass and guitars. Though ‘70s-sounding, picklines are commonly heard in music today. This, along with current slang and pop culture references, modernizes the band in a way that many now-aging bands struggle with while still staying true to how they got their start in the industry. 

Half of the 12-track “Face Full Of Cake” is funk-based. “Double Parked” and “I Liked You Better When Your Butt Was Bigger” are perfect examples of funk-infused basslines that alternate between being slapped and picked, making the songs impossible not to dance along to. 

Funk is not the only style Spin Doctors flirt with. In the seventh track, “The Buddha On The Lawn” they bring back a late ‘70s-’80s sound, incorporating elements of blues through a baby grand backing, prominent alongside steady rhythm guitars and basslines that almost replicate a 12-bar blues riff. It is a fun display of varying influences and draws back on how rock ‘n’ roll began as a development of blues music. This is a sound not heard in popular music anymore, making it even more refreshing to be heard. It is as if no time has passed for the band. If you told me they were in their 30s, I would believe you. The sound is fresh, yet vintage and masterfully integrates modern and old techniques to make the album a spectacular listen. 

The album slows down with “While You’re Holding The Moon (Over Me),” an almost-ballad that sounds like something off of a Counting Crows album. It adds a slightly contemporary aura to the album, leaving little untouched for Spin Doctors.

However, there is a rough transition between “While You’re Holding The Moon (Over Me)” and the ninth track, “She Stands Alone” and the album’s final song “When You Got Turmoil In Your Mind.” Up until this point, the songs were well arranged so the transitions were not jarring. Yet, not everything can be perfect. “She Stands Alone” is a catchy piece that rides the line between hard rock and hair metal. An ode to a beautiful woman, it is a song that every ‘80s and ‘90s rock band has. Regardless, that makes it nonetheless a great listen.

As mentioned before, the transition between “She Stands Alone” and “When You Got Turmoil In Your Mind” is rough, but not as bad as going from “While You’re Holding The Moon” to “She Stands Alone.” It is a beautiful and delicate note to end the album on, allowing for the listener to settle down and relax. Truly, a masterpiece from Spin Doctors. 

Despite “Face Full Of Cake” being the first album put out by the band in over a decade, no time has been lost at all. They returned to the studio full of chemistry, ready to depict the ups and downs of life in a fun and uplifting way. This album is exemplary of how passionate the band is and how much they truly love each other.

Image from Youtube via by Spin Doctors