Saliva are one of those bands that reliably cranks out solidly mediocre albums. Their records aren’t terrible, but they’re not very memorable, either – their hits are effective and the rest is mere filler. Cinco Diablo continues that trend, and while longtime Saliva fans may be satisfied with the results, it seems unlikely the album will be able to attract many outside the band’s core audience.
Saying Farewell to Rap-Rock
When Saliva released their 2001 major-label debut Every Six Seconds, the group were more of a rap-rock outfit with frontman Josey Scott combining hip-hop verses with traditional rock choruses. But with that trend starting to lose its popularity by the mid-2000s, Saliva sought to evolve into a more straightforward Southern rock quintet. Cinco Diablo finds Saliva focusing on no-nonsense hard rock, replete with heavy riffing and a lean-and-mean rhythm section. The idea, presumably, is to prove that the band members are dyed-in-the-wool rockers and in no way bandwagon-jumpers who chase every silly musical trend that comes around. But while these 10 songs are consistently tuneful – except, ironically, the rap-influenced “I’m Coming Back” – Scott and his bandmates just don’t have enough original ideas to sustain a full-length album.Familiar Rock Styles
Cinco Diablo tries a lot of different rock styles, but few of the songs fully connect. “Family Reunion” is a prototypical get-the-party-started rocker with chant-along go go gos – the song is somewhat rousing, but in a very generic way. “Judgement Day” is the umpteenth support-the-troops anthem told from a soldier’s perspective, but despite its honorable intentions Scott’s attempts to empathize with a man serving in Iraq come across as pandering and shallow. As for “Southern Girls,” it’s yet another chicks-are-hot piece of strip-club rock that’s fairly obvious and not very exciting. The songs, produced by Bob Marlette, are slick and compact, full of ear-catching moments, but Cinco Diablo’s professional sheen can’t compensate for tired hooks and done-to-death lyrical concepts.Wimping Out Successfully
On Cinco Diablo, Saliva fail to come up with another of their sports-arena bangers on the level of previous hits “Click Click Boom” or “Ladies and Gentlemen.” Instead, the band find more luck with their melodic relationship songs. “How Could You?” may be another you-cheated-on-me ballad, but the sappy “So Long” and “Forever and a Day” get the job done, ignoring the bluster that mars a lot of Cinco Diablo and settling into a sturdy groove. Of course, these are the sort of tracks that will cause people to accuse the band of wimping out, but when your hard rock songs don’t have much life to them, you might as well try something else.Waiting for the Saliva Greatest-Hits Album
“My Own Worst Enemy” features Shinedown singer Brent Smith, which brings up unflattering comparisons between Cinco Diablo and Shinedown’s far superior The Sound of Madness. At least with Shinedown, the songs jump out of the speakers full of energy and emotion. That simply doesn’t happen enough on Cinco Diablo. When Saliva finally get around to putting out a greatest-hits album, it’ll probably be worth picking up. On an album-by-album basis, though, they just don’t give you enough bang for your buck.Best 'Cinco Diablo' Tracks:
“So Long” (Purchase/Download)“Best of Me” (Purchase/Download)
“Forever and a Day” (Purchase/Download)
Release date – December 16, 2008
Island Records
