Zoo Story - Come Out and Play

All Music Guide

Coming from the Jeff Buckley school of singing, Randy Coleman has an engaging voice that really pulls Come Out and Play together. Featuring almost half of the songs from their debut, this album is more of a collection for 3:33 Music Group to introduce the group to a wider audience. Wide-open anthems from their previous album like "Mantaray" still sound great with their blustery choruses and angular guitar. Of the new songs, "If I Could Dream Like Francis" is the best track, bringing to mind Buckley's more uptempo material with its sparse-but-shimmering guitar and gorgeous vocals. "M" is a very catchy rock track showcasing their excellent guitar work, "(((Intermission)))" is a silly little one minute ballad while "Chasing Zen" is a swaggering country ballad enhanced by the ethereal guitar. Their guitar comes up as often as it does because they have a unique way of combining the Cocteau Twins style of texturing ringing notes with Buckley's sense for distance and sparseness. Come Out and ...Play is a great album from a band that isn't afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves while alternately making great music with those artists' ideas. - Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide Read more Less