After the underwhelming response to their 1997 self-titled album,
the Nixons were dropped from MCA and subsequently signed with Koch Records, a much smaller label. The change appears to have done a world of good. While their previous album suffered from a lack of memorable hooks and underwritten songs,
Latest Thing sounds like a band revitalized and hungry again for success, but on their own terms. This new attitude is most apparent in the strong (if not particularly original or groundbreaking) songwriting. The band covers all the bases nicely; between heavy-hitters such as "The One" and "Drama Queen," countrified rock ("First Trip," co-written with
Night Ranger's
Jack Blades), and even a nod to
the Cars and new wave in "Blackout," arguably the best song of the album. Truthfully, there isn't a poor track in the bunch, which is all the more impressive given the weak songwriting of their 1997 release. Comparisons to
Matchbox 20 are inevitable, as similarities in both songwriting and singer
Zac Maloy's vocal delivery abound. However, for fans of
Matchbox 20, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Latest Thing delivers the goods.