Most rock artists talented and fortunate enough to enjoy long careers struggle creatively as the years pass. Forming a balance between the more hallowed, youthful recordings and any contemplated musical sojourns into more lucrative, experimental, or just plain temperate musical waters is a delicate task that bands often handle poorly. Fans of Canadian punk icons
SNFU endured the identity-crises pop of the band's first Epitaph release,
Something Green & Leafy This Way Comes, but are rewarded as the group offers a more familiar, yet modern sound on The One Voted Most Likely to Succeed. Vocalist Mr. Chi Pig scurries back to his peculiarly inane lyrical themes, avoiding the super-serious quackery that botched the cosmetic musical surgery attempted on
SNFU's previous release. Pig is joined by original members Brent and Mark Welke on guitar and the group's mid-'90s rhythm section of Dave Rees and
Rob Johnson. All involved handle the record's more difficult material with grace and power. Standout cuts include "A Better Place" with it's catchy, but undeniably punk choruses and the rapid-fire "Bumper Stickers." "Manual" threatens with it's awkward self-consciousness, but, thankfully,
SNFU sticks to the punk script, making The One Voted Most Likely to Succeed one of their best '90s releases. ~ Vincent Jeffries