| Growth LTD. is a four-piece rock band from
Chicago whose sound is rooted in their stated desire to avoid momentary trends in musical
fashion and to create a sound that is at once classic and current. This is, of course, a
noble goal and is one that other bands have aspired to before with varying degrees of
success. The funny thing is that Growth LTD actually gets closer to this ideal than most
artists who have adopted this mission statement. Their sound is classic rock in the Pearl
Jam sort of vein with a few other flavors thrown in. Nothing new is being added to the
rock vocabulary with the release of Special Magic (Latticeshpere Records) but it
is a treat to hear the dialect spoken by a band that seems to have some idea of what to do
with it. The band is not particularly heavy or poppy, instead choosing a path that would
have found listeners if released anytime in the past 15 years.
Musical competency runs pretty high in Growth
LTD and that is always a plus. Guitarist/songwriter Sam Schauer has the basic rock guitar
textbook down cold. His tones are cool, his playing is always appropriate, and his sense
of dynamics continually creates points of interest in the songs. Vocalist John Lennert
turns in a decent performance and actually becomes more appealing the deeper one wades
into the record. The opening cut on the disc, "A Reasonable Request," has some
rough vocal moments in the chorus that were a turnoff at first. However, as the CD
progresses, Lennert’s pleasingly gruff tone and emotive qualities fit the music quite
well. All in all, Special Magic is a good effort from a band that has hit the
target they were aiming for. You want straight up rock and roll? You got it.
Growth Ltd. Artist Page
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