The snap of the newest, brightly colored bubble gum is in every drumbeat of So Together by Innosense. This quintet is the female counterpart to the lesser boy bands, and like the boy bands, its music cannot offend anyone because of its harmless content. Some songs were even recorded in Orlando, Fla., the heart of today's popular music. This probably enhances its appeal to 11-year-old girls and secret droves of college students.
Innosense
So Together
RCA Records
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Harmless often means shallow, but excellently crafted rhythms keep the album moving from beginning to end. "Ride," the first track, is reminiscent of Imani Coppola's "Legend of a Cowgirl." It has a fast beat with many electronic engine-like sounds to spread the feeling of a "ride." The song is so simple that the ride could be on a bicycle, with banana seat and tassels on the handlebars. They continue with the "a fast beat makes a song fun" formula much of the CD.
The slow songs and emotional songs try to persuade the listener that they are something intimate. It would probably work if one were depressed or just ending a relationship. The ambiguous lyrics also help listeners to think that the group is singing about their actual problems.
Other emotionally charged songs remind the listener of the late '80s girl groups with lines like, "Why did you treat me so bad," and "I don't care what you say/ I don't care what you do, Cause I am never coming back no more." The songs are all actually different from one another. There is enough variation that you won't sing the words to another song. The "oohs" on "You Didn't Have to Hurt Me" are distinct from those on "This is It."
This CD is a great marketing piece, the strategically constructed product of a record label. It is lowest common denominator music. The group is apparently made of harmonious God-loving women whose bad member might occasionally ride, not drive, a motorcycle. The safety net of parent-pleasing pop middle ground will also ensnare a large portion of college students during a post-exam wind down because no song requires thought. Not every recorded song can be enlightening; some just have to entertain, and Innosense definitely achieves that goal.
