Posted: September 3rd, 2009
Contributed By: Nick

	Purchase @ Amazon.com Release Date: August 11th, 2009 via Reprise
	Cavo is: Casey Walker (Vocals) Chris Hobbs (Guitar) Brian Smith (Bass) Chad LaRoy (Drums)

Overview: Things must be nice for Cavo these days, you know considering their debut single “Champagne” hit the top of the rock charts and all. The instant smash comes from Cavo’s major label debut ‘Bright Nighs, Dark Days’, produced by David Bendeth (Paramore, Breaking Benjamin). Cavo also worked alongside producer/songwriter Zac Maloy and songwriting gurus Espionage on the effort. Catch Cavo on tour this fall.

The Good: Cavo set up ‘Bright Nighs, Dark Days’ for excellence by leading off with out-of-nowhere smash “Champagne”. The hit single’s hook is instantaneous and aggressive, making it stick by force. “Champagne” is solid as a rock rhythmically while varying angles of vocal layering create a broad ambiance. “Crash” is majestic and radiant, strutting a hippie-like swagger with the recurrent “woo’s!” The production on the second verse to chorus transition is stupid impressive, one of the many nuances making “Crash” a smooth ride. Ethereal and entrancing, “Let it Go” segues into its soaring chorus with tight crescendos, an unavoidably catchy duo. David Bendeth has always managed to achieve incredible focus and separation with his cymbal sound, with “Let it Go” serving as perfect proof. Cavo grooves prudently through “Cry Wolf”, remaining in constant sync during the verses while sinking back in the chorus to let front-man Casey Walker carry the melody. Although the tribal drumwork change of pace later in “Cry Wolf” is nifty, the alliteration of the words “stars” and “burns” by guitarist Chris Hobbs is even niftier. “Blame” hops thanks to crafty guitar plucking, a rolling bass line and four-on-the-floor drum beats. The tune’s anthemic chorus hits you like a cannonball and proves to be one of Cavo’s most memorable highlights. Given the chance, glorious power ballad “My Little Secret” could own radio in multiple formats…. “Beautiful” drips ambient tone, erupting in a sharp, power-pop chorus with a damn sexy progression. Telling lyrics are the niche of the moving “We All Fall Down”, whose second half, offset by a campfire-like acoustic groove, makes up for early weaknesses. “Over Again” utilizes the dichotomy of moody, galactic verses with the rollicking, free-spirit of its throwback chorus to broaden the aural scope of the song. ‘Bright Nighs, Dark Days’ ships off with the twinkling, yet eerie “Useless”, illuminated by an arsenal of dynamic changes and a pure, soothing chorus, ices ‘Bright Nighs, Dark Days’ with a spastic burst of gunfire sure to brighten up the night sky.

The Bad: Cavo guitarist Chris Hobbs tanks “Cry Wolf” with a whiney, unproductive solo; basically, if you’re going to waste a solo, don’t do it on one of your album’s top tracks. Although the finale of “Blame” is set up for greatness, Cavo fail to capitalize, not budging from their comfort zone. I was hoping the riff that greets the bridge of “Beautiful” would steer the rest of the song in a heavier direction, but to no avail. “We All Fall Down”, which makes me think of a watered down, dolled up leftover from Sevendust’s ‘Animosity’, has a killer back-end. However, the day-cap of “We All Fall Down” is quite forgettable, making a premature skip to “Over Again” likely. I realize Espionage had a hand in writing “Crash”, but that song is so flamboyantly manufactured that getting through its tailor-made candy shell is burden on the ears. “Crash” is middle of the road fluff you’d expect to find on any Bon Jovi album from this decade. ‘Bright Days, Dark Nights’ is an album of hit-ready songs by a really tight band in Cavo. They even managed to create the ambiance mirroring their album’s title and cover art. Yet when all the pieces are put together, ‘Bright Nighs, Dark Days’ is simply an average rock album.

Bottomline: Giving credit where credit is due, I congratulate Cavo on their reaching number one with “Champagne”. With the ears of audiences now tuned in, Cavo’s ceiling has blasted into the stratosphere. Now let’s watch and see if ‘Bright Nights, Dark Days’ can handle the g forces….

TuneLab Rating: 6 out of 10