Description
Super Duper is the seventh and final album by the Canadian alternative rock band Hokus Pick, released on Freedom Records in 1999, a division of Malaco, manufactured and distributed by Malaco Music Group. The album was recorded by Russ Long at Soundcastle Productions in Vancouver, Canada; with Russ Long and the band producing. Additional engineering by band member Rick Colhoun.
Hokus Pick is Russ Smith on vocals and guitar, Matt Pierrot on guitar and vocals, Dave Strilchuk on bass and vocals, and Rick Colhoun on Ayotte drums and vocals. The Argyle Horns features Cassia Streb on saxophone, Chris Hong and Russ Smith on trumpet, Mike Belfry on trombone.
High energy pop rock from this Canadian fun-loving foursome in this their sixth album. It’s very obvious, right from the opening bars of this album, that Hokus Pick don’t take themselves very seriously. I’ve always been in favour of anyone who uses humour to get a message across, and Hokus Pick do this admirably. Lyrics such as “I don’t have The answers/ My brain is like a hamster’s,” and “’cause I know better/ I’m not an Irish setter” bring a smile and have a certain originality. There is a dig at church jargon («Christianese»), a reminder of the need for Christians to get together («Welcome To The Happy Club»), a comment on self-image («Anybody Else But Me») to name but a few of the diverse but well thought out themes. A slower track, («Forgiveness In You») wouldn’t be out of place as a church song. Musically, the sound is quite Britpoppy, with a horn section thrown in for good measure. The booklet abounds, too, with daft pictures of this zany bunch and it all just goes to show that you can still have a laugh as a Christian, which is no bad thing. I imagine that their live show is worth seeing! [Keith Singleton, Cross Rhythms, August 2000]
Super Duper is all that we’ve come to expect from Hokus Pick – melodic Christian pop rock at its very best. Unlike their two previous releases, Bookaboom with its edgy, garage band feel or Snappy with its bouncy, sometimes horn-laced anthem flavorings, Super Duper does not find the group venturing into new musical directions. Instead, it is the work of a band that has managed to define the full extent of its pop rock sensibilities and is quite satisfied with the results.
Highlights include «This Is Me» – an in-your-face, B52s tinged chronicle of the weekly ups and downs that accompany a determination to follow the Master’s footsteps, «Christianese» – a Steve Tayloresque jab at the imposing vocabulary that infuses evangelical circles, and «Happy Club» – a refreshing view of the local church that follows the discovery that it is truly a place of refuge.
Long time fans will find lead singer Russ Smith and company revisiting familiar lyrical themes – self doubt and insecurity, the struggle between the old life and the new, and a heartfelt desire to find God amidst the world’s distractions. Yet, despite the uncertainties that surface in songs such as «Learning» and «Anybody Else», Super Duper exudes an underlying sense of confidence, contentment and unabashed optimism that has not been consistently evident on earlier albums. One gets the feeling that the band, having wrestled long with the “when I want to do good, evil is right there with me” dichotomy of the Christian life, has reached the point where they feel free to revel in the fact that, as children of God, each of us has received a spirit of sonship not a spirit of fear.
Super Duper is comfortably Hokus Pick – chock full of finely crafted pop songs, laced with delectable musical hooks, and sprinkled with enough quirky humor and zany vocals to keep a smile tacked on throughout. Like a pair of well-worn slippers after long day on your feet, Super Duper is reassuringly Hokus Pick. Ahhhhh…. Slip it on and enjoy the comfortable familiarity. [Bill Cliff, The Phantom Tollbooth, 10/21/99]
> iTunes (https://music.apple.com/us/album/super-duper/329337637)
CD tracklist:
01. Smile
02. Love (The Flavor Of)
03. I Know Better
04. Learning as I Go
05. Forgiveness in You
06. Welcome to the Happy Club
07. This Is Me
08. Christianese
09. Anybody Else But Me
10. Rest
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Freedom Records.
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