Exclusive: Flipsyde State of Survival Album Review

Finally, the moment has arrived for which every Flipsyde fan has been waiting for years. Flipsyde’s new album, State Of Survival, has hit the stores in India, and Flipsydeworld.com, Flipsyde’s number 1 fan site has brought you an exclusive review of the album.

Before starting the review, let me point out some basic information of the album. Total number of tracks in the album are 13, out of which 11 are solos and 2 songs feature guests. Following is the track list of State Of Survival.

1. When It Was Good (03:43)
2. Spinnin’ (04:02)
3. A Change (04:03)
4. This Is The Life (03:39)
5. High On Life (03:31)
6. If You Really Love Me (Feat. Al) (03:30)
7. Welcome To Hollywood (04:07)
8. Toss It Up (04:29)
9. One Love (04:31)
10. Champion (04:12)
11. Friends (04:05)
12. State Of Survival (04:25)
13. Green Light (Bonus Track) (03:50)

Executive Producer – Akon and Martin Kierszenbaum
Vocals – Steve Knight, Chantelle Paige, and Piper

State of Survival starts with the first official single, When It Was Good. Already a hit in Germany, When It Was Good is really catchy and deals with a subject which most of us felt at some point of our lives. Lyrics are good, music is good and performance by Flipsyde is top notch.

After a very good start with When It Was Good, the second song of the song, “Spinnin’” is another catchy song, especially the chorus. Chantelle and Steve make a good combo on chorus and set the tone for the song. Lyrics are top notch, and Piper is playing a vital role in the song.

Next up in the queue is A Change, written by Flipsyde and Red One. It’s also produced by Red One. To be honest, A Change sounds like any other pop song with very less signs of the original Flipsyde. Nevertheless, Steve and Piper save A Change from being a below average affair.

After an average “A Change” comes “This Is The Life” which takes you back to original Flipsyde days, both in terms of lyrics and music. Lyrics describe this life of ours, how our planet is filled with cowards, victims, love and also talks about sand in Sudan and Woods in Rwanda. It provides a nice break from love songs and is one of the best songs in the album.

After the tremendous “This Is The Life”, comes another song about life called “High On Life”. I really don’t know what to say about this song. The music is typical pop but in a good way. My only problem with this track is the absence of Steve’s original voice. It seems as if his voice has been really altered and makes it unnatural.

Piper disappoints in If You Really Love Me. His lyrics are not up to his standard and his voice sounds like he was not at all interested in doing this song. But, Steve, Al, and Chantelle provide their golden touch to the song which was required. It’s a really nice romantic track from Flipsyde and one of the best love songs from Flipsyde.

Welcome To Hollywood gives another break from love songs. Welcome To Hollywood talks about the life in Hollywood, how it is life of a rockstar and at the same time, it is plastic 101. It’s a unique topic to touch and is co-written by Akon and Colby O’ Dennis.

After this, we come back to the first song released from State Of Survival, “Toss it Up.” It sounds different from the version we heard last year but in a nice way. This time, it comes out to be more polished and more enjoyable. Piper is in top form in Toss It Up. The same goes with Dave, Steve, and Chantelle. This song, just like Welcome to Hollywood, has been co-written by Akon and Colby O’ Dennis.

Don’t be confused by the title of “One Love”, it’s not another love song. It talks about politics and politicians like John Kennedy. It’s a really amiable song with each member of the band is giving their best performance. But, Steve is only present on the chorus and not in any verse. This song would have been really good for him to sing a complete verse.

Next up is the song for American’s Olympic Team, “Champion”. I think almost everyone has heard the song, so I don’t talk much about it.
Now our focus shifts to friendship with the song “Friends”. The music style is a mix of former and current Flipsyde which is a nice hybridization. Piper is the star of Friends with his awesome lyrics.

The best song of the album is the title song itself, “State Of Survival.” The lyrics completely take you back to “We The People” era but music is of present day Flipsyde and hey, I’m not complaining. I’m in love with this song. Dave is awesome and so is Piper. Steve and Chantelle play their part to perfection.

The last song of the album is a bonus track called “Green Light”. Personally, I think it’s an average song but many people will like it.

In the end, I think State Of Survival will divide the fans into two groups; one who are hardcore fans of Flipsyde’s original style and one who support this new sound. Personally, I think it’s a good album but it is no way near We The People. But, we won’t make any comparisons here. Buy the CD and support Flipsyde. Post your own reviews in the forum.

Flipsydeworld.com rating - 3/5