by Steven McDonald

Well done, if derivative, The Spiral Notebook skirts the edges of power pop, hard rock, stadium rock, and quite a bit more (on the opening "Anything You Say," Emmett's vocals have a startling resemblance to those of Rod Stewart) There's an Eagles flavor to "Raise High," which does the same job of co-opting reggae that "Hotel California" did, and this is the pattern that the entire album follows -- it becomes a little like listening to an hour of AOR radio.