REVIEW FOR JANUARY 5, 2004

HOLLYWOOD SUPERSTARS
LET IT SHINE
"SHELDON ENTERPRISES," 2001
 
I was never one for keeping kayfabe, and I'm not about to stop now.  Hollywood Superstars seems to be the side project of the band/bandmember Captain T, and Let It Shine is about the life of one Shermy Sheldon.  Sheldon is allegedly a former child star of an early 1980's NBC television show called Harlem Huffington who spirals downward into oblivion (cocaine, sodomy, the usual clichéd tripe).  The concept's rather disjointed in places, and if it sounds like some sort of piss-take on Behind The Music it's because one of the members of Hollywood Superstars worked for a music station that is a very high-rated one. Really, I don't have a problem with the concept, besides the fact that the shows that NBC was actually putting on during that period were...well, stuff like Manimal and Mr. Smith (the latter about a talking champ who became a government consultant.  This is an actual show.)  It kinda fucks the point somewhat.
 
As for the music itself, I just couldn't get into it.  Let It Shine seems to be a mishmash of music genres, mainly rock and punk.  To tell you the truth, even though the band tries hard to be wild and crazy the album just seems antiseptic and forced.  I just couldn't find much energy in Let It Shine, to be truthful, and the whole album seems like a byproduct of its concept and its side-project status.  It's restrained when it should just go all out to offend.  The only songs that I actually found interesting were "Tonight's The Night" and "I Love LA," because every one of the other songs sounded like Hollywood Superstars was just sleepwalking during recording.  The album musically sounds like a pile of half-ass, basically, and although the musicianship is at least competent there's just no heart to this album.  Perhaps it's me, perhaps I expected better, but given the concept the album could have been really good.  As it stands now, Let It Shine is just there, and that's a sin I expect no album to commit.
 
As an aside, if anyone wants to help me form a grindcore band devoted to developing a concept album about 20/20, write me.  Narcoleptics and self-mutilators preferred, just for the shock value.  You know who you are.
 
"CAPTAIN T"
PO Box 4112
Grand Central Station
New York, NY 10163
USA
http://www.hollywood-superstars.com/
[email protected]