"Show me that smile again..."

What does this unforgettable lyric make you think of? Alan Thicke? Mike Seaver? Skippy? What about Dennis Jagard, lead singer for Ten Foot Pole? What's that? You think me mad for even suggesting a correlation between the two? Then I challenge you. Listen to the theme song from "Growing Pains." After you've completed that painful task, focus on the vocals for Ten Foot Pole's latest, Insider, and swear to me that Jagard's voice doesn't at least bear a remote resemblance to the mystery male voice from the former.

It's a discovery both haunting and perplexing. Having not heard anything from Ten Foot Pole since 1994's grossly unacknowledged triumph, Rev, I was disappointed to hear how much the band has changed since the departure of former vocalist, Scott Radinsky (currently with Pulley). Can a vocalist, who certainly isn't jarring to the ears, affect such a significant difference in one's enjoyment of a particular group?

Well, the band itself isn't entirely innocent of the changes which have occurred. They don't seem to be nearly as experimental with rhythms as they used to be (some of Rev's riffs were truly mind-blowing in this respect), although the performances overall are still impressively solid. Additionally, the songs on Insider seem to lack the bittersweet conviction so amply and effectively demonstrated on Rev. With relatively few exceptions (one of which is "Seven," by far the most captivating song on the album), Ten Foot Pole seems to be more content these days with poppier sounds, an unfortunate substitute for their more dynamic work in years past.

But ultimately, what hurts this album most is the singing. As I've already said, the vocals aren't necessarily bad in and of themselves, they just seem to be missing a very important kinship with the music they're supposed to be empowering. Rather than lending an important voice to the emotional landscape provided by the music, Jagard instead lingers in a detached state, isolated, failing to mesh with his musical surroundings at the most critical points. Aesthetically, the effect is similar to watching a foreign film that has been poorly overdubbed. The interconnected movements fail to match, and though it's possible to still enjoy the film, one can't help but be more affected by its failings.

-Kevin Ruggeri