Eve 6

Eve 6 frontman Max Collins is a curious pop-rock specimen, a songwriter who's just bright enough to write lyrics betraying the extreme limitations of his callow insight. If that betrayal were conscious, he'd be one to watch. But Collins would seem to have psychological conflicts that no mere mass audience can cure. And audiences have a way of wisely easing out of such overly dependent relationships.

Eve 6 spawned the radio staple "Inside Out," a bit of strained catchiness distinguished by a line about depositing his "tender/Heart in a blender" -- pop culture's grossest use of that particular appliance since Rerun made a baloney shake on What's Happening? But once you notice that Collins' plea to "tie me to the bedpost" makes consensual S&M sound as much fun as having your teeth cleaned, you wonder if the boy's getting out often enough.

In fact, Collins spends the better part of Eve 6 convincing himself that his sexual impulses are dirty and shameful. And that is no turn-on. A cannier (or just less uptight) vocalist might have delivered "May I help you put aside your moral fiber?" in a gentle enough way to turn "Jesus Nitelite" into a funny seduction scenario, but Collins clobbers it with melodramatic self-loathing. Horrorscope relaxes a bit, musically and vocally, but neither Collins' take on relationships ("Amphetamines") nor on stardom ("Sunset Strip Bitch") is very enlightening. With It's All in Your Head, the band tries for more sophisticated lyrical themes (classism, lost children) and doesn't quite pull it off. (KEITH HARRIS)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide