Ghost House : Group Therapy

Album Review

therapy (def): noun. 1.) the treatment of disease or disorders, as by some remedial, rehabilitating, or curative process: speech therapy. 2.) a curative power or quality. 3.) PSYCHOTHERAPY 4.) any act, happy, task, program, etc., that relieves tension.
group therapy (def) noun. using shared knowledge and experiences to provide constructive feedback about maladaptive behavior.

Leave the world you know behind and blast off into the Ghost House. As the opening track Rock It Man counts down, a mere five seconds will transport you to a world where sweat, sarcasm and low-ride dancing are the norm.

Whether it's therapy you're seeking or not, a release is hard to avoid as the opening track sets the tone launching the entire body and mind into dance mode. Jimmy Con precisely lays down the beats, and for those of us who like to listen to headphones, you're in for a treat. The sequencing coupled with smart synth tracks farther back in the mix headline each song just as much as emcee ADD's intelligent and witty lyrics.

A smooth transition is made to the second track, Get Down, as the dance therapy ideal never vanishes, but rather lures you into an all-encompassing dance floor of laid back, cool peeps. We learn even more about the sense of humour behind the men of Ghost House in the funny lyrics of the album's third track, Ghost Ride the Dick. Even female listeners can't scoff at ADD's somewhat demeaning words because his delivery is so smooth, musical and hilariously manipulating. Remember, you have already long entered the world of dance therapy and succumbed to its curative powers. Hard to imagine anyone disobeying the dance floor command "left foot right foot spread them both apart/hands down head up keep your back arched."

Ghost House exudes confidence, and they make sure you know with U Don't Want Nothin. Showcasing ADD's vocal talents (is there nothing this voice cannot do?), and proving their place in the music world, these guys are ready to throw down, so back up.

The next track, Samuel L. Jackson, has already received acclaim and has been played on and rated “Song of the Year” by SNRadio. It seems this team knows how to aim and throw hit singles to the masses. This track, along with Rock It Man, Ghost In My Room, Steppin' Out, and Lights Low jump off the album list and into dj playlists where the dance floors are rocked and girls' hips figure eight. An element all of these tracks have in common is the sexiness provided by Chuck New's vocals in every hook. One listen and you feel as though his voice has whispered those words before, making it easy to sing along. Ghost In My Room especially opens our ears to this voice as a familiar chorus from the past is borrowed to create a new sound in their story of unrequited love.

Unhappy featuring Dude N. Nem particularly strikes as the one song on the album that doesn't aim to be a hit single or a dance tune (though Wade Robson would most likely eat it up in a choreography project). An orchestral intro sets the environment to a Moulin Rouge-type scene where a drugged mind welcomes us to the "world of hatin' people." This song may have some of the most clever lyrics and storytelling in the whole album, as a whole argument about society is posed. Want to know what your fate is? Take a trip, listen to Jimmy Con and follow by example - just like hip hop, Oompa Loompas, Dick Cheney and Chicago - you'll be unhappy too.
Through the illusion of the dream posed by the music sequencing, the listener can choose which voice is the dreamer. Is it the first voice, who stays "jolly" and avoids melancholy by not giving a shit what others think and staying on track living in a dream? Or is the second voice claiming unhappiness an inevitable force a dream we can choose to ignore? Ghost House uses the elements of laughter that showcase an apparent apathy to the situation. It is a matter-of-fact story of declaration. We are unhappy. And we don't care.

Busted tells the story of another type of therapy, again using laughter elements and a character voice to illustrate an alcohol or drug-induced state of mind. These elements reappear throughout the album, proving this group's capabilities of creating through-lines with the usage of motiffic images and sounds.

Along with aforementioned throw-down single Lights Low, the album closes out with tracks Where You At and The Masquerade which round out the group therapy experience by offering advice and anecdotes to which any listener can relate. If this album were merely one of hits, closing with Lights Low would not have been a bad move. But here, as we have already been rehabilitatingly transported, cured with mind-erasing beats, succumbed to the therapy of substances, and relieved tension by dancing our asses off, Ghost House constructively allows listeners into their minds and souls. This is not just another hip hop group. Ghost House is a real musical family connected by a deep and driving passion left ingeniously apparent and graciously shared with the masses.



Ghost House is:
Jimmy Con (James Henry Wineman): Producer/Emcee
ADD (Rory Middleton): Emcee
Charlie New: Vocalist/Keyboards

See them live with partnered band Breakers Broken:
Tim Yamaya: Lead Guitar/Vocals
Herf Yamaya: Bass/Vocals
Neal Wehman: Drums

Managed by:
Robbie Mueller
847-710-1194
BTGManagement@gmail.com