FEELING LEFT OUT - ONCE UPON A TIME

You know how fun it is when you are driving somewhere alone, and you\'ve got something like David Bowie blasting on the stereo? You know how awesome it feels to belt out the songs right along with the CD? How the recording drowns out your voice, so you think you may actually sound pretty good? You know how sometimes you misjudge the timing of a song, and suddenly it\'s you yelling at the top of your lungs, but Bowie hasn\'t started the chorus yet? You know how you then realize just how grating your voice sounds, and how you\'re actually embarrassed by yourself? Even though the only person who heard you was you?
Well, take that scenario and apply it to Feeling Left Out\'s Once Upon A Time. The singing sounds just like your personal rendition of \"Life On Mars\". It\'s so off-key-- purposefully, I think, in that sassy punk rock sort of way-- and awful, that I\'m embarrassed for the singer. Really. Someone should have told Feeling Left Out that they ought to ask for criticism from someone who isn\'t their mother.
Putting all vocal issues aside, I thought the acoustic guitar work had some merit. But then the second song started and, as far as I know, these boys were looking at the same sheet music they played in the first track. Maybe the stuff is expensive to print up, because I think they could only afford to use that one set of sheet music throughout the entire album. The tempo quickly got tiresome and, frankly, pretty mind-numbing.
But, hey, maybe I\'m the one who should be embarrassed, because I just don\'t appreciate the (to quote the press release) \"...stories of betrayal, relationships, and life experiences\" they have to spread. In my opinion, Feeling Left Out should only share their talents with Honda stereos. In separate vehicles. With the windows rolled up.