The Mayfield Four
Second Skin

THE REVIEW

Second and last work for the band from Spokane, created in June 2001 with a lineup change that saw the departure of rhythm guitarist Craig Johnson in favor of Alessandro Cortini, who, after the band's breakup, would make a great impression on Mr. Trent Reznor, enough to recruit him permanently in his Nine Inch Nails.

The album was not very successful in sales, partly due to the poor publicity from the record company, with which they severed the contract in 2002 and decided to attempt different paths.

As is well known, the leader Myles Kennedy, having supported a tour of the Creed, took over the position after Scott Stapp left, renaming the group Alter Bridge and releasing two well-crafted albums such as "One Day Remains" and the very recent "Blackbird."

"Second Skin" is more hard rock, but less incisive than the previous "Fallout," which had the merit of blending typically Zeppelin-like sounds with the intimacy and depth of artists like Jeff Buckley. The guitars sound dirtier and gain more power compared to the beginnings, the singer uses some vocal effects to further enhance his already remarkable skills, as heard in the first track, "Sick and Wrong," also supported by the new entry Cortini on backing vocals.

Echoes of Alice in Chains, musically speaking, can be heard in "Loose Cannon," the guitar riff reminiscent of "Dam That River," while the voice, filtered and with a "megaphone effect," at times resembles Scott Weiland's. Typical stars-and-stripes hard rock tracks alternate like "High," "Backslide," "Flatley’s Crutch," with electro/acoustic ballads, "Eden," "Carry on," to twilight and dark tracks like the beautiful "White Flag."

"Summergirl," closing, just voice and guitar in the first part, amazes with its resemblance both vocally and structurally to Jeff Buckley's compositions, where, in the final crescendo, Kennedy unleashes a high note that brings to mind the one in "Grace," so identical do they sound.

Sufficient album, at times inconsistent, put together hastily to try to give a future to the band, but which, sadly, decreed its end.