Type: Lyrics are included with the album, Contains explicit content
Genre: Rock
Review
One of the strange things that's happened to many of the ska-punk and neo-punk bands of the '90s is that as they've grown up and gotten to their third album, they start moving toward power pop territory, all seen through a new wave filter. Reel Big Fish is no exception to the rule. Their third album, Cheer Up!, still has elements of what brought them a hit in the post-alternative mid-'90s -- metallic guitars competing with brassy horns, a mischievous sense of humor -- but the tempos have slowed down a little, and they've spent more time crafting their songs, punching up the melody to the forefront, turning this into more of a pop album than a smirky rock album. This may distress some die-hard fans, but it actually results in a varied, infectious record that isn't just their most diverse album, it's their best. True, it doesn't capture the zeitgeist like their debut, but there's more character here, and it's more consistent, too. Not a bad way to mature. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Robert M. Barrett (Cover Art), Joe Zook (Engineer), Shawn Sullivan (Engineer), Shawn Sullivan (Digital Editing), Ross Garfield (Studio Technician), Val Garay (Producer), Kyle Homme (Drum Samples), David Schiffman (Engineer), George Marino (Mastering), Shawn Sullivan (Mixing), Tavis Werts (Flugelhorn), Kyle Homme (Percussion), Aaron Barrett (Producer), Kyle Homme (Mixing), Aaron Barrett (Arranger), Gordie Johnson (DJ), Iki Levy (Percussion Sampling), John Avila (Engineer), Ryland Steen (Percussion), Scott Klopfenstein (Producer), Kyle Homme (Digital Editing), Tom Ames (Studio Technician), Tyler Jones (Trumpet), Dan Regan (Arranger), Reel Big Fish (Arranger), Nathan Burden (?), Gordie Johnson (Producer), Scott Klopfenstein (Arranger), Val Garay (Engineer), Tavis Werts (Trumpet), Nicholas Ten Broeck (String Arrangements), Shawn Sullivan (Vocal Percussion)
It is a slight departure from the band's other releases, veering toward more of a rock sound as opposed to ska, especially on the first five tracks, where nary a syncopated drum beat or upstroke on the guitar is heard. Nevertheless, the album is a continuation of the band's longstanding tradition of putting self-loathing lyrics to upbeat music. The hornless single, "Where Have You Been?", was a moderate success in 2002, helping album sales. The last track, "Drunk Again," is sung by Reel Big Fish trumpeter/guitarist/pianist/vocalist Scott Klopfenstein. The CD cover art of the evil clown for this album was drawn by Aaron Barrett's father.
The album also contains an a cappella cover of Frank Sinatra's classic "New York, New York" as well as a cover of Sublime's "Boss DJ".
On the commentary for Reel Big Fish's "The Show Must Go Off!" DVD, Aaron Barrett says that the song "Valerie" is, contrary to popular belief, not about a girl, but is in fact about the album's producer, Val Garay.
Aaron Barrett is quoted on You're All In This Together (the concert DVD included with Our Live Album Is Better than Your Live Album) as saying that he was asked indirectly by the president of Jive as to why "all of his songs were so depressing." In response to this statement, Aaron claims he went into the president's office and played a version of "Cheer Up", replacing all negative words with positive words; "I've got a funny feeling, we're not born to lose, and I've got a funny feeling that this life is worth living through!" Apparently, the president said he understood why the songs were so pessimistic.
