For all the bad press heaped these days on vintage stadium rock, Boston's Artemis debut resonates with a crisp, fresh energy that's hard to find in the downscale aesthetic of post-punk. As Tom Scholz fans might expect, a metallic sheen gleams across the surface of each track, adding luster to resonant anthems like the politically correct title track as well as more intimate acoustic moments on "With You" and elsewhere. (The same sleek textures coat the album's one live track, a cover of "Livin' for You" that's marred only by the electronic snare drum, which sounds distressingly like the zap of a toy space gun.) Acoustic guitars glisten in fields of dewy reverb, while Scholz's electric leads and fills project a streamlined muscularity. The vocals, delivered by a rotating cast of guests, range from arena stratospherics to whispery folkisms; in the fashion of Phil Spector, Scholz is more concerned with blending them into his timbral landscape than with encouraging interpretive profundities. But that's fine, for Boston has always centered on one man's sonic fantasies, and for better or worse these are undimmed and as assertive as ever, even in the era of Corporate America. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk, All Music Guide
Ron Pownall (Photography), Dr. Toby Mountain (Mastering), Brad Delp (Vocals), Curly Smith (Drums), Daniel Chase (Editing), Bill Ryan (Digital Transfers), Dietmar Schmidt (Engineer), Steve Churchyard (Editing), Anthony Cosmo (Guitar), Adam Ayan (Editing), Steve Churchyard (Digital Transfers), Bob Acquaviva (Track Engineer), Matt Knobel (Digital Transfers), Adrian Hernandez (Editing), Tom Scholz (Guitar), Tom Scholz (Keyboards), Brad Delp (Vocals (Background)), Tom Scholz (Engineer), Tom Scholz (Bass), Carl Nappa (Digital Transfers), Gary Pihl (Editing), Bill Ryan (Editing), Daniel Chase (Digital Transfers), Matt Knobel (Editing), Tom Scholz (Art Direction), Kimberley Dahme (Guitar (Acoustic)), Carl Nappa (Editing), Kimberley Dahme (Vocals), Adrian Hernandez (Digital Transfers), Gary Pihl (Digital Transfers), Charlie Farren (Vocals), Gary Pihl (Image Editing), Beth Cohen (Vocals), Adam Ayan (Digital Transfers), Tom Scholz (Guitar (Electric)), Fran Cosmo (Vocals), Tom Scholz (Producer), Tom Scholz (Vocals), Tom Scholz (Drums)
This album featured important changes to the band's line-up, primarily the return of lead singer Brad Delp, who was absent on the previous full length album Walk On. Also, this album introduced both Anthony Cosmo and Kimberley Dahme, who introduced a fresh writing style to the ever-consistent "Boston" style.
Following a tradition set by the previous album, the final page of the album's booklet is dedicated to preserving the environment, providing web links to such organizations as PETA. The album's titular song "Corporate America" is a criticism of corporate corruption, which it says has pervaded and perverted nearly every aspect of American culture and even daily life.
