There's just something about Cracker that takes me back. I guess all that time spent jamming out to 1993's Kerosene Hat in carpool was an integral part of my development. Just listening to those witty Cracker diatribes was enough to make a sixth grader in the back of a Lumina awaiting his daily schoolyard pummeling for wearing sandals with socks feel strong--if only for a little while.
Today the socks are gone and the beatings are less frequent, but remnants of Cracker remain, even if their subsequent albums faded into obscurity. Admit it: You still know all the words to "Low" and "Get Off This" (stop lying), and you probably still remember that "Eurotrashgirl" was track 69 (stop laughing). If any of this is true, check out Forever, Cracker's latest mix of quirky humor and subtle social criticisms, and reminisce for awhile.
The curmudgeonly Cracker is out for blood once again on Forever with lines like this one from "Don't Bring Us Down", "God gave you life/ so get outta mine/ and take your sorry ass back to Florida." Ouch.
The hits keep comin' on "What You're Missing," as band members David Lowery and Johnny Hickman verbally assault Kid Rock's DJ Uncle Kracker for encroaching on their moniker and a certain member of 21Jumpstreet for an oft-mistaken identity. "I play the lead guitar around here, but sometimes it plays me/ and I don't look like Richard Grieco, that pandejo looks like me!" Yes sir, sorry sir.
Forever won't earn Cracker the same level of popularity they enjoyed in the mid-'90s, but it's a worthy effort nonetheless. There's also an included live bonus CD of the bands earlier songs if you're pining for the days of old. So pull up your socks and strap on your sandals, because it's time to kick some butt.
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