Hyperbole often gets in the way of impartial reviews. The reviewer hears an album that moves him, and he suddenly loses all semblance of critical thinking processes, gushing about how great a band is without pausing for a moment to accept that every album, no matter how good, will have a weakness.

This is the sort of prudence that must be applied to albums like Overdub. Overdub is tremendously good -- at times great -- but it's important to recognize there are a few weaknesses. Garza, in all likelihood, won't be remembered in rock history as a great innovator, despite the fact that some writers have ranked him alongside Prince and David Bowie. Nor can anything on this album justifiably be compared to Jeff Buckley at his most ethereal, nor the epic grandeur of Led Zeppelin, nor the genius of Jimi Hendrix. This is what Overdub is not.

It is, however, an excellent album -- one which suggests, if not shouts, that Garza needs to stop emulating others and embrace the prodigious talent hinted at by this album. Garza's voice and incredible range are similar to Buckley's; it's most notable in "Bloodsuckers", when he rolls out his beautiful falsetto. Musically, he's able to move all over the place without ever sounding weak or forced. "Drone" is surprisingly danceable and driven, while "Say Baby" is a catchy, intelligent pop song, satirizing the modern music industry. You could do a track-by-track analysis of Overdub, and find something great about every song.

Just as importantly, everything flows. Garza would appear to have read High Fidelity, and gained from it an understanding of how to put together an album. Rather than simply presenting a package of songs to be digested and processed, Overdub rocks when it needs to and mellows at just the right moments, drawing the listener in and creating an immersive, atmospheric soundscape.

The hyperbolic way to end this would be a mouth-foaming exhortation to check this album out as soon as possible. The realistic way is to state that in thirty years, there's a good chance David Garza will be remembered as an influential and innovative talent. Overdub, though far from being either of those things, is still very impressive, and is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.