Room For One

Artist: The Good Fight
Album: Snapshots
Review by Rhonda Readence


The Good Fight is made up of life-long friends Jeremy Clark and Jon Zorrella, both from Manville, New Jersey. Their debut album Snapshots best fits into the soft alternative rock genre. There are plenty of gracefully performed acoustic pieces with enough electric riffs to keep it rolling. The lyrics are extremely honest and well-written, dealing with a variety of subjects like love, acceptance and human emotion.

The opening track on Snapshots is “The Best Part,” and it’s a slightly shaky start. While this track is performed well, the vocals are occasionally pitchy and the harmonizing isn’t exactly smooth, which causes a mild sense of discord. In contrast, the vocal harmonizing in “Something” is done exceptionally well and the entire song is performed with excellence. There is slight Rusted Root element coming through in this piece and as with all the songs on the album, the lyrics cut right to the core with honesty and emotion. With plentiful acoustic guitar work coupled with some electric riffs, this track is a good summary of what these two musicians can do.

“Spotlight” is one of the more solid pieces on the album. This song will find a home within the hearts of listeners as they hear the candid lyrics, take in the fantastic acoustic guitar playing and sing along to the confident and strong vocals. “Move On” is another great offering by The Good Fight consistent with what we’ve grown to know and love about this band. They seem to have a way of reaching into the hearts of listeners, seeing what is in there, and then writing about it. The Good Fight will not gain loyal fans because of their guitar playing or their vocals, although both are good. They will gain loyal fans because of the subject matter of each song and the uncanny ease with which they seem to know what hurts and how to make it better through their music.

Snapshots also contains vivid imagery as in the tracks “Beach Song” and “Where To Go.” Both pieces offer settings in which the songs take place and the lyrical poetry cannot go unnoticed. “Beach Song” is more upbeat than “Where To Go,” but they both boast excellent guitar work and welcoming vocals. The song placement seems to be deliberate and this ensures that the album continues along seamlessly.

The greatest asset for The Good Fight is their lyrics, but the instrumentation is impressive as well. The graceful acoustic piece “Right Now” combines both of these attributes to make for a perfectly well-rounded track. The vocals are solid throughout and carry the emotions of the song well. Another standout piece on the album is “On High,” which carries a bit of a bluesy attitude. The sound production is well done and the vocals are delivered with surety. The rhythm of this song has a sense of danger and the unknown. It also flows with elegance from start to finish. Fans will likely want to see this piece performed live more than any other for the simple fact that it seems out of character for this band, and yet so perfect in spite of this.

The Good Fight winds Snapshots to a close with “Your Voice,” which needs little comment. It is just as solid as any other track on this album. It has more electric guitar than other tracks, and more of an emotional impact on listeners due to the exceptional lyrics, but we already know these guys are masters of this. The final track is “Cover Your Ears,” but I doubt anyone will take that advice. It’s a light and graceful exit to an album that is haunting, beautiful and very lyrically sound. The Good Fight has created more than music with their debut. They have created an outlet not only for themselves, but for all of us too.



Review by Rhonda Readence
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
- Ariel Publishing