The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus according to the grapevine are currently undergoing issues with their label and might fins themselves dropped from their label [Virgin] if their second album and American tour do not provide the financial benefits that they are seeking. Unfortunately for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, that decision all hankers into the quality of the songwriting contained within their sophomore full length album; Lonely Road. If You Better Pray is anything to go by then it could still go either way.

You Better Pray sees a new direction for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. A bit heavier (although not much), with a much more hard rock / metal vibe reminiscent of Avenged Sevenfold when they changed their sound. Gone are the fun upbeat numbers that, as a Red Jumpsuit Apparatus fan you have come to love and they have instead been replaced with more lead guitar, solos and pinched harmonics. The thing is that I kind of like this new direction personally, as it shows more maturity, depth and progression from a band that could easily have just done a carbon copy of the formula that helped gain them a Gold record in 2006. From a label point of view, I can understand why their asses are twitching though, as I am unsure how the existing fans will feel about this. Hopefully, they too will have matured and this new sound will slot into place like the right jigsaw puzzle piece. If not their new album Lonely Road might be the last Red Jumpsuit Apparatus album at least on Virgin Records anyway.

Produced, Mixed and Mastered by some of the best in the industry [Howard Benson, Chris Lord-Alge and Ted Jensen] the quality is most definitely here from that standpoint. At 3:37 it is the perfect length for a single and lyrically I like the content. The melody and harmonies are also nice offering ticks in all the right boxes for what should have been a great single based on all these factors. Instead however it's just a little boring with a lack of major hooks and great melodies which used to be ever present in The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus works.

As it stands right now, I will keep my fingers crossed for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus that the rest of their album is better than this song. However, knowing that labels usually choose what is, in their opinions the best songs on an album I don't hold up much hope. The messed up thing is it's not like this song is bad. Far from it in fact, it is just very mediocre in comparison to their previous album and [like it or not] you always get judged on your previous body of works.

You Better Pray is an average song by what used to be an outstanding band.



http://www.myspace.com/redjumpsuit