Kara's Flowers - Fourth World

With Ryan Dusick on percussion, Jesse Carmichael on guitar and vocals, Mickey Madden on bass, and Adam Levine on guitar and lead vocals, L.A.-based Kara's Flowers delivers a debut that's a fine example of alternative rock in the late '90s. With Levine's sexy, expressive voice, tight productions, and strong songwriting, the band steers clear of the angst most groups of the time made points of driving home with dreary, self-absorbed determination. Kara's Flowers does take a bit of the darkness from grunge, but the boys also know not to take themselves too seriously -- they seem to know it's OK not to be so angry. That translates into smart songs with welcome pop sensibilities that are immediately accessible without ever being too slick. In fact, the songs are so perfectly pop-oriented that they may sound familiar whether you've heard them before or not. This is not to say they're unoriginal or uninteresting -- they're just so well-crafted that they feel immediately comfortable. The band tackles its material with an élan and an assurance that belie its youth. "Soap Disco" and "Oliver" are just two of the potent songs on an album that, at only 11 cuts, seems criminally short. ~ Bryan Buss, All Music Guide

Name Credits Adam Day Guitar Technician Adam Levine Vocals, Guitar Barry Goldberg Engineer, Second Engineer Billy Bowers Second Engineer, Engineer Billy Kinsley Second Engineer, Engineer Bob Ludwig Mastering Brandon Harris Engineer, Second Engineer Cheryl Jenets Artist Coordination David Campbell Arranger Jerry Finn Mixing, Engineer Jesse Carmichael Group Member, Guitar, Vocals John Srebalus Engineer, Second Engineer Kara's Flowers Layout Design Katherine Delaney Artwork Ken Allardyce Engineer Mark Agostino Second Engineer, Engineer Michael Madden Group Member Mickey Madden Bass Rob Cavallo Producer Roger Joseph Manning Jr. Keyboards Roger Manning Keyboards Ryan Dusick Group Member, Drums, Percussion Steve Holroyd Engineer Tony Flores Engineer, Second Engineer