Semisonic - All About Chemistry - Music & Performance - CD

In 1998, Semisonic scored with the hit "Closing Time," a melancholy anthem for anyone who's ever ended up alone with their ego smashed on the rocks at the end of the night after riding a wave of romantic expectations. For 2001's ALL ABOUT CHEMISTRY, this Minneapolis trio emerges from the studio with a recorded dissertation on the complexities of relationships. Loaded with hooks and harmonies, Semisonic wastes no time delving into romance's dark corners, tackling the fears of unrequited love (the yearning "I Wish"), flying solo (the driving "Get a Grip") and the need to pretend all is well (a poignant and delicately wrought "Act Naturally").

Between frontman Dan Wilson's warm delivery and his band's inherent earnestness, the threat of this outing becoming a gloomfest is kept at bay thanks to optimistic numbers like the Crowded House-flavored "Follow" and the Beatles-esque bomp of "Who's Stopping You?" Semisonic's finest moments are with the punning title track, in which love is an experiment conducted in the lab of life, and the pop-perfect "One True Love," a piano-driven duet with legendary singer-songwriter Carole King.