Let me make this clear. I’m not reviewing an album by the Brooklyn punk band The Men or the Brooklyn based performance group Men. Instead, the album I’m reviewing, 1991’s The Men, was made by the Santa Monica based pop-rock band The Men. As if dealing with two bands with the same name wasn’t confusing enough, now you guys have 3 bands with the same name to differentiate between.
Surprisingly, while they may be forgotten today, these California Men (whose lineup, by the way, is half female) are technically the most commercially successful band to have the Men moniker. Their one and only hit song, “The Church of Logic, Sin and Love,” climbed up to #8 on the Mainstream Rock chart. Sure, those two NYC Men may have the recognition from journalists, but at least the Santa Monica Men made a brief appearance on mainstream radio.
And it’s a shame that The Men are forgotten, because there’s a lot fine tracks on The Men. Jef Scott’s southern drawl gives the whole album a nostalgic country rock feel. The aforementioned “The Church of Logic, Sin and Love” is simply a solid song, with its combination of pop-rock catchiness, hard edged guitar solos and a well done spoken words parts. The exciting “She’s All Mine” pulsates with a punk rock attitude. The band gets funky on “King of Central Park,” while “I’m Not Beggin'” conjures up some Aerosmith. “Goodnight Sally” soothes with its slow tempo and extensive guitar solos. Speaking about guitars, Lore Wilhelm is the best thing on this album, churning out guitar solos that would make Slash proud on almost every song.
The Men does stumble at times, especially when they opt for safer, more contained tunes. A big sin this album commits is starting and ending weakly. “Blue Town” opens the album with a rather uninteresting Americana track, while the Eagles-like “Where You Found Me” closes the album on a dull note. “Easy Target,” a ballad about growing up, gets bogged down by its preachy messages. “I Built My House This Way” lingers in a forgettable Lite FM blob, while “Cry” comes off as a generic, cheesy blues track. But thanks to Wilhelm’s amazing guitar skills, even these songs are bearable.
The Santa Monica Men have disappeared since their one lone hit. After listening to The Men, it’s sad that they had. If it wasn’t for the many rough patches, The Men would probably be one of the best overlooked rock albums from 1991. In year that saw the release of Nevermind, Ten and Use Your Illusion, that’s one fine compliment.
Grade: 6/10
Outside The Aggregator 
So glad to see this , always loved seeing this band live yes they ROCKED!!!!! I played my cd so much its unplayable! Been looking for another copy for years, It’s funny when iI pull it up on my IPhone wrong album picture right music. LOL! Maybe a reunion is in order!!!! Seems like all the old school bands seem to be doing it! Love Love this BAND and a happy Holidays to Lori & Nancy ,the rocking sisters <3
This is a tremendous album. I saw The Men at The Rockit Club in Tampa Fl on support for this album. They were flawless and the live versions of the song were even better than the recordings. I sure wish they had a follow up.