With a wealth of experience in the band and described as a mix of Pink/AC-DC/Matchbox 20 and Bon Jovi Ajenda seemed an intriguing prospect. So would the actual CD match up to the hype of the press release? Well first track up, “Paranoia”, has a pretty jangley folky feel at the start with Jen providing some throaty vocals and it actually does sound somewhat reminiscent of a female fronted later day Bon Jovi though without quite the same impact.  Second track in “Hollow”  has a touch of Southern Blues about it though the vocals don't come across as assured as on the previous effort. The production also proves slightly woolly and the music in general gets lost a bit and, although there is an increasing rock edge to the track as it progresses, it still doesn't bite. 

“Movie” is a little more difficult to pigeon hole as, vocally at least, it's a bit of an old school rock ballad that works well but the music behind it has more in common with light indie rock, a strange amalgamation to be sure but it may well work live but once again on CD the music, and in particular the guitars, are submerged. “Always Too Late” is perhaps the  weakest song here, although conversely has the highest production values. There is a bit “Mariah Carey” going on which presumably gives rise to the "Pink” comparisons but even after a few listens it's hard to focus on the song .The last song on offer here is “Killin Me” which has a rockier start but again the guitar work is buried. Again it sits primarily in rock ballad territory but with the addition of some faster paced sections that show a harder edge to the band, but in general it's pretty safe AOR. 

Overall Ajenda do have a certain appeal that transcends the individual component songs, and their frailties but it was lacking that ubiquitous X factor to really draw the listener in. Maybe it was the production and perhaps a little re-arrangement here and there would help the tracks project themselves better on CD as well. There is that feeling at the end of it all that Ajenda can deliver a lot more than this EP shows, in fact I want this band to drag me to one of their shows next time they are in Scotland to prove what they really have under the hood.

Contact: www.myspace.com/ajendamusic  

Mike Clark