If one were to make an argument as to why Sacramento's Shortie have been continually overlooked by the mainstream market, "Without A Promise" would be the cornerstone of their platform. A sluggish assortment of timid melodies, billowing riffs and lackluster dynamics, this album finds the band at their creative worst to date.

Sure practicing a convoluted structuring is nothing new to Shortie. But here the thin ice they tread upon quickly cracks wide open with the listener left to watch them desperately flail about for the albums nearly 40 minutes running time. Sans one or two tracks, the cluttered mess they've hastily assembled is entirely unmemorable. Choruses and verses sound half-hearted and lack innovation, hooks fail to pack any punch and peppy rock build-ups fall flat on their face by their second measure. Even though the songs are sonically busy, nothing ever sticks out or makes an impression, making it near impossible to even discern one track from the next.

Whether suffering from a massive creative block, being rushed to record or undergoing a mid-adulthood crisis, the sloppy and uninspired songs "Without A Promise" serves up are simply unacceptable. Their middle of the road approach finds them coming off more like an unrehearsed cover band than a contender for the market share alongside The Used and co. they seem to want to occupy. A tedious listen devoid of any concentration or intrigue, perhaps this album would have been better off titled "Without A Chance" - because that's exactly what material of this caliber will afford them.