POP MUSIC REVIEW : It’s Amateur Night With I Love You

I Love You’s set Thursday at the Troubadour seemed more like an amateurish documentation of ‘70s rock rather than an original set by a band spawned 15 years after Nixon, the Pet Rock and stretch-gabardine.

The longhaired L.A. group, signed several years ago to Geffen Records in the wake of the Guns N’ Roses-led rock resurgence, played seemingly endless jams of Allman Brothers, Zeppelin and Slade licks without an ounce of uniqueness. While the likes of the Black Crowes can pull that off with some measure of soul, it’s an element I Love You clearly lacks.

The highlight of the show was actually an opening set by singer Chris Goss of Masters of Reality, who also produced I Love You’s new album. Although members of I Love You popped in and out of the short, acoustic set, it was Goss’ sweet, emotional and warm songs that charmed the sparse audience.

Goss stayed for the first full I Love You song and pumped in a little substance, but once he left the stage, the songs seemed to collapse like a weak building.

Sloppy playing didn’t help matters and made the show no different than a back-yard jam by a high school party band.

The images of pot leaves that garnered the band’s hats, drums and T-shirts topped the whole nostalgic extravaganza, deeming I Love You’s music nothing more than hemp-rock for a long-gone generation.