Somewhere in the last 15 years, I lost track of Big Head Todd & the Monsters, this after practically wearing out my Sister Sweetly CD, having played it so much. It comes as no surprise, then, that today’s Big Head Todd is a more mature version of the one I’m used to.

Not that that’s a bad thing, but it does take some getting used to.

Not only has their music evolved, but also their marketing/distribution approach. All the Love You Need represents a change in CD distribution for Big Head Todd & the Monsters, as the CD was given away for free. That’s right–free.

You see, the band acknowledges that in today’s technology-driven, shareware world, it’s possible that making money comes not from CD sales, but from actual performances.

So began the website-based mailing list promotion, where fans who signed up in December 2007 were mailed a free copy of the new album. This evolved to include several radio stations’ mailing lists with over half a million copies going out nationwide. In conjunction with Boulder, Colorado, based Crocs shoe company, the CD is also available for free at the Crocs website.

Besides hoping to spark interest in Big Head Todd’s live shows, another goal is to get the music played on the radio, as it’s been a decade since the band has received any significant airplay.

Kicking off All The Love You Need is the track “Her Own Kind of Woman,” which relies on resonating guitar and bass, and sets the energy tone for the rest of the album. Other high energy tunes include “Cashbox,” “Spanish Highway,” and “Beautiful Rain,” all of which are also very easy on the ears, and would do well on the radio.
The 2005 single “Blue Sky,” written at the request of the astronauts of the Shuttle Discovery, the first shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster, is also included on the album, and could enjoy a Renaissance because of it.

Steel guitar is prevalent on one of my favorites, “Cruel Fate,” as it provides the comfort of the familiar “old” Big Head Todd and is more what I’m used to. In the title track, “All The Love You Need,” there’s also an echo of Big Head Todd of yesterday, as well as some nice key work.

The oddball on the album, a departure into a reggae-rap hybrid called “Ever Since Ya Pulled Me Under,” could have easily fallen flat, but instead has a nice feel to it that left me wanting more like it.

Rounding out the album are “Fortune Teller” and “How Easy,” neither of which is a standout tune, and “Under A Silvery Moon,” which has a bit more country flavor than I care for.

In all, I think the idea of giving away free music is smart, and even though this album is no Sister Sweetly, it did the job, as I would definitely check out Big Head Todd live if they came my way.