Extreme's debut album is sometimes uneven but always fun. Van Halen influences are prominent, which is ironic given singer Gary Cherone's post-Extreme career. This album, like all of Extreme's work, is notable for Nuno Bettancourt's guitar playing, but the songs aren't bad either, mostly examining childhood from a playful but oddly mature perspective. "Kid Ego," their first single, is here, as well as "Mutha (Don't Want to Go to School Today)," "Little Girls," "Big Boys Don't Cry," and the rock-out finale "Play with Me." There are a few ballads as well: "Watching, Waiting" is particularly poignant and surprisingly spiritual in content. This album showed Extreme's considerable potential, which peaked with their second album, Pornograffitti. --Genevieve Williams