The New Amsterdams’ album Para Toda Vida picks up pretty much where their debut left off. The few differences include the fact that the band is much slimmer. In fact, it’s pretty much just Matthew Pryor (the Get Up Kids). He performs ten songs in under 30 minutes on this album, including Tijuana Crime Scene and Kill Creek covers. Much of the material here is reminiscent of the first album with heartfelt, tender vocals, similar to an acoustic Get Up Kids album. If one enjoys the Get Up Kids, and especially those songs of theirs when they are mellower and/or acoustic, then this will truly be a delight. Fans of the first album will probably like this one, although much of the punch seems to be missing that was associated with the full-band sound of the debut. Not horribly deficient, yet not as powerful as it has the potential to be. – Kurt Morris