After having listened to this CD nearly 100 times in the past two months, I figured it was time to give it an official review. I’ve always been a bit of a Candlebox fan, not exceedingly so, but I like their music. I must say that this CD has been in solid rotation for over two months now with no signs of slowing. I’ve even gone as far as saying that it may be the best thing put out in 2008.
It is by far my favorite Candlebox CD. Kevin Martin’s voice has never been better, at times slipping into Perry-esque tones (“Lover Come Back to Me”) while still being able to shout as in the first track “Stand”. I don’t understand why Candlebox are lumped in with the “grunge” genre – other than the era in which they came onto the scene. They are a decent, if maybe a little dark, rock band.
There are numerous highlights on this CD, the song I play the most is “Consider Us” – so much so that my daughter and son know all of the lyrics to the song. Maybe a little dark, but hauntingly good. It’s interesting to hear your kids sing: “What do we see before we die, is it beautiful? …” ending with “How would you feel if we were lying?”. Very well sung, produced and performed.
The first track “Stand” is the rocker on the CD. I love it and I think Martin shows his voice off quite a bit on this one. The song is even a bit Zepplin-esque at spots, not an unusual comparison considering the strength of his voice. They get back into Zepplin mode by the fifth track with “Underneath It All”.
The only track that I don’t get is the second track “Bitches Brewin’”. Just seems out of place on this CD. Everything else is 4 to 5 stars.
Everywhere I look online, they give this CD horrible reviews… I most definitely disagree and think that Candelbox – Into The Sun is a must-have for any rock music lover. If not the best of 2008, definitely in the top 5 releases of the year.
