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What is wrong with doing something done very well, even if it has been done in
some shape or form before? The answer to that question is: nothing at all.
Shinedown’s follow-up to 2003’s Leave a Whisper is the Soundgarden-influenced
Us and Them which is a wonderfully satisfying riff fest. Muscular, loud, and
catchy as hell, Us and Them blasts out 48 minutes and 57 seconds of hard
rock and roll. While Nickelback and supergroup Velvet Revolver get all the
headlines, Shinedown’s latest album is as catchy and memorable as anything the
other two have put out.
Lead singer Brent Smith does occasionally sound like Chris Cornell when he
begins to blast out the choruses on this record, but the sound is more “Black
Hole Sun” than Audioslave. If you listen closely you can even hear a bit of
English hard rock outfit Thunder in the material as well. “Heroes,” the second
track on the album, is infectious as hell and you will end up humming it whether
you want to or not. The obligatory soft/LOUD/soft track materializes as “Beyond
the Sun” and although not incredibly original, the hooks are well done and
enjoyable. “Shed Some Light” features just an acoustic guitar, a cello and
Smith’s voice as he yearns for some understanding. Although cliché, it sounds
freakin’ good.
The guitar playing is competent, the production matches the material, and
Smith’s voice is perfect for the genre. The album is a perfect length, not
adding any additional tracks that don’t fit and leaving the listener satisfied
and curious about the next record.
~R. David Smola
pretendcritic@aol.com
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