SHINEDOWN
Leave a Whisper
Atlantic Records 2004
www.shinedown.com

Sample it here

Read the Barry Kerch interview

Live Shinedown pics

What's the 4-1-1?
Jacksonville, Florida has enjoyed a long and stirring rock and roll tradition. From the time the seminal guitar crunch of Lynyrd Skynyrd first put this vibrant city on the rock and roll map, J-ville has played an integral role in the on-going evolution of contemporary music. Now a young Jacksonville-based hard rock band named Shinedown appears ready, willing, and more-than-able to add another exciting chapter to their home town's noble rock history book.

Genre
Hard rock / alternative

The Good
Unless you don't have a TV or a radio it's hard to ignore Shinedown's first single "Fly From the Inside". The twangy, dark guitar tones and sturdy vocals command this song about conquering all doubt despite others holding you back. It's refreshing to hear the vocal harmonies in the chorus. The tone becomes slightly darker on "Left Out". You'll start to make comparisons to Staind or Alice in Chains here. Somber acoustic guitars and soft vocals kick off "Lost in the Crowd", but are soon engulfed by a flurry of cranking guitars in the chorus. Jasin Todd's soloing isn't so much bombastic as it is effective and to the point. "Better Vision" is impelled by a repetive guitar lick, while "Lacerated" is dominated by a tribal drumbeat. There's plenty of meaty riffs on "In Memory" and "No More Love". Two ballads really stand out on Leave a Whisper. "45" is a dark ballad about a man on the edge, and "Burning Bright" is an acoustic ballad that builds slowly to an emotional chorus.

The Bad
Nope.

The Verdict
If you consider their name and the song titles, it's easy to dismiss Shinedown as another Christian metal band. However, their tone and lyrical content is too dark and deep to fall into that category. Leave a Whisper is a strong debut that's full tuned-down, radio friendly hard rock. It has recently been re-released with three bonus tracks and a video.

Did you know?
Guitarist Jasin Todd is married to the late Lynyrd Synyrd vocalist Ronnie Van Zant’s daughter.

Rating: out of 5

--George Dionne