Candlebox serves up an album that’s equal parts nostalgic and aspirational. The band is rooted in their ‘90s heyday, yet also informed by a host of new influences. Hard rocking, yet non-threatening, these songs make ideal AOR radio fodder.
Even tracks spotlighting their “controversial” subject matter, such as “I’ve Got a Gun” (mass shootings are bad!) and “Vexatious” (society is obsessed with technology!), are exercises in introspective contemplation rather than incitement to revolution. Much has changed since the band’s 1993 debut album went quadruple platinum, and what once was fresh no longer stirs the soul in quite the same way.
Score: 7 out of 10
Candlebox
Disappearing in Airports
Pavement Entertainment
Producer: Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland
