Lyrics:

 

Lyrically, this album is nothing short of average.  There isn’t a single track here that is really noteworthy when it comes to lyrics, and most of the songs end up being about a struggle or woman he’s overcome, or about a woman that he loves immensely.  The lyrics are decent, if not a little cheesy here and there (“Welcome to my world she said, separated world she stayed, separated...  Down poison.”), but, as a whole, not too shabby.

 

Music:

 

The overall musicianship isn’t bad, but you’re not going to see another Liquid Tension Experiment, Black Sabbath, or Led Zeppelin here.  The drumming isn’t particularly strong (then again, it’s hard to be an extraordinary drummer and sing at the same time), the bass is average, and the guitar work is solid, but not amazing.  Brad Arnold is gifted with a voice that’s somehow different from most of today’s corporate rock, but that’s the only outstanding thing about this album.

 

Highlights:

 

The first single, “Kryptonite,” is an excellent song, as well as “Loser” and the slow-at-first-but-soon-it-builds-up “Duck and Run.”  The second single off the album, “Be Like That,” also did moderately well, but its success didn’t compare with that of “Kryptonite.”

 

Overall: