So I was in the car for 8 hours today. Had a work trip to Yakima and back. That's 400 miles, kiddies. Well, I finally got to sit and really listen to this fantastic CD from Alter Bridge titled "Blackbird." 8 hours, 1 CD, I never got tired of it.
In truth, this is not the first I've heard of it. My good buddy Mike, or as I call him: "The Chief" that is an old Navy crony of mine from the late 80s, sent me a copy of this disc. I sampled it and decided to go and buy it. Well, you know how I am. That was like 4 months ago and so I finally went to the store this weekend. See, I don't really go for the whole downloading thing. I see it as a good way to sample something, but if you really like it you should go and buy it since that's how your favorite artists put food on the table. The exception to this, in my mind, is anything over 10 years old. Download and burn away in this case, since the artists is likely dead anyway. Anyhoo, after spinning Mike's copy I decided that I liked it, but wanted to get it, cover and all, since a few of the tracks didn't survive the burning process so well.
So first, a huge shout out to my buddy Mike for turning me on to Alter Bridge. Thanks Mike. Or, as we say in the Navy: Bravo Zulu.
Now, a little about Alter Bridge. Alter Bridge is basically Creed with a different singer. Remember Creed? They were probably the hottest rock band on the scene for about three years. I am not ashamed to admit that I am a huge Creed fan. I am one of about 10 people on Earth who will actually admit to that. See, Creed put out some great albums. But, IMO they suffered from acute overexposure. Also, the frontman may have developed LSD - Lead Singer's Disease - which makes a guy think that everything he says, thinks, does is important and everyone should listen. For awhile there, Creed was the VH1 house band. Creed was everywhere. Unfortunately, when the singer, Scott Stapp showed up on Fox News' No Spin Zone - well, that was probably the death knell for Creed. Then, being labelled a "Christian" rock band sealed their fate. Musician's should NEVER offer their political views. Typically, they are young and inexperienced and have never held down a real job. Why would I ever give creedence (get it... Creed - ence) to their far left political views. Ted Nugent is the exception because he kills stuff.
Regardless, or irregardless as it may be, Creed put out some great music. Fast forward to today. Alter Bridge is founded on 3 of the original Creed members and a new singer. If you've ever seen "Rock Star", the 2nd wannabe near the end of the movie, who takes over for Marky Mark, is the singer for Alter Bridge.
Anyway, I spent a good 8 hours listening to this CD in it's entirety finally. All I can say is "wow." Nice work. The killer riffage that I've come to expect from guitarist Mark Tremonti is there. The vocals are just fantastic, and the lyrical content is very good as well. These are tunes you will find yourself singing out loud. "Hook Laden" as we say in the biz. A nice bonus is that there are actual guitar solos. 13 songs in all. I can "take or leave" about 4 of them, but the rest are all very good. My favorites are tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 9. I can't keep track of titles any more - just track numbers.
Anyway, check it out.
