::Shinedown::Us and Them::
Shinedown is a Rock and Roll band originating from Jacksonville, Florida. They started in 2001 and joined Atlantic Records just a year later in 2002. They got some major radio play with their singles “.45” and the Lynyrd Skynyrd cover of “Simple Man” Their second album “Us and Them” does not disappoint for fans of the first album. And lets get to that.
The Dream (:59): This isn’t a music track. It’s just an opening to the album. One might suggest that it’s filler because the whole album (this track included) barely cuts 50 minutes. It consists of either a girl or a young boy praying to god hoping for the world to become a good place, but that god is only listening to a dream. Not a bad way to open however.
Heroes (3:23): A pretty nice intro to this song. Although Brent has some absolutely amazing vocals, they seem stressed here. The song is about how all his “heroes have become ghosts.” Basically saying that he feels he has no one else to look up to, but they still live inside of him. Pretty cliché and not the greatest song in the world, but it gets the point across.
Save Me (3:33): The single from the album. It starts with a seemingly meaningless verse. “I’ve got a candle, and I’ve got a spoon.” Ok… It gets a little more understandable come the chorus where the meaning of the song becomes apparent. He wants somebody to save him from drug abuse. Yet another solid song, but it doesn’t show the true potential of this band; especially Brent.
I Dare You (3:53): A notch slower than “Heroes”, but still a good song. From what I hear, it sounds like it’s the conflict between his good thoughts and bad conscience. The sound reminds me a lot of the older sounding rock and roll artists. The chorus displays his vocal ability a little more this time around, but if you heard “Simple Man”, you would be a little disappointed.
Yer Majesty (3:00): A much faster song. This one is about someone (Majesty) who demands all these things to feel better about themselves but “he” can’t do anything about it so he should take no responsibility in it. Again a decent song, but a seemingly pointless rhetoric.
Beyond the Sun (4:13): This is more like it. Although the first really noteworthy song is a ballad-type member, it is still a great song. It is about loving and caring for someone so much, that you wish to give them a better life somewhere “Beyond the Sun” The chorus is the most amazing part of the song, FINALLY displaying some of Brent’s true ability. The bass really shines here as well. This is truly a beautiful song, and I don’t use that word often…”
Trade Yourself In (3:31): This song is about dealing with someone who is constantly complaining about themselves. “Trade yourself in for the perfect one.” A relatively catchy choruses but again, not a really good song. Brent sings with emotion, but sounds like he has none.
Lady So Divine (7:08): The longest track on the album. The drummer gets a little of the spotlight here with the chorus. This is another noteworthy track. The lyrics are decent but the music is top notch. Everybody for the first time on this album feels totally in sync and it shows. Brent’s singing isn’t the best here, but not to say that it’s bad. There’s an intense solo (not too many of these sadly) that never gets old for me. The meaning of the song I imagine is that his “Lady So Divine” has come to rescue him. So it’s this point that I realized that Shinedown likes the idea of saving people, because that is the subject for a lot of songs. Anyway, this is another of my faves on the album.
Shed Some Light (3:41): This is another really nice song. It pretty much all acoustic with some nice violia in the back. Brent’s vocals are again a highlight in this number. The song is basically Brent asking for someone to “Shed some light and hold him up in disbelief.” So he wants to hear the good truth that he thought wasn’t there. For an acoustic song, its very nice.
Begin Again (3:48): The opening verse contains a jungle tom beat that shows that the drummer DOES have some talent because he hasn’t been so creative in this album. As you might have assumed from the title, the song is about trying to begin again, or start life over, but it is seemingly impossible because the man who he was is too burdened with sins. The vocals are pretty good here, but again, like “Heroes”, they seem stressed. But still not a bad song.
Atmosphere (4:16): The intro to this song is completely different that what I expected. This is the classic rock and roll that Shinedown pulls off so well. The guitars get the spotlight in this song. It’s pretty much about looking down at the world and how F’ed up it is.
Quote:
Once I had a halo
But then it caught on fire
Once I knew a good man
But he turned into a liar
Once I saw a blind man
Still looking for his eyes
Once I met a bastard
Who watched his mama die
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The vocals once again are very nice and the drums are simple but filling.
Fake (4:03): A pretty good song. The musical portion of it is very nicely done and the lyrics are also really good. Not too fond of the intro though. I’m not too sure who/what is fake here, but either way, the singer is getting sick of it. Overall this song is just another average one on the album. It is also very repetitive which I cannot stand from this song. This song leads us right into the final song…
Some Day (3:14): Hoo-Rah. This song is truly such a fantastic showcase of the band’s musical ability. Only downside is that it is yet another slower song. The lyrics “Maybe I was wrong to hold you up so high. Now I know I've lost you to the feelings I kept inside.” It’s about how someday he might be able to change things, whether it has to do with getting ‘her’ back or forgetting her altogether. This song is another beautiful song that really shows the band’s potential. They don’t do enough songs to the best of their abilities which is really disappointing.
To end, I would just like to say that Shinedown is a band that has a whole lot of potential and while I really loved “Leave a Whisper”, this album didn’t impress me so much. The singer, Brent has an incredible voice and I really wished that they would do more to show that. As far as musical ability, I can see potential in the drummer and the bassist, but the guitarist seems like your average Rock and Roll guitarist. Anyway, if you liked the first album, give this one a shot. If you feel like giving these guys a shot, buy “Leave a Whisper” instead, then see if you’ll like this one.
Shinedown is:
Brent Smith - Vocals
Jasin Todd – Guitars
Brad Stewart - Bass
Barry Kerch- Drums
