Great Debut Album
The Better Life by Three Doors Down
Nominations for the 43rd Grammy Awards will not be released for several weeks, but a safe bet is that 3 Doors Down will pick up a couple of nominations. Certainly the band will be nominated for Best New Artist and their best overall chance for an award is probably in that category.
How unfortunate.
You see, the Best New Artist Grammy is not necessarily a good award to win. Colin Hay of Men At Work referred to the award as the Kiss of Death. He may have been being kind. Past winners have an awful track record in the future. For every Sheryl Crow, there is a Hootie and the Blowfish; for every Mariah Carey, there is a Debby Boone. Frankly, Debbie and the Blowfish are far more prevalent at the victor's podium.
And 3 Doors Down does not deserve a Blowfish fate. Their debut album has a lot going for it beyond Kryptonite. What is even more intriguing is that the band seems deep enough to produce a second, even stronger album. So with all due respect, guys, here is hoping you do not win that particular statuette.
One Consistent Seller
This album is a record label's dream. Released in February, Kryptonite helped make it gold in just two months. That is 500,000 units. They are up to 4 million as of December 1 data, but there is no sign of a slowdown. In fact, the album was triple platinum on October 5 and sold another million copies in just two months. There is no doubt that the trickle down effect of the year's hot albums selling well during the holidays will push that number to five million - maybe even by the time those Grammys are announced.
There is not a lot of history to share yet about this Biloxi-based band so let's drop the needle and listen cut-by-cut.
Overly fond of soft arpeggiated guitar intros, Matt Rogers kicks off Kryptonite. Drummer vocalist Brad Arnold's vocal track is heavily tweaked, but the roots of classic rock, not alternative, beat through this cut and the extra production help is needed to prop Arnold's vocal track over the fuzzy guitars that drive through the chorus. Part of the problem with a monster hit such as this is listener burnout, but Kryptonite has enough anthem-like quality to stay relatively fresh.
Loser continues the soft intro trend with some deft mixing from Toby Wright. Arnold's vocal threatens to get swallowed again, particularly when the lead guitar track plays along during the chorus. The lyrics here are not quite moon-spoon-June variety, but are pretty simple. The refrain of "qI'm a loser" doesn't quite ring true in Arnold's vocal; he seems to be walking through the paces until the power pop bridge when Rogers and guitarist Chris Henderson do their best Boston (the band, not the city) impersonation on the album. Loser is actually the longest cut on the album, clocking in at 4:25. While the band may be categorized as post-grunge, pop influenced an awful lot of their sound.
That pop influence is very clear on Duck and Run, which sounds like Styx meets Journey with a bar band vocal. There is a nice drum hook, which may or may not be Arnold. Some industry reports are that an uncredited studio drummer was used on the album to allow Arnold to concentrate on the vocals. There is a very nice cold ending to the song that jars the listener from the repetitive lead guitar line. Producer Paul Ebersold, who is becoming a favorite of new Southern bands, is quickly establishing that type of hook as a trademark. Ebersold has produced the majority of Sister Hazel's work as well as several soundtracks.
Not Enough is introduced by a pretty guitar solo lifted from the Lindsey Buckingham school of guitar. The lyrics show a bit more promise than most of the album's, but I found the chorus a bit too busy to make this song the breakout single it could have become. Interestingly enough, Ebersold produced Sister Hazel's cover of Gold Dust Woman on the Fleetwood Mac tribute album, so the Buckingham sound is not as much of a stretch as one might think.
The segue into Be Like That is gorgeous as a sweet guitar introduces the ballad. Think Matchbox 20 or one of the other tight alt-pop bands coming out of the last several years to capture the essence of the song. Arnold's vocal and the production values throughout the song are the best on the entire album.
Ebersold does a nice bit of sequencing by following with Life Of My Own, a power ballad that begins ratcheting up the album's intensity again. The song is trapped between too many dubs and gimmicks to make the song a true rocker despite its young man let me die on my own terms theme. Memo to the boys: John Bonham thought the same thing. I suspect he would rather be behind a drum kit today.
The title cut shows that the boys do want to rock. The Better Life features a killer riff through the first verse. Again, the lyrics need polish, but the song has terrific energy that continues to build after a brief respite in the first chorus. I find myself continuing to hum the lead guitar line long after first hearing the song. The only fault I can really find is the ending, which was left to a muffled distorted vocal rather than the guitar that carried the entire song.
If Lindsey Buckingham gets credit for inspiring the guitar solo on Not Enough, than the band owes Dave Matthews credit for inspiring Down Poison. The attempt at a story song is a welcome breather from the album's lyric, but I don't understand the bridge that features Arnold droning "Down Poison" as an overdubbed and tricked out Arnold track provides counterpoint. For a moment, one wonders if the CD has skipped to McCartney's Uncle Albert, but the guitars weave back in and you settle back, realizing that Sir Paul hasn't played with guitars this tough in 25 years, and besides, that CD is safely put away somewhere else.
Speaking of tough guitars, By My Side has plenty to share. If a studio drummer was indeed used on the album, I have no doubt that Arnold is drumming on this one. Like all the great drummer vocalists, his playing and vocals fit neatly together to accent each other. We are not quite in head banging territory, but this is one of the cuts that gives me hope for the band's future. This song is timeless and would be equally at home on a metal album from decades past or in today's world of alt-metal, if that is now a category rather than a newsgroup.
Arnold's influence is again heard on Smack, which has enough tempo changes to make even a Rush fan dizzy. This is one of the stronger cuts on the album, somewhat in the Kryptonite genre, but with a much sharper edge. This band has a long career ahead of them if the level of their future efforts is as complex yet accessible. My only criticism? At 2:29 play time, I was not sure if I was listening to a 45 cut for radio two generations ago. Yes, less is more, but there was room here for dessert.
So I Need You is another strong cut, again evoking an edgier Matchbox 20. Although all of the songwriting credits are credited to the band, there is enough of a departure from the rest of the album to make me suspect an uncredited assist, perhaps from Ebersold, or from a visiting musician. Kryptonite and Loser are getting the airplay and therefore the attention, but if this album sustains a third single, I would guess this would be a good candidate. Arnold's vocal stretches nicely behind a tight, hook-laden pocket. The obligatory cold ending is there, as are some of the other devices that may have been overdone on this album, but I think this is an outstanding song.
The Bottom Line, Skips and All
The band has a huge future. Arnold's vocals aren't going to be able to sustain them forever, nor catapult them into superstardom, but he is adequate for now. Band chemistry is so volatile that perhaps work with a voice coach will give him that extra little bit more oomph the band needs to drive its songs home. Meanwhile, the songs themselves show great promise. A veteran band would be proud of this album. A rookie band should be thrilled. Like any good young band, 3DD has just returned from a European tour. They are playing boutique clubs and small halls now, no doubt building their following for the next album's release. I am looking forward to that one to see how they have grown.
