Ultimate Album #3 Candlebox-Candlebox

Well it's that time again, my next ultimate album, the Freshman release from Candlebox, their self titled album.  While researching for this one, I could not really find a lot of info about the band or the album, I thought this very odd and disturbing.  This album sold over 4 million copies and several songs received heavy airplay on radio and rotation on MTV (Back when they actually played music videos).  But I will forge ahead, seeing as how it's not really about all the stats and info I find, but about what I like and hear in the songs.  This band was the first one signed to Madonna's start up record company Maverick Records, someone made a good decision on this one, and is their anything that woman does not have her fingers in? Surprisingly these guys came from Seattle, home of grunge.  With bands making it big and releasing huge multi platinum selling albums like Nirrvana's Nevermind (1991 certified Diamond  10 Million copies), Pearl Jam's Ten (1991 Diamond certification), Alice In Chains' Dirt (1992 4 x's Platinum), Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger (1991 2 x's Platinum), and Temple Of The Dogs' Temple Of The Dog (1991 Platinum), it truly amazes me that these guys even got a shot, seeing as how they don't really have that Seattle grunge sound.  But I am so glad someone took the time to listen to these guys and give them a shot.  So let's get started.  The band is comprised of
Kevin Martin - Lead Vocals
Peter Klett - Guitar
Bardi Martin - Bass
Scott Mercado - Drums

I really like the way these guys play and the musical style they put forth.  Their musical style is not easily categorized.  They have influences that cover a broad spectrum, including blues, jazz. rock, and some metal influences.  This is obvious in some songs on this particular album.  So lets get to my favorite part, the track breakdown.
1. Don't You
2. Change
3. You
4. No Sense
5. Far Behind 
6. Blossom
7. Arrow
8. Rain
9. Mother's Dream
10. Cover Me
11. He Calls Home

Don't You
This one starts off really heavy, with a good drum intro, and then then goes into this guitar riffing that just drives the song along heavy foot work on the bass drum, and Kevin Martin vocals just below screaming but not out of place for the tempo of the song.  He really shows some range in this song, going from low to high. Then we go into a solo intro then then the solo, awesome work on the guitar by Peter Klett.  Slow it down for just a second then right back into the original rhythm of the song, with Kevin just ripping it out.  This song along with a few more from this album are in my favorites play list and my tracks that I love to play drums to.

Pictured Peter Klett, guitarist for Candlebox.
Heavy use of the Les Paul Gibson guitar, influences range from David Gilmore (Pink Floyd), Jimmy Page (Do I really need to say it), to the guitar duo of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) Excellent! (I hope somebody gets the gratuitous Bill and Ted reference here! lol)








Change
Start off subdued and echoey then bring it all up slower tempo with rim shot accents. The bass to me is what carries this song between choruses.  Once again Kevin putting out on the vocals.  I love the open high hat accents acting like punctuation.  Then the solo is just so heavy and distorted.  Then go into the break, and you get this slower tempo that just seems to be out of place  because it's so heavy.  Go back to the slow original tempo with the rim shots with the high hat accents leading into the next part.  Just like before this one is in both of my play lists.
You
Little guitar intro with this heavy bass and quick foot work on the bass drum and the high hat.  Go back and listen to this one again and pick up on the guitar layered in the background, and almost out of time, it seems to me, offering the perfect mood to the whole thing, carrying into the chorus, switch it real quick to the front leading everything back into the heavy bass and awesome beat of the whole song.  Go from heavy into the break and slow it back down.  Then Kevin picks it up and  brings the whole thing to a head just before the solo, which is high with the notes getting sustained for effect.  I love this one and yes you guessed it, it's in both of the play lists.
No Sense
Now in this one the jazz influences are standing out, and brings a whole different sound to the music from the previous tracks.  Rim shots and ride cymbal work, with the Bardi Martin on bass carrying everything and the light guitar work reminding you that the potential for getting heavy is just around the corner.  As you get into the chorus the distortion comes in and just the right amount of crash cymbals laying it all down to keep the song on the edge of getting extremely heavy.  Go into the pre solo and Peter is working the frets with some jazz inspired licks.  Start it all into this heavy heavy bass grooving into the solo with some great fingering and bending.  I have no idea what key or note he is playing the solo in but man it is on up there in range, high and screaming, all the while Scott is jamming on the ride with this fast slow fast slow type of fill, I have no idea what you call it but I really get into it.  Drop it back out and get back into the slow bass driven guitar accented theme of the song.  Kevin's vocals are kinda echoic and it carries the mood of the whole thing right along.
Far Behind
Their biggest hit off this album, start off with this sad sounding guitar work, and some moody vocals from Kevin, add some quick high hat fills to fill in the gaps, and you would never think that it gets as heavy as it does when you go into the chorus.  Some awesome vocal work from Kevin, really going from the moody somber start to the loud screaming in the choruses.  Heavy and sustained guitar licks before going into the solo. I really do like how Peter uses different sustains and fret work and reverbish sound to create the climax to this song.  Working low to high and back, going back into the chorus, with Kevin throwing in some vocal accents for effect.  Bring it all out with sustaining guitar licks and drop it out into the end of the song.

Pictured Kevin Martin, lead vocalist of Candlebox.  As I have said before it is sad that I cannot find very much information on these guys.   I would really like to know some of his influences and vocal stylings.  They really do make the sound they have quite unique.










Blossom
The fist time I ever really listened to this song, I found myself mesmerized.  I thought it was going to be almost like the song Change, a couple of tracks back.  Once again the jazz influence is so obvious in the drumming on this one.  I was transported to another place with the way this song affected my mood.  Some really nice bass work from Bardi, and really crafty footwork from Scott on drums.  Kevin's vocals are so mood inducing and subdued, but you have this ride cymbal to china transfer on the drums, they seem so polar opposite of each other, and you think OK it's going to get heavy now, but nope go back to the somber mood that you started with.  Kevin is doing this bow wow bow wow wow on the guitar accenting the whole moodiness of the song.  Break into some heavy distortion and screaming vocals and you have changed the whole mood, drop it into some bass work to carry it into the pre solo, distorted guitar, then into the solo, once again with some quick fret work, and high notes that magically work the song to a fever pitch bringing the mood from somber to almost angry.  Carry it out to the end of the song with chorus and by the time your done listening you almost feel emotionally drained.  I could listen t o this one over and over again.

Pictured Scott Mercado, Drummer for Candlebox.  Known for his unique blend of Jazz drumming into modern rock.  Voted Best Up and Coming Drummer in Modern Drummer Magazine.





Arrow
Drum intro, bring in the heavy heavy distortion on the guitar, subdued bass grooving, and throw in some quick fret work accents, and then Kevin comes in with the screaming vocals, to me the vocals and guitar are on totally different time signatures, you would think they would be reversed, guitar fast vocals slow, but it's just the opposite, vocals faster and the guitar slower.  You have this distorted chica chica choca guitar work going on behind the vocals, with heavy bass drum and open high hat accents, totally groovy.  Getting into the chorus you get this fret work going from high to low, mixing it up but throwing it all back into time.  Go into the break with Kevin and Peter screaming/playing in the same key.  Bring the bass to the front with this off time ride cymbal accent. The guitar playing this chorused, layered sustained notes, Kevin comes back in with some low key vocals, then smash it upside your head with screams and the distortion going into the solo.  I wish I knew how he got that particular guitar sound at the very start of the solo, because I love it.  Some serious string bending to drop it all back out to the chorus again, but the tempo never lets you go, staying heavy and fast all the way to the end of the song.
Rain
What do you get when cross blues and jazz?, You get this song, after being taken on an emotional roller coaster with Blossom, getting your face smashed in from Arrow, you get a break and go into this slow tempoed song.  Good thing because you need a break, don't hold your breath for to long cause it picks up towards the end.  The guitar work just screams of the blues, and the bass just makes your head bob up and down in time with the whole thing.  Then distort the guitars, sustain the notes and use the vocals as a bridge to take you into a quick time tempo change.  Drop it back into the slow tempo from the start off the song and bring in Peter on the solo, the notes he's playing remind me of some Stevie Ray Vaughn, dripping off the strings, if you can't hear the blues in this guitar work, something is wrong with you dude, and the whole time the bass is just filling in all the gaps with ba- doomda doomda licks, I swear I have heard this combo before in some clubs down on Beale Street.  Then all of a sudden it drops out, silence, is it over? No way bro'.  Bring it all back up starting with this guitar riffing and these 16th beat accents on the high hats, and Kevin doing this little doo-doo-doo-do, but it start off subtle for a few lines, keeping the whole blues feel, into the last part of the song, Where everything speeds up, distorts, and just gets down right funky.  As an added bonus you get another little solo from Peter, still bluesy feeling, but with a little distortion.  I really dig this blues/rock blending they put out in this song.
Mothers Dream
Start off echoey with heavy bass, and subdued guitar, bring the guitar to the front go into Kevin on vocals, sounding like he's singing through a bad PA system, now make the guitar just screech and carry it all through with a nice beat.  This goes on until you get to the chorus then Kevin comes in with the screaming vocals and the heavy distortion on the guitar.  I wish I knew what to call the guitar work Peter does right here, or how to describe it layman's terms, but it is wicked, the fret work, the sustained notes with heavy reverb. Drop it back into the bass grooving bass, drum thumping beat with this single sustained guitar notes echoing around in the background,  then start the guitar screaming again into the chorus, Kevin Just screaming his fool head off, so heavy for a slower tempoed song.  Exit out with Peter on the guitar going woooooooow, wowow, woooooooow, wowow, woooooooooooooow, just goes to show the broad range of music these guys can put out.
Cover Me
Wait a minute, acoustic, you say?  That's right another side to this multi-faceted band.  Bardi on the bass really carries this one and gives the whole song it's feel and groove.  Kevin once again going from subdued to screaming, throw in some distorted guitars during the chorus, and then go dark with the solo, having grown up in the metal 80's listening to these high guitar notes screeching solo's this one took me by surprise, dark is the word I was use to describe this one, oh he gets the notes up there after he starts, but man the notes he uses on the intro to the solo are just deeeeeeeep.  It ends nothing like it starts, all heavy and distorted and the bass driving, layered guitar, punctuated with bass drum thumps, hard snare drum pops, it is really a great song, drop it out, back to acoustic, and exit out.  Whew can you handle much more of this?

Pictured Bardi Martin, bassist for Candlebox.
Once again my surprise at not being able to find more information on these guys.














He Calls Home
We get back to some acoustic work, and Kevin taking the vocals straight to the front.  Once again the blues influence can be heard in and out of the song. Perfect timed bass licks, and slowed tempo with hard bass drum and snare marching us through the whole thing.  Now the chorus, Kevin's vocals, with some perfectly pitched backing vocals, flowing up and down like riding a wave.  The song doesn't really have the somberness from previous songs, but still carries that sadness through with the lower pitching and lyrics.  What a way to end your first album.

I don't know if I have said it before (probably not), but I am of the opinion that song placement in the track listing can make as much difference in the sound and appeal of a band or an album as the songs themselves.

Thank you once again for journeying through my musical un-knowledge, and I will try and keep this up.
Have fun boys and girls, and remember this quote from an unknown source I read on my desk when I went to college, 
 "Never underestimate the poor taste of the American Public"