Artist: Candlebox

Album: Love Stories & Other Musings

Label: Audionest/Fontana

Release Date: April 3, 2012

Tracklisting:

1. Youth In Revolt
2. Sweet Summertime
3. Believe In It
4. She Come Over Me
5. Turn Your Heart Around
6. Lifelike Song
7. Come Home
8. Baby Love Me
9. Them Eyes
10. Far Behind
11. You
12. Cover Me
13. Change
14. Simple Lessons

Candlebox is one of those band's that can't really do much of anything wrong when it comes to creating solid rock albums, and their latest effort "Love Stories & Other Musings" is just another example. Compiled of 9 new songs and 5 re-recorded songs including the chart topping "Far Behind" & "You". Each showcasing the creative song-stylings and well crafted songwriting we expect, along with, of course, Kevin Martin's vocals that make it unmistakably Candlebox.

The new songs definitely stand out on their own, opening and rocking out with "Youth In Revolt", followed by "Sweet Summertime" and the single "Believe In It", "Love Stories..." definitely takes you on an ascending ride into the rock stratosphere. The bluesy hard rocker "Lifelike Song" is a definite standout as well, with a heavy groove making it ready to fill any packed arena that comes in their path. Ending the new nine songs, "Them Eyes" is a brilliantly crafted bluesy ballad, a song that could easily be their next chart-topping single, with a hard rock attack to a tender song.

I think it's a fairly creative and crafty move to include 5 songs from the past, especially considering Candlebox is now in their 20's as a band. "Love Stories..." shows newer fans where they have been as a band, and also giving people who, like myself, first heard some of the songs in high school and college, a fond piece of nostalgia and reminder of who Candlebox is; - a true rock band.