12 Stones grew in some ways and they lost in some ways, compared to their debut in 2002. Their instrumentals are better, the production of the album is smoother and the songs are more of a unity, as is the album. The production might be too smooth sometimes though, a little too much compression and by that the songs loose some of their depth. Also, the first album was better lyrically. Songs that stand out are “Photograph”, “3 Leaf Loser”, “Stay” & “Waiting for Yesterday”. Paul McCoy’s soaring vocals are still pretty much the element that brings the songs to life. He finds a way to get into the lyrics and inject them with a bursting force of life. There are a few buts though. Even though 12 Stones still has that own sound, this album is not revolutionary or anything. It’s a straight-forward post-grunge/nu-metal approach that bands like 3 Doors Down, Creed, Staind & Nickleback also use. Lyrically I’d put them on par with 3 Doors Down & Staind, and better than Nickelback and Creed. The single “Photograph” could be big, as could the 3 Doors Down-ish sounding “Stay” and the simple sounding “Last Song”. Apart from that, there aren’t any commercially attractive songs on this album. For the fans, this album will kick ass though. I’m sorry if I sound a little negative. I don’t intend to be. The album is good, but I expected even more of it and production could’ve done a better job.
Song By Song Review
Shadows
This song starts off with a lot of distorted guitar and then seems to break into a repetitive guitar pattern with soaring vocals over it. But the song actually evolves and climbs to a climax, then builds down and finds it’s way to another climax. Catchy in it’s on way. Would probably do well as a live song.
Last Song
For a post-grunge song, this song is fairly catchy. The lyrics aren’t very deep, though some might argue with me on this, but they are appealing. And Paul McCoy knows how to make them sound even more appealing. And unless a lot of songs on this album, this song isn’t killed by compression. To some people it might seem like it’s a song that doesn’t bring anything new, lacking originality and creativity, but I don’t agree on that one. The principal of the song might be simple, and it’s a straight forward song, but the way it is performed is typical 12 Stones style. Central are Paul McCoy’s vocals and the guitar riffs are splendid on this song. This is a song that a lot of people will be able to enjoy and it would definitely qualify as a single for me.
Far Away
Very good live song, but the album version doesn’t to justice to the song. If you ever get a chance to hear this live, then you’ll understand what I mean. The production makes this song a lot flatter than it actually is. Also, there’s too much distortion on it, though the vocals come out quite nicely. But the song gets more dimension when played live. The distortion isn’t too bad actually and the vocals come out even better. You can actually hear the song is multi-layered. It’s not one of the memorable tracks on the album, but definitely not one of the worst either.
Speak Your Mind
Starting off with a lot of distortion and drums, this straight-forward nu-metal song breaks into a repetitive ongoing guitar riff and distortion pattern. The vocals are compressed too much, though they are the best part of this song, in combination with the lyrics. The song lacks originality and creativity, but it is performed tightly and it stands. It just doesn’t stand out.
Lifeless
One of my least favourite songs on this CD. Too much compression, too much distortion. Lyrically not one of the best songs either. On some other songs, Paul McCoy’s vocals and sometimes interesting guitar solos or tight rhythm (drums) can lift the song to a higher level, but that doesn’t happen on Lifeless either. It’s not a disastrous song, but it can’t really convince.
Bitter
Bitter isn’t too bad actually. It’s a fairly good song. There’s more creativity in this one than in most of the songs earlier on the album. The guitar intro is interesting, before it turns into a big distorted mess. But after the distortion the subtle vocals start with a repetitive guitar melody underneath it. That carries on for a while and then the song gets going. Too bad the production of the song isn’t great, too much compression again. Cause with a little more care, this song could be a lot better. So, basically, there’s a lot of potential in this song, but it doesn’t get out completely. Maybe this song could appear on a later album, in a reworked version. I know I would find that interesting.
Photograph
Being the lead single off the album, this song is catchy and interesting. Also used for the soundtrack of the Elektra movie, this song has a distinctive sound, and the production, though it’s a little too much compression, isn’t too bad. The vocals come out well and the guitar in this song is actually not too repetitive or too distorted. This song could actually be played on normal mainstream radio and will probably do pretty well. The song gets stuck in your head, especially after a few listens. To me, this was my favourite song on the album immediately. In the meantime, my favourite song is “Waiting for Yesterday” but this song actually takes out some of the pace and builds up to a climax nicely. Well-written song, good lyrics and well performed. Good choice for a single.
3 Leaf Loser
Starts off with an interesting, creative intro. Nice guitar work here. Interesting and well-written lyrics, brought to life by the great vocals by Paul McCoy. Later in the song, after about 1m44 there’s a little guitar solo which fits in nicely. This is the most creative and original song on the album and deserves credit for that. 12 Stones shows they do deserve their place in the music business and show they did grow since their debut album. This song is a very good example of how they are able to write memorable songs. Maybe this album just came too early and they needed more time to write more songs like this one. Or maybe the pressure was too big. Nonetheless, 3 Leaf Loser is a brilliant song.
Stay
As I said in the general review of the album, this song is very 3 Doors Down like. The basic difference are the vocals. Brad Arnold’s polished vocals are completely different from Paul McCoy’s soaring, emotional vocals. This song is quite mainstream though and could indeed be put on a 3 Doors Down album. Besides that it resembles 3 Doors Down’s style so much, it is a splendid song. This would do well as a radio single and the lyrics are on par with bands like Staind, 3 Doors Down, Our Lady Peace & Tantric. Overall, this song is one of the better songs on the album.
Waiting for Yesterday
My favourite song on the album. Not instantly, but after it grew on me, this song is actually pretty brilliant. It starts off with a little distorted (but not too much) guitar intro. And then the astonishing vocals by Paul McCoy set in, but the guitar keeps going. The lyrics for this song are amazing. The song is not too up-tempo, until it breaks into the chorus, with the massive guitar work and some vocal harmonies. The formula isn’t too complex, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s well-performed, even though production could’ve been a little better I guess. I’m dying to hear this song live, I think that would be a great experience.
In Closing
With a title like that, a song needs to be the closing track on an album. And it is. Starting with a nervous, up-tempo guitar intro, that sound quite cool, this song reminds me of Staind very much. Lyrically & musically. It’s not a rip-off but it is the same style. What goes for “Stay” in relation to 3 Doors Down, goes for “In Closing” in relation to Staind. It resembles the style of another band, but the song on it’s own is actually pretty good and it does seem to be better than a lot of the other songs on the album.
Song By Song Review
Shadows
This song starts off with a lot of distorted guitar and then seems to break into a repetitive guitar pattern with soaring vocals over it. But the song actually evolves and climbs to a climax, then builds down and finds it’s way to another climax. Catchy in it’s on way. Would probably do well as a live song.
Last Song
For a post-grunge song, this song is fairly catchy. The lyrics aren’t very deep, though some might argue with me on this, but they are appealing. And Paul McCoy knows how to make them sound even more appealing. And unless a lot of songs on this album, this song isn’t killed by compression. To some people it might seem like it’s a song that doesn’t bring anything new, lacking originality and creativity, but I don’t agree on that one. The principal of the song might be simple, and it’s a straight forward song, but the way it is performed is typical 12 Stones style. Central are Paul McCoy’s vocals and the guitar riffs are splendid on this song. This is a song that a lot of people will be able to enjoy and it would definitely qualify as a single for me.
Far Away
Very good live song, but the album version doesn’t to justice to the song. If you ever get a chance to hear this live, then you’ll understand what I mean. The production makes this song a lot flatter than it actually is. Also, there’s too much distortion on it, though the vocals come out quite nicely. But the song gets more dimension when played live. The distortion isn’t too bad actually and the vocals come out even better. You can actually hear the song is multi-layered. It’s not one of the memorable tracks on the album, but definitely not one of the worst either.
Speak Your Mind
Starting off with a lot of distortion and drums, this straight-forward nu-metal song breaks into a repetitive ongoing guitar riff and distortion pattern. The vocals are compressed too much, though they are the best part of this song, in combination with the lyrics. The song lacks originality and creativity, but it is performed tightly and it stands. It just doesn’t stand out.
Lifeless
One of my least favourite songs on this CD. Too much compression, too much distortion. Lyrically not one of the best songs either. On some other songs, Paul McCoy’s vocals and sometimes interesting guitar solos or tight rhythm (drums) can lift the song to a higher level, but that doesn’t happen on Lifeless either. It’s not a disastrous song, but it can’t really convince.
Bitter
Bitter isn’t too bad actually. It’s a fairly good song. There’s more creativity in this one than in most of the songs earlier on the album. The guitar intro is interesting, before it turns into a big distorted mess. But after the distortion the subtle vocals start with a repetitive guitar melody underneath it. That carries on for a while and then the song gets going. Too bad the production of the song isn’t great, too much compression again. Cause with a little more care, this song could be a lot better. So, basically, there’s a lot of potential in this song, but it doesn’t get out completely. Maybe this song could appear on a later album, in a reworked version. I know I would find that interesting.
Photograph
Being the lead single off the album, this song is catchy and interesting. Also used for the soundtrack of the Elektra movie, this song has a distinctive sound, and the production, though it’s a little too much compression, isn’t too bad. The vocals come out well and the guitar in this song is actually not too repetitive or too distorted. This song could actually be played on normal mainstream radio and will probably do pretty well. The song gets stuck in your head, especially after a few listens. To me, this was my favourite song on the album immediately. In the meantime, my favourite song is “Waiting for Yesterday” but this song actually takes out some of the pace and builds up to a climax nicely. Well-written song, good lyrics and well performed. Good choice for a single.
3 Leaf Loser
Starts off with an interesting, creative intro. Nice guitar work here. Interesting and well-written lyrics, brought to life by the great vocals by Paul McCoy. Later in the song, after about 1m44 there’s a little guitar solo which fits in nicely. This is the most creative and original song on the album and deserves credit for that. 12 Stones shows they do deserve their place in the music business and show they did grow since their debut album. This song is a very good example of how they are able to write memorable songs. Maybe this album just came too early and they needed more time to write more songs like this one. Or maybe the pressure was too big. Nonetheless, 3 Leaf Loser is a brilliant song.
Stay
As I said in the general review of the album, this song is very 3 Doors Down like. The basic difference are the vocals. Brad Arnold’s polished vocals are completely different from Paul McCoy’s soaring, emotional vocals. This song is quite mainstream though and could indeed be put on a 3 Doors Down album. Besides that it resembles 3 Doors Down’s style so much, it is a splendid song. This would do well as a radio single and the lyrics are on par with bands like Staind, 3 Doors Down, Our Lady Peace & Tantric. Overall, this song is one of the better songs on the album.
Waiting for Yesterday
My favourite song on the album. Not instantly, but after it grew on me, this song is actually pretty brilliant. It starts off with a little distorted (but not too much) guitar intro. And then the astonishing vocals by Paul McCoy set in, but the guitar keeps going. The lyrics for this song are amazing. The song is not too up-tempo, until it breaks into the chorus, with the massive guitar work and some vocal harmonies. The formula isn’t too complex, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s well-performed, even though production could’ve been a little better I guess. I’m dying to hear this song live, I think that would be a great experience.
In Closing
With a title like that, a song needs to be the closing track on an album. And it is. Starting with a nervous, up-tempo guitar intro, that sound quite cool, this song reminds me of Staind very much. Lyrically & musically. It’s not a rip-off but it is the same style. What goes for “Stay” in relation to 3 Doors Down, goes for “In Closing” in relation to Staind. It resembles the style of another band, but the song on it’s own is actually pretty good and it does seem to be better than a lot of the other songs on the album.