Candlebox
Alive In Seattle
(Image Entertainment)
           
      When the Seattle, Washington-based quartet Candlebox burst onto the scene with their self-titled 1993 debut, few could have accurately predicted the insurmountable tidal wave of success that would follow in their wake.  Released amid the veritable peak of the Alternative and Grunge genres, the odds of the group succeeding, even on a short-term basis, seemed bleak, at best.  Fortunately for all parties involved, this was indeed not the case.  Armed with an improbably vast array of ‘…radio-ready…’ tunes wisely intertwined with a tangibly distinct (if not slightly less than unique) Hard Rock edge, the group spent much of following two years dominating the charts and airwaves only to quietly disappear from mainstream consciousness shortly thereafter.  Now, eleven (!) inexplicably long years later, the group has returned to kick our collective asses.      
      On the stellar Alive In Seattle (2008), an expertly assembled sixteen song, two disc (one CD, one DVD with nearly identical set lists on each) collection of ingeniously executed Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, each track, beginning with the maniacally frantic “Simple Lessons”, and the shimmering, emotionally-charged “Blossom”, immediately commands the rapt and undivided attention of even the most jaded and unimaginative of listeners, myself most definitely included.  Undoubtedly concerned with the significant critical and commercial damages suffered during the group’s curiously protracted eleven year hiatus (or, more appropriately, poorly-executed decade-long absence), ‘each key focal point’ is, as you may have already guessed, deftly accentuated with an oddly efficient enthusiasm that reinforces the group’s soaring tonality without sounding either forced or dated.
      Continuing with the deliciously smoldering “No Sense”, and the searing (if not outright pummeling) “A Stone’s Throw Away”, the newly rejuvenated combination of vocalist/guitarist Kevin Martin, lead guitarist Peter Klett, bassist Bardi Martin (who has since been replaced by woefully undersung Legs Diamond/The Kings Royal veteran Adam Kury), and drummer Scott Mercado steamroll ahead like the well-oiled machine they so obviously have become.  Effectively reminding us all of their often subtle lyrical and compositional wizardry without, believe it or not, resting on the well-deserved (and undeniably hard-earned) Gold and quintuple Platinum-encrusted laurels of ‘…yesteryear…’, the group wastes little--if any--time effortlessly delivering a blistering, adrenaline-laden set (recorded at Seattle’s acclaimed The Showbox on September 29, 2006).      
      With the group’s not entirely unexpected Lucy and Happy Pills-fueled fade into commercial oblivion (i.e. the dreaded ‘Sophomore Slump’) now mercifully in the past, other standouts, including the maddeningly infectious “10,000 Horses”, and the oft-overplayed--yet highly effective--“Far Behind”, offer both new and established fans alike the opportunity to vicariously partake in the group’s notoriously high octane, sweat-soaked concert experience.  Jam-packed with enough proverbial crowd favorites and lesser-known ‘deep tracks’ to thoroughly satisfy even the most discriminating of completists, the majority--if not all--of the impressively exhaustive wares contained herein ultimately leaves little to the listener’s imagination, a much-welcomed characteristic that makes the stunning Alive In Seattle one of the group’s most truly compelling releases to date.
      At the risk of once again repeating myself, the question remains: what, exactly, are you waiting for?  Still not sure if you can stomach ‘Candlebox v2008’ with a genuinely straight face?  Believe me, I know what you’re probably thinking.  But whatever you do, don’t let the group’s arguably unjustified ‘…Alternative…’ (or, depending on which clueless douche canoe you ask, ‘Grunge Lite’) stigma(s) fool you.  This, for better or for worse, is most definitely not the Candlebox that was force fed en mass circa 1994.  As a result, if you’ve once again found yourself in search of a refreshingly ear-pleasing trip down memory lane that doesn’t involve wholeheartedly embracing a morbidly obese expanse of hairspray and mascara-encrusted Velveeta, then this, my friends, might just be the adrenaline-soaked cure the doctor ordered.  Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.  
              
Select Discography
Alive In Seattle (CD/DVD) (2008)
Into The Sun (2008)
The Best Of Candlebox (2006)
Happy Pills (1998)
Lucy (1995)
Candlebox (1993)

candlebox.com