3 Doors Down

Mississippi band 3 Doors Down blew on the scene with their debut CD, A Better Life, and "Kryptonite” was literally everywhere. The band won a lot of awards. Now, with the release of their sophomore effort, Away From the Sun, the band faces an all too familiar challenge: how can they grow their sound and maintain success without duplicating their previous efforts? It isn’t an easy task and it seems that 3 Doors Down opted to take the safe road. The disc is a continuation of the hybrid Hootie and Blowfish meets the Dave Matthews Band sound that helped them sell six million records in 2000. Vocalist Brad Arnold gives a consistent performance from the opening track "When I’m Gone” through to the closing track "This Time.” The catchy pop riffs are still here and there is sure to be some great singles ("Ticket to Heaven” and the title track have that potential). But Away From the Sun doesn’t stray too far from A Better Life, so if you liked that disc, you are in luck!