Silence To The Naysayers

Eight Days Gone

Ragin' Grace / Titan Entertainment, 2004

http://www.neillsteinke.com

REVIEW BY: Jason Warburg

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 06/11/2004

I'd been listening to this disc on my morning commute for three days straight when the news came across the wires that Creed is done, broken up. And all I could think to do is quote a Who song: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." Thunderous guitars, spacious production, multitracked vocals and an undercurrent of the spiritual in the lyrics… yeah, it's a hell of a coincidence to be writing this review right now, but I'll try to get past it if you will.

Eight Days Gone hail from Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, not exactly a hotbed of major-label signings, but my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250 Silence To The Naysayers should accomplish its implied goal, because this album is full of solid songwriting and strong musicianship. "Shooting Star" in particular grabs you by the lapels and shouts "put me on the radio!" -- fat guitars, a memorable chorus and nimble dynamics add up to a no-brainer single. "Time Of Year" and "Today I Dreamed" burn with a similar energy and big-as-the-sky sound.

The pleasant surprise, though, is how well EDG handles ballads. "Better Things" in particular sounds like it fell off the last matchbox twenty disc, a classic Rob Thomas-style ballad full of sweet melodies, down-sized, intimate vocals and a smartly textured arrangement. "Pray," it must be said, does sound suspiciously like an unreleased Creed cut, with its super-sized vocals and guitars and frankly spiritual theme. But EDG separates itself from its peers with playful, creative touches like the voiced-over bridge and "doo-doo"s on "Pray," and the strings that dress up "Dance Me Tonight," another winning ballad.

This disc's principal flaw is that it peaks early. Of the last four songs, only "I'm A Star" made an impact. The highlight there is the effortless tone shifts and sharp, Satriani-esque soloing from guitarist Steve Miceli, who proves to be quite the musical chameleon on this disc, leaping with ease from quiet ballads to thundering rock numbers. For his part, singer Neill Steinke's lyrics have a dreamy quality that's alternately appealing and somewhat vague; I couldn't tell you what more than a couple of these songs are about, but the words have a nice flow and cadence and sonority to them.

So anyway, Creed fans -- and the rest of you into music that's both muscular and searching -- you might want to check out Silence To The Naysayers. It might not be the most original disc I've heard this year, but its melding of heavy music with reflective lyrics has definite appeal. Eight Days Gone can come along on my morning ride any time.

Rating: B

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© 2004 Jason Warburg and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Ragin' Grace / Titan Entertainment, and is used for informational purposes only.