Worth it just for "Bully"3 Out Of 5 Stars
Shinedown goes for the commercial rock sound on their fourth CD, "Amaryllis," which means if you like Nickelback, you'll probably dig this. Plenty of stop/start guitar chords, lead singer Bent Smith does good vocal air-horn, and drummer Barry Kerch is a secret weapon. Shinedown go hard, fast and melodic. Nothing new here.
What does set them apart is subject. "Bully" takes on a touchy topic; if you're in high school and you actually look like most hard rockers do, you're probably gonna get the crap kicked out of you. Shinedown goes for the attackers with gusto and it is the best thing on the disc. Second is their smack-back of fair-weather fans on "Nowhere Kids," who will probably dislike this album since it went top ten.
There is the obligatory set of power ballads on "Amaryllis," "I'll Follow You" actually has some soul to it (and strings). Smith can carry a melody just fine, and he does so on the acoustic finale, "Living Through The Ghost." Shinedown uses "Amaryllis" to come off as better than the average rock band, and this may be their best album so far.
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