Remember the days when good rock was part of popular music. Things have changed a lot since the early and mid 90's, for the worse. Remember when bands like Candlebox, Live, Pearl Jam, Better Than Ezra, Counting Crows, Collective Soul, etc. ruled the airwaves. Unfortunately, while many of these bands are now making just as good if not better records today, they are now considered as the bands "that used to be good". Enough complaining, now onto the review of this CD.

Candlebox's self-titled debut starts off with the thunderous drumbeats of "Don't You" to get the listener ready for a wonderful ride through the slow to fast, soft to loud songs that encompass Kevin Martin's raw, spine tingling vocals along with Peter Klett's brilliant and distinct guitar work. Next is "Change", which is a great break-up song (from personal experience), followed by the anti-drug anthem "You". "Far-behind" is a classic whose lyrics are many times taken for granted. "Arrow" is a flat out rocker with heavy guitars. "Rain", all 6:58 min, shows the bands musical range, that includes a funky-groove complimented by Martin's singing style and some screeching guitar solos. The CD wraps up perfectly with two amazing acoustic songs, "Cover Me" and "He Calls Home". "Cover Me" starts off with a great acoustic riff and then totally explodes into the chorus. "He Calls Home" is a bit softer with a circling chorus. Just when you think the song is over, Kevin Martin's voice soars for one more minute to wrap up the album.

Oh Yeah, did I mention that I highly recommend this CD to everyone, especially those kids nowadays who think 3 Doors Down is rock music and that Fred Durst is a genious.

Candlebox rises from a genre that is hardly original, even back in '93 when this CD was released, to bring us a stellar self titled disc.

From the opening blasting riff of "Don't You" it is pretty obvious what you are in for on this disc. Kevin Martin's emotion filled screams are relentless in getting his point across and Peter Klett's guitar is, at times, amazing. After this album got quite huge, Guitar World named Klett best new guitarist; and rightly so.

The opener, "Don't You" is a kick-axx rock and roll song. "Change" starts off a mellow quiet tune, leading into a nitrous burning, angry tune fuelled by the basic three chord progression and Kevin Martin's vocals.

I've never understood why "You" was a big hit. It's a decent song, but I've always found it a snoozer compared to the other songs on here.

"No Sense" is an ok song, the bright spot being the solo. Peter Klett really lets go with an extremely bluesy offering for the first half. After recording this part of the solo, Peter Klett said that Kevin Martin felt compelled to scream, "I AM THE LIZARD KING!" Kind of a testament to the solo.

By playing "Far Behind" you run the risk of getting a lot of sap on your CD player. Still, I really enjoy this song. Peter Klett lets his imagination go on the opening intro to the song and Kevin Martin relies on some more subdued vocals for a more sombre effect; both guys letting go in the chorus and at the end for a tortured result.

"Blossom" is a slower, subdued, rambling piece while "Arrow" is another fuel injected burner.

"Rain" is one of my favorite tracks here. The verses on this song are flat-out blues. There's no denying it here. I picture a smoky, low lit room , with these guys in a groove that they'd never want to get out of. From the blues of this song, it kicks into a hard rock jam ending with Scott Mercado receiving kudos for his drumming.

"Mother's Dream" is a wierd song. It features some distorted vocals and a dark opening.

"Cover Me" is another highly recognizable song. The acoustic guitar opener shuffles through into a rage induced rocker that is hard to match in intensity.

The disc ends off with the acoustic and probably biggest underdog on this disc, "He Calls Home". This song is one that a lot of people don't talk about, but it's a hidden gem on this CD.

Scott Mercado and Bardi Martin round out the quartet providing the rhythm section. I haven't given them much credit in this review, but they are deserving. Both are excellent musicians, their playing complementing each song perfectly.

There is a lot of emotion to be had on this disc and Candlebox keeps it at 11 for most of it. A recurring theme in this disc is lost love and the vindication of being free from an oppressive spouse. It's an optimistic and empowering listen, if nothing else. Overall, this disc doesn't break any new ground but it plays on the existing with style that made this disc a deserving hit.

There are few albums that hold ground that are not deemed worthy by the masses...so I ask myself: Why are people reviewing the album (when will that moniker die once and for all) after 11 years? It holds true...sure there are bits that mimic the sound at the time. Of course one can hear the influences of Pearl Jam and Sound Garden but can you really say they copped them? Grunge was here and gone because it was labeled, commercialized and classified. Once I saw Team Spirit on MTV I knew it would be gone before it was here...But...listen to some alternative bands from the 90s to today...little grungy no?

Again, great music lasts the test of time. This one...from beginning to end still provokes goose bumps and I bet you can pass it off on your 14 year old son as a new...very cool...alternative band. Take it for a spin with no prejudices, if you like rock it will do for you as it did for me.

Well it's been more than 10 years since this CD was made. I bought it a couple months after that. And since then, I've listened to this CD at least once a week for those 10 years. In my opinion, this is the best album ever, and Far Behind is the best song ever written. The reason why I rate this album so highly is because it's full of emotion. Kevin Martin sings his heart out here, and you can really feel what he's saying in "You" and "Far Behind". The lyrics are great all around on this one. Some of the best guitar solos of the 90's are on this album, on the tracks "No Sense" and "Rain", and the musicianship on this album as a whole is very good. Candlebox is definitely the forgotten band of the whole "grunge" movement, and the most underrated which is a shame. It's a shame because Candlebox didn't quite sound like any other early 90's grunge bands, they were fairly unique. Still, their debut album rocks from the fast paced opener "Don't You" all the way through to the somber acoustic ballad "He Calls Home"; which is a perfect ending to this one, in my opinion. So, in conclusion, if you're looking for a hard rock album with some amazing songs and a pretty unique sound, check this one out. 10 out of 10.

still their most popular record, candlebox's self-titled debut remains a relevant record. it isn't amazingly strong or consistent, but there is enough here to make it worthwhile. the memorable hits "far behind", "cover me", "you", and "change" are all here. "far behind" is one of the best power ballads ever written. there's true musicianship and feeling here. "cover me" is good but perhaps not as powerful, and the other two are harder numbers but have their subtleties that make them last beyond the first few listens. a hidden gem, and one of the best songs on this disc is the quasi-jeff buckley-like roller "rain". it's got a soft lounge-feel at some points, but eventually delves off into a longer jam by the song's end. it's interesting and well-done. "he calls home" is another stand-out, again with a smoother texture to it. this band is clearly better when it avoids the hard-rock edge it seems to lean to far too often. their lighter side certainly isn't sappy (possible exception of "cover me") and it is well served by kevin martin's distinct and strong voice. peter klett only makes these songs more pleasurable with his techinically brilliant guitar work. it's too bad the rest of the album sags and is remarkably worse than those songs. if this album were longer, it would undoubtedly have suffered more, but as it is the lack of consistency is forgivable because it's a pretty even split. there is plenty of room to grow as well, but unfortunately candlebox seems averse to steer away from their initial formula, which makes "candlebox" their most enjoyable effort until they can proceed with their better ideas in a coherent and cohesive way.