Lucy
Lucy has a darker, looser atmosphere than its familiar hard rock ingredients might suggest. Candlebox still favour substantial guitar chords and an openly emotional singer, but the rough edges around the sound give the music a useful sense of unease. The album becomes more interesting as its immediate rock songs make room for slower, less settled material.
Simple Lessons begins with a direct burst of energy. It is an efficient opener, with enough movement to stop Kevin Martin's emphatic delivery from weighing everything down. The title track works on a broader scale, allowing the playing to stretch around its central melody. There is confidence in the way the band occupy that space.
The guitar is both an attraction and a limitation. Peter Klett adds colour around the vocal rather than merely doubling the main chords, and his leads give the arrangements a restless surface. Yet the recurring style of those lines can also make different songs feel closer together than they need to. A little more restraint would sometimes make a particular phrase mean more.
The slower end of the album gives that sound a stronger setting. Butterfly creates a patient, shadowed mood that suits the weight in Martin's voice. Its return at the finish underlines the song's importance to the record's atmosphere. These passages let Candlebox sound absorbed in a feeling rather than simply determined to deliver a forceful chorus.
Lucy is less reliable when the writing has to stand apart from that atmosphere. Some middle passages drift between familiar shapes without producing a melody as memorable as the playing is committed. The band can generate considerable heat, but heat alone does not always explain why a song needs to continue.
Even with those reservations, there is more character here than its harshest reputation allows. The opening tracks supply momentum, while the later material gives the record a more reflective depth. Lucy works best as an album of guitar textures and sustained moods, with Butterfly providing the clearest reason to follow it beyond the obvious rock hooks.
