The feel of this solo release from STAIND lead singer Aaron Lewis is something that has been spinning internally and needed an outlet. The lyrics are personal and introspective of his life at home and on the road. Where you live and where you need to go supports you where you need to be. It is the circle of the life of musicians who need to spread the latest releases and the error that once on the road takes hold of them, pushing them from town to town.
The “If I Could Paint a Picture” line found on track 2 is exactly what Lewis does throughout this release. “Vicious circles” maintains the line, but the image is drawn on each track giving the launch its base. This allowed Lewis to put his personal thoughts on paper as the pages turn red from the weight of having to leave his family because his love of acting fills the music.
“Country Boy” is Aaron’s story of what happens to bands when they arrive in Los Angeles and discover that costumes want to change what artists have built, starting with how you look and speak, as well as your physique. This track features GEORGE JONES, CHARLIE DANIELS, and CHRIS YOUNG, where the first two have been around the block with record companies for so many years and stayed true to who they are, while Chris Young has been in the limelight alone. 5 years, which has been long enough to see what the limelight can ask of an artist.
Alexa Carter brings hauntingly extraordinary vocals to the background of “Tangled Up in You,” a song in which Lewis speaks directly to his wife. The beauty of the song is the simplicity of the music, which allows the lyrics to carry the message. LEON RUSSELL syntax can be heard at the beginning of each line and occasionally at the end. My only question is if this song can also be the handcuffs that music has to keep you away from the love of your life and your children. He seems to be singing as much for his wife as for the music he writes and the path that leads him to perform them.
“Massachusetts” is clearly the home he treasures, where his family and friends greet him not as the famous artist, but as the guy they have known from his earliest years. Screaming fans have little place in his life here, the focus being his children as they grow and change during his touring leave.
Lewis did what few artists in a band can do on a solo album. It stayed true to one sound, giving the recording a complete feel. Letting the lyrics come from a more personal place makes the listener wish they had delivered more than the 5 tracks. It is clear after finishing the CD that he is the driver behind STAIND. This in no way negates the band as a whole, it just indicates who’s putting the pedal to the metal.