The Better Life

In these ones, for future reference, "The"s and "A"s at the beginning don't count for the alphabetical thing. Hence, this one is still B. And I think I'll be doing a few posts here and there when I need to outside of this A to Z, but they'll be on my other days.

If I mention the band 3 Doors Down, you probably don't recognise the name. Maybe it rings a bell. If I then mention the song Kryptonite, then you'll probably know that. Well, they wrote it. They're not extremely well known; pretty much a one-hit wonder type of thing. But they are a pretty darn successful band; just not perhaps as well known as some of the other ones around.

The Better Life was their debut album. The general feel is very much solid rock almost throughout the album, and each of the songs are quite easy to sing along to, tap your foot to it, that sort of thing. (By the way guys, if this doesn't go massively in-depth, it's because I was pretty much thinking this through just on the way home from uni today.)

It starts off with Kryptonite, which starts off much quieter than the majority of the album. But it's established a definite rock feel by the second verse, and especially as it goes into the chorus. It has a couple of interesting sound effects towards the end of the track, which are a bit unexpected. The next track, Loser, starts off with some sound effects that are a bit different as well, but then goes back very much into the rock feel by the verse. The rest of the album passes by pretty smoothly, with not too much standing out - except the interesting use of the part-chorus and Duck and Run, and another refreshing softer start in Be Like That. The title song, The Better Life, basically does what it says on the box. Decent guitar riff, fairly good beat, etc etc.

It's a solid album, which doesn't have many faults, apart from perhaps a lack of much variation. So why is it then that they aren't fabulously well known? They're certainly successful, so they must be well known to some, evidently. Maybe I'm just out of the loop ;P

But I think it's because, though they're good, they don't really have too much that's exceptional. Kryptonite is really their big single, but apart from that, they don't have much that's fantastic. They're good, but they're a bit like any other rock band that I listen to. They're forgettable.

So, my final verdict: is it worth getting? Well, I think it's certainly a decent album, worth having a listen to. If you don't mind having another album that you can just listen to and sing along a bit, without being surprised too much, then go ahead and get it. I did, and I'm glad I did.
If you'd prefer to just grab a couple of singles from it, then the first four that I've mentioned up there I would recommend most.