The
Candlebox
of 2016 isn't the
of 1996, lacking many of its members -- only mainstay lead vocalist
Kevin Martin
and drummer
Dave Krusen
remain -- and also most of the grunge signifiers that turned the band into a chart-topper in the glory days of '90s alt-rock. Two decades on,
Pearl Jam
isn't a touchstone:
Matchbox Twenty
is, as is
Third Eye Blind
, two titans of the smoother post-grunge movement that ushered bands like
out of the charts. Perhaps the Seattle-based quintet, which is now essentially a vehicle for
Martin
's music, is slightly behind the curve by concentrating on this sound, yet the broader lines, slower tempos, and emphatic pleading suit a band now in middle age: it's adult alternative rock the way they used to do it back in the day. Hooks help, of course. Melodies surge forth from
, who receives sympathetic support from a band designed to offer nothing less and nothing more. They're nimble -- they cook up a disco pulse on "Supernova" as easily as they percolate pensive pop -- and if they fail to offer a distinctive spin on
's mature musings, the group can nevertheless deliver the material straight down the middle, which is enough to turn
Disappearing in Airports
into a satisfying AAA album, even if it feels vaguely out of time. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine