Album: Daylight
Artist: Needtobreathe
Label: Sparrow/Atlantic
Sounds like: Audio Adrenaline, Collective Soul

Finding themselves in the spotlight via favourable reviews of their live shows in the US, Needtobreathe’s Daylight is a fitting companion. The band brims with energy, building a big sound with layers of guitars—a dual attack of sledgehammers and needles—much like Audio Adrenaline. They even manage to incorporate the odd piano into the strong sound, and on “Haley” the solid performance is in acoustic mode. But Needtobreathe lack AA’s knack for lyrical hooks that stick around, and despite all the noise—the stabbing kick-drums, the choruses that bloom like fireworks—it’s refined, controlled . . . and safe, lacking the abandon that’s sometimes necessary for rock to really soar.

Nicks rating: 3/5