Unless you don't have a TV or a radio it's hard to ignore Shinedown's first single "Fly From the Inside." The twangy, dark guitar tones and sturdy vocals command this song about conquering all doubt despite others holding you back. It's refreshing to hear the vocal harmonies in the chorus. The tone becomes slightly darker on "Left Out." You'll start to make comparisons to Staind or Alice in Chains here. Somber acoustic guitars and soft vocals kick off "Lost in the Crowd," but are soon engulfed by a flurry of cranking guitars in the chorus. Jasin Todd's soloing isn't so much bombastic as it is effective and to the point. "Better Vision" is impelled by a repetitive guitar lick, while "Lacerated" is dominated by a tribal drumbeat. There's plenty of meaty riffs on "In Memory" and "No More Love." Two ballads really stand out on Leave a Whisper. "45" is a dark ballad about a man on the edge, and "Burning Bright" is an acoustic ballad that builds slowly to an emotional chorus. 　　Anything bad? 　　Nope. 　　Bottom Line 　　If you consider their name and the song titles, it's easy to dismiss Shinedown as another Christian metal band. However, their tone and lyrical content is too dark and deep to fall into that category. Leave a Whisper is a strong debut that's full tuned-down, radio friendly hard rock. It has recently been re-released with three bonus tracks and a video.