Default

On the heels of 2002's enormous hit "Wasting My Time," Default took another shot at platinum by releasing Elocation. "Who Followed Who?" finds the group nicking the powerful drive of the Bangles' "Hazy Shade of Winter" and gluing it to a Nickelback tune. Speaking of the latter, Chad Kroeger helped put Default on the map and naturally is back to help out, co-penning "Throw It All Away," which aside from its title is a track worth salvaging. Lead singer Dallas Smith sounds like a mixture of the aforementioned Kroeger, the Offspring's Dexter Holland, and Creed's Scott Stapp. Sure, the band plays as astutely as, um, Creed or Nickelback under the watchful eye of producers Rick Parashar (Pearl Jam, Rhythm Corps), Butch Walker (Sevendust, SR-71), and Kroeger. Although Default's bastardized cover of the Jeff Buckley classic "Cruel" is brave, the simple devotional "Without You" is the most memorable tune on Elocation. ~ John D. Luerssen, All Music Guide