The Gracious Few

At first, the debut outing for the Gracious Few sounds a lot like one would expect from members of '90s alt-rock staples Live and Candlebox. The first 30 seconds of opening track "Appetite" roll on in like fog covering the Puget Sound, only to be obliterated by what sounds like a lost cut from Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti. Kingdom Come they are not, but Patrick Dahlheimer, Chad Gracey, and Chad Taylor from Live and Kevin Martin and Sean Hennesy from Candlebox have crafted a note of fondness (not quite a love letter) to '70s hard rock that has enough post-grunge radio polish on it to keep things in perspective. ~ James Christopher Monger