Dropbox

John Kosco - vocals Lee Richards - guitar Joe Wilkinson - guitar Jim Preziosa - bass Bob Jenkins - drums You know you've got a good band when the lead singer of a four-time-Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum group makes you the first signing to his new label. But you know you've got a great band when that same artist also wants to play on your debut album. Such is life for Dropbox, who were signed by Godsmack vocalist Sully Erna to his new imprint Realign Records. The magnitude of Dropbox's monster talent reveals itself in their thrilling self-titled debut, an unrestrained outpouring of iron-fisted backbeats, sprawling melodies, and monolithic, Led Zep-like bombast. Produced by Dave Jerden (Alice In Chains, Jane's Addiction, The Offspring) and Dropbox guitarist Lee Richards, the record captures the timeless feel of vintage rock, complete with the whiskey-soaked croon of a vocalist who can actually sing. Free from creative constraints, the quintet lets loose with dynamic arrangements and electrifying performances. The result is an album with a big, meaty sound, propelled by a tightly drilled rhythm section (bassist James Preziosa and drummers Erna and Bob Jenkins) and a guitar tandem (Richards and Joe Wilkinson) that blends blast-furnace riffage ("Run") with streams of ambient texture ("Take Away The Sun"). They provide the backdrop for Kosco, who brings each song to life with passionate melodies and lyrics that elevate the personal to the universal. Over the course of the album's journey, he sifts through the wreckage of a broken relationship ("Fall Away"), chases elusive dreams ("Forgotten Song") and watches helplessly as a friend succumbs to addiction ("Nowhere Man"). On songs like "Unfold," he and Richards blend voices to thrilling effect, their stunning harmonies adding emotional range and depth. According to Richards, producer Dave Jerden was also influential in helping the band to sharpen its sound and vision.