TEAM RNS PRESENTS

TITLE: Leave A Whisper

LABEL: Atlantic / Warner

RIPPER: Team RNS

225kbps avg - Rock
1hr 0min total-102.9mb

RELEASE DATE: 2004-06-15
RIP DATE: 2004-06-14

01 Fly From The Inside            3:55

03 Lost In The Crowd              3:56
04 No More Love                   3:46

06 Burning Bright                 3:47

08 All I Ever Wanted              4:10

14 Burning Bright (Sanford Mix)   3:49

Jacksonville, Florida, has enjoyed a
long and stirring rock and roll
tradition. From the time the seminal
guitar crunch of Lynyrd Skynyrd first
put this vibrant city on the rock and
roll map, J-ville has played an
integral role in the on-going evolution
of contemporary music. Now a young
Jacksonville-based hard rock band named
Shinedown appears ready, willing, and
more-than-able to add another exciting
chapter to their home town's noble rock

As proven throughout their debut album,
"LEAVE A WHISPER," vocalist Brent
Smith, guitarist Jasin Todd, bassist
Brad Stewart, and drummer Barry Kerch
have fully absorbed influences ranging
from the classic sounds of Skynyrd and
Led Zeppelin to the soulful stirrings
of Otis Redding to the likes of Staind
and Tool - and have filtered them all
through their own unique musical
perspectives. The resulting musical
brew is a true feast for the senses,
blending bold, strident guitar power,
blues-driven vocal fury, and
cutting-edge metallic mayhem into a
swirling cauldron of bubbling rock
reactants. This is heavy music that
stands head and shoulders above today's
field of cookie-cutter rock practitioners.

Such songs as the powerful first
single, "Fly From The Inside," the
emotive "No More Love," and the
overwhelming "Burning Bright" show that
in the 24 year-old Smith, Shinedown
sports one of the most talented singers
and unconventional songwriters
currently operating within a hard rock

Shinedown delivers their musical goods
with passion, power and a perception
that belies their limited time in the
spotlight. "I've wanted to do this all
my life," says Smith. "Making music and
being in a successful band is all I ever
wanted to do, but it's never been easy.
Music was never a big deal in my family.
My parents just didn't understand what it
was really all about. They were
encouraging... to a point. But I always
dreamed of being given the chance to
stand up in front of people and try to
move them with my music. I'm incredibly
thankful every day that I've now been
given that chance."

Formed in early 2001 by these fast-found
friends - after Smith left his previous
band on the eve of landing a recording
deal - it hasn't taken long for
Shinedown to begin making their mark.
First and foremost, there are the
songs. Each one stands as a mini-drama
unto itself, a full-fledged slice of rock
and roll brilliance where the band's
varying influences and tastes all
magnificently battle with one another
for prominence. "We don't like to do
anything in a typical way," Smith says
with a grin. "To our way of thinking,
each song should be different - as far
away from a formula as you can possibly
get. We pride ourselves in taking some
things you might think you know, and then
twisting them around. We're not trying
to necessarily be different - it's just
the way we are. That keeps it
interesting for us, and interesting for
the fans as well."

Once the members of Shinedown began to
fully appreciate one another's talents
and fully hit their musical stride, it
didn't take long for the labels to take
notice. It was early in 2002 that
Atlantic sealed the deal, giving the
band the opportunity to turn their rock
and roll dreams into reality. Shinedown
soon found themselves in a Los Angeles
recording studio with producer Bob
Marlette (known for his work with Ozzy
Osbourne, Saliva, and Black Sabbath),
laying down the tracks that would
eventually form the core of "LEAVE A

From first note to last, this is a disc
that shows a band in control of the full
spectrum of rock and roll ingredients.
Heavy without being overbearing,
insightful without sounding preachy,
the music created by Shinedown is
designed to send those proverbial
shivers racing up and down your spine.
While their approach on such tunes as
"45" and "Better Version" can seem
rather dark and bleak, there's always a
positive thread running through the music,
leaving the listener with the
unmistakable feeling that this has been
a musical sojourn well worth taking.

"There were so many things that we
wanted to try on this album," Smith said.
"We approached it in as cool and calm a
manner as we could, but there's no
denying that a lot of the time we were
like kids in a candy store. That's how
excited we were. I think a lot of that
energy found its way into the music,
which was our intent from the very
beginning. We want each song to carry
the listener on a journey, and we want
to make sure the ride is as interesting
as possible. The best way I can describe
it is to say that this band is a
celebration of being alive. We all have
our problems, but if you're honest with
yourself, you can draw from that
darkness and turn it into something

This is the re-release of their previous
album, released in 2003 through Atlantic
Records; it features 3 bonus tracks
recorded during the Sansford Sessions.