Bringing Down the Giant

Personnel: Jared Weeks (vocals, background vocals); Skidd Mills (guitar, keyboards, programming); Scott Bartlett, Jason Null (guitar); Michael McManus (drums); Drew Deprey (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Skidd Mills.
Recording information: Skiddco Studios; SOund Kitchen, Franklin, TN.
Photographer: Jim McGuire .
Sexually charged Southern rockers Saving Abel follow up on their sophomore album, 2010's Miss America, with Bringing Down the Giant. Just as Miss America and its self-titled predecessor reveled in testosterone-soaked tales of bedroom conquests, Giant continues the chest thumping but mercifully also offers some thematic and sonic diversions. Fans of their previous albums need look no further than the eponymous opening track, which gives the impression of an empowerment anthem for wimpy kids ("I hit the wall, I got back up and dusted off/I'm past the pain, I'm taking back all that I lost") before revealing its "two wrongs make a right" tendencies ("Karma's coming back here to find you/This could get a little violent"), and "Michael Jackson's Jacket," which sounds innocent enough in title but immediately identifies itself as a mental undressing of a sharp-dressed woman ("You know we'd get there quicker/If it weren't for all those zippers"). Conversely, Saving Abel show an almost vulnerable side with the acoustic ballad "Those Who Wait," admitting to feeling insecure about a girlfriend's faithfulness, and the bluesy, piano-led closer "Constantly" reminds a long-distance lover that despite the miles between them she's not far from his thoughts. But the most notable change with Giant is its expanded sound, from mainstream '90s rock ("Amazing," "Pictures of Elvis"), to modern hard rock ("New Loser"), to country crossover ("You Make Me Sick"). Though not breaking any new ground, Saving Abel can at least be credited with showing some signs of maturity. ~ Chrysta Cherrie