Carbon Leaf – Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat
This Richmond, Virginia, quintet seems stable enough — this is its seventh album with the same lineup — and is constantly making new fans on the road, opening for the likes of Los Lonely Boys, Blues Traveler, Kings Of Leon and the Goo Goo Dolls. On Love, Hope, Loss, Repeat, they depart a bit from their Celtic influences and ram straight into triple-A rock territory, with long, ropey melodies, earnest but exuberant singing, and skillful playing that showcases each member’s considerable strengths. “Learn To Fly”, “Block Of Wood” and the title cut possess the sort of organic modern-rock power that works on the radio, in the iPod and in concert. Vocalist Barry Privett and guitarist Carter Gravatt take chances this time out, and they hit their marks.