I have Blackbird. Got it thru a friend who came home from the states. I can't agree that it's the same thing with ODR. It feels a bit darker than the first album, influence din cguro ng guitar playing ni myles kennedy. Check out the track Blackbird, Buried Alive, and Come to Life
And what's the deal with overplaying? Mark is a great guitar player, if not the best right now, malaki improvement nya from Creed. I think his playing on both albums are flavorfully crafted. I don't him overplaying, coz it sounds real good, pinaghirapan ung melodic aspect, compared to other guitarists out there who rip out fast blazing solos everytime. Not that Mark Tremonti can't be amazingly fast on the fretboard. Anyone who has tried to cop his solos will know that.
Rock music is guitar-oriented, it helps that the lyrics are good and vocals are catchy, but we appreciate it for the axemanship. Astig to, the best band out there for me.