Fuel Angels & Devils CD

Fuel (Alternative Pop/Rock): Carl Bell (guitars); Jeff Abercrombie (bass guitar); Tommy Stewart (drums); Toryn Green.
Personnel: Toryn Green (vocals); Carl Bell (guitar); Jennifer Walton, Kirstin Fife, Stefanie Fife (strings); Tommy Stewart, Josh Freese, Tommy Lee (drums); Matthew Nelson (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Mike Shipley; Ben Grosse.
Recording information: The Chop Chop Studios, Hollywood, CA.
Photographer: P.R. Brown.
Nearly four years after 2003's NATURAL SELECTION, Fuel finally returned with its follow-up, ANGELS & DEVILS. In the interim, the Pennsylvania-based rock band endured the departure of vocalist Brett Scallions and drummer Kevin Miller, along with a failed attempt to recruit popular AMERICAN IDOL finalist Chris Daughtry. This '07 outing finds Fuel revitalized, thanks largely to the presence of new singer Toryn Green, who tones down the neo-grunge drama in favor of a slightly subtler approach (see the mid-tempo anthem "Wasted Time"). While not a radical departure for the neo-grunge act, ANGELS does mark a significant new chapter for Fuel, and proves that it can soldier on, despite major setbacks.
A few years after the 2003 release of their third album, Natural Selection, Fuel parted ways with lead vocalist Brett Scallions, which turned out to be a bit of fortuitous timing. Because Fuel were without a singer, they received a huge publicity boost in early 2006 when Chris Daughtry, resident rocker of the fifth season of American Idol, plugged them relentlessly, singing their songs and citing them as an influence. Since the band was down a singer, guitarist/songwriter Carl Bell and bassist Jeff Abercrombie (drummer Kevin Miller had left in 2004) decided to pursue Daughtry publicly, only to have the newly ascendant star turn them down. Undaunted, the pair hired Toryn Green as their new singer (and Godsmack skinman Tommy Stewart as their new drummer) and set out to make their own version of Daughtry's debut album with their fourth record, 2007's Angels & Devils. Musically, this isn't much different than previous Fuel albums, but they have followed their prodigy's lead, turning down the heaviness (not just in the guitars but the tone) and playing up the anthems and sentiment, leaving this as tortured-but-optimistic, tortured-but-earnest post-grunge. The production is brighter and Green is a more precise singer than Scallions, but such professionalism winds up giving Fuel a more generic feel than before -- indeed, they sound more generic than Daughtry, who not only has a knack for rock anthems but also benefited from some professional collaborators. Bell may have needed some similar kind of assistance on Angels & Devils, because the end result if pleasant but forgettable, something no rock band should be. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
A few years after the 2003 release of their third album, Natural Selection, Fuel parted ways with lead vocalist Brett Scallions, which turned out to be a bit of fortuitous timing. Because Fuel were without a singer, they received a huge publicity boost in early 2006 when Chris Daughtry, resident rocker of the fifth season of American Idol, plugged them relentlessly, singing their songs and citing them as an influence. Since the band was down a singer, guitarist/songwriter Carl Bell and bassist Jeff Abercrombie (drummer Kevin Miller had left in 2004) decided to pursue Daughtry publicly, only to have the newly ascendant star turn them down. Undaunted, the pair hired Toryn Green as their new singer (and Godsmack skinman Tommy Stewart as their new drummer) and set out to make their own version of Daughtry's debut album with their fourth record, 2007's Angels & Devils. Musically, this isn't much different than previous Fuel albums, but they have followed their prodigy's lead, turning down the heaviness (not just in the guitars but the tone) and playing up the anthems and sentiment, leaving this as tortured-but-optimistic, tortured-but-earnest post-grunge. The producti