Reviewed March 9, 2001
Finger Eleven's sophomore album, The Greyest of Blue Skies  takes two directions - one up, one down. The first few songs on the album bare reminders to the band's early days writing not-so-great rock songs under the Rainbow Butt Monkeys moniker. Although "My Carousel" is the only song so bad I can't handle listening to, I usually begin my listening with the much more progressive "Broken Words" or "Suffocate".

One of Finger Eleven's strongs suits from their previous album, the lyrics, most of which describe an inability to effectively communicate with a lover, remain potent, not too childishly vague in their angst like many in the modern rock scene. But unlike Tip 's single "Above", there are not really any songs that make a perfect fit for MTV on this album. No longer is there any semblance of Our Lady Peace, either.

Some of the songs stand out for one reason or another. "First Time" and "Sick of It All" have some cool stop-start guitar work, while "First Time" hits the depressed nerve that it aims for with Scott Anderson's painful voice. Unfortunately, tracks two thru five don't showcase the same voice.

Things get much better beginning with track six, "Broken Words". Scott Anderson reveals that he can still sing in an aching way that will bring listeners to their knees. "Suffocate" reveals a hint of anger. Then "Walking In My Shoes" shows that Finger Eleven can bleed even more than Depeche Mode, even while speeding up the tempo of the cover song. The disc concludes with what is possibly the greatest, most emotionally moving Finger Eleven song yet, "Stay and Drown".

While marred by the inadequacy of a few songs, The Greyest of Blue Skies  still wins with quality songs elsewhere on the disc. I give it four of five stars.