Songs From Black Mountain

Songs From Black Mountain, the seventh album from the spiritual-minded, Ed Kowalczyk-fronted quartet proves they can still write hummable pop-metal anthems and equally clunky lyrics. The latter skill is most evident on ”You Are Not Alone,” which describes faith-free people as ”doin’ their time/like carps in slime” and also likens them to ”submarines with no periscopes.” Tune-wise, the standout track is ”Mystery,” which American Idol fans may recall the band performing on this season’s finale with Kowalczyk bald-alike Chris Daughtry.