The Burn Halo album arrived inconspicuously in my mail, no CD jacket, no cover art, no sleeve with band details, lyrics, or shout-outs. An uneven lone labeling sticker with Burn Halo's logo and track list awkwardly affixed to one side of the plastic casing didn't exactly raise my temperature or arouse a firey curiosity. Which is a shame because underneath the simple packaging lived three tracks that are admittedly good.

Instead of wasting precious space, let me lay out the top three tracks. This way, you can scoop them up on iTunes or on Burn Halo's MySpace account instead of getting the whole album, due out March 31, 2009. Unless of course, you like the power rock ballads of yester-century. Whitesnake fans raise your hands.

Track one, the hit single, "Dirty Little Girl" is brilliant. It reminds me of Alice in Chains meets Stone Temple Pilots, meets Nickleback. It is quick, raw, and edgy, with room to breathe in between the guitar and vocals. It has all of the right elements, not overly produced or layered, with driving guitar, simple but decent pedal affects, warmed by a rustic, sensual vocal style that is simultaneously sexy and gritty. The lyrics aren't mind-boggling, but hey, it's rock and roll and they don't have to be.

Track six, "Dead End Roads & Lost Highways" leads in with a great guitar riff and strong vocals. When Burn Halo is not trying to sound like anybody else, they have a nice dirty sound that works. This song exemplifies what they could sound like if they weren't parroting other bands. Even with the distortion, effects pedals, and the guitar solo.

Track eight, "Our House" has a commercial aspect to it which is good. Imagine a MMA show or WWE ring. At least the band won't starve. It is a catchy and memorable track.

Tracks two thru six lose the integrity of a new gritty rock band, falling prey to distortion and overdubbed, echo madness. Not to mention sheer replication. Many a good rock band attributes Slash to their guitar playing, but few try and rip his sound off entirely. I am referring to the second track, "Save Me". While I highly doubt this was the intent of Joey Cunah, lead guitar, it is undoubtedly the affect that he pulls off.

I am especially unhappy with "Here with Me" a track that sounds like it wants to be blend between the whiny boy bands of late and a tribute to nineties metal. "So Addicted" would be a great song if it didn't sound like it was ripped off the latest Nickelback album. "Saloon Song" made me want to slit my writs. Ditto for "Fallin Faster". Fellas, if you ever meet a girl that likes these songs, run away. She is entirely too needy and insecure and you won't want her anyway.