25 year old Travis Warren, Blind Melon's new lead singer walked out on stage and sang "I'm entering a frame bombarded by indecision," at the opening of their Mar. 10th show at Langerado Music Festival in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.  And right then I knew it was going to be alright.  They launched into a set that I venture to say the late Shannon Hoon himself would have been quite pleased with featuring songs from all four of their studio releases.  I was ecstatic.  Girls in Bee costumes seemingly to young to remember "No Rain" weaved through the crowd as they delicately transitioned into the '93 mega-hit that unfortunately categorized them as one-hit wonders in the eyes of the general public.  Rest assured there was none of that sentiment present as the sun went down on Langerado and Warren introduced the song, saying simply, "This is a lullaby."  The whole crowd joined in the lullaby as if they'd been waiting 13 years for this moment.  And I believe some of them had.  See, it's been 13 years since lead singer, Shannon Hoon's untimely death.   And for Blind Melon fans like myself who were just kids back then, Blind Melon was just one of those bands that we thought we'd never see live.  And according to the band they never had any intention of ever reuniting.  Thanks to Travis Warren stumbling into their lives and the bands desire to make the music that they love we now have live dates and a new Blind Melon album, appropriately titled "For My Friends."  And it seems as Warren hurls water bottle after water bottle into a very grateful crowd that he is just as grateful to be a part of such a legendary band.

Like any situation in which a personality as powerful as frontman Shannon Hoon is gone but the band wants to continue without him, sentiments of "It's not the same" abound.  Well, of course it's not the same.  Shannon Hoon is gone.  But as the album kicks off it's immediately apparent that the band still has it.  Roger Stevens and Christopher Thorn's trademark dueling guitars weave the fabric of the album over Brad Smith (Bass) and Glen Graham's (Drums) reveling rhythm section in classic Blind Melon style.  Warren's vocal performance is nothing short of exceptional.  His voice which spans the same range as Shannon Hoon goes from friendly to haunting to exalting in a single phrase.  Although Hoon's identity-searching adorably flawed lyrics are to be missed the tone of the record is reminiscent of the good times.  As track number 9 "Last Laugh" suggests "I heard you say that every day above ground was a good one," although they dedicate the album to Hoon in the liner notes, it's with somewhat of a smile.  The album which was recorded and produced by Blind Melon and mixed by Brad Gilderman achieves a sonic quality not previously seen on any Blind Melon release.  Warren's vocals are stacked and chorused creating a larger than life and in your face feeling, quite a departure from solitude of Hoons usually bare and sometimes distant vocals.  Although as diverse in arrangement as their earlier records employing vintage instruments like the Wurlitzer played by Thorn, "For my Friends" in keeping with Blind Melon tradition is a rock album from start to finish.  The Band will be touring this summer to promote their release with dates from coast to coast.  So, do yourself a favor and join in the celebration that is the new Blind Melon.       -Benji