Mudd produces solid 2nd album

Despite a change in half of the band's make-up, the sophomore effort from Puddle of Mudd picks up musically where the premiere left off. It is a mix of straight-forward hard rock and roll. But this is far from an hour-long assault of testosterone-laden, hair-banging madness. \nLife on Display doesn't reveal a feminine side of the band, but rather a gentler and mellow side not unlike "Drift and Die" from 2001's Come Clean. This can be heard in songs like "Time Flies" and "Change My Mind." \nThere is also a honky-tonk, country sound, most obvious in tracks like "Think," that is fostered mainly by the guitar. Also displayed are dark, moody, grinding sounds resembling Soundgarden and Tool, most apparent in "Bottom" and "Already Gone." However, the core of the album is a grungy-punk attitude that is pervasive in all the songs and album art. It is only fitting that frontman Wesley Scantlin resembles Kurt Cobain.\nLife on Display is an appropriate title with its far-from-theatrical lyrics about real-life subject matter like romance and relationships and drug problems. Like every good hard-rock band, Puddle of Mudd displays a heavy, aggressive side with a smaller mellow and intellectual side that makes Life on Display a solid musical companion.