The soon-to-be-released Family Values Tour 2006 CD, spinning in my stereo as I type, is everything I hoped it would be and a little less. Maybe this is because I still remember the feeling of attending one stop on the seminal Family Values tour. I had such an amazing time that night; maybe I'm unfairly judging this experience against it. It is very difficult, after all, for the music alone to duplicate the experience that is an all-evening extravaganza of a rock concert.

Tell you what - let me step back for a moment and go through this CD:

Korn — "Right Now" kicks off this CD with a bang. As this is one of my favorite tracks from Korn, it certainly sets the mood for how I'll respond to the rest of this CD. Filled with the chunkiest bass-line groove you've ever heard, the song just smashes its way into your eardrums with no remorse.

Korn — "Coming Undone" slides back the aggression factor from the opening track and just see-saws on a deliciously slow groove. Though it isn't one of my favorite Korn tracks, it is also nowhere near my least favorite.

Flyleaf — "I'm So Sick" is a song that had me scratching my head for the first few listens. Showing my age a bit here, I'll admit this is my first experience with Flyleaf. Actually, you'll be hearing me say that about a few of the bands on this CD. That's not a bad thing - or an unexpected thing, really - as quite a few of the bands accompanying Korn on the concert I mentioned earlier were also new to me. All in all, once I got used to the lead singer's scorching vocals (who knew a woman could howl like that?), this song grew on me.

10 Years — "Wasteland" is a solid song from a solid band. While it doesn't wow me in any way, it also doesn't make me run to forward past it. I'll be honest, though, in that they sound not too unlike any number of "hard-rock" bands out there. That might jade my perspective of them a bit.

Stone Sour — "Through Glass" is a lovely, lovely song from one of the better voices in rock today - Cory Taylor. Cory's voice is one of the reasons I am a gigantic fan of his other band. Unlike Slipknot, however, Stone Sour allows him to explore melody in ways very few would accept from the man. Just a great track from a band fortunate enough to be blessed with a great singer.