BETTER THAN ME - HINDER
With throwback anthem “Lips of an Angel,” Hinder scored a momentus radio hit that soared hard on the heels of Nickelback and calls to mind pop-metal anthems of the neon ’80s. Another catchy power ballad, the acoustic-based “Better Than Me,” is smaller and less bombastic, but equally infectious. It opens softly with finger-picked guitars, relying on Austin Winkler’s raucous, larger-than-life vocals to conjure widescreen sound. Let’s face it: Hinder’s hair-metal nostalgia is too well-crafted, melodic and visceral to be dismissed as a festival of cliches. And if an arena hook like “I really miss your hair in my face/And the way your innocence tastes” makes one cringe, you’ve discovered a perfect guilty pleasure. Billboard
