Staind

You have to wonder whether Staind frontman Aaron Lewis watched the recent ouster of bald-domed American Idol rocker Chris Daughtry with joy or regret. On the one hand, Daughtry's success on the show has demonstrated that the mainstream has room for nü-metal bellowers alongside R&B divas and wedding-singer soul men -- good news for a band with Staind's commercial aspirations. On the other hand, it's unclear whether the mainstream has room for more than one such bellower; in the fight for precious market share, Staind's multiplatinum sales might not mean much, next to the Idol juggernaut. Perhaps Daughtry's runner-up status -- rather than his triumph -- is the ideal ground-softener for Staind's next big TRL offensive. That kind of effort wouldn't necessarily fizzle: "Right Here," the big hit from last year's Chapter V, is Staind's prettiest moment yet, a tender prom-night slow jam Katharine McPhee could handle.