Overcrowded genre gets new member

Up and coming artists Vonray have opened for the likes of Third Eye Blind and have toured with Creed. Now, with one hit single featured on the soundtrack for the WB Superman hit, "Smallville," Vonray releases its self-titled follow up to the 1997 debut, Panes. Conveniently named vocalist, Vaughan Rhea, sounds like Creed frontrunner Scott Stapp on helium. Rhea's voice is deep and full without Stapp's unintentionally evil tone. Vonray could be described as a light-hearted, secular version of Creed. Rhea's brother, Dave on bass, Garret Coleman on rhythm guitar, Todd Hackenburg on lead guitar and Jeff Irizarry on drums round out this Orlando-based quintet. Rhea's smooth, yet rugged vocals never sound too strained, blending well with his mate's musical accomplishments. The one thing that hinders Vonray is the genre it's stepping into. At some point listeners are going to fall into alternative-rock fatigue, so overwhelmed with similar-sounding musicians that no one will be able to keep them straight. This phenomenon is already occurring, so Vonray quickly needs to carve out a niche within the genre in order to stay fresh.