Excellent return to form for the Goos!, 2010-08-30Having been a fan of this band since 1995's 'A Boy Named Goo', I have seen them go through many musical changes. Their swift movement into producing softer, more mainstream music was surprising but the quality of songwriting remained excellent so I bought every new album that came along, enjoying the many highlights on each of them.
Only 'Let Love In' was a true disappointment. Upon it's release in 2006 I really thought the band had lost their way. Yes there were highlights such as 'Stay With You' and 'Can't Let It Go' but for the most part it was a below average effort...too soft, uninspired and most of the songs sounded the same.
Now here we are in 2010 and finally the Goo Goo Dolls have released the long overdue follow-up, 'Something For The Rest Of Us'. All I can say is this album is a lot better than the previous one. The songs offer much more variety and have more life in them, flowing with emotion but also energy which was lacking on 'Let Love In'. Of course the band have matured and it is certainly not a return to the youthful, upbeat rock of 'A Boy Named Goo' or 'Superstar Car Wash'. But at the same time I can't help but be delighted that they've recovered some of the brilliance we all know they are capable of.
The album gets off to a flying start with 'Sweetest Lie', a good choice for an opener and slightly different from anything they've done before, sounding very much like an upbeat U2 song with the chanting chorus and Edge-like guitars. It is different but it's powerful...and most of all it works.
From here on we have mainly power ballads and soft rock songs that each have their own distinctive sound. Personal favourites are 'As I Am' (an atmospheric and catchy power ballad that would fit well on Gutterflower), 'Notbroken' (an emotionally charged acoustic number which is well written and builds to a rocking finish), 'One Night' (very good mid-tempo soft rock, instantly likeable), 'Nothing Is Real' (hard edged ballad, epic sing-along chorus) and 'Still Your Song' (probably the best track of all. Emotional and radio friendly, upbeat catchy chorus, a classic Rzeznik composition. I hope it is the next single!).
Robby Takac provides two tracks for the album. 'Now I Hear' is quite good, different to his normal output, it rocks along but with a slower tempo than you would usually expect from Robby. It takes a few listens to appreciate and is not a highlight but certainly a good solid song. 'Say You're Free' is the other one and unfortunately, although providing a welcome change to a more punk rock direction which helps the album's variety, has a chorus that never really grabs you. I actually think 'Listen' from 'Let Love In' was superior. It's not a terrible song and doesn't change my overall rating for the album, but it still could have been better.
In conclusion, 'Something For The Rest Of Us' exceeds expectations from a band that have been around for 25 years. It vastly improves upon their last album and while not quite hitting the heights of their classic material, sounds fresh and relevant with a handful of excellent songs.
Reviewed By A1JF96O0S7PFWVOnly 'Let Love In' was a true disappointment. Upon it's release in 2006 I really thought the band had lost their way. Yes there were highlights such as 'Stay With You' and 'Can't Let It Go' but for the most part it was a below average effort...too soft, uninspired and most of the songs sounded the same.
Now here we are in 2010 and finally the Goo Goo Dolls have released the long overdue follow-up, 'Something For The Rest Of Us'. All I can say is this album is a lot better than the previous one. The songs offer much more variety and have more life in them, flowing with emotion but also energy which was lacking on 'Let Love In'. Of course the band have matured and it is certainly not a return to the youthful, upbeat rock of 'A Boy Named Goo' or 'Superstar Car Wash'. But at the same time I can't help but be delighted that they've recovered some of the brilliance we all know they are capable of.
The album gets off to a flying start with 'Sweetest Lie', a good choice for an opener and slightly different from anything they've done before, sounding very much like an upbeat U2 song with the chanting chorus and Edge-like guitars. It is different but it's powerful...and most of all it works.
From here on we have mainly power ballads and soft rock songs that each have their own distinctive sound. Personal favourites are 'As I Am' (an atmospheric and catchy power ballad that would fit well on Gutterflower), 'Notbroken' (an emotionally charged acoustic number which is well written and builds to a rocking finish), 'One Night' (very good mid-tempo soft rock, instantly likeable), 'Nothing Is Real' (hard edged ballad, epic sing-along chorus) and 'Still Your Song' (probably the best track of all. Emotional and radio friendly, upbeat catchy chorus, a classic Rzeznik composition. I hope it is the next single!).
Robby Takac provides two tracks for the album. 'Now I Hear' is quite good, different to his normal output, it rocks along but with a slower tempo than you would usually expect from Robby. It takes a few listens to appreciate and is not a highlight but certainly a good solid song. 'Say You're Free' is the other one and unfortunately, although providing a welcome change to a more punk rock direction which helps the album's variety, has a chorus that never really grabs you. I actually think 'Listen' from 'Let Love In' was superior. It's not a terrible song and doesn't change my overall rating for the album, but it still could have been better.
In conclusion, 'Something For The Rest Of Us' exceeds expectations from a band that have been around for 25 years. It vastly improves upon their last album and while not quite hitting the heights of their classic material, sounds fresh and relevant with a handful of excellent songs.
This review was cited from Amazon.co.uk.
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