It's a shame, really. Lifehouse started out as an interesting rock band. They weren't earth shattering, but they stod out amidst a sea of generic rock bands. Then they couldn't seem to get noticed beyond Hanging By A Moment, rearranged the members, and released their self-titled plea for radio attention. It seemed to fail, since they only got one hit out of it and it was the only one anyone knew besides HBAM. Mission to sell out: failed.

I gues they felt it deserved another try, because they've toned down anything that ever made them stand out to the point that they sound just like everybody else and their lyrics are banal. Though nothing here is as horrid as the worst on the last album, and a couple songs are convincing rockers, there's still nothing memorable or to make you want to ever listen to it again. Second attempt to sell out in a deserate plea for attention: failure.

On to the album itself.

Disarray starts things off in a familiar way. It bear a striking similarity to Spin, which was a hit, but didn't get a lot of attention. The subject matter is also very much like Spin. Ironically, this is one of the only two interesting songs on the album, and it's only surface interest. In their attempt to rip off themselves and make a generic statement, they've made an inferior product.

First Time at least doesn't sound like on of their older songs. It has a brighter and bouncier riff as Wade sings about how he feels like he's in love for the first time and blah blah blah. Remember how We'll Never Know seemed like they were trying to appeal to teens? This is the same thing, but I think this is actually more convincing as a rock song.

And now we go steeply downhill. Whatever It Takes is a generic power ballad. It's offensive in the sense that it just oozes, "look at me, I'm sappy and emotional!". A mushy riff, sappy and sugary lyrics about making a relationship work, and some cheesy "la da da"'s make for a song that is liable to give you cavities. They ever strip down to just guitar for one chorus before launching into the final chorus. End paint-by-numbers radio song.

Who We Are has a slight jangle to it's guitar riff, which bears a resemblance to the riff from First Time. It's not as interesting, and the lyrics are some generic statement about finding out who you are. But there's nothing about the lyrics that stands out as memorable.

With a title like Broken, I'll give you one guess what this song sounds like and is about. If you guessed, "piano ballad", and, "Christian radio-esque song about being healed", you'd be totally right. This sounds more like Michael W Smith than Lifehouse. Slow, plodding piano, sappy, trite lyrics, yup, this is a CCM hit waiting to happen. It even comes with obnoxious, weepy string section!

Giving us a break from the rest of the album, Lifehouse gives us one last convincing rocker that is actually the best song on the album and sounds more like what the and is capable of with The Joke. The chorus has a stop/start guitar riff, while the verses have more of a groove to them. It could have ended up being a Nickleback ripoff, but they managed to avoid that and write a song that is actually fun and actually sticks in the mind and doesn't sound totally trite and radio ready. Whether the song is a tragic look through the eyes of a suicidal kid or an ironic description of what has happened to their own career is up for debate, but the song is a bright spot on an otherwise mediocre album.

We all knew the rockers couldn't last very long, as Easier To Be proves. Instead of sappy piano, we get sappy guitar. It's another attempt to appeal to the kids, and it's somewhat enjoyable, if I don't think about it, otherwise I notice that the song is totally vague and sort of talks about some person making it easier to be himself. The lyrics are some of the most trite on the album, and sometimes border on nonsensical, as he rarely makes a complete thought or sentence.

Make Me Over is a mid-tempo, slightly bouncy number. It's sort of catchy, and Wade's vocals aren't bad, he gets to show off his falsetto in the chorus. It's not too bad, nothing that screams classic, but it's one of the better tracks. The lyrics aren't great, but they aren't terrible either. I actually can enjoy this, even when I'm thinking about it, so I give my approval.

Mesmerized lends itself to all sorts of bad puns. Musically, I like that it doesn't sound generic and the melody goes to unexpected places. The brit-pop influence to the flowing guitar riffs and nice little piano parts is actually working well. The lyrics are better than average, too, but aren't quite as memorable as some of his other worship anthems, so I tend to forget about the song.

Bridges is bouncy and jangly, a two pronged attempt at radio play. It's about, anyone? Yes, it's about burning bridges. And as we all know, that subject has been done to death. The last good song on the topic was when Jason Mraz addressed it in his song, Burning Bridges, which only worked because he said it with more depth and insight than most people. This song lacks insight, or depth, or a catchy melody, or anything that stands out.

First, I would like to say that there are some songs which are doomed to never be taken seriously because of their titles.

The song in question is called, Learn You Inside Out. Seriously? It's a horrible pun and sounds kind of creepy in a Nine Inch Nails, I want to feel you from the inside, way. It's a piano ballad, and it about learning who someone is from the inside out. Somehow, I think this song would be a lot better in the hands of Coldplay or Copeland, since slow-burner piano songs are more their area. There are some guitars, but, it's more trite lyrics and it's boring, really boring, in the way that something on pop radio would be boring. There are those strings again, and this time they seem really random and out of place, not even fitting with the music but seeming jarring and distracting.

Storm is actually a really old song from before No Name Face. It starts off acapella, with only Wade's vocals over a simple song about faith and whatnot. Some quiet piano comes in during the chorus, and a guitar build start during the second verse, but it keeps subdued, so it manages to work. It's a pretty good reworking of the song, even if the subject matter has been used a lot by this point. The music keeps a flowing, watery feel that enhances the whole thing and saves it from being a worthless track. It's actually not a bad way to close out the album.

So, there you have it. Sadly, by this point there seems to be no real saving for the band, as, despite improvements over the last album, they still seem to be begging for radio attention, instead of tying to make good music. Whether that is their intent, who knows, but it is what comes across in their music, and it is never good to watch what was once an enjoyable band fall into mediocrity and catering to the whims of radio.

Recommended: No