The World of Goo Boards


    
      
        The World of Goo Boards 
        (http://www.musicfanclubs.org/cgi-bin/ggd/YaBB.cgi)
      

        Goo Goo Dolls >> Goo Goo Dolls >> SFTROU review on The Tartan
        
(Message started by: Shannon on Sep 13^th, 2010, 11:39am)

Title: SFTROU review on The Tartan
Post by Shannon on Sep 13^th, 2010, 11:39am

Bareilles and Goo Goo Dolls do it again
Two household names top this week�s new releases with their most recent albums

The Goo Goo Dolls � Something for the Rest of Us

It�s hard to believe that the Goo Goo Dolls released their first album way back in 1987. They weren�t much of a household name until the 1998 explosion of their song �Iris� brought them into mainstream music. Since then, they�ve obtained a good amount of consistent success. Their previous album came out back in 2005, so it�s been a while since the Dolls have been in the spotlight. But now, they�re back with a new album, Something for the Rest of Us, and it feels like they never even left.

�Sweetest Lie� is a solid song by the Dolls. It�s got great lyrics that flow poetically against the fortuitous guitars. The next song, �As I Am,� has a strong chorus and speaks of how great it is to find your matching puzzle piece. �Home� is the first single from the album, and it�s got the familiar guitar in the background against lead singer Johnny Rzeznik�s matured rhymes. The chorus is nice, as Rzeznik�s voice treats us to a nice vocal range while singing over his own vocals, begging to be taken back to his place of comfort.

�Notbroken� is a true gem, hiding among the many upbeat tracks on the album. What seems to be a ballad at first listen turns into a powerful anthem of love and the desire to hold on to what you haven�t truly lost. �One Night� is an anthem of spontaneity and living life in the moment. In �Nothing is Real,� Rzeznik sings about going back home to find how things have unfortunately changed. Following that, �Now I Hear,� sung by guitarist Robby Takac, talks of retrospection and regret.

The next tune, �Still Your Song,� is solid throughout. The song is a bit softer than the others, as it starts with a piano and makes use of the strings of an orchestra. The title song, �Something for the Rest of Us,� seems it would fit better as a closer with its drawn-out backing vocals and crescendo of guitars. But at the climax of the song, it dies. It goes back to the calm, adrift-at-sea crooning that seems like it�ll keep repeating until a fadeout. �Say You�re Free� is another of the songs sung by Takac, as he lends his rugged smoker�s voice to this track, definitely altering the flow of the album.

�Hey Ya� starts off soft, and you feel like it might be the theme music of a dream in heaven. But when the bridge and chorus greet us, we get to experience the guitars once again and the crescendo of a steady drumbeat. Verse two comes in, and we�re on a quicker tempo. The song starts off with: �If I could give you all the things you�ve been denied, would it change you, would you feel alive?� and continues with more great lyrics throughout. The closer, �Soldier,� doesn�t really sound like a closer, but the Dolls leave us with a powerful song about a strong person.

Listen Up: �Home,� �Notbroken,� �Hey Ya�

The Verdict: The Goo Goo Dolls have had a great track record, and this album supports that. The songs all sound pretty similar, but they�re great stand-alone tunes if you let them be that.

http://thetartan.org/2010/9/13/pillbox/albums Click on the link if you'd like to read the review of Sara Bareilles' new CD. I edited it out.