Before their hit single "Name" knocked them out of obscurity three years
ago, this Buffalo-bred, Replacements-worshipping band had played America's
choicest dives for more than 10 years, patiently waiting for payback time.
It finally came full tilt with this year's "City of Angels" soundtrack
smash, "Iris." Full of "Party of Five" pathos and sweeping strings, that
emotive song quickly made them the summer's rock-radio darlings. Of
course, their sixth effort features "Iris" along with a parallel power
ballad, "All Eyes on Me," which comes up a bit short on the sob scale. You
want to respect the Dolls for achieving song success the old-fashioned way
- writing tunes with honest hooks. But the scrappy spirit they showcased
on Superstar Car Wash and A Boy Named Goo seems to have suffered in the
process. Now, predictable guitar and bass riffs, melodramatic lyrics and
hefty reverb on John Rzeznik's bittersweet vocals don't give those hooks
any place to go. If you like the Goo Goo Dolls' sound, you'd do much
better picking up Tim or any mid-'80s Replacements record, since this trio
is still 25 cents short of the Paul Westerberg dollar. -- Charlie Amter