The Battle for Everything - Five for Fighting

Hey hey hey hey hey hey you.

C'mere.

Pop? Rock? See that's what I said. Exactly. See that's what I'm saying. Yeeeeeeaaaaah. Yup. I hear you dude I hear you.

It's pop-rock. Good pop-rock as well. It's got a lot of instrumental choices that are slightly off-center but never offputting. The album has a lot of variety among these sounds too, with the piano being the lead instrument in most of them. That choice is key to the sound. The singer-songwriter "base" really helps when he adds more instruments. It can get fancy, but at the core, it's chords and a melody. And often that can be sort of annoying. But in this case, John Ondrasik just writes such good melodies that you have to give it the credit it's due.

Another thing is the lyrics are similarly impressive. Are there cheesy bars? Unfortunately yes...yes there are. But a lot of what he says is to the advantage of our brains. "100 Years" is probably the lyrical center of the album. Certainly, there are other songs that have great lyrics too, but I'm a sucker for songs about the passage of time, so we take it.

On the whole, though, I do feel as though the album loses traction as it continues. The songs get simpler, the melodies get a little less interesting, and the album slows to a halt at the end. And there are also songs that barely belong here. Like...for me there is no reason to inclucde "Silent Night". It's out of place and just sort of...strange.

Despite this clear flaw, the album invokes so much emotion in the top half that I have to give it lots of praise. And the songs in the second half don't kill the album, they just slow it.

Clear. Pretty. Expressive.

Prompt 8.5

BUT WHAT'S THIS!?!?!? RED ALERT, RED ALERT!!!!! BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!!!!!

IT'S A REVIEW...WITHIN A REVIEW!?!?!?!

Wild

Wacky

Strange

Never been done before

Pleasant

COOL

Penguin Lament - Five for Fighting

What's better than a REAL "Five for Fighting" song? A silly one.

On Sandra Boynton's 2005 album/children's book combo, John Ondrasik does it again. With a song written by Sandra Boynton, Ondrasik perfectly executes his own style on a silly track with a melody that rivals his own. It's a lovely tune and a hilarious set of lyrics, and as a person that appreciates children's music and literature, it is some of the best material you can find.

Brainy. Overlooked. Appropriate.

Legendary 10