Word: albums
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Halfway Gone” takes up a similarly melodramatic theme, Wade singing, “Talk, talk is cheap / Give me a word you can keep.” These themes, however, are too often repeated throughout the remainder of the album, and the concoction of hope, despair, and love which defines many of the songs begins to lose its potency with its continued repetition...
...Smoke and Mirrors” seeks to reproduce the commercial success of Lifehouse’s earlier albums and singles, some of which attained wide commercial success and reached the Billboard Top 10, including 2005 hit “You and Me.” Though many of the songs on “Smoke and Mirrors” fit the mold of these earlier successes, the album as a whole falls short of moving the band forward, as little attempt is made to alter their musical style or voice...
...that Lifehouse’s sound or their songs are mediocre. Most of them are actually catchy and easy to listen to. However, “Smoke & Mirrors” lacks the boldness and initiative to be a truly impressive album, failing to incorporate new tonal or vocal elements from one song to the next. This musical complacency reveals itself as the album’s primary shortcoming. Rather than deviate from a formula which has provided some success in the past, the band instead choose to produce songs based primarily off of the same tried-and-true formula. There...
Indeed, much as each song seems to rotate on the axis of a strong chorus, the album as a whole hinges upon the success and appeal of one or two singles. “Falling In” and “Halfway Gone” establish themselves on first listen as the album’s peaks, and much of the rest of the album’s sound and subject matter mirror the highlights of these two songs...
...breaking down my wall.” Although this is repeated three times throughout the song, the chorus is sung through soft background vocals, allowing the verses between each iteration to steal some of the spotlight. Indeed, those lyrics prove to be some of the most interesting on the album, as Wade sings, “I’m a fool, a mechanical tool for you / Cause you got all the switches and levers to blow my cool...