By Nicholas Proch

Since their breakthrough triple-platinum album Dizzy Up the Girl, the Goo Goo Dolls have been enjoying a life of success, popularity and touring. The band’s newest effort, Something for the Rest of Us, ranks on par with past releases by the group.

The opening track of the album, ‘Sweetest Lie,’ is a great way to kick-off. With a good vocal effort by lead member John Rzeznik, you can really feel the mood of the album. This seems to be a darker, more somber compilation of songs. As the Goo Goo Dolls often do, they are trying to reach a mainstream audience. I would expect that this album will tailor to the likes of teenage girls around the world.

The title track, ‘Something for the Rest of Us,’ is a slower ballad-like effort. It’s a slow moving song with no real structure but just a general mood. At times this works, but the length of the song tends to bore after four and a half minutes.

The last two compositions on the album are the strongest since the opening track. ‘Hey Ya’ and ‘Soldier’ send the listener on their way satisfied. ‘Hey Ya’ has a great structure to it. Albeit this format has been butchered to death by the band, they don’t have to change what works. ‘Soldier’ should have been the title track. It’s well written, well executed and has a great feel to it. Building from the first moment, it’s a true finale to the album.

While the Goo Goo Dolls may never regain the complete commercial success they once had, they are certainly taking steps in the right direction of doing so. For now, check out ‘Sweetest Lie’ and ‘Soldier’ unless you are a die-hard who needs to have their whole catalogue.