Alex Decker - 7/27/2012

Something For The Rest Of Us-Goo Goo Dolls:
The Goo Goo Dolls have, and may always be best known for their 1998 rock-ballad hit, "Iris"; since then however have struggled to maintain their artistic flair that saw them rise to such stardom. Their last album; "Let Love In", released in 2006 was no doubt a great album, with beautifully written songs which showed that John Rzeznik still had the ability and heart to create something that other artists can rarely achieve. However "Let Love In" failed to show the togetherness of the band, that have now been together for 27 years, and this is the reason why "Let Love In" disappointed me.
Released in the summer of 2010, "Something For The Rest Of Us" set out to return The Goo Goo Dolls back to their previous popularity. By taking a darker approach to lyrical song writing Rzeznik delivers some of his finest work to date, and by doing so addresses my only complaint in the previous album. Listening to the album, you really get a sense of how much time and effort the band has put into this, in an attempt to; as the title suggests: give something back for the rest of us. "Us" being the fans of this amazing band.
As previously stated, lead singer and guitarist; John Rzeznik is purely outstanding in this latest collaboration from The Goo Goo Dolls. Even the three songs written by bass guitarist; Robby Takac have a nice rhythm to them that was a refreshing burst of change from the more emotionally vibrant work from Rzeznik.
To put it simply I loved this album and every song within it. If I had to choose a favourite song, I would be hard-pushed to do so. Specifically I really enjoyed listening to "NotBroken" as it brought forth nostalgia, as in my opinion, it is very reminiscent of previous hit "Name". Other favourite inclusions being "As I Am", and "Nothing is Real". These songs were incredibly inspiring to listen to, wherever I was. I hadn't heard anything quite like this for a long time, and it was a nice change to listen to some music that actually meant something; instead of just being another song to put onto the album. "Still your Song" however is my favourite single on this fantastic album. It's truly beautiful piano intro is brilliantly accompanied by Rzeznik's gruff voice and guitar. I don't know how many times I listened to this track over and over again, just to hear its graceful chorus blare into my ears.
My only disappointment with this album is the lack of a massive rock-ballad hit. If this album had incorporated something similar to the likes of "Iris" this album would have definably been The Goo's best album to date. However I hope with this solid and immensely enjoyable album complete, that The Goo Goo Dolls can go on to create another stellar entry into their long history of albums, and hopefully deliver something truly special.