Rating:  -
Even before hearing it 4833552146 times, I found "Superman" intensely annoying. "It's not easy... to beeeeee meeeeee...." Please.
But, I gave in to the hype, and got the CD anyway. The piano is nice, but nothing special, and lyrics ok when not grating. He has one of those voices you either love or hate. It's definitely true that the rest of the disk is similar to what's gotten radio play. If you like that, you'll like "Americatown". If not, stay away--no happy surprises here.
Rating:  -
John Ondrasik is gifted. Trained in the opera genre, he takes pop on and succedes triumphantly. Superman is a wonderful song, very hopeful and everday Joe anthemic. Hey, I may be Superman, but I'm a normal guy too. Easy Tonight is a great song, A Note On Apathy is great, Jainy is one of the best songs on here, Out of Love, Something About You, Love Song and Alright are classic rock 'n' roll. He's very much like an Elton John or James Taylor of his generation. Great song writer, touching story teller, wonderful singer and gifted musician.
Rating: -
You can tell when a cd album is good when it has more great songs then bad. With the exception of like two songs, this is an incredable album. I listen to it alot, Five for Fighting is my favorite band. Their other album "Message for Albert" doesn't come close to this. Buy this one first, or second if its too late. Do everything you can to get this, because it is incredable.
Rating: -
Couldn't be much better. This is one of the best CDs I've ever heard. It grows and grows on you. This guy is someone to watch.
Rating:  -
At first listen, one might think that Five For Fighting are the saviors of the pop/rock music scene. The album-opening "Easy Tonight" is a song that grabs you by the throat and refuses to let you go until the last lyric is sung, and the piano-focused band does something their style-equivalents, Train, could never do: put together an album with more than one song you want to listen to twice. Five For Fighting's difference from the rest of the popular guitar-blaring, beat-thumping music scene is what makes them strong, and it's what makes them popular. However, as many bands discover in their early days, it takes more than musical talent and being unique to make it.
John Ondrasik, the vocalist/pianist/guitarist/writer of the band, isn't completely devoid of writing talent. "Easy Tonight" and "Superman (It's Not Easy)" are pretty darn good songs, and they'll be the biggest selling point for this album. "Bloody Mary" and "Michael Jordan" will most likely get more than one listen as well. However, songs like "America Town", "Jainy", and "Out of Love", while unique from the sound of any other band, don't find a truly memorable melody at any point, and are the major downfalls of this album. They symbolize 1)the majority of what's wrong with this album, and 2)where Five For Fighting needs to improve before they come out and disappoint us with another mediocre album.
If, like the majority of adult contempory radio listeners, you find yourself hooked on the sounds of "Superman" and "Easy Tonight", don't go out and waste [your money]. Either buy the single or download it from the internet. Then, go buy yourself lunch at a restaurant that can show you the true meaning of being consisistent.
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