Smoke & Mirrors Reviews

[disarray]

Here's the first I've seen... not so great, unfortunately.

media.www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2010/02/23/Decibel/No.Reflection-3877254.shtml

No reflection
Lifehouse sticks to the same old tune instead of exploring new musical avenues in their fifth album, "Smoke and Mirrors"
By Alexander James
Posted: 2/23/10, 12:13 AM EST Section: Decibel
PrintEmail Article Tools Page 1 of 2 next > CD name: "Smoke & Mirrors"

Artist: Lifehouse

Genre: Rock/Pop

Sounds like: Typical Lifehouse - catchy and clean

Soundwaves: 3/5



While "Smoke & Mirrors" should satisfy fans and supply a few big hits, the songs don't give any evidence that Lifehouse is evolving as a band. Though the album indicates the musical group is well produced, it only conveys Lifehouse's proven formula for creating accessible, radio-friendly alternative rock.

Anchored by the hit single "Halfway Gone," the new album from the California foursome delivers more of the catchy choruses and melodies that have made the band so successful during the past decade. Throughout the band's fifth album, "Smoke & Mirrors," Lifehouse remains in its comfort zone while managing to occasionally add new influences and musical styles.

The album kicks off with "All In," a predictable yet effective start to "Smoke & Mirrors." Upbeat and catchy, the song features a solid, toe-tapping rhythm, along with a booming chorus Lifehouse executes well. "Nerve Damage," the second cut, starts off with a moody guitar arpeggio and has a very grungy feel. What really stands out is the bridge breakdown about halfway through, where the band adopts a classic rock style that features cool drum fills and killer harmonies, a la` Boston. A soulful, bluesy guitar solo adds more flavor and taste as the track draws to a close. This is a great song and one of the best the album has to offer.

The problem with Lifehouse's decision to keep the band's sound familiar and formulaic on "Smoke & Mirrors" is that some of the weaker tracks sound generic and boring. "Had Enough," featuring "American Idol" alumnus Chris Daughtry on backup vocals, is a prime example of this. The song structure, instrumentation and lyrics all sound halfhearted, and it seems Lifehouse is more concerned with making radio singles than improving musically. Lead single "Halfway Gone" reinforces this trend - the memorable rhythm and chorus stick out, but it is ultimately just another radio hit.

"It Is What It Is" has one of the worst song titles in recent memory and is equally vague in its subject matter. The instrumentation is solid and traces of The Fray's style can be heard here, but it's odd that Lifehouse chose such a weak cliché on which to base the song. It might as well be called "They Are Who We Thought They Were." Things do improve with "From Where You Are," which is a nice acoustic piece that recalls the late-'90s era of pop-rock ballads. Built on acoustic guitars and reverb-heavy vocals, Lifehouse adopts a successful style that the Goo Goo Dolls perfected years ago.

Title track "Smoke & Mirrors" is a terrific midpoint to the album. The layered guitar riff is reminiscent of Tom Petty's classic "Refugee." "Smoke & Mirrors" effectively borrows the aggressive yet catchy style that Petty crafted. "Falling In" is another generic and weak song, featuring trite lyrics about love and a danceable rhythm that does nothing to complement the subject matter. Kelly Clarkson or Taylor Swift should be singing songs like this, not a rock band that's been around for a decade.

"Wrecking Ball" is one of the best songs on the album, featuring percussion and harmonies reminiscent of Kings of Leon. Unfortunately, this is the last decent track on "Smoke & Mirrors." Lifehouse drags through the final three songs on the album, as the subject matter quickly grows tired. "Here Tomorrow, Gone Today" and "By Your Side" contrast in style yet share the common lyrical traits of tired clichés and truisms. "In Your Skin" finds the band doing its best Nickelback impression. It sounds OK melodically, but for an album already soaked in stale songwriting, it's odd that Lifehouse chose to end the album on this note.

Lifehouse burst onto the scene back in 2001 with the band's smash hit "Hanging by a Moment." Since then, the group has remained a Billboard chart fixture, successfully churning out pop-rock singles with a systematic and proven formula, a formula still maintained by "Smoke & Mirrors."

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[KarlatheLHFan]

Ehh.

[kmom]

So I guess he'll be a no-show to the March 23rd show in his area.

[breann]

Well, that was an annoying read lol. From the clips I didn't think this was at all the same sound that they have had previously...are you sure he's listened to their other albums? lol...

[rianne]

I kinda agree about Falling In being a weak song and that it would suit a female singer better, but yet it is in my head all day (in a good way)

[klein]

This clown obviously didnt even listen to the music. "sounds the same as all their other stuff" ? REALLY? and then he goes on to say they sound like Tom Petty, etc.... most contradicting ill researched review EVER. My bud Nicky James just tore this guy a new one in the comments section. And so should you.

[gogonutz]

he's not even worth my time, lol. As a reviewer myself, even if you really do not see potential in an album, you need to come up with something better than this BS.

Added: why is it wrong to write songs that have radio potential? That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I guess for some people it is.

[LHfanMI]

This guy got so much wrong. It's written almost entirely in ignorance.

A few points I want to point out though:

I'm not a fan of Had Enough. The first few chords sound like a Colbie Caillat song, and the rest sounds a bit Nickelback-esque. That's hard for me to say; I absolutely loathe Nickelback.

It Is What It Is is a solid track. I don't care that the title is cliche. In fact, I don't care what the song title is. It's the actual content and message of the song that I care about, and I feel I can relate to this message. I personally like this one.

Falling In would NOT sound good sung by Taylor Swift or Kelly Clarkson. However, I do have to say that my initial reaction was that these lyrics are definitely set to appeal to Swift's fans. It's not something she would sing, but something her fans would love. If this is a single, I wouldn't doubt seeing some of these fairly cheesy lyrics popping up on every single middle school and high school aged girls' Facebook statuses.

Lastly, In Your Skin sounds absolutely NOTHING like Nickelback. Nor does its message. It doesn't sound too much like Lifehouse, though. So again he's contradicting himself. This actually sounds like a Collective Soul cover song to me. Doubt me? Go listen to the entire Dosage album (maybe even some of Blender too). I still like this song as a mild departure from their usual sound, though.

[City]

i wouldnt worry too much and sadly..alt-rock hasnt been 'in' with the critics in a long time so don't expect a lot of 10/10 reviews.

[disarray]

Here's another -- much better. I only disagree that It is What it Is should be the next single. It has to be All In. ;D

www.hbucollegian.com/entertainment/lifehouse-releases-another-solid-effort-1.2171852

Lifehouse releases another solid effort
By Mauricio Guerrero


Print this article
Share this article Published: Friday, February 26, 2010

Updated: Friday, February 26, 2010

Lifehouse is probably an anomaly to some. The band debuted with its single “Hanging By A Moment” 10 years ago and has been enjoying the success of the song ever since.

The result is a debut album. “No Name Face,” that’s double platinum and three gold albums. Since their debut the alternative rockers have written songs that define the anthems of people’s daily lives. Lifehouse’s new album, “Smoke & Mirrors,” is no different continuing that methodology that has garnered them millions of fans and plenty of Top 40 radio hits. Its new album they inject a little more hard rock and funk to the band’s mature sound.

The funk is probably due to Kevin Rudolph’s influence when the band was making the album. Chris Daughtry and songwriter Richard Marx also joined Lifehouse. The collaborations have definitely made the album one of the best pop albums so far.

“All In” is the perfect track for the album its sets the tone for the album and calls the listener to go all in with Lifehouse’s new effort. “Nerve Damage” is the best track on the album and has a pretty good guitar solo.

“It Is What It is” is a good pop ballad and the song could be Lifehouse’s new staple when they tour. Fans can only hope that this is the next single for the new album. Lifehouse kicks into a little country with the title track, which is fun and catchy.

“Here Tomorrow Gone Today” is probably the most surprising track on the album with dance beats, funk and heavy guitars. But it helps make the album not boring along with “Wrecking Ball.”

But with the good, comes the bad. Not really bad, just lukewarm and forgettable. “By Your Side” Almost makes it into the forgettable category, but as the song goes on it grows on the listener. This serves as a good track to precede “In Your Skin,” which does an outstanding job as the album closer.

“Smoke & Mirrors” may be what really pushes Lifehouse out of gold status for its last couple of albums and returns them to being platinum selling artists. For sure fans are anticipating the March 2 release after numerous album delays. The album also might make a few new Lifehouse converts, especially those who enjoyed its debut album.

The band proves that they know what it takes to make another consistent pop rock album.

Lifehouse will be on tour with Daughtry and up and coming rockers Cavo once the album drops.

[jolene102]

personally, i can't find a song on the album that i don't like. i think they all say great. of course i do like daughtry and nickelback do if a couple sounds is in that relm, they're fine with me.

[Deleted]

That first college reviewer doesn't even count as a real review in my book. I also left comments. The only thing he got right was the shpiel about Nerve Damage. The rest of the review is so amateurish and unresearched.

nick34bball: What you wrote made me think alot, so I hope you don't mind if I respond to a few points. I'm not trying to pick apart your points because I agree with a lot of what you said. I just wanted to use them as a springboard for more discussion.

Feb 23, 2010 18:55:16 GMT -5 LHfanMI said:

I'm not a fan of Had Enough. The first few chords sound like a Colbie Caillat song, and the rest sounds a bit Nickelback-esque. That's hard for me to say; I absolutely loathe Nickelback.

I really like Had Enough. It hits me on an emotional level. So, I think that's just a matter of preferences and maybe personal experiences? It might not be for everyone. I don't get the Colbie Caillat or Nickelback references to Had Enough. I think it sounds Daughtry-ish (haha...as expected.) I do think that Falling In reminds me just a little of the spirit of Colbie Caillat's "Falling For You" which is a song I really like.

Feb 23, 2010 18:55:16 GMT -5 LHfanMI said:

It Is What It Is is a solid track. I don't care that the title is cliche. In fact, I don't care what the song title is. It's the actual content and message of the song that I care about, and I feel I can relate to this message. I personally like this one.

I know...aren't all titles of ALL songs by definition kind of "cliche"? What should it be called: Thumbtack Monkey? haha But on the other hand, it's kind of original in that I don't know any other song with that title. That's just a dumb thing to base a review on. haha I like this song a lot too. I think the criticism that I'm hearing from some early reviews is that some songs are "blah" like they don't lyrically smack you in the face with outrageous emotion. Well, to me...that is exactly what I like about the songs. I think they are thoughtful and thoughtprovoking and aren't cliche in that they aren't just a rant one way or another for something. Like Jason was explaining in the preview of the clips offered by Lifehouse .... this song doesn't have "an agenda." Well, that's probably going to bother some people because sometimes people just want a simple solution, but to me I think that's why it's unique and the complexity of the subject without a resolution one way or another makes it even more interesting and relatable. Sometimes pop songs tend to oversimplify a situation to make sense of it. I think this song thinks it through and I still feel the bittersweet nature of the topic but with some kind of comfort in just admitting that "it's complicated." It's like here's a song about how mature adults try to figure out problems in a relationship. Nothing wrong with that. *ok...end rant* (for this song anyways) haha

Feb 23, 2010 18:55:16 GMT -5 LHfanMI said:

Falling In would NOT sound good sung by Taylor Swift or Kelly Clarkson. However, I do have to say that my initial reaction was that these lyrics are definitely set to appeal to Swift's fans. It's not something she would sing, but something her fans would love. If this is a single, I wouldn't doubt seeing some of these fairly cheesy lyrics popping up on every single middle school and high school aged girls' Facebook statuses.

I don't know...I think "Falling In" could actually sound good sung by a female artist. That would give it a different twist. But the point is that it sounds AWESOME sung by Lifehouse on their own album....so why outsource it? Also, it might appeal to fans of Swift and Clarkson and middle school and high school aged girls, but it also appeals to me and my older sister and my mom and probably my grandmother. lol That's not an insult, though. That song is just such a beautiful way to say, "I love you." Guys should take note. I can't speak for any other females on these boards, but I just might be putting that as my Facebook status any minute now. LOL ....and I'm no middle schooler.

Feb 23, 2010 18:55:16 GMT -5 LHfanMI said:

Lastly, In Your Skin sounds absolutely NOTHING like Nickelback. Nor does its message. It doesn't sound too much like Lifehouse, though. So again he's contradicting himself. This actually sounds like a Collective Soul cover song to me. Doubt me? Go listen to the entire Dosage album (maybe even some of Blender too). I still like this song as a mild departure from their usual sound, though.

I haven't heard that Collective Soul album, but In Your Skin reminds me of early Lifehouse, even Blyss stuff to a degree, but updated. The guitar melody, in particular is what I'm referring to. I think the bass line is outstandingly catchy in that song. I agree that it's not Nickelback, though. I don't hear ANY Nickelback references on this album, but then again to be fair I try to avoid listening to anything but the few Nickelback songs that I actually like, so I don't know the breadth of their work.

I pretty much like that most recent review posted. But I disagree that "By Your Side" is a weak song. I think that message is quintessentially Lifehousey, so it's a very strong song in my opinion. I like the bridges in the song especially. It's just a nice, calming, happy song. I think people are going to like it.

[idlewild]

@ first review: Comparing a band to another band is ok, but comparing them to about 34389 artistes in one review, not cool.

[gogonutz]

and miscomparing it with bands that really do not sound alike is just kind of amusing in a bad way

[KarlatheLHFan]

I really like the 2nd review.. that was cool. I really think he's right about them going platinum with this one.. very impressive!