By Matt DeMarco, Staff Writer
Lifehouse is reliable. In these troubled times that we live in where the likes of Gaga and Ke$ha rule the charts, it’s refreshing to see a band stay true to themselves, not waiver from the type of music they want to create, and still make a respectable album.
“Smoke and Mirrors” is Lifehouse’s fifth studio album, and it offers exactly what you’d expect from a Lifehouse album: catchy melodies, a good, country rock feel, well written, meaningful lyrics—all the makings of a good rock album.
The album has an overall feel of “love and loss,” and it works. For whatever reason, people want to hear sad music when they’re feeling sad; misery loves company, and to hear that someone else went through what you went through—the pain, the tears, the heartache, etc.—is a comforting thing to know. This isn’t a happy album, but it doesn’t need to be happy to be good.
“Smoke and Mirrors” plays like a story. In the first song, “All In,” he’s in a relationship, and he’s committed to it, despite the obstacles that they’ve gone through. By the next song, “Nerve Damage,” he’s getting tired of fighting for something that she’s not fighting for: “Life takes its toll/You push and it pulls/You’re losing control.”
When he gets to the next song, “Had Enough,” he’s already done with the relationship, done with the fighting, done being with someone who doesn’t want to be with him; “Every time I reach for you/There’s no one there to hold onto.” Whatever they had is gone, and now it’s just a matter of dealing with it, which is what most of the subsequent songs on the album delve into.
On a less interpretive note, the album is made up of really catchy songs—stuff that can easily get stuck in your head, which is a good thing. “Had Enough,” co-written by Chris Daughtry and Richard Marx and featuring Daughtry on backup vocals, was particularly good. It has a good melody, incredible harmonies, and an infectious chorus. It probably should have been the band’s first single from the album, rather than “Halfway Gone,” which is also a good song, but can’t hold a candle to “Had Enough.”
This album also features “From Where You Are,” a song that Wade wrote in 2007 and dedicated to teenagers who’ve lost their lives in automobile accidents, as well as a friend of his who died in an accident at age 16. It’s a touching song, but it lacked a little “oomph.” It was anticlimactic and didn’t have anything to keep my attention throughout the entire song.
Aside from that song and a few other blunders like “Here Tomorrow, Gone Today,” and “In Your Skin,” and the fact that “All In” sounds all too similar to Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me,” Lifehouse has a real gem here. This album doesn’t show them doing anything different; it’s them being true to themselves and doing what they do best—making good music.
Lifehouse just before their latest release, ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ (Photo source lifehousemusic.com)