By Matthew Braine

One hit wonders are heard and remembered constantly. “Superman,” by Five for Fighting, was one of the biggest hits of 2001. Sadly for them, it could become very possible that in 10 years, VH1 will have that song on a new one hit wonder list because the new album, entitled The Battle For Everything, falls extremely short. There is certainly a battle for something going on in this album, but it’s more like a battle for something tasteful.

Although the single “100 Years” is catchy and has some insightful lyrics, the listener will most definitely be disappointed with the other 11 tracks. John Ondrasik, the voice and music behind Five for Fighting, is a talented lyricist, but fails to capture the listener the way he did in the previous album, America Town. Although his previous work only produced the hit “Superman,” the song was successful enough to catapult album sales and draw a lot of attention towards the album and the man behind the name.

With Ondrasik’s soft and smoothly-flowing melodies, the album can be enjoyable at times. “The Devil in the Wishing Well” and “Angels and Girlfriends” are both enjoyable, but the other tracks are often encompassed with off-beat tempos and an overall bad combination of instruments. The mild hit now on the radio, “100 Years,” is an inspiring song. It tells the story of the beauty and worthiness of a life and love. Still, this song cannot carry the weight of the other songs.

Throughout the album, it feels as though the band is trying too hard to produce meaningful songs, but in the process they depress the listener. Songs like “Maybe I” and “If God Made You” do just that and only bring down the album. Sometimes, it feels as though there is too much heart and sadness in the album. So many of the songs are driven by sadness that half the time, you’re left begging for an upbeat or uplifting song.

Trying to sell this album based on its lyrical quality is not enough. The low level of musical creativity and downfall from the last album will ultimately be the proverbial dagger in the heart for this album.