Goo
Goo Dolls new album, ‘Let Love
In,’ tribute to home
By
Matthew Wilkinson
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
When it came time for Goo Goo Dolls front man John Rzeznik to start writing
the band’s eighth album, he did the opposite of what most artists do.
Instead of going into the recording studio he packed up and went home.
It has been a long time since 1998’s multi-platinum album “Dizzy
Up the Girl,” and Rzeznik has had to go through a lot to help his music
transcend.
The Goo Goo Dolls have come a long way since it formed as a punk-influenced
trio in 1986, but recently Rzeznik has had trouble finding his muse.
“
I wasn’t feeling any kind of real inspiration in Los Angeles,” Rzeznik
said. “I was sitting here just beating my head against the wall trying
to write songs and I wasn’t feeling inspired at all.”
So he went home to find himself. He packed his guitars and recording equipment
into a U-Haul and drove across the country from Los Angeles to hometown Buffalo,
N.Y., to find inspiration.
The result is “Let Love In,” an 11-song effort recently released
by Warner Brothers Records.
The album has the typical Goo Goo Dolls sound with a lot of softer, alt-rock,
radio-safe songs. “Stay With You” kicks off the record on a faster,
upbeat note. The guitar riff hits fast and steady before Rzeznik jumps on with
his vocals.
“
Let Love In,” the title track, is the second song. This alt-rock anthem
preaches life is so much better when you let love in. It’s catchy and
proves to be one of the better songs on the CD.
“
Better Days” is the album’s first single. Rzeznik really opened
up for this one and it makes a powerful ballad. CNN was so impressed with the
track it made the song the anthem for coverage of the recovery efforts following
Hurricane Katrina.
To describe the song, Rzeznik said, “I was just looking at the situation
in the world. Fear makes people do frightening things.
Fear is a catalyst for selfishness and war. Sometimes I fear that we’re
losing our ability to reason. I needed some hope to hang onto.”
The band got heavy radio airplay with its remake of Supertramp hit “Give
a Little Bit.” This is also included on the album as a bonus.
“
Let Love In” is no-cutting edge CD, but it’s this formula the Goo
Goo Dolls have been following that has made them the great success for the
past two decades. The album debuted ninth on the Billboard Charts and will
continue to get more popular as it gets more airplay.
The band is on tour right now and will play a sold out show May 15 at the Troubadour
in Los Angeles.
|
