Puddle of Mudd – Famous
Flawless/Geffen Records (10/09/07)
Hard rock
Inconsistent.
That pretty much sums up Puddle of Mudd’s latest release, Famous. Actually, it sums up the band’s entire career.
On its third album, the band shows little signs of growth, development, or any signs of moving forward. Famous is just another version of the group’s last two efforts, which is even more of a surprise when you take into account that half of the band is new members.
The band has never had a problem crafting a simple modern rock track. Famous follows the tried-and-true blueprint Puddle of Mudd has been working with since 2001—three or four rock songs, one or two really hard songs, a handful of mellower songs, maybe even a ballad, and finish it all off with a couple of goofy songs.
The problem is, the dumb luck that made a song like “Control†or “Blurry†a hit can only work for so long. And while “Blurry†may have hit a note with listeners, when you look back at “Controlâ€, the music stands up but the lyrics just aren’t strong enough. And that, in a nutshell, sums up the problem permeating Famous.
The title-track is solid musically, but the lyrics are borderline. Songs like “Psycho,†“Moonshine†and “Merry-Go-Round†are laughable at best. And songs that seem to “have it†musically, like “Livin’ on Borrowed Time†or “I’m So Sure†or pretty much everything else on the album, either suffer from ridiculously poor lyrics, over-repetition, an over-reliance on the wrong hook, or complete banality.
The only saving moment, “We Don’t Have to Look Back Nowâ€, is shockingly the only song not written by the band—maybe they should look into going this route more in the future.
Puddle of Mudd was fun in the beginning. But given the extended hiatus the band took, along with the state of the music industry in general, it’s surprising the band still has a record deal in 2007. Perhaps the constant delays in the release of Famous was a telling sign. This album does a good job of masquerading as a solid rock release, but there’s hardly anything under the surface.
Rating:
