Five for Fighting Albums (6)
What The Critics Say
Continuing the journey into full-blown soft rock Five for Fighting began on 2006's Two Lights, 2009's Slice takes its title from a Don McLean "American Pie" allusion and its sound from early-'70s Billy Joel and, especially, Elton John, whose grandly orchestrated albums with Paul Buckmaster provide a touchstone for this, John Ondrasik's fifth collection of originals. Indebted as he is to the past, he is indeed a man of his time, well-manicured and polite, never coloring outside of the lines, but this inherent good nature serves him better on Slice than it did on his early recordings because the emphasis is on the sound, not his quivering sincerity. Each song is richly, fully arranged, placing an emphasis on his symphonic soft rock, and in pure musical terms, this is his most appealing set of songs to date, precisely because it pushes his melodies, not lyrics, to the forefront. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Five for Fighting's John Ondrasik is a straight, clean, post-9/11 version of "Daniel"-era Elton John. He's got exquisite pipes, a knack for the big key changes, and a true star's sense of emotional entitlement that masks itself as introspection. If 2004's Battle for Everything saw a more assured and concise Five for Fighting reacting to its surprise success of 2001's "Superman" single, then 2006's Two Lights represents Ondrasik's complete transformation from somber troubadour into adult alternative mother-ship. With the now branded Five for Fighting, there is no hint of danger, no chance for controversy, and no way that at least half the record won't end up supplying brow-creasing melodramatic film moments and high school year-end slide shows with forced poignancy for years to come. It only takes a few minutes into the elegiac opening cut "Freedom Never Cries" to revisit the 9-11 angst/patriotism that won Ondrasik the majority of his initial public favor ("I only talk to God when somebody's about to die/I never cherished freedom/freedom never cries), a song he deftly follows with the super earnest and wistfully upbeat "World," and later "Riddle." From there it's a real hodgepodge, with detours into murderous Springsteen-esque road trips like "California Justice" and "65 Mustang." For the most part, Two Lights is a serious record about hard-working people in hard times -- only the jaunty "Johnny America" and the dumb but infectious "Policeman's Xmas Party" echo early press comparisons to the more whimsical sides of Ben Folds and Billy Joel -- but it's not saying anything that hasn't already been beaten into the masses since the confessional that used to house self-absorbed singer/songwriters became open to the public. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
'The Battle for Everything'
Release Date 2/3/2004
Tracks 12
Label Sony
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Five for Fighting was struggling along, another nominal adult alternative pop/rock band led by a singer/songwriter, until something unexpected happened. A song from their second album, recorded for their second major label in a row, became an overnight hit, staying on the radio for months. Of course, things weren't quite as simple as that. The song was "Superman (It's Not Easy)," and the reason it was a hit is that millions of listeners found that the song captured their hearts in the tragic, turbulent days following the terrorist attacks of 9-11-01. This would be a mighty heavy thing for an established artist to grapple with, but for John Ondrasik -- who is Five for Fighting -- he chose a group name rightly believing that it was catchier and easier to remember than his name -- it was a trickier thing, since he made his breakthrough with a song that moved many listeners at a very vulnerable time in their lives. Following up a career-making single like that is not easy, and Ondrasik took his time to deliver Five for Fighting's third album, slowly working with producer Bill Bottrell (best-known for his work with Sheryl Crow), and eventually releasing The Battle for Everything in February 2004. The extra time was a smart move, since the delay between albums helped lower expectations while giving Ondrasik time to craft a record that's at once more assured and supple than its predecessor. Though he throws in some rock elements, like the elastic bluesy slide guitar of "Infidel," he's unashamed about embracing the mantle of middlebrow adult alternative singer/songwriter, and he's turned in a very accomplished, professional record that illustrates he has more ambition than such younger peers like John Mayer. Where Mayer comes across like a cute collegiate singing to impress the girls, Ondrasik is deadly serious, as his songtitles alone illustrate -- "Devils", "God", and "Angels" are all named, and he sings about "Dying" and an "Infidel." His music is appropriately somber and self-serious, reminiscent of the gloomy, introspective side of Dave Matthews crossed with the cinematic scope of mid-'70s Billy Joel and the pompous narcissism of Sting, whose high, careening voice was clearly an influence. Musically, this can result in some nice craftsmanship, and if judged at merely a sonic level, it's one of the more interesting, detailed adult alternative records of recent years. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A clean and bright effort that delivers some heavy themes, America Town is a very American album: drifting from song to song is like driving through the Midwest going from town to town, each town has its own stories, and not all of them are happy. Singer/songwriter John Ondrasik tackles topics like suicide on "Easy Tonight" and the desire to belong ("Superman") but still manages to see the silver lining in the areas of family ("Easy Tonight") and idolatry ("Michael Jordan"). The songs are sung in a fragile growl, a little like Eddie Vedder singing a lullaby, and backed with some very straightforward acoustic guitar and piano-led rock. The focus is clearly on the lyrics, which are well written and effectively sung. ~ Zac Johnson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Led by child prodigy and multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter John Ondrasik, Five for Fighting's debut album Message for Albert is an intelligent, well-crafted collection of brooding mid-tempo songs. Delving deep into Billy Joel meets Ben Folds meets Satchel territory, Ondrasik has the uncanny ability to take beautiful melodies like the simple piano phrasing of "Day By Day" and weave them into stunning, multi-layered vocal arrangements replete with gorgeous string crescendos, each playing off each other like a well-oiled machine. "The Garden," undeniably Message for Albert's epic, is yet another impressive heavily orchestrated show piece that rises above its humble lyrics escalating into a full-blown "New York State of Mind" type of arrangement sprinkled with religious metaphors. "Happy" is one of those odd time signature ditties that eerily resembles Steely Dan's "Reelin' in the Years." And finally, there's the remarkable "Love Songs." Lamentful, charming, and urgent, "Love Songs" hints at Ondrasik's ability to completely envelop songs with his voice (later developed on the band's sophomore offering). A promising debut that sadly lost its shot when EMI spontaneously combusted after the record's release. ~ John Franck, All Music Guide
