Search - Five for Fighting :: Message for Albert

Before Superman, Ondrasik was still pretty super...

M. Miller | TN | 06/01/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"America Town is the album that people know Five for Fighting for, and really his song "Superman (It's Not Easy)" is what people really remember; however, before that John Ondrasik released Message for Albert, and too bad few ever got that message.



Five for Fighting was mixed in a stew of melodies and notes, as sometimes Ondrasik would hint at with the later Superman. For example, many times this album seems more like an early Dave Matthews, minus many of the instruments of course, while at others this is reminiscent of Billy Joel.



Yet the character is in the delivery as well as the message; thus power with quality is socked to the listener as they go from beginning to end. So much so, that I seriously believe this is another one of those few albums without filler, and although you might not like all of the songs, you should understand that few could achieve an album such as this that will captivate the audience for the whole listen.



Thankfully, as we have now seen recognition has been granted for the sounds of Five for Fighting. However, I just would like to highlight the often-overlooked first released album, and how good it really was (or is)."