Let Love in
The Goo Goo Dolls have long since traded the bracing, Replacements-lite abandon of their early days for an ethos of heart-on-their-sleeve emotionality wed to a solid heartland pop craftsmanship that's too easily been casually mislabeled. Superstar producer Glen Ballard (who shares many a writing credit here as well) pushes that latter sensibility to its logical extremes, ensuring a slick sonic experience that won't disappoint those who hitched themselves to the Dolls' wagon circa their mid '90s commercial breakthrough. But there remains a nagging sense that this is a band that isn't pushing itself very hard: even the hook-solid opening single "Stay With You" seems downright cautious. Coupled with Ballard's penchant for polish, Johnny Rzeznik's introspection on "Without You Here" hews close to the center line before Robbie Takac's "Listen" gives the album a much-needed jolt of energy. The album's featured cover, a faithful, contemporary AOR-friendly take on Supertramp's "Give a Little Bit," is emblematic of the Goo Goo Dolls fortunes here: They often seemed boxed in by a past that's not necessarily their own.--Jerry McCulley