(Dreamworks Records)
It's not often that an album's liner notes induces giggles'not on purpose, at least. But after playing Mick Jagger's mirror image and Wade from the fictitious boy band Everlast on \Saturday Night Live,"" it should come as no surprise that Jimmy Fallon succeeds where so many pretentious songsmiths have failed. It's sad, then, that his first album, The Bathroom Wall, is never quite as funny as the inside cover's plea to save his lonely CD from the bargain bin.
Fallon, best known as co-anchor of SNL's Weekend Update and for his clever holiday song medleys, seems to be in a prime position to fill the supposed void left by Adam Sandler. After all, he's better-looking, more musical and wittier'so what happened?
Part of the answer lies in that most of the material was accumulated during Fallon's college days and it shows. While there are certain points reminiscent of Fallon's hugely popular Spring Break and Valentine's Day carols, much of it is forgettable, especially in the musical first half.
The opening track, ""Idiot Boyfriend,"" is the best of the songs. The chorus, ""I'm an idiot/And I'm your boyfriend"" is nothing special, and Fallon's falsetto can hurt to listen to, but with references to Norelco Beard Trimmers, The Matrix and treating his girlfriend to a Swanson's dinner, the song is definitely amusing.
Unfortunately, the other four songs are not. Fallon takes aim at rap, country, British rock and punk in succession and can impressively handle them all, but with clich?? references to moron drivers and a ridiculously dumb homage to snowball fights, they just don't live up to his developed talent.
The last five tracks, devoted to Fallon's college-tour stand-up, fare better. He devotes a good half of it to college students, including the walk of shame, male and female loofas and the freezer in the mini-fridge that does nothing but grow frost. He's especially sharp when discussing roommates, noting that if you've known your roommate forever, he/she will pull out your most embarrassing memories just to get at you (i.e. a case of crabs).
Fallon also runs through his repertoire of celebrity impressions, including John Travolta, Robin Williams, Nicolas Cage and his ""Saturday Night Live"" mainstays Jerry Seinfeld and Adam Sandler. Some of them, especially Williams, are frighteningly accurate, and in doing Sandler, Fallon gets to show off his gift while reminding his audience that he is far more clever and talented than Sandler has ever been. He also lampoons Coldplay, Alanis Morrisette, U2 and Dave Matthews in a set of would-be jingles for troll dolls.
It's obvious that Fallon's potential, with the proper care, is huge'and this is the reason why The Bathroom Wall is so bittersweet. Anyone who has seen Weekend Update or his recurring role as a horny highschooler on SNL knows just how funny he can be. Maybe next time he can leave this material on the bathroom wall and break some new and hilarious comic ground'the way only Jimmy Fallon possibly can.
(Dreamworks Records)
""Hanging By A Moment"" shoved Lifehouse onto the popular music scene in 2000, becoming the most played radio song in 2001. However, the group didn't have another single off that debut album, No Name Face achieve even moderate radio success. Trying to fight off both the sophomore slump and the one-hit-wonder label, Lifehouse delivers the oddly titled Stanley Climbfall.
Climbfall leads off with the first single, ""Spin."" The catchy pop-rock contained in ""Spin"" is undoubtedly reminiscent of ""Hanging By A Moment;"" however, after a few more tracks, Lifehouse clearly shows that this album is much more soft, mellow and introspective than No Name Face. Self-described as a mixture of Coldplay and U2, Lifehouse has taken a step away from the harder rock that is popular at the moment to create musical compositions that are rich, full and fit with the lyrical content.
The album's name, Stanley Climbfall, was slowly realized while working on a track originally titled ""Stand, Climb, Fall."" That song about life's ups and downs eventually became ""Stanley Climbfall,"" a fictional character that goes through this rocky life on the disc. While No Name Face tended to be quite melancholy by focusing on the negative side at times, Climbfall is incredibly upbeat and calm. This positive approach is matched with the patient and full sound behind the lyrics. Steady drum beats and strong guitar is nicely balanced with lead singer and songwriter Jason Wade's vocals. The album never gets too heavy, and with these lyrics, it shouldn't.
While Lifehouse's members are all Christian, the band itself hasn't been overtly religious in its songs. This trend remains in Climbfall, where Wade merely uses the ambiguous term ""you,"" thereby giving most tracks several possible interpretations. ""Wash"" and ""Empty Space"" give a more spiritual impression, while ""Out of Breath"" and ""Take Me Away"" could just as easily be seen as love songs. Either way, the album reveals a sense of searching and longing for something or someone soon to come, keeping upbeat throughout. Hopefully ""Spin"" and other singles will succeed in grabbing radio time, giving this solid album some exposure and showcasing the growth Lifehouse has undergone since No Name Face.
