Goo Goo Dolls
Gutterflower
On Sale Now
For $13.75

After close to a decade of sleeping on couches, criss-crossing the USA in broken down vans and eating way too much fast food, the Goo Goo Dolls hit big with their 1998 CD, Dizzy Up the Girl. With six million units shifted worldwide and five top ten singles, this power rock trio from Buffalo, NY, finally got their chance to rock the world.

Success at this level often destroys the integrity and passion of great bands. They get fat. They get lazy. They get rich. And the next record falls flat. On Gutterflower, the follow-up to Dizzy (not including the compilation CD, What I Learned About Opinion, Art and Commerce) the Goos managed to keep up the passion. They also managed to make an amazing record.

The first single, "Here is Gone," instantly crashed onto the airwaves. The tune, an electric/acoustic pop rock hook factory, was the number one added single on modern rock, top forty and AAA radio in its first week out of the gate. In case you're not into the details of the music biz, this alone is a staggering accomplishment. But besides the stats, the song shakes and purrs and sticks you right in the ear.

This tune is in good company. Singer/ guitarist John Rzeznik opens the party with a funky rock riff on the smokin' track, "Big Machine." He sings with passion and conviction about the heavy pressures of modern life. "Living like a house on fire/ What you feel is your desire/ It's hard to deal..."

Cuts like "Smash" and "You Never Know" rock forward with the traditional Goo sound— big guitars with a thick bottom end and a wall of drums. On these songs and others Rzeznik leads his bandmates through pitch perfect tunes that hold as much guitar crunch as mass market appeal. But then the boys quiet down with that cool acoustic vibe on songs like "Sympathy." And it works, proving that these guys don't need the big amps to get their point across.

For several of the cuts here bassist Robby Takak takes his turn at the mic. On "Up Up Up," the bassline drives the song forward. But while its musical strength is undeniable, Robby should probably take a step back and let Rzeznik do the singing.

Produced by Rob Cavallo, the twelve tracks on Gutterflower are quite likely to push the Goo Goo Dolls further into the public consciousness and sell a zillion CDs. Although most music fans with any degree of taste generally wanna puke at high gloss corporate rock acts such as this one, the Goos prove that real rock is not about the label or the shine. It's about the music.

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