Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat

It is hard to write an objective review since I was already a fan of Carbon Leaf before this album. I agree with the official reviewer that this is “utterly flawless” and that there are “hooks aplenty” but I’m not sure about “gimmicky” and “forgettable.” It is good music and is something that, like a Pizza Hut pizza, you’ll enjoy every time you listen. I personally like some of their other stuff better, but I’m a firm believer in good bands trying out different stuff. They might be really good at something else but we’d never know if they stuck to reproducing their first hits over and over. I should also note that “The War Was in Color” was enough of a “genuinely interesting musical idea” for country artist Jamey Johnson to steal it & win Song of the Year at the 2008 ACM and 2009 CMA music awards (he creatively called “his" version “In Color”). Trace Adkins then recorded a version as well (as an iTunes exclusive) which sounds even more like the original by Carbon Leaf on this album.