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What’s the Story?

Reviewed byKathi Kamen Goldmark
Patrick Monahan, lead singer of Train, knows how to put a song across. On FOR ME, IT'S YOU, his dramatic, emotional vocals elevate what would otherwise be one nice, well-performed, but basically less-than-brilliant song after another to a higher level. The Grammy-winning Bay Area group delivers 13 predictably safe, soft, emotionally charged tracks about heartbreak, love, romance, and loss. Instrumentals reveal folk-rock and Springsteen-esque influences. Monahan sings over lush tracks designed to tug at the heartstrings, with lyrics that evoke a spare, wintry loneliness. "If I Can't Change Your Mind" evokes the Byrds with some wonderful Roger McGuinn influenced guitar work; in fact, all the instrumental work is excellent, appropriate, and well mixed.

Is It Any Good?

4
The real hero of this CD might just be producer Brendan O'Brien, whose taste and expert ear enhance every track and show Patrick's Monahan's vocals off to their best advantage. If you're looking for alternative rock with a little bit of an edge, you won't find it here -- but Train knows how to tug at the heartstrings. A little too "nice," a little "soft" perhaps, but tailor-made for teens in a particular sort of lovesick mood.
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