There Is Nothing Left to Lose

1	Stacked Actors 4:17
2	Breakout 3:20
3	Learn to Fly 3:56
4	Gimme Stitches 3:42
5	Generator 3:49
6	Aurora 5:51
7	Live-In Skin 3:53
8	Next Year 4:38
9	Headwires 4:38
10	Ain't It the Life 4:15
11	M.I.A. 4:07

Barnes & Noble

On the surface, it seems as if Dave Grohl has made the wrong decision. Just as bands like Creed and Sevendust are hitting Billboard pay dirt by amping, sludging, and, occasionally, hip-hopping up ye auld sounds of Seattle circa 1991, Grohl has decided to explore his more restrained, contemplative side. Sure, the Foo Fighters' third album opens up with a punkified slug fest that could make the Melvins proud, but when it settles down we're whisked off to a weird private space between NEVERMIND and the Zombies' "She's Not There," where Grohl's vocals vacillate from folky tenderness to hopped-up moaning. And so it goes throughout THERE IS NOTHING TO LOSE, where each anthemic rave-up is a channel to a poppy maturity. Such tendencies are brilliantly balanced on the sweet, spiky "Breakout" and the dreamy single "Learn to Fly," which expand on the sound of the band's huge hit, "Big Me," and clear the way for the jangly "Next Year" and kicky pop-rocker "Generator." Still, Dave seems happy sailing past industry standard. The gorgeous country-rocker "Ain't It the Life" practically bellows the message that life's better here as it basks in its contented daydream believin', and the sound of Grohl maturing away from punk without getting soft or simple is quite a pleasure. Ultimately, he's proven that you don't have to be a slathering rap-metal meathead or a Goo-y pop tart to make potent, passionate alt-rock in the midst of the post-grunge boom he helped invent. Now that's maturity. Jon Dolan

All Music Guide

Foo Fighters were the most unexpectedly mercurial band in '90s rock, boasting a different lineup for each of their three albums. The ever-shifting membership didn't help erase the image that the group was merely a vehicle for Dave Grohl, and made it seem like Grohl was something of a dictator, at least to some biased outside observers. That's why their third record, There Is Nothing Left to Lose, comes as somewhat of a surprise. It is the first Foo Fighters album that sounds like the work of a unified, muscular band, and the first one that rocks really hard. A lot of credit should go to Adam Kasper, who produced the record with the band. There Is Nothing Left to Lose has a stripped-down sound and an immediate attack that makes even the poppier numbers rock hard. The organic, natural sound is welcome, but the album also benefits from the strongest set of songs Grohl and Foo Fighters have yet written. There are the typical strong singles, but there's no fat or filler; each track has a memorable hook or melody, and they seem all the more catchy because they're delivered with conviction and confidence. And that's why the album sounds like the first true band album Foo Fighters have made -- the group sounds assured and confident, where they previously seemed like they had something to prove. It's as if they know they have few peers in straight-ahead post-grunge hard rock, so they're willing just to lie back and turn out a solid set of 11 songs. They make it sound easy and fun, and that's what really sets them apart from their contemporaries. That and the fact that they're getting better as they're losing members and growing older, which is certainly a rarity in rock & roll. Stephen Thomas Erlewine