Two Lights

1	Freedom Never Cries 4:22
2	World 3:52
3	California Justice 4:22
4	The Riddle 3:49
5	Two Lights 4:45
6	'65 Mustang 4:22
7	I Just Love You 4:02
8	Policeman's Xmas Party 4:09
9	Road to Heaven 5:36
10	Johnny America 4:14

Barnes & Noble

John Ondrasik wears his heart on his sleeve as proudly as any singer-songwriter around, a trait that's contributed greatly to his ability to draw listeners into his sonic world. The Californian has long demonstrated a flair for tapping into the American consciousness -- as evidenced by past hits like "Superman" and "100 Years" -- and he maintains that streak on Two Lights. Ondrasik and company focus on their strong suit -- namely stately piano ballads -- for much of the disc, alternating between lush offerings like "World" and light, ambling tunes like "The Riddle," a sweet ode to the bond between parent and child. The generally mellow tone sets in stark relief the disc's more muscular tunes, notably the slide guitar-laced "California Justice," emphasizing Ondrasik's sometimes overlooked ability to craft catchy folk-rock nuggets. As is the singer's wont, Two Lights is peppered with topical pieces, some of which -- like the title track, a narrative about a young man from a military family who ends up being shipped to Iraq -- are fairly rote. But the album-opening "Freedom Never Cries" packs a surprising punch, with imagery -- flags in pawn shop windows and the like -- that's unmistakably aimed at painting today's Washington paper-pushers in the least flattering light possible. That's a nice counterpoint to Ondrasik's normally kind and gentle approach, and those spoonfuls of something less sugary make Two Lights a surprisingly potent concoction. David Sprague

All Music Guide

Five for Fighting's John Ondrasik is a straight, clean, post-9/11 version of "Daniel"-era Elton John. He's got exquisite pipes, a knack for the big key changes, and a true star's sense of emotional entitlement that masks itself as introspection. If 2004's Battle for Everything saw a more assured and concise Five for Fighting reacting to its surprise success of 2001's "Superman" single, then 2006's Two Lights represents Ondrasik's complete transformation from somber troubadour into adult alternative mother-ship. With the now branded Five for Fighting, there is no hint of danger, no chance for controversy, and no way that at least half the record won't end up supplying brow-creasing melodramatic film moments and high school year-end slide shows with forced poignancy for years to come. It only takes a few minutes into the elegiac opening cut "Freedom Never Cries" to revisit the 9-11 angst/patriotism that won Ondrasik the majority of his initial public favor ("I only talk to God when somebody's about to die/I never cherished freedom/freedom never cries), a song he deftly follows with the super earnest and wistfully upbeat "World," and later "Riddle." From there it's a real hodgepodge, with detours into murderous Springsteen-esque road trips like "California Justice" and "65 Mustang." For the most part, Two Lights is a serious record about hard-working people in hard times -- only the jaunty "Johnny America" and the dumb but infectious "Policeman's Xmas Party" echo early press comparisons to the more whimsical sides of Ben Folds and Billy Joel -- but it's not saying anything that hasn't already been beaten into the masses since the confessional that used to house self-absorbed singer/songwriters became open to the public. Reverend Lee Power