The kings of all things 'Emo' release album number four, and seem to have found themselves a winning formula. This record really isn't all that different from the last album, 2003's 'A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar'. The to-be-expected soft melodies are present, as are the semi-depressing, sometimes sappy lyrics.

The album opener and lead off single "Don't Wait" is classic Dashboard. Along the same lines as previous radio hits like "Hands Down" and "Vindicated". It becomes obvious quite early on that the same formula has been used to craft the vast majority of this record. And while that's not a bad thing in terms of record sales, as this one is sure to eventually reach that "Million Selling" sales status just like it's predecessor, it can be a sign of a band reaching a peak in creativity. Not to say that Dashboard will rest on their laurels, but a little variation wouldn't hurt.

Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz makes a guest appearance on "So Long, So Long". A much more melodic affair, with some nice vocal melodies courtesy of both Carrabba and Duritz. This is definitely a song that could well see it's way onto a singles chart, should the band decide to release it as a single. Then again, the same could be said for the bulk of the material on this album. Formulaic....but good for what it is.

Catchy, Melodic, Pop-Oriented. Chris Carrabba and co. have managed to put out yet another winner. This fits right in with numerous artists that all have that common softer side to the music. Artists like John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Josh Groban, and even Jason Mraz come to mind. And not that Dashboard Confessional sound anything like any of those artists specifically, but the fact is all of the above mentioned artists have emerged on the softer side of the "rock" spectrum and have become hugely successful in doing so.
Call it "Emo", or "Indie" or even "Adult Contemporary"....the labels, much like other genres of music, are becoming blurred. And the one thing that can be said, no matter what you call it, is that this style of more melodic acoustic-electric folk rock is not going away anytime soon. If you're a fan of the band, and you haven't picked this up already, what are you waiting for??? For those who simply do not care for the lighter side of rock, steer clear of this one.....