Puddle Of Mudd Album: “Famous [PA]”

Puddle of Mudd have always been interesting in their refusal to stray from their own formula. Whether its reviews accusing them of ripping off Nirvana, or stating they're nothing more than one trick ponies, they never have attempted to really stray from their trademark sound. Though when trying to sell albums that might be good. I saw them in concert in August and was looking forward to this album, which contains some really good songs. The trouble is, I can't help but feel these are alot of the same tricks they've used before. Though they hired some professional songwriters, they are still the same formula. But in an age where experiments lead to disasters like Korn's Untitled, that can be a good thing. Sometimes getting straight up post grunge is just what you need. If you do, you'll find it here. It won't shatter your senses, or change your outlook on life, but it will allow you to turn up the volume on your stereo for a little while. An entertaining album.

I got into Puddle of Mudd, P.O.D. and Linkin Park, all around the same time. It was the year 2001, a period in my life when I just had this urgent and ongoing need to bang my head against something... and that's all I'm saying.

With the utmost respect to the others, Puddle of Mudd is the only group I've stuck with and after listening to this, I'm convinced I'll always stick with them. (I guess I can now call myself as a proper fan?) I'm not going to lie; I'm not feeling this album quite as much as the one before it, even less so than the one before that (and if you haven't considered Puddle of Mudd before now, I strongly recommend you have those two in your collection before you consider this one at all) but it's a fun album to listen to still. I'm no expert when it comes to rock music but I like the lead singer's voice, these guys play real instruments, they play their instruments well and their lyrics are always angst-ridden, (as is Wesley Scantlin's vocal style), which suits me just fine. I also think the group is beginning to pull away slightly from their Nirvana influences and are beginning to find their own individual sound. I think this could work to their advantage.

I have favourite songs on this album and they are "Psycho", "We Don't Have To Look Back Now", "Moonshine" (my overall favourite), "Thinking About You", "I'm So Sure" (a close second favourite that made me think of my father) and "If I Could Love You". I think this is a great album.

I know this band is never going to be a Led Zeppelin or Radiohead or Tool, but I don't think they ever intended to be. If you like your rock complex and sophisticated, you probably won't get much out of this album, or this band for that matter. On the other hand, if you like something predictable that you can sing on the first listen and tracks that are straight forward, I would suggest checking out this CD.

When I listen to this band, I hear a Nirvana cover band that doesn't play Nirvana songs. When you listen to this you can ALMOST hear how Kurt Cobain might have sung it had he still been alive.

That being said, I really, truly love this album. It may not ever be as commercially successful as their first album, but in my opinion, it shows how much the band has grown musically and lyrically since then. While I am sure that "Come Clean" will always be their album that put them on the map, I believe that this album really is superior musically. Sure, it doesn't have the edgy sexuality of the first one (see "Control" from Come Clean), but it is an album I can put on while I'm on a drive and not feel compelled to skip songs and sometimes that's all you need.

The songs don't sound like extended "artsy" jam sessions or a loud "turn the amps up to 11" monster mash, they are more like musical thoughts that change every three minutes but come from the same stream of consciousness. The instruments and vocals sound clean, the lyrics aren't complicated and you can easily drift in and out of listening to this album and not feel like you missed a whole lot.

While I wouldn't put this album on at a family dinner, I would put it on for a drive of over 20 minutes. All in all, I think some people are expecting something more out of this band than the band expects out of themselves. In 20 years, probably no one will know who they were, but for now, they are making their musical statement and I believe that statement is "We know what works and we're o.k. with that." They don't come off as rock stars, just a group of musicians trying to make a living and if you go into the album with that mindset, it becomes a beautiful peace of work.

This album came out 4 years after Life on Display. I first heard this entire CD last friday (October 5th), and it truly surprised me. I heard Famous first MONTHS ago, and merry go round in July.

The first time i heard psycho was when Wes played it acoustically live on Loveline about 2 years ago. everything on this album is so well written.

Livin on Borrowed time sounds like something Puddle of Mudd wrote back in the day, before Come Clean. sound like the song USED or GIMP.

long story short, this album will surprise the hell out of you. i have been a mudd fan ever since come clean... i was 14 and now im 20, and not to say im not into the band's previous stuff, im just saying i really didnt think that they were capable of THIS. this is freaking fantastic.

expect to see We Dont Have to Look Back Now or Radiate as a next single...

sorry my review sucks. im tired and i dont really have the energy to go into too much detail. this cd is indeed good. i have a big group of friends that gave me crap for 6 years cause they all hated puddle of mudd... it became a running joke with me, 'the puddamudd guy', and now they are all going nuts for this cd, and all of the sudden love this band.

this cd definetely has a mainstream feel to it, but who's to say thats such a horrible thing?? this cd will blow yer freakin face off, half the songs are so different from their style, and its GOOD.

do not - i repeat - DO NOT judge this album or band again until you have actually heard it... you won't believe it.

The first thing to say about Puddle of Mudd is that I like their attitude. It is projected mainly by lead singer Wes Scantlin, who avoids the gruff, earnest vocals of Nickleback, Daughtry, Creed and their many clones. Instead, he presents a nasal, snarly, maverick persona that suits me just fine; it's got juice. The only other POM album that I am familiar with is "Come Clean". "Famous" preserves the same sound but softens it maybe just a bit. There are 3 love ballads ("It Was Faith", "We Don't Have To Look Back Now" and "Thinking About You"), and at first I didn't like them too much. After a few listens I warmed up to them pretty well, and I realized that is was the opening line of "It Was Faith" ("Knew you were heaven-sent...") that first put me in a negative frame of mind for the ballads. It seemed just a little too sweet for POM. But actually, "We Don't Have To Look Back Now" has some pretty impressive chord shifts, so I now consider it a good track after all. The other tracks, no problem. The title song starts things off with a bang - a loud, detailed picture of rock-star life. "Livin' On Borrowed Time" and "Merry-Go-Round" continue POM's chugging hard rock sound and lyrics about life on the edge. "Psycho" has the great guitar riff and the unforgettable line "Maybe I'm the WONE, who is the schizophrenic psycho, yeah...", which is the reason I bought the CD. "Moonshine" starts off a little like their early hit "Blurry", and "Radiate" resembles it even more, which is good because "Blurry" is one of their best. "I'm So Sure" is a put-down of people who flaunt their superiority (mainly pretty, popular girls). And "If I Could Love You" ends the album with a dark, serious track about an impossible relationship. So, if you liked "Come Clean", "Famous" should appeal to you too. It's similar, but shows enough growth to be interesting.