Disco de Train: “Save Me, San Francisco”

I think Train have really made a mark with this record, and it's probably their best since Drops of Jupiter - which has been very hard to top! This album overall has a catchy vibe and there's a few songs that really make me smile. It's quite a happy album, with a few slower songs here and there to even it out. This is for sure their comeback album!

Save Me, San Francisco: Awesome track! It has a slight country feel to it at first, but once the song starts to move along you find yourself tapping along and wondering when Train got so much groove. I love the "oh hell no!" part. 5/5

Hey, Soul Sister: Another toe-tapper... I just fell for this song when I first heard it. Something about the bongo sort of feel at the start, and then it just builds and you get into it. It's such a fun, happy song and always make me feel cheery! 5/5

I Got You: This track is in same sort of vibe as the previous two before it. Happy-clappy sort of music and easy to listen to. 4.5/5

Parachute: This track is a slight change than the other three before, more mellow and slowing down a little. It's a great song, more like the Train I'm used to hearing. I actually think of Daughtry when I hear it - not that that's a bad thing I guess. It has some really beautiful metaphors in the lyrics. 4.5/5

This Ain't Goodbye: This tracks slows it right down... and I LOVE this song. It's beautiful. Almost on a par with Drops of Jupiter. 5/5

If It's Love: Another catchy one; I like the fast-paced lyrics. 5/5

You Already Know: It takes a full minute for this song to get moving, so it drags a bit. But once you get past the start, it picks up and ends up being a pretty good track. 4/5

Words: This starts with Pat's vocals scratching into your ear and straining all desperate-like. It's nice. Very nice indeed. 5/5

Brick By Brick: A really nice slower track. It's quite a standard Train ballad, but that doesn't make any less good. It's not really ground-breaking material but it doesn't have to. If it's not broken, don't fix it. 4.5/5

Breakfast In Bed: This is a little different to the rest of the songs. It's more mellow, and has that indie feel with hushed vocals. It's not a favourite, but it's not bad. 4/5

Marry Me: This is a great way to wind down the record. A beautiful acoustic track, just Pat's voice and a guitar. I could see this becoming a 'first dance' song for weddings especially with the line: "Marry me today and every day." Sweet song. 5/5

My initial impression is that "Save Me San Francisco" is a better CD than "For Me, It's You." There seems to be a more relaxed vibe to the songs, which is good. I read that the band wanted to get back to its roots, but I don't really hear that. I always thought that the first Train CD just had that recorded in the basement feel, something fresh and free. "Save Me" still has some of that slickness of the last two discs, but it's not trying for arena grandeur. The title track and "You Already Know" capture some of what Train used to be. The rest is good, but I don't think that I will be listening to it a lot a couple of months from now.

If only Rob Hotchkiss and Charlie Colin would come back. I think they would help sharpen the songwriting and flesh out the music. And help create that "thing" that made the first two Train CD's so memorable to me.

For those of you who say "Train is Back", I ask "where"? They lost themselves after Drops of Jupiter and based on this set of music, I don't think they found the trail of bread crumbs home. Bland, pop music. No heart; no soul. Oatmeal, not gumbo. I'm so disappointed I can't stand it. Is it bad? No. Is it good? Nope. Glad others are enjoying it. Wish I could.

Train is definitely back; Save Me, San Francisco is amazing and showcases Patrick Monahan's amazing, distinctive voice! Love the energy and heartfelt lyrics including the title track, Soul Sister and Marry Me! Can't wait to see these guys again live!!!

This would have gotten 5 stars, but "Marry Me" is bad enough to warrant the loss of an entire song. You know when you listen to a song and it sounds as if it was written with a distinct commercial purpose- or the, "god, this song was made for a bad romance-movie montage" feeling? That's "Marry Me," a terrible attempt at a perfect "first-dance-of-the-bride-and-groom" tribute. This is made all the worse by the brilliance of the lyrics in the rest of the album.

As others have stated, the rest of the album is fantastic in that it blends classic Train sound with some of their newer flavors. Worth playing on repeat a few times, great album!