Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 05/22/2007
Move over,
Avril, there's a new gun in town. And even though
Paramore's lead singer,
Hayley Williams, is a few years younger, she has a way bigger set of vocal pipes. The two share a similar register, but
Williams belts it out with way more control and authority. She may even be more of a respectable
pop idol since her image isn't manufactured to be rebellious and angst-ridden; instead,
Williams appears to be a genuinely sweet girl, bottling up a huge voice and a heart full of lost loves. On
Riot!, she fills the majority of the
punk-pop tunes with tales of
emo angst and declarations of boy woes. Although her lyrics can seem contrived, they also feel representative of actual teenage puppy love, where a breakup feels like the end of the world. The songs are all good tunes performed well, with catchy hooks in the vein of
Boys Like Girls fronted by a young
Shirley Manson (although that analogy might be lost, since most people who like
Boys Like Girls probably aren't familiar with oldies like
Garbage.) As with all of the bands on the
Fueled by Ramen roster, the band is an energetic troupe of rockers with precise haircuts who rock pretty hard. The production is sparkling and heavily compressed due to the golden hands of
David Bendeth, but this is potentially a downside -- since the sound quality is ultra-clean, it makes the listening experience relatively risk-free and also brings attention to the fact that there's not a lot of ground being broken here. Most songs have an interesting breakdown of some sort in the bridge, which helps break up the entirety of the disc, and there are a few power
ballads (think
"Don't Speak") that work well, but overall there's a consistent distorted guitar chug and driving beats that never stray too far from
Fall Out Boy's formula. The lack of originality is forgivable when
Williams' girlish charm takes over. It's a lot like the scene in
High Fidelity where the jaded record clerks hear
Lisa Bonet's character singing a
Frampton song that's worn to death, but because of her beauty and sweet voice, they love the performance. In the last track,
"Born for This," Williams takes a break from her love confessions and commands everyone to sing like it's the last song they will ever sing, making for a perfect live show closer. Ultimately, this disc has enormous crossover potential, and will probably appeal to those who are fans of the genre, and for those who aren't, there's a good chance of it becoming a guilty pleasure.
~Jason Lymangrover, All Music Guide
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