Now, on their third record Every Man For Himself, Hoobastank wants to show you that The Reason was no fluke, and makes you want to shake your ass at the same time. However, except for a few songs, this album is an utter bore.

Himself starts off doing all right with the “get your butt to the dance floor” type jam, Born to Lead, which seems suitable for a summer jam, but falls short of being a anthem. And to Doug Robb and the rest of the group: We get the message of the semi-catchy Inside Of You. It’s about doing it. It almost becomes a little nasty with Robb signing about “when I’m inside of you” incessantly.

Meanwhile, not much else on the album is that entertaining. Tracks such as Moving Forward and Good Enough don’t do much of anything for the listener. Even the first single If I Were You sounds like a band begging for a hit, but comes off as limp and listless. The song is only a thinly veiled shot at Velvet Revolver lead singer Scott Weiland. I bet Weiland’s got something better up his sleeve for Velvet Revolver’s next album.

Himself seems like an album that is trying overly hard to please its fanbase of Top 40 fans, and its sales and likeability may end up suffering because of Hoobastank’s eagerness to please.

GRADE: D+

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