Simple Plan - Taking One For The Team (Album Review)

Simple Plan has been a band that has always teetered between tween/teen mall pop/punk and maybe something slightly more legitimate. The band's debut and sophomore albums were full of fun alternative pop/punk/rock jams that teetered on juvenile but at times more serious aspects of growing up as suburban middle class youth. The debut album even featured Mark Hoppus, which garnered the band some early credibility. I can remember this band and Good Charlotte getting a ton of hate for some fair and unfair reasons. It's also safe to say that some of their latter albums haven't seen the success of their earlier albums. I think both bands have that nostalgic sheen. I also think Simple Plan's Get Your Heart On was a fun pop/rock album overall; it had some good songs and some misses. I think Taking One For The Team is similar in what it accomplished, but it is probably a little more successful.

After a few listens this feels like vintage Simple Plan in some spots and it also feels like the band is having moments when they are still trying to reach for a new audience and try new things. "I Don't Wanna Go To Bed" featuring Nelly is one such song where I think they are stretching for some mainstream interest. Unfortunately, it falls pretty short of the goal. The song and sound feel slightly dated and a Nelly guest feature makes this band feel like they're trying to pick big names from their heyday thinking that it will turn into a mainstream radio nod. The feature works out okay, but it is goofy and the song is somewhat cheesy. In contrast "Perfectly Perfect" feels and sounds like a vintage Simple Plan ballad. It's everything you want from the band. It's not too deep. It is, for the lack of a better word, simple and it focuses on what I have always liked about the band. Another standout is where the band picked Jordan Pundik (New Found Glory) to guest on the song "Farewell" and on all accounts the feature succeeds in a big way and the song is really good. It honestly might be the best Pundik's voice has sounded on a song in a long while (someone needs to plead with New Found Glory to write more songs that cater to his voice like this!).

The song "Nostalgic" not only has a nostalgic sound for original Simple Plan fans, but it also leans on the faster and heavier aspects of Simple Plan's pop/punk sound. The lyrics have them reminiscing and talking about nostalgic things. It's all around another good solid song from the album. It's super sing-a-long-able and fun. The album ends with the slow, Juliet Simms featured song "I Dream About You" which ends the album with a well produced and well sung song that honestly, even though it is well done, feels like a dud. Coming right after "Problem Child" which is another slow, acoustic song just adds too much slow pace to the end of the album. I think it should have just been a b-side. "Problem Child" would have been a great closer to the album. I enjoy the song and the way it builds up slowly to a more rocking end. Adding "I Dream About You" feels like another one of those “looking for a mainstream audience” type of songs. I get why it's on the album, but it just doesn't end the album well enough, in my opinion. It would have either been better removed or added as a bonus track to a deluxe version.

Overall Simple Plan may never get a ton of respect. They may feel like one of those early-mid 2000s successful pop/punk/rock bands that at times were more style than substance. I'm not sure I feel that way overall, but I can see why that opinion is out there. Yeah, they have their cheesy moments in their music and there are definitely more than a few on this album. They also hit the mark more than they miss it. This is probably the best album from the band since Still Not Getting Any. It's not a total throwback album to their vintage sound, which I like. There are moments when they are heavier than they've ever been and moments when they mirror their more youthful self in a more grown up way. It just feels like after a few transitional albums that they might be closer to finding the sweet spot in their sound. The band's mainstream heyday might be over, but this is a must listen for anyone who grew up chanting along to songs like "I'm Just A Kid". It's a better album than their last couple of albums.