My Amazon Reviews: Fall Out Boy "Save Rock and Roll"

Did it really need to be saved in the first place?
3 Out Of 5 Stars

Fall Out Boy proclaim their mission. That mission? "Save Rock and Roll." This after a long stagnant period where the band had allegedly broken up, lead singer Patrick Stump had his solo album, and Fall Out Boy seemed dead and buried. Not so, as they claim in the first song. "I'll fix you like a remix then raise you like a Phoenix," Stump yelps over the usual bombast and distorted pop that enjoys a current vogue.

Which is what frustrates me about "Save Rock and Roll." FOB's albums were pastiches of rock and pop elements that rang clear as a bell and had seemingly endless energy. Main songwriter Pete Wentz seemed to groove on Michael Jackson and The Rolling Stones in equal measure, especially on their best album, "Infinity On High." Despite the album's title, rock and roll is surprisingly absent from the music overall. It's more pop and elements of hip-hop, closer to Stump's solo "Soul Punk" than a FOB album. They also succumb to the loudness wars; "Save Rock and Roll" is compressed within an inch of its life. The mix is so bricked up that it's enough to fatigue your ears.

There are highlights, like "Phoenix," the lead single "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark" and the title track, which features a fine appearance by Elton John. FOB also lured Courtney Love to scream a few times on "Rat A Tat," Foxes (whoever she is) on "Just One Yesterday" and rapper Big Sean for the OK "The Mighty Fall." Guest appearances are fine to broaden an album's palette, and frankly Elton's appearance makes "Save Rock and Roll" a better song than it probably would be without him. That doesn't rescue "Save Rock and Roll" from its homogeneity or the blatant fact that the band has done much better. For all the heroic bravura in its title, "Save Rock and Roll" is merely average.