Firehouse
strip away most of their harder edges on their third album, the aptly titled
Firehouse 3
. Some of the songs still rock out, yet they are punctuated by the distorted guitars, not driven by them. Still, the group's strong point is their knack for power ballads. While none their ballads stray from the late-'80s formula, the group does them well -- good enough to make the record a moderate hit, nearly five years after the style went out of fashion. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine