Although 's was a creative step forward, described the album's recording process as an exigent one, where everyone constantly butted heads. To the band's surprise, when they began working on two years later, they encountered the exact opposite. The band, along with longtime producer , felt the most open and creative they had in years. With two successful releases and two years of solid touring behind them, allowed themselves the freedom to write and record new material at their own pace. After embarking on a cross-country road trip with his acoustic guitar and witnessing the September 11th terrorist attacks and Columbine High School shootings on television with the rest of America, poured his inspiration into some of his most sincere and revealing material to date. Lyrically, is honest and unembarrassed throughout the album. Whether he's shaming the two teenage assailants responsible for the Columbine massacre on pondering how commonplace school violence has become on or coming to a religious crossroads while confronting the 9/11 attacks on never compensates his views for popular acceptance or political correctness. Musically, the band delivers hook after hook on a bed of strong songwriting. found his voice on . On , he takes his singing to the next level, frequently adding embellishments and showcasing his broadened vocal range. Mixing soft-rockers like and with the harder fare of the album cleverly incorporates the best of what each had to offer. The album's first single, picks up where left off, adding a gritty bridge and a soaring rock chorus. further probes world and relationship issues on songs like the -tinged and the -meets- jam In the end, the resulting sound is that of an updated and improved , and proves that there's much more to the band than In fact, as their discography continues to grow, the track that launched their career is impressively becoming one of their least definitive. ~ Don Kline