Three albums in and
Lifehouse sound comfortable -- comfortable in their skin, comfortable working within the constraints of adult alternative radio, comfortable enough to deaden any possible lingering
Creed or
Stone Temple Pilots comparisons that might have plagued them after their first two records. Here, on their eponymous third album,
Lifehouse is a rock band that doesn't rock. They strum acoustic guitars and sing earnest mid-tempo anthems and ballads, all given a slick shine by producer
John Alagia, who has previously worked on records by
the Dave Matthews Band,
John Mayer, and
Jason Mraz -- a collaborator whose very presence indicates how far the group has shifted from its early
Brendan O'Brien productions. While some longtime fans will miss the band's harder side,
Lifehouse sound, well, more comfortable in this setting, and they've made an album that's smooth, mellow, pleasant, and tuneful, a record that's designed to ease onto the AAA radio waves, where it will politely sit next to songs by
Matthews,
Mayer, and
Mraz. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine