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Lifehouse

Staying power

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By Michael Norman  
artist

Lifehouse has had both the good fortune and bad luck to release one of the most ubiquitous hit singles of the new millennium, 2001's hard-rocking "Hanging by a Moment." The song went to No. 1, and the group's debut album, No Name Face, went multi-platinum, transforming the little-known Los Angeles trio into latter-day rock stars. But the radio programmers just wouldn't let the tune go. They made it the most heavily played song of 2001, then kept hammering away at it. By the time the band released its follow-up album, Stanley Climbfall, in 2002, we were all suffering from a serious case of Lifehouse burnout. The band's moment seemed destined to have passed.

Then came the release of their third album, Lifehouse, produced by alterna-rock veteran John Alagia, who toned down their harder edged tendencies in favor of a more subdued, melodic approach. The result was a nearly perfect reinvention of their sound, and a radio-ready blend of pop hits, such as the anthemic smash, "You and Me," along with the lush harmonic textures of "Blind," "Into The Sun," and "Come Back Down."  All in all, it now seems safe to say this band has proved its mettle, and its staying power, beyond a shadow of a doubt.  

Michael Norman is Entertainment Editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.