Two Lights

Two Lights review

Five for Fighting remains John Ondrasik’s main occupation

The American melodic pop rock band Five For Fighting has one pronounced leader. Besides the position of pianist, guitarist and singer that John Ondrasik is holding, he also serves as the main song writer and band’s ideologist. The original name he picked for his band refers to a form of discipline penalty in the sports. Hockey players who fight during the game are sent away to cool down for five minutes. In other words they get five for fighting. In a way this name reflects the ideas of John’s songs rather precisely. He tries to remind the listener of simple and imperishable values like love, family, and friendship. The band has gained their popularity after the release of American Town in 2000. John's Grammy-nominated song Superman (It’s Not Easy) from this album was already a hit when 9/11 happened. Afterwards, the song became a spiritual national anthem, and John joined superstar headliners Mick Jagger, Elton John, Paul McCartney and others for the post-9/11 fund-raiser The Concert for New York. In spite of pretty active concert life John is also busy with songwriting for other artists and film soundtracks, though his work in Five For Fighting remains his main occupation.

Two Lights is a socially oriented album

Two Lights is the forth album from Five For Fighting. Produced by John and his band mates Curt Schneider (bass, guitars) and Andrew Williams (guitars), the album was inspired in part by ordinary Americans, to be more precise, by those ideas John has brought out from conversations he had with common people. Overall the album has turned out to be more true to life, grittier and riskier than his previous work. That's especially so on songs like California Justice and the darkly comic Policeman's Xmas Party, both based on real events. Though, John has managed to find a place for his inner feelings. He touches on a personal in many songs here. The album’s debut single The Riddle is a song he devoted to his children and the song Mustang 65, which is about how a car can trigger a person's memories of their younger days, was inspired by the vehicle that has passed down to John after his father. The father-son motif is most sharply expressed in Two Lights, a song that came to John after having dinner with a young soldier, bound for Iraq, and the soldier's father, a Vietnam veteran.

John Ondrasik is a special type of performer

Whatever subject John Ondrasik takes for his songs he is always able to find that very melody which will make his ideas more comprehensible for a listener. It requires considerable artistic agility to write deeply personal songs that also reflect the broader world. John represents himself a special type of rock performer. He doesn’t seek after fame neither he denies it, but he takes the things the way they are. He is an ordinary person who is possible to meet in any street of any American Town. The new album, Two Lights, may surprise those unaccustomed to John’s creative works. The whole album is filled with sentimental and sad at times notes, which touch the most sensitive soul strings. This is exactly what Ondrasik is trying to achieve. If you are fond of simple gentle melodies and soft rock arrangements then this album will provide you with a great delight.