Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 03/14/1995
Run Time: 42:20
Produced by
Lou Giordano with his trademark full-bodied, immediately accessible, but never washed-out sound,
A Boy Named Goo finally got the band across to a wide audience, and deservedly so. Right from the start,
the Goo Goo Dolls sound perfectly on the right track after
Superstar Car Wash's OK but ultimately go-nowhere feeling --
"Long Way Down" is another stone-cold classic of wounded romanticism wedded to catchy
Cheap Trick-tinged
punk-pop,
Rzeznik's singing the not-so-secret weapon. Hearing him on the descending chorus, matching the just sad enough guitar crunch, makes one realize that there's always hope for full-bodied
rock & roll. The eternal
Replacements tag now makes less sense than ever --
the Goos have their own enjoyable sound,
Rzeznik's a more individual singer than ever, and all three rock out accordingly.
Takac similarly has his own sonic improvements, his formerly rasped high register now just a little more controlled but no less affecting, as winners like
"Burnin' Up" and
"Somethin' Bad" easily demonstrate.
Rzeznik-sung highlights are equally everywhere -- the commercial but never stupid
"Naked," with a great chorus and immediately radio-friendly music, the equally sharp
"Only One," and the mighty fine
"Ain't That Unusual." There's no question what the highlight is, though -- however untypical of the rest of the album's mid-range feedback fun,
"Name," with its sweet but sad acoustic arrangement, made perfect sense as
the Goos' long-delayed radio breakthrough.
Rzeznik's empathetic vocal, delivering one of his best lyrics on favored subjects of friendship, loss, and fame, matches unfolky strumming and quiet energy, creating a song that feels like both a farewell to the American Dream and to a long-lost partner. All this without sounding a
Bruce Springsteen sermon -- a rare thing indeed.
~Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
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