Five For Fighting: John Ondrasik (vocals, guitar, piano); Andrew Williams (guitar, background vocals); Curt Schneider (bass, background vocals). <p>Producers: Bill Bottrell, John Ondrasik, Curt Schneider, Gregg Wattemberg <p>Best known for the anthem "Superman (It's Not Easy)," Five For Fighting (AKA John Ondrasik), continues down the same path on the sophomore album, THE BATTLE FOR EVERYTHING, writing songs that fuse thoughtful lyricism with heartfelt piano playing. Teaming up with Sheryl Crow/Shelby Lynne producer Bill Bottrell, Ondrasik succeeds in capturing the spiritual song-craft of his debut, but manages to build on it by adding orchestral flourishes. <p>Often sounding like a combination of Dave Matthews and John Mayer with a dash of Steve Forbert thrown in, this California native, not surprisingly, shines on slower fare. Chief among these songs is "The Devil in the Wishing Well," with its Elton John-esque arrangement, and the yearning closer "Nobody." Luckily, somberness is not the rule of thumb on this outing, and Ondrasik does occasionally cut loose, particularly on the rollicking "Angels & Girlfriends," featuring some wailing harmonica, and "Infidel," a strike at fundamentalism pumped up with percussion and slide guitar. In a pop landscape littered by shallow sentiment, Ondrasik allows his musical and lyrical emotions to come to the fore and ends up winning THE BATTLE FOR EVERYTHING.