Lifehouse is a quality band, perhaps underrated by those who view them only as another mainstream rock act because of their two massive hits this decade. Unsurprisingly, their debut, "No Name Face," remains their strongest effort to date. Their next two records were solid and did not disappoint, but they did not wow anybody either. This album, "Who We Are," is a step up from the last two, but still does not approach their debut.

"Disarray" gets the music off to a rocking start the way "Spin" did for "Stanley Climbfall." It's a good sign when the first single, "First Time," is not the best song on the album even though it is already a hit. Again, this song is more rock-oriented, a contrast to their softer self-titled album.

"Whatever It Takes," would be a decent choice as a third single. Lifehouse has a knack for sounding fresh without necessarily breaking down any musical barriers. None of their songs sound like a rehash of previous works, which is a feat for a band this successful. This track, as well as several others, proves that Jason Wade is one of the better songwriters in music today.

The title track is a great song with a driving force behind it. The next song, "Broken," is the best song on the album and likely to be a huge hit both on mainstream and Christian music radio stations. An emotional, powerful ballad written about one of Wade's friends, this song is an example of how Wade's lyrics can appeal to both the spiritual and secular crowd.

"The Joke" is upbeat and different, likely to be hit or miss with fans. The second half of the album is filled with tracks that are good but do not match up to the first few songs. The exception is the sublime "Storm," an official version of the song Jason Wade wrote early in his songwriting career. Wade's deep vocals are strong enough to carry the first minute of this song without any instrumental accompaniment, and the rest of this song finishes the album on a strong note.

Reeling from the huge success of their multi-format hit "You And Me," Lifehouse is back to prove that they are in fact a rock group that can turn up the volume whenever they choose with a good deal of success. With "Hanging By A Moment," released in 2000 and popularized in 2001 as the most played song on radio for the year, Lifehouse began on alternative formats and spread their wings from there. Since then, the band has stuck to more Mainstream Pop and Adult Contemporary formats, with popular songs like "Spin" and "Take Me Away" from their sophomore effort Stanley Climbfall. With their third release, self-titled, Lifehouse added bassist Bryce Soderberg and came up with yet another huge hit, "You And Me," leaving no doubt that these boys could never be considered one hit wonders. With Who We Are, Lifehouse goes back to a mixture of uptempo rockers and the usual ballads. The result is a solid album with many hits and very few misses.

The first single "First Time" has been doing well on radio and is poised to be a summer smash. This uptempo rock song is extremely catchy and will have you tapping your feet to it in no time as it builds up to the searing chorus.

The sure fire next single is the ballad "Broken." This song, unbelievably well written, came out of a trip Wade took to Nashville to visit a dear friend waiting on a kidney transplant, but it can be related to many different situations because of Wade's universal lyrics. The emotional grip of this song is deep, and in my opinion, this song alone is enough of a reason to buy the album.

Another hidden gem for the Lifehouse faithful is the last song "Storm." Available only previously on a limited release entitled "Diff's Lucky Day" (an album by the same band members when they were known as Blyss, which sold on Ebay for hundreds of dollars when the band first hit it big with "Hanging By A Moment"). This fan favorite at concerts is a beautiful song and a great way to close out the album.

Overall, this is another solid effort from a band which will be around for many years to come. If you liked any of their previous albums, this is a definite must have, and if you're just getting into Lifehouse through this album, I would definitely pick up their past efforts as well.

Like their previous 3 cd's, Who We Are by Lifehouse is a great pop/rock cd! I don't think it will disappoint new or old fans.

In my opinion, this cd is one of their best, probably my favorite next to their first- No Name Face. The melodies and lyrics of their music are unbeatable, you can't get them out of your head (in a good way!). And when they sing a meloncholy song, it's absolutely magic. However, specifically this cd has more upbeat songs, compared to the others. If you like "First Time", I think you'll like the rest of the cd. Some of my favorites (other than First Time) are: Disarray, Whatever It Takes, Who We Are, Broken, Easier to Be, Make Me Over, Mesmerized...actually, it's very hard to pick just a few!

I saw Lifehouse in concert with the Goo Goo Dolls and just loved them live, nearly as much as I did the first time I saw them in 2001. I've been a huge fan for years and always recommend them to friends.

Jason Wade and the guys are back in top form. This is probably their best release since "

" back in 2000---and, in many ways, this surpasses it since it shows off a more mature band that definitely knows "Who We Are".

There are several specific tracks that make this album stand out on the same level as NNF in my mind:

Whatever It Takes (track #3) - Personally, I think this should have been the first single. Not that "First Time" is bad or anything, but this song has so much going for it. This was the first "A+" in my mind and I knew this album was going to be special.

Broken (track #5) - If I was to pick one lyrical standout on this album, this song would win. One of Jason's best lyrical accomplishments.

Easier To Be (track #7) - My favorite new song. There is so much to love about this song. Catchy melody, beautiful lyrics. It's a great love song without being corny.

Storm (track #12) - My favorite song from "Diff's Lucky Day", re-recorded here with Jason's amazing vocals...if you don't feel something when you hear this song, something is definitely wrong with you. If you've never heard this song from the old release or live, you're in for quite a treat.

ALL Lifehouse fans should give this record a listen---even if you felt like "Stanley Climbfall" and the self-titled release were sub-par---this is a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed listening to it. If you've never heard of Lifehouse before, pick up this disk along with "

" and you'll be hooked.

Most of the reviews I've read are from devout Lifehouse fans making a comparison of this CD to previous releases. Well, if you know nothing about Lifehouse and want the lowdown on THIS CD, then here it is...

Until this latest CD "Who We Are", I would have said that Lifehouse is a very unique band with a very distinct sound that may or may not appeal to the public at large. Sure they had some commercial success with a couple of brilliant songs, but I truly believe that their MASS music was hit or miss with the general "commercial/rock/pop" crowd. Today, with this new CD, my perspective has definately changed. At the very least, I can confidently say that most of the songs on this CD are HIGHLY listenable and will be greatly enjoyed by anyone who likes Adult Contemporary/Alternative rock music. If that sounds like you, and you know nothing about Lifehouse, I honestly think that this is the CD you should buy. You will hear many people talk about their best CD (No Name Face), which I also believe is still their best work to date, but I also think it appeals to a more "tailored" ear. Whereas this CD has more hooks than captain hook himself. If you're looking for something fresh, enjoyable and inspiring, this is it - highly recommended!