★★★★★
Seeing as Five For Fighting is a John Ondrasik creation, it should come as little surprise that he took his time to release this, his third disc, The Battle for Everything. The reason for the delay was because of the huge hit Superman (It's Not Easy) from his sophomore disc America Town, which climbed after the tragedy of 9/11. Some see Ondrasik as too self-involved, but The Battle for Everything is probably the best adult contemporary rock disc out there today...
- www.hour.ca
2010-11-02
★★★★★
"I can't say what I might believe/But if God made you, he's in love with me" might read like the world's worst pickup line, but it's what passes for poesy on Five for Fighting's third album...
- www.blender.com
2010-08-22
★★★★★
Release Date: June 29, 2010 Here's the thing about Five for Fighting. Either you enjoy John Ondrasik's reedy falsetto or it annoys the @#% out of you. Whatever said feelings are, there's reason to think Ondrasik might be onto something. Five albums and 10 years into an accidental career, he's still writing piano-adorned melodies and digging out hope and inspiration for tweens, soccer moms and those of us that don't have a problem tugging on our own heartstrings...
- absolutepunk.net
2010-07-20
★★★★★
On Two Lights, his fourth album, Five for Fighting's John Ondrasik returns to snatch back the mom-rock crown from new-school pretty boys like James Blunt. Soft-focus ballads ("I Just Love You") and the Mitch Albom-style sentimentality of "The Riddle" have a satisfying, if treacly, milk-and-cookies appeal. But Ondrasik's fondness for grandiose message songs is hard to take...
- ew.com
2009-06-12
★★★★★
Five For Fighting's main man, John Ondrasik, makes music like he's trying hard to earn a spot on a Dawson's Creek soundtrack. On Five for Fighting's third album, Ondrasik's self-pitying ballads overflow with dewy-eyed dreaminess, as his vocals swoon and swoop - think of a more annoying Chris Martin. Piano-based numbers such as "Disneyland" sport strong melodies, but their mush-headed philosophizing ("It's a nice day when you wake up in Disneyland") push the limits of poetic indulgence...
- www.rollingstone.com
2009-06-08
★★★★★
Five for Fighting was struggling along, another nominal adult alternative pop/rock band led by a singer/songwriter, until something unexpected happened. A song from their second album, recorded for their second major label in a row, became an overnight hit, staying on the radio for months. Of course, things weren't quite as simple as that...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
★★★★★
Five for Fighting's John Ondrasik is a straight, clean, post-9/11 version of "Daniel"-era Elton John. He's got exquisite pipes, a knack for the big key changes, and a true star's sense of emotional entitlement that masks itself as introspection...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27