This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
For a guy who nom de disque comes from a hockey penalty, John Ondrasik sure seems like a pretty major wimp.
The sensitive singer-songwriter who records as Five For Fighting first gained attention for his poignant piano ballad Superman (It’s Not Easy), which became embraced as an anthem of mourning in the weeks following 9/11. Ondrasik continues to work the same heavy emotional ground on his third disc The Battle For Everything, only this time with a more religious slant. Over jangly folk-pop tunes whose melancholy melodies and shimmering arrangements seem designed to connect with the John Mayer and Dave Matthews contingents, the Eddie Vedderish Ondrasik earnestly muses about angels and infidels, gods and demons, heaven and hell, life and death, and a whole host of equally fun topics. If this sort of sincerity and solemnity is your cup of tea, Ondrasik is your man. If not, the real battle here will be trying to stay awake through the whole disc.
