Chicago's Lucky Boys are growing up. Lucky Boys Confusion(LBC)'s sophomore effort, "Commitment," while still a youthful record brimming with unbridled and melodic teen angst, speaks to the listener from a more experienced point of view. Two and a half years since their first album, 2001's "Throwing the Game," and some 300-plus shows later, LBC has been forced to grow up quickly. As kids writing the first album, singer/songwriter Stubhy Pandav was 19 and co-songwriter Adam Krier only 17. The band was learning as they went, testing limits and loyalty. The maturity and growth that come from touring relentlessly, driving all night and sleeping on friends' floors while trying to maintain some sort of "normal" teenage lifestyle are obvious on this record.

"We survived a pretty tough year last year, a lot of soul-searching - both business and personal. I was never a believer in adversity bringing out the best in you, but it's amazing how a lot of bad stuff can make you a better writer," explains frontman Pandav.
Musically, the album is blend of punk, Emo, power pop, and moments of anthem-like rock - a sort of all-encompassing teen music smoothie.

Though undoubtedly a talented band, with all the makings for commercial success, LBC's album is not groundbreaking. The standout song stylistically is "Sunday Afternoon," a reggae track featuring underground reggae icon Half Pint, and is a welcome change from the pop/punk consistency of the album as a whole. This was no doubt, a creation of producer Michael "Miguel" Happoldt, known from his widely successful work with the band Sublime. Miguel's presence is felt on the first track, "Champions Dub," a one-minute, eerily Sublime-esque intro. The collaboration with Miguel was definitely a step in the right direction, adding a more well-rounded sound to the otherwise homogenous album.

LBC's lyrics are raw and honest. Overall, "Commitment" is an intelligent album that asks questions and offers no apologies. The song "Something to Believe" addresses an adolescent's spiritual frustration: "Holy books, so many flaws no answers.../ Haven't decided what to do/ Oh, give me something to believe/ So many down on their knees/ It baffles me..."

LBC's songs deal with relevant issues like suicide, love, boredom, blame, and failed relationships. Perhaps the strongest evidence of their growth is in the lyrics to "Closer to our Graves," a track that stops to realize the passing of time: "Moving out, moving on/ You used to look like me/ And this Autumn air reminds/ How things slowly unwind."

"Commitment" is engaging and easy to relate to, as the band confronts universal adolescent issues and begins to trust its instincts.
I can see this album being the soundtrack for some coming-of-age teen musical. Listening to it is sharing in the experiences of a teenage band growing up - it's like a pop/punk bar mitzvah. While their album is a bit too radio-friendly for my taste, I do see the appeal. I can picture this band playing sold-out shows to venues filled with teen girls in dickies and their Emo boyfriends, lip-syncing these lyrics with tears in their eyes. Despite their mainstream sound, this band deserves to make it much more than some of the other bands in this ever-expanding pop/punk/Emo genre. They love what they do and their dedication is evident.

Their album title reflects not only their commitment to music and each other, but to their fans as well. Lucky Boys Confusion has a lot of potential, and I look forward to watching them blossom into less confused lucky men.