Colour & The Shape

The Colour and The Shape is the second Foo Fighter album, and followed the band's multi-platinum debut Foo Fighters. Despite the first album's success, few people at the time thought that drummer-turned-frontman Dave Grohl could possibly have a second great album in him. Nonetheless,The Colour and The Shape exceeded all artistic and commerical expectations and established Foo Fighters as one of the most vital bands of our era. With hits like Everlong, Monkey Wrench and My Hero, Foo Fighters became a cornerstone of modern rock radio and a perennial MTV favorite.

A major criticism of the Foo Fighters' self-titled debut was its supposed lack of, you know, passion among the well-crafted songs and well-crafted rock. This time out, if it's wreckage you want, it's wreckage you get. The Colour & the Shape grows deeper the more it's played, with the band's ripping power more than matched by Dave Grohl's fascinating examinations of pain and divorce. There's even a convincing long slow ballad, "November Stars," whose intensity should win over doubters. If that doesn't work, then the screaming "My Hero" will. --Rickey Wright