Good Charlotte

"The Chronicles of Life and Death"

Sony Records

Grade: C+

When looked at, Good Charlotte appears to be a punk rock band. When Good Charlotte is heard, the listeners know they've found great music.

Their third album, "The Chronicles of Life and Death," which starts with an orchestrated choir and what sounds like Japanese lyrics, will have Good Charlotte fans wondering if they bought the right CD.

If compared to their second album, "The Young and The Hopeless," this group has really grown in meaningful songs and is showing much more musical range.

On this album the band sounds more like an older Green Day and a newer Sum 41 with more melodic tunes.

All that was heard in the second album was the same three cords and pop vocal melodies.

The pop-punk style is still there but with more significant songs like, "I Just Wanna Live," which is real poppy, but the hook truly explains what the band feels on their popularity.

"I just wanna live/Don't care about the things that they say/Don't really care about what happens to me/ I just wanna live/Just wanna live."

A personal favorite is, "Predictable," which takes a plunge into relationships and how love can hurt.

Songs like "Mountain," let all the little Good Charlotte wannabes know they can still dream of being in a band.

Yes, kids can play this album in front of their parents. No, the album doesn't deserve an A+. For starters, the musical range is better than the last album but not exceedingly impressive as a whole. Overall, the album is a real achievement compared to their last album, and if you're a die-hard fan you will appreciate a lot of the lyrics. So let's just say Good Charlotte was good this time.

-- By David Murimi, Staff Writer