Simple Plan

'Pop-punk practitioners rarely make it to a third album without declaring some sort of newfound sensibility -- they're going a little darker, say, or they're experimenting with a dancier sound. But Simple Plan stick to pretty familiar territory on album three, which maybe explains the unclever self-title: perhaps the plan for this one really is simple. The Montreal boys pound away at full speed here, cranking out a batch of short, frivolous songs that showcase Pierre Bouvier's nasal but weirdly appealing voice and one, I Can Wait Forever, that seems to be rooted in real feeling. The whining hasn't let up (see No Love and Generation), but the fun hasn't either. Credit the producers: Timbaland's protTgT Danja Hills pitches in, and so does Max Martin, a knob wizard known for shining up the songs of Kelly Clarkson and fellow Canadian Avril Lavigne.' ~ Tammy La Gorce, All Music Guide