Meant To Live and Dare You To Move, as was already mentioned, had huge success on pop and rock radio alike. And rightfully so. Both songs are well done both musically and lyrically. The opening guitar riff on Meant To Live is one that just gets you ready to go and get into this CD. The song itself is a sort of anthem for this generation, and that allows it resonate and become a great opening track. Dare You To Move is a little more mellow, but still is able to resonate with a lot of people. Some fans may be disappointed that the same song is on two CDs, but, no matter which version you enjoy more, there's no denying that this song is a great song worthy of the success it has gotten.
Aside from the two radio smashes, the disc is full of other great tracks. Gone and This Is Your Life are two of the more upbeat songs on the disc, and both deliver. Gone provides lyrics that make you think and chuckle at the same time. The melding of these two aspects is what makes it a great song. This Is Your Life has a pretty simple message (The chorus of the song is basically just, "This is your life, are you who you want to be?"), but it's delivered in a musical package that gets you into the song but allows you to really take in the words as food for thought. Both are solid songs.
The disc is not without it's flaws, however. The title track, The Beautiful Letdown, and Redemption, two songs right in the middle of the disc, are definitely two of the most forgettable on the disc. Musically, they're a bit softer than many of the other songs, but they're also just lacking that extra little bit that got the other songs going. Lyrically, the songs are not bad, but they're just tough songs to get into and bring the disc down a bit.
However, aside from said flaws, this disc is pretty solid. On Fire and Twenty-Four are simply awesome tracks toward the end of the disc that really bring the entire project together. On Fire basically points out what this disc is all about...getting closer to God, and getting "on fire" for Him. The lyrics are relatively simple, but that allows them to really hit home in a way that few songs out there today can. Twenty-Four is similar to On Fire in that it will hit home with a lot of listeners. However, it hits home in a different way. It really tugs at the heart on the issues that draw us away from God and trying to get back to Him. These are definitely two of the best tracks on the disc and are worth many spins in your CD player.
Overall, this disc is a really solid effort. It may not be a must-have disc, but it makes it abundantly clear that Switchfoot is going to be able to stay around the Christian music scene for many more years, and that they will also be able to continue to be quite successful in the mainstream business as well.