Various Artists - Punk Goes Pop 3

The thought of having the phrase 'Punk Goes' and the word good anywhere near one another has beena much disputed occurrence since the series released the much maligned Punk Goes Pop 2, Punk Goes Crunk and Punk Goes Classic Rock. Now, I am not about to type that the tenth installment of the series is by any means mindblowing or game-changing, but I can easily say that for the first time in a few years, the Punk Goes... series may have actually put together a solid collection of cover songs for the third version of Punk Goes Pop (or should we maybe say Punk Goes Mainstream R&B?).

It really is a mindboggling thought to consider liking more than one or two of the tracks off of this collection when you first look at the tracklisting. And sure, after the sacred cow slashing done on Punk Goes Classic Rock, you have to think the general critical audience was pretty much ready to write Punk Goes Pop 3 off before even hearing it. But in all honesty, the current direction of rising music (which sadly lends itself more to electronica-mixed metalcore) seems to blend well with the nature of pop music. As much as I hate to admit it, being a huge Justin Timberlake fan and all, We Came As Romans' sound actually forms well into the slower, beat heavy melodies of "My Love". Same goes for Asking Alexandria's "Right Now (Na Na Na), which besides suffering from some unneeded guttural screaming actually holds up pretty well.

Other tracks hit the nail right on the head in terms of mimicing the sounds of the song's original writers. Family Force 5 do a pretty solid La Roux in their version of "Bulletproof", while Mayday Parade's normal pop-rock mediocrity makes a great bridge into the vocal-led "In My Head" by Jason Derulo. Sure, they don't offer much in terms of taking it to another world soundwise, but at least they make great fits for these bands.

As far as best cover of the bunch? My vote goes to the now Jerry Roush-led Of Mice & Men for their cover of Jamie Foxx and T-Pain's "Blame It". It has just the right amount of breakdowns, and just enough screaming, to not be completely overbearing and at the same time keep the energy of the original intact.

Now, I am not saying this is greatest thing ever released. But for the first time in a long time, you can actually listen to a decent amount of a Punk Goes... record without being completely confused or disgusted. You'll still have to skip the first track, but at least you won't be skipping all of them.

Punk Goes Pop 3
Fearless Records
C+