The Offspring's brand of punk rock is as American as cheese-burgers and as reliable as Old Faithful, so calling its new album Americana is both funny (it's hardly "Americana" in the radio programming sense of the word) and strangely true (punk is actually the "roots" music of the late 20th century, is it not?). In line with the patriotically-titled album, the band has gotten back to the core of its constituency. The songs on Americana are classic Offspring, not just because they're marked by thick guitar chords and the familiar tone of Dexter Holland's voice, but also because they're packed with the cheeky humor that made the band's breakthrough, Smash, such a hit. The first single, "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)," is loaded with smart-aleck jabs at suburban gangstas, and other cuts like "She's Got Issues" feature enough clever couplets to keep adolescent skater miscreants entertained for months. Most important of all, though, Americana proves that "career bands" really do exist in the brutally fast-paced music industry - you just have to give the people what they want.

By Cheryl Botchick, from CMJ New Music Report