Puddle of Mudd aren't bragging with the title of their third album,
Famous, nor is its title song a self-congratulatory ironic anthem like
Nickelback's "Rockstar." No,
Puddle of Mudd are literal, sneering at the young Hollywood celebs who are famous for being famous -- read, the holy trinity of
Britney/
Lindsay/
Paris -- spitting out insults over a cleaned-up
Nirvana riff, one that's been polished with the assistance of hard rock writer-for-hire
Brian Howes, who has penned hits for
Hinder and
DAUGHTRY.
Howes isn't the only new name here -- drummer
Greg Upchurch and guitarist Paul Phillips bolted after the 2004 release of
Life on Display, replaced by Ryan Yerdon and
Christian Stone, respectively. On
Famous,
Wesley Scantlin avoids any icky, nasty emotions in favor of slick soundcraft. This results in an album that's hookier than
Life on Display -- thanks in no small part to all the professional songwriters aboard, including
Kara DioGuardi, who in no small irony has written with
Britney Spears,
Lindsay Lohan, and
Paris Hilton. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine