Review: Bulletproof Picasso by Train

My daughter is a huge fan of Train, so she was thrilled when I told her that I had access to their new CD Bulletproof Picasso before it was officially released. One of the only complaints that I've had about Train over the years (this is their seventh album) is that a lot of their songs sound exactly the same. My daughter disagrees but that's how I have always felt about them. There are definitely some songs on this album with the trademark Train sound, but there was also a diversity that I enjoyed.

I quite liked "Angel in Bluejeans" (which had been getting a lot of airplay on the radio even before the official release of the album) and "I Will Remember." My daughter's favorite song on the album was the title track "Bulletproof Picasso" which I agree was pretty good. She also liked "Give it All" somewhat. She said that the song itself was just okay, but she particularly enjoyed the chorus. Neither of us cared for "Cadillac Cadillac" or "The Bridge" at all. "Wonder What You're Doing For the Rest of Your Life" was fun and catchy but it sounded like every other Train song I have ever heard before.

Overall, I liked this album as much as I could like any Train album (translation: it was pretty good but I don't think it would go into my daily rotation). My daughter liked it a lot. You will probably like at least half of the songs on Bulletproof Picasso, but which half depends on whether you appreciate the standard Train cliche sound (e.g., "Hey Soul Sister" or "50 Ways to Say Goodbye") or prefer a little variety. Either way there's a little something for everyone.

Train will be performing LIVE on the QVC channel on Friday, September 5th at 5:00 p.m. EST. The album is officially released on September 16... pre-order it today on Amazon and iTunes.

Disclosure: I participated in the Train Bulletproof Picasso album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided a free album to review but all opinions are my own.