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Ah, youth: the exuberance, the energy, the blistering highs and bottomless depths. It’s an ideal breeding ground for true rock & roll belief. Hence, the youngsters of Paramore unearth geysers of loud, sugary angst on Riot!, their major label debut and follow-up to 2005’s All We Know Is Falling. Small-town musicians who have played together for years, Paramore boasts the appeal of an emo-pop blast developed out of savvy songwriting and musicianship. The sweet spot the band hits--somewhere between Avril Lavigne and All-American Rejects--comes naturally. Lead singer Hayley Williams, barely 18, has big-time vocal depth and genuine charisma besides, and while her singing can sound a little contrived, she delivers with such end-of-the-world conviction that it’s an easy flaw to forgive. Bright and catchy melodies abound, but songs like "Misery Business" and "Miracle" also feature razor-sharp cadences and ultra-clean transitions. Too clean, actually. The production is crystal clear, which accentuates the stumbles (mostly on the ballads) and robs these whippersnappers of the messy highs they surely achieve playing live. But some things can’t be entirely glossed over, and while the more aged among us will sip our Scotch and make fun of their adolescent shenanigans, we’ll also be surreptitiously listening on our iPods after we put the kids to bed. --Matthew Cooke
 Customer Reviews 
Enthralling, Energetic Rock Gold
Rating: 5
Having never heard any of Paramore's music and being constantly baraged by a friend to get this album and give them a try I took the leap. There's only one thing to say when referring to this album and the band altogether, they're the future of rock music and Hayley Williams has a bright future ahead of her.
Very rarely I listen to an album in its entirety and enjoy every song as much as the last. To compare Paramore to No Doubt is ridiculous, No Doubt are of a completely different genre of music to Paramore and let me say Paramore are much better.
If you were to compare Paramore to a popular female musician the only one that could come close to comparing to Hayley Williams would be Avril Lavigne. Although I wouldn't expect Hayley Williams to sell out to the pop princess image. Long may Paramore have a very successful and prestigious career and this album is an excellent stepping stone to greatness.
Good but not as good as their first album
Rating: 4
First off let me just say that I've liked Paramore before they became mainstream and before MTV(the channel that never plays music)damaged them..some what.
Paramore's first album is much better than Riot, but this isn't a bad album at all. Songs like: That's What You Get, When It Rains, Miracle, We Are Broken, and Born For This keep this album from being a bore.
Paramore still has a great sound, they just need to go back to their roots and tone down on the Pop.
Typical pop / rock style, but still sounds so good
Rating: 5
I agree Paramore never had a shot at winning the 'Best New Artist' Grammy, and for good reason. Their music style is very typical... you've heard it before from Evanescence, Avril Lavigne, and various emo bands. I recognized this as soon as I first listened to Paramore.
But this essentially doesn't matter at all, because the entire album simply sounds really, really good. If Kelly Clarkson made a Greatist Hits album 5 years from now, she could only hope to have compiled a collection this good. Every single track on here is *very* catchy. Typical or not, I'd take this album over Amy Winehouse any day.
I have more respect for the lead singer Hayley Williams than for, say, Amy Lee... because this girl can actually sing. The album's high production quality doesn't hide any weakness in her vocal ability; hear them perform live and she's still pretty well in-tune. Not the strongest voice out there, but good vocal technique which fits the style quite well. You have to respect the musical talent here... they're all between 17 and 23 years old.
Is the album just another mainstream pop, wanna-be hard rock band singing about your standard, annoying teen angst issues? Some people seem to think so, but I'm too busy enjoying the super-catchy melodies and well-executed harmonies. Musically, this stuff is high-quality, and I love listening to it. Go ahead and listen to the "more original" Amy Winehouse if you want, but it probably won't be as fun.
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