The only light source comes from the soft glow of my laptop screen as ‘Bulletproof Picasso’ blares through my earbuds. Train’s new album light’s up my room all on its own with the great music coming from it.

The first song on the album, ‘Cadillac, Cadillac,’ starts off what is going to be another great Train album. It’s loud and fun to listen to, with good lyrics as well. ‘Cadillac, Cadillac’ is a love song, but nothing cheesy or overwrought.

Then comes the title song, ‘Bulletproof Picasso.’ This song is a little bit slower but still has the upbeat vibe. It talks about leaving everything behind and just being happy and yourself.

‘Angel in Blue Jeans,’ a radio-ready single pulls up next on the album, followed by ‘Give it All’ and ‘What You’re Doing for the Rest of Your Life.’ The first is great, with a slight western tinge to it. ‘Give it All’ starts slower and talks about love and working for what’s important, at the same time relaxing. The last of the three features Marsha Ambrosius for a darling duet. This song is just a cute little love song with the line “I think I’m going to tell you everything” sung with a sunny smile.

The next song, ‘Son of a Prison Guard,’ is my favorite on ‘Bulletproof Picasso.’ It reminds me of Train’s early albums with a slower, more natural sounding love song. The lyrics are well-worth paying attention to and the music accents Patrick Monahan’s distinct voice rather than overpowering it.

The next few songs are alright, but forgettable. Every album has this fade out, where the songs just aren’t as good as the others and feel like filler. That being said, the songs are still a worth a half-hearted listen, but are missing the staying value of earlier tracks.

The songs’ quality picks back up with ‘Baby, Happy Birthday.’ I was skeptical of the title, thinking that it was going to be hokey, but it was actually a pretty great song. A love song, like the majority of songs on ‘Bulletproof Picasso,’ this song is an apology for being unreliable and not good enough for the person this song is being sung for.

It ends strong with the ballad “Don’t Grow Up So Fast,” laced with cellos and violins in the background as Monahan sings about children needing to take it slow and to not hurrying to grow up.

At the end of the last song, I was left feeling satisfied and with a renewed love for Train. The last song did a great job of easing the listener out of the music and back into the real world.

With a good balance of upbeat, energetic songs and slow, meaningful ones, ‘Bulletproof Picasso’ was a fantastic album. It was less flashy than some of Train’s previous work and had several songs that reminded me of their early albums that I hold close to my heart. I would definitely listen to these songs again and advise anyone else to as well.