Warning: is a testament to that role. It is more polished, more produced, and a bit more restrained than Green Day’s previous releases. One of the things I have always liked about Green Day is the way singer/guitarist Billy Joe Armstrong mixes a unique hand-clapping pop-punk style with a blazing start/stop guitar sound and anthemic lyrics. You could sing along to it. That’s the beauty of pop-punk, after all. It just doesn’t seem to come together here. The closest it comes is on the track "Church on Sunday." On most songs, you have either have great vocals or that ‘oh-so-fun’ guitar. Rarely both.

I’ve heard writers refer to bands as "maturing" when a band begins to depart from their early work. The band may slow down a bit, they’ll throw in some new instruments on some songs and they’ll just generally change things up a bit while trying not to stray from their original sound. It’s a fine line to walk and with saxophones, organs, and harmonicas all around, it looks like Green Day is about to graduate to that next level with the release of Warning:.

While this mix may not epitomize underground punk music (it’s not even close), it’s still rock and roll and definitely will give people refuge from the Britneys and *NSYNCs. I just hope the current state of pop music turns back one day and Green Day isn’t afraid to let it all hang out once again. (Reprise Records)

With critics and fans alike perhaps unintentionally looking for the next "Shimmer" — the hit single from Sunburn — to jump out from Something Like Human like some warning flag, the disc instead presents a less obvious answer to the search: an album complete with a smooth combination of both guitar-driven rock and the mellow tunes that showcase front man-Brett Scallion’s always emotive, sometimes jagged voice.

"Hemorrhage (In My Hands)," the first single off the album, is already gaining successful airplay and is a perfect example of the soul-searching lyrics from the pen of guitarist Carl Bell that are laced throughout the disc. A balance of edgy, rock-filled tracks like "Last Time," "Empty Spaces," "Easy," and "Down" (which was co-written by Scallions), and somewhat aggressive ballads — "Innocent" and the quick and catchy, finally-recorded fan-favorite "Bad Day" — Something Like Human is, at the very least, radio-friendly, providing a diverse offering that has something for everyone — while, at the same time, perhaps borrowing from a little bit of everyone, with influences from Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, and ’90s post-alternative rock evidenced throughout the album.

Something Like Human is a tight, well-produced, and musically well-crafted album. While its layered vocals give a nod to its forerunner, Sunburn, Something Like Human brings to the table a little more edge and power — a good blend for one of today’s finer rock bands. (Epic/Sony 550)

With hook-filled and easily retainable lyrics, the 12 tracks on We Are Young Americans show two sides of the boys: the attempt at striving toward a more positive society — including a plea to end both racism ("Colorblind") and school violence ("Little Johnny") — and the proof that they are willing to live up to their boy band potential, singing the required ‘boy needs girl to be complete’ tunes, such as the disc’s first single, "Jasmin."

A good mix of uptempo — "Put Your Hands Up" and "Flashback" — and balladry — "What I Love" — We Are Young Americans also includes a nice rendition of "When I See You Smile," a song from the magic of hit wunderkinds Diane Warren and David Foster and first recorded by ’80s band Bad English. Also included on the disc is a fair amount of self-promotion, with the initials "YA" or the words "Young Americans" repeated in at least half of the album’s 12 tracks.

Touted in their own publicity as "the only teen group who really are teenagers," that youth may or may prove not be beneficial. Whether We Are Young Americans will stand strong amid the efforts of the already established boy bands — with a new release already on the charts from 98 Degrees and the upcoming November release from perennial favorites, the Backstreet Boys in the offing — is yet to be determined. True, Youth Asylum may be the only age-appropriate entrance into the battle of the boy bands, but that very youth may place them behind the more mature sound and content evident in the works of their elder counterparts. Time will tell. (Lifeline/Qwest/Warner Bros.)