“All In” is the first song on “Smoke & Mirrors” – nothing too special, but a good opener nonetheless. Next is “Nerve Damage.” This song may leave listeners a bit confused, as it seems Lifehouse was going for a hardcore/Linkin Park-type song. It has a good, surprisingly blues-y guitar solo, and the song kind of grows on you. Lifehouse should definitely stay away from this type of song in the future, but it was fun while it lasted.

“Had Enough” features guest backup vocals from Daughtry, but they’re very hard to pick out as you’re listening. “Halfway Gone” is the first single from the album, and is another example of Lifehouse’s attempt to reach more audiences. It has almost a dance feel to it, and was definitely not the right song to release as the first single.

Another familiar song on the album is “From Where You Are,” which Wade wrote song for a series of Allstate commercials. This song is a great, haunting acoustic ballad – one of the standout tracks on the album. It’s also the first song written exclusively for a commercial to reach the billboard charts since 1972.

Much of the album has more of a pop feel to it than previous albums.  “It Is What It Is” is a prime example of this. As radio-friendly as it is, it’s actually a very good song – one of a few songs with great potential for radio success, and for movies and television.

“Here Tomorrow Gone Today” sounds like anthem rock/heavy metal, and after the other different songs on the CD, makes the listener feel that Lifehouse is experiencing an identity crisis. It earns the title of worst song on Smoke & Mirrors.

But finally, “By Your Side” brings you back to a more traditional Lifehouse sound. It’s definitely among the best on the album.  The closing song, “In Your Skin,” is another high point on the album. It has a very catchy melody and keeps Lifehouse in their comfort zone.

The Deluxe Edition includes four bonus songs as well. “All That I’m Asking For” is the first of these. It’s a slow song with a soothing intro; the verses outdo the chorus, but it’s still very good. “Crash and Burn” continues the hot streak, with good lyrics and a great chorus.

One of the most anticipated songs on the album is “Everything,” a remake of the hugely influential song on Lifehouse’s first album, “No Name Face.” The remake is slightly faster, and fails to live up to the original. It seems that the passion and almost fragility in Wade’s voice is gone, which really gave the original its chilling tone. It’s an interesting difference and still a great song, though. The last song, “Near Life Experience,” is quite weird, but is one of those songs that draws you for some unknown reason. The bonus disc has four of probably the top seven songs on the whole CD set.

So all in all, the album doesn’t really improve on previous ones, and leaves the listener confused. Lifehouse needs to return to their old niche of more alternative/soft rock. On the closing song, In Your Skin, it seems that Lifehouse realizes that they need to, in fact, stay in their own skin. Although the album did improve vastly towards the end, they experienced this revelation a bit too late. 3/5.