Lifehouse began as a pop rock band named Blyss in 1995. Their lucky break came when introduced to Jude Cole, who got them in the door with a major label. Cole was so taken with the band that he's been a songwriter, producer, and manager for them for years. Lifehouse had the potential to keep rock's flame alive in the new millennium. Bursting onto the scene in 2001 with their #2 smash "Hanging By A Moment," the band was off to a great start. However, no other singles from their notable debut effort made the charts, and they suffered a sophomore slump with their follow-up record, which yielded only a modest chart hit with "Spin" (#71). The band struck back with their self-titled third album, which produced a monster ballad: "You And Me" soared to #5 in 2005 and put the band back on the map...temporarily. The record failed to generate another hit, and their follow-up limped out with the awesome "First Time" only reaching #26 in 2007. "All In" is the lead-off track from Lifehouse's 2010 release, "Smoke and Mirrors." Another hugely underrated effort.
Jude Cole is a hugely underrated singer/songwriter who almost broke through at the end of the 80s with his first top 40 hit, "Baby, It's Tonight", which got to #16 in 1990. "Time For Letting Go" was an excellent follow-up track, but it stalled at #32. A third single, "House Full Of Reasons", fared even worse, unable to get past #69. These terrific songs and many more can all be found on his most successful record, "A View From 3rd Street", which went to #138 on the Billboard Top 200. Jude Cole's next record, his third as a solo artist, was called "Start The Car". The title track didn't get off to much of a start, stopping in its tracks at #71 in 1992. The ballad, "Tell The Truth", did a little better reaching #57. I really thought this acoustic driven song, "Worlds Apart", would launch Cole back into the spotlight, but it was a tough time in the music biz that year if you weren't doing grunge or techno. Featured on this track are backing vocals by half of Damn Yankees: Tommy Shaw (Styx) and Jack Blades (Night Ranger). Prior to his solo career, Jude Cole was in the underground rock band The Records from 1980-1981. He later became a very successful producer, writer, and manager for other artists like Lifehouse.
