“Five for fighting” is a hockey term referring to a penalty given to a player for fighting on the ice. For John Ondrasik it is both a battle cry and his musical stage name.

Five for Fighting is a one-man band whose talents include playing piano, playing guitar, singing and some great songwriting.

What you end up with is an act who sings like David Grey, plays like the Counting Crows and Ben Folds Five and writes lyrics like Dave Matthews. America Town is Five’s second album release and the long-awaited record has lived up to the name; it has been a fight.

Ondrasik music career began when he was 3-years-old when his mom taught him to play the piano. He learned guitar at 14, on the guitar he gave his sister for her birthday. He developed his voice through classical opera training.

After graduating from college, he began recording music in Santa Monica, Calif. What resulted was Message from Albert, his first album.

However, releasing the album was no small feat. Ondrasik has always struggled with the record labels. The label folded following the release, so Ondrasik jumped from one failing recording company to another before signing with Columbia Records.

Ondrasik had to walk a fine line to satisfy Columbia while still maintaining his musical integrity.

America Town shows us a talented musician. With the help of Jack Joseph Puig, who has collaborated with Beck, Counting Crows and Semisonic, the newest album is a call to arms. The album features acoustic artistry as he weaves his songwriting with piano accompaniment, bass and vocals.

Each song sounds different and collectively they highlight themes of love, confusion, joy and even suicide.

“Easy Tonight,” the first song, sounds much like the title track, but the subject matter is not as soft; the song is about suicide.

Don’t let it get you down, because the album picks after “Bloody Mary” and “Superman.” “Bloody Mary” is a smartly crafted song about apathy, and “Superman” is for everyone striving for greatness but then losing oneself on the way.

Do not let the themes deceive you, the music and instrumentals could carry the album. All of them are upbeat, melodic and whimsical.

“Something About You” is a love song written for his wife and son. “Jainy” is the “hook” song about loneliness, with clever guitar riffs and catchy lyrics.

The remarkable thing about the album is that it is laced with political commentary, irony and doubt, but the songs still get the toes tapping.

It is a rare feat to find both a positive beat and deep lyrics in the same record.

“Michael Jordan” is about gaining the world by sacrificing yourself. The vocals and key are different from many of the other songs. You definitely sense an identity theme transcending the album, as well as a running commentary on America.

It is obvious that his fight with big business has jaded his view on America. “The Last Great American” is a song about an American hero so disillusioned with the country that he fought for that he buries himself in his own coffin.

If you like great music, strong lyrics and a great balance of love, disillusionment, despair and joy check out America Town.

John Ondrasik is currently touring with Vertical Horizon and will be joining Train early in May. A