It's been three long years since Arizona Jimmy Eat World's last record, but take it from me, "Futures" was worth the wait. It seems almost impossible to believe that Jimmy Eat World could top their award-winning 2001 album release "Bleed American" (later re-titled "Jimmy Eat World" after 9/11), which contained hit singles including "In the Middle," "My Sundown" and "Bleed America." "Futures," however, not only retains the elements that made their previous efforts amazing-it takes their sound to the next level, and will undoubtedly propel Jimmy Eat World to greatness. After the unexpected success of "Bleed American," the band members could easily have chosen to rush out another album, trusting that the reputation of the first album would ensure that the second one was heard. Instead they chose to take the time to craft a quality piece of work.

The beauty of "Futures" is in its diversity. Although the band members have never considered themselves emo, many of its past tracks have contained Dashboard Confessional-like qualities. What they have done with this album is simply incredible, combining fast punk rock with beautiful melodies and ballads. Never before has Jimmy Eat World displayed their ability to dominate various genres at this level. One of their trademarks which lives on in "Futures" is their knack for creating catchy hooks and choruses while retaining a sense of meaning. Despite their acceptance by the mainstream, Jimmy Eat World's music has avoided sounding contrived or manufactured.

The album's opening and title song, "Futures," sets the album's tone and re-emphasizes the fact that Jimmy Eat World did not spend three years making an emo-pop record. The track's greatest strengths lie in lead singer Jim Adkins' emotional voice and in the song's riffs. Adkins' voice is not overpowered by the toned-down guitars, allowing the solidness of his lyrics to shine through. The next track, "Just Tonight," exhibits an incredibly energetic Adkins with very tight lyrics complemented by strong guitar riffs. "Work," the album's third track, has some definite pop-infused melodies and includes barely audible back-up vocals by Liz Phair, giving the song an almost airy feel. However, the song's simple lyrics complement the melodies and, in my opinion, "Work" works.

The next track, "Kill," also contains a radio-influenced melody, but its slightly darker lyrics turn the song into an original love song. And the fifth track, "The World You Love," sounds more like tuned-down punk than emo. With its awesome guitar solos and strong climaxes, this song really stands out. The next track, "Pain," has amazing build-ups and is definitely more rock-influenced than anything else. Once again, Adkins sings with overpowering emotion and the lyrics only add to the music's incredible sound.

"Drugs or Me" further displays Jimmy Eat World's versatility; they have the ability to go from punk-rock tunes to slow piano-infused ballads. Not only do they display their musical diversity in this song, but they show that they've matured and evolved as musicians as well. The eighth track, "Polaris," is one of Jimmy Eat World's more beautiful love songs. Its laid-back guitars solos and emotional lyrics give the song an added degree of intensity, which is always a tricky thing to do in love songs, but Jimmy Eat World knows how to make it work. "Nothing Wrong" gets listeners back into rock mode, truly showing that Jimmy Eat World can rock out with the best of them and produce more than just emo-inspired tunes. "Night Drive" is by far the calmest track on "Futures" with a slightly breezy performance by Adkins and quiet acoustic strumming in the background. The album's final track, "23," is an amazing display of the band's instrumental genius and ability to truly build climaxes from slow starting melodies.

Jimmy Eat World has created 50 minutes of simply beautiful music. Every punk, rock and emo-inspired song is delivered with all of their heart and soul. There is a certain degree of honesty and genuineness that Jimmy Eat World has always possessed; they haven't let go of the very things that set them apart when they first spilled onto the music scene. Jimmy Eat World has created an album of songs that are at once meaningful and playable-something that is truly difficult to accomplish. This album is so good I almost want to call it Jimmy Eat World's comeback, except for the fact that when they left, they were already at the top. They've truly outdone themselves.