Good Charlotte is not a terribly original band, being part of a large group of skate punk/pop punk bands that include Simple Plan, Lit and Yellowcard.

Nonetheless, Cardiology, the band’s most recent album, is worth a listen. The sound is less dance oriented then the last album, Good Morning Revival, but, that doesn’t mean the songs aren’t catchy enough to dance to if you want.

In this album, Good Charlotte keeps the sound fresh in songs such as “Like It’s her Birthday,” which features a guitar solo, somewhat uncommon in music of this type.

There’s some nice keyboard work in the background as well. Nothing fancy or terribly innovative, but it works well. The lyrics are about discovering how much crazier your girlfriend is when she’s totally drunk.

“Like It’s her Birthday” does an efficient job of summing up the album’s direction.

Other songs offer a guitar, keyboard in the background and classy lyrics.

However, the songs manage to be different enough that the album doesn’t feel like listening to the same song over and over again. Even more important is that the formula works.

What Cardiology doesn’t innovate, it does well. At the same time, the album is enough of a step forward that it manages to differentiate itself from the work Good Charlotte has done in the past. The album isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s definitely worth a shot.