MTV Road Rules: Don't Make Me Pull This Thing Over, Vol. 1 is the soundtrack to MTV's long-lasting Road Rules TV show. Of course, it reflects the 2002 season of the show -- if only because back in 1994 the first season had its fair share of
Bush and
Belly, showing that MTV had a sense of history when it comes to these things. Gripes aside, what is surprising about the music included is what a strong lineup of musicians MTV put together. Who would have thought that the angular, oddball sounds of
Thursday,
the Used, or
the Rise would be among the very first songs heard here? Leaning toward aggressive punk-pop and emo rock, this soundtrack is actually an interesting sampler of some of the most promising small artists of 2002. Bands from
the Deftones to
Dashboard Confessional manage to grasp the angst and yearning of their twenty-something target audience; no one gives into smarmy self-importance or mindless aggression, and that translates into a soundtrack that doesn't just sound like a bunch of songs thrown together. A few bands don't quite sound right in the long run (
Hoobastank,
Brand New), but for the most part this is a strong collection of songs reflecting MTV's occasional willingness to look ahead to the bands they might be playing years after Road Rules is history. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide