Combining thought-provoking and religious lyrics with fast-paced punk music, Dogwood's Building A Better Me is a tough album to review. The music end is fine, although a bit single-minded, but the lyrical melody is a bit rushed at times. That's not to say it's always a problem, there are moments where it molds together well. Samples such as the title track, 'Comes Crashing', and 'Autobiographies' show that the band has ability. You don't need to say that for drummer Russell Castillo, who meets the punk requirement of playing really, really fast percussion.

Musically, there's punk...punk...and more punk. Despite a few differences (a 54-second reprised version of 'The Bad Times' and a brief acoustic interlude in 'Nothing New'), it's mostly punk music. Vocally, however, is a different story. The band has a good tendency for writing faithful and deep lyrics. Example: "We once opted for a route which included 'selling out.' I won't divulge that here now, so I digress. The truth about it is we only do it for the Lord.", from 'Truth About It Is. Josh even discusses the critics in 'Nothing New' with "And when they hear this song they'll (write) it off because of faith, not because of things I do or say."

While hopefull not sounding one-tracked, the album is good for fans of punk music and lyrics to think about, however those looking for variety may want to pass.