Three's The Charm For Rooney

It's taken three attempts in three years for Rooney to come up with a sophomore album, but it looks like they've finally done it.

The group recorded two whole albums with two different producers and two sets of songs, but scrapped both of them.

"The first was very sparse, very 'non-commercial'," lead singer Robert Carmine told The Showbuzz. "The second was too slick, too characterless."

The five-piece band felt neither of the first two attempts represented the band the way their 2003 self-titled debut album did.

Carmine and his bandmates decided to go back in the studio on their own with all new songs and a new producer, John Fields, who has worked with Soul Asylum, Switchfoot, Clay Aiken, and Pink.

The band presented one track, "Believe In Me," to record executives at their label.

"Everyone was shocked and pleased. Everyone responded great," said Carmine. Based on the song, which may be the album's second single, the label gave Rooney the green light to keep going.

It took three weeks to finish the album, titled "Calling The World," which cost roughly one third of what it cost to produce each of the first two records.

Just like the porridge in "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," the third album was "just right."

The album's lead single, the '80s flavored song, "When Did Your Heart Go Missing," is due for release in the spring; the band will be making a video of it in the next few weeks.

Carmine said they have a few ideas for the treatment of the video, but nothing is set in stone yet.

"All these lyrics tell a story," he said. "You can see the scene between a man and woman, but that would be too obvious. We're a California band — fun, upbeat — so we've always had elements of that."

2He knows a thing or two about filmmaking. Under his birth name, Robert Schwartzman, he appeared in "The Princess Diaries" opposite Anne Hathaway. His mother is actress Talia Shire, which makes him a member of Hollywood's Coppola family. He's the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola, and Nicholas Cage and Sofia Coppola are cousins.

Carmine wrote all the songs for the new record, and he said his inspiration is consistent.

"I'm always writing about girls," he said with a laugh. In fact, each of the three attempts at a sophomore album was written about a different relationship.

For example, "Are You Afraid," is about a long distance relationship Carmine had with a college student who all of a sudden stopped returning his phone calls.

"I was calling a lot. I was miserable. I felt that she was messing with me." he said. "I thought she was afraid of the lifestyle of a musician."

"I Should Have Been After You," is the story of a female friend who would have made a better girlfriend.

3The title song, "Calling The World," is a song about obsession. "It's about a stalker tracking a woman down everywhere," said Carmine

In "All In Your Head," Carmine reverses roles. Sung in a disjointed, rhythmic style, the track is about unrequited love from the viewpoint of the object of affection.

The one song on the album that's not about a romantic relationship is "Help Me Find My Way" in memory of Carmine's father, producer Jack Schwartzman.

The album is slated for release in early summer. In the meantime, the band has posted samples of songs from "Calling The World" on its Web site, www.rooney-band.com.

By Judy Faber