Dusting off a Pair of Engaging Christmas Rocks from 2017

There are some Christmas albums that are indisputable in their "Classic" status, and some merely subjective. While I prefer the more rock-oriented or untraditional music of Christmas, I do love the classics. These next two bands may now be lumped in the "Classic Rock" category, but their seasonal outings still prove they have yet to relent to laurel-resting, in fact they both released  another album aside from these holiday selections.
CHeap Trick "Christmas Christmas"
The band acts as a riotous child raising mirthful heck, then realizes it's really close to Christmas, changes their tune and tone, and then reverts to their antics in this romp of a Christmas album. Its safe to say that their cover of "Silent Night" felt out of place, for me anyway, among all of the energy and vibrancy of the rock, in good faith. The one two punch of their original tune "Merry Christmas Darlings" and their cover of "I Wish it Could Be Christmas Every Day" set your spirit alight and even encouraged that sentiment. I'm not a big fan of the band, but they brought a seasonal treat for the fans, even with another cover of "Run Run Rudolph" which incites me to run away at the mere thought, but the execution is appreciated; then covers of edgier Christmas tunes by Slade, the Kinks and The Ramones. "The Father of Life" is a song that while more tender than their cover of a traditional classic sounds more genuine, and not as displaced ; a pleasant original that allows the listener to breathe and contemplate the serenity of the season, before throwing the listener back into the bustle of the season with the title track.
"Not So Silent Night: Christmas with REO Speedwagon"
An important mantra to remember before opening that mystery box from a familial wild card or an  anticipated gift from a family favorite: It's the thought that counts. While a majority of the songs have been heard countless times from a multitude of musicians, there is still some magic left to be shared in another interpretation. The blend of gospel and rock in the seldom heard, and hardly covered, to my knowledge, "Children, Go Where I Send Thee.  is an example. However, I would not skip the yuletide extravagance of the songs that precede it, especially "I Believe In Santa Claus ( Remix 2017)." While there have been newer versions of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" that rock, this was recorded before they were conceived and is worth the listen.
The majority of this record was released eight years prior, I did not know until recently, and while I cannot name any others that stand out to me, it is merely because the quality of the renditions and their components are of similar quality and these compositions have been overdone., but have aged well.

Good Charlotte "Generation Rx"

The production of new music often remains unopposed, but I believe there is a point in a band's career where they should just let it be. While The Chronicles of Life and Death was not as beloved, or sold as much, as the album that preceded it, I believe it to be the better of the two. Experimentation is often a sign of maturity, and both are present on the finale of their first trilogy. With the realm of possibilities they had opened, it made it all the more disappointing when my expectations collided with the reality that they will create the music they want; some of the more "epic" tunes may have been a tad cheesy with those aural accessories, but I overlooked that because I liked the songs. 
Good Morning Revival had more value than I may have lead myself and others to believe, but the point of the paragraph was to say that Cardiology was the album I had expected to immediately follow.
So while Youth Authority was a nice return, its music did not say that this was the reason to overturn Cardiology's swan song status. 

I understand that as a creative person, a feeling of self-worth or sense of purpose may partly be aligned with output, and the quality of it. Every executed idea may not offer 100% satisfaction to the creator or the audience, but sometimes it is best to let it out, so the idea does not rot within the mind; this is referring more to Revival, and although it was repetitious at times it did have some memorable tunes and utilized some good ideas. Just because the execution of the expression of emotion may not been the most mature does not mean that "Actual Pain" was non-existent, or that it did not serve as a reason for conception.
Now, to the point where you question whether the time you spent was worth it.
I will first say that the album seems to replicate the experimentation that The Chronicles of Life and Death had, in a more mature and subtle approach. While they have retained the pop essence of the aforementioned, the riffs are meatier and the sound edgier; a great example would have to be "Self Help" for the latter, and the former listen to "Leech" or "Better Demons."
The themes found in Youth Authority re-emerge, even if one has found their purpose, it does not shield that person from a negative presence that will still exist; whether it was derived from previous trauma, or that existential angst that affects everyone to varying degrees. The journey of finding yourself doesn't really end, even if you believe you have found what you are meant to do on Earth. It may sound odd, but the "scars" of success, such as the penetrated barrier of a "private life," or the scrutiny of millions to billions of opinions at any given time, the latter especially, are also referred to in "Shadowboxer."
The album is a concise and consistent collection of songs that are constructed from catharsis, even effective at type vicarious, to a lesser extent. Some of the songs exclaim "I Just Wanna Live" from their Chronicles album, though not in as direct a manner. The song that I can associate with social media and the intentional ambiguity that may be present in tweets or posts is "Prayers" where the delivery may include a wish for the strife to end for that person, or those people, and while the intent may be good we cannot truly know whether it is for show or genuine, unless we know the person.  As the lyrics commentate:
"Prayer
They don't mean a thing at all
Do they answer when you call?
These prayers, when you don't mean what you say
Would you die for me today?
No, I just can't relate."
The album opens with questions on the title track, which builds the tension that leads to the explosive energy of "Self Help," and the questions do not cease until the ode to "California (The Way I Say I Love You)."

Sam Hunt "Montevallo"

So I probably listened to the record a year after its release and planned to release the review before the next record, or at least before I reviewed the sophomore album, but I just didn't expect the return to take  over five years. So that is why the few that may care are seeing this now.