Since forming in 1986, the Goo Goo Dolls have evolved from a scrappy punk-influenced trio into the platinum-selling, chart-topping act behind such radio staples as "Name," "Iris," "Slide," and "Here is Gone." Along the way, singer/guitarist John Rzeznik and company left Buffalo, N.Y. for Los Angeles, but Rzeznik soon found that L.A. isn't everything it's cracked up to be.

The quest to rekindle his muse led Rzeznik to pack his recording gear and guitars in a U-Haul truck and drive across country to his hometown where he met his band mates Robby Takac and drummer Mike Malinin set up shop in a 100-year-old Masonic Ballroom.

After the incredible success of "Iris," the landmark power ballad recorded for the City of Angels soundtrack, and the Goo Goo Dolls' 1998 blockbuster Dizzy Up the Girl, Rzeznik became a Los Angeles resident. But he soon found that the commercial success that the band strove for and obtained came with a price. Those feelings of isolation and the search for inspiration led him back home to Buffalo where the Dolls spent a long cold winter working 12 hours a day, writing and recording material for Let Love In.

It was on Metal Blade, which subsequently became affiliated with Warner Bros., that the Goo Goo Dolls began the transformation from thrash-playing punks to respectable rockers unafraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves. "My biggest influences were the Replacements, Husker Du, the Clash, and Elvis Costello," Rzeznik says. "I didn't feel like screaming constantly. I wanted to do what Paul Westerberg was doing. I wanted to be Westerberg."

Years later, the Goo Goo Dolls would find themselves opening for the 'Mats on that band's final tour and Rzeznik would co-write "We Are The Normal" with his hero Paul Westerberg - even if it was done through the mail - for the Goo Goo Dolls' 1993 effort SuperstarCarWash.

Although the Goo Goo Dolls have gone on to reach the commercial heights that eluded most of their heroes, Rzeznik has not forgotten. "Guys like Bob Mould, Paul Westerberg, Michael Stipe and Peter Buck, they paved the highway we drive on," he says.

The Goo Goo Dolls also have put in plenty of work and not only survived but also thrived over two decades, a milestone that hasn't gone unnoticed by the band. "One of the things that we've managed to do - as simply put as possible - is stay together," Takac says. "That's awfully difficult for a lot of bands."

For Let Love In, Rzeznik and Takac renewed their writing partnership. "John and I wrote together on this record," Takac says. "We had done some stuff lyrically together, but the last time we actually wrote completely together on SuperstarCarWash."

While the Goo Goo Dolls have certainly enjoyed their success, one thing is certain - the band hasn't forgotten where they came from and is happy to give back to its loyal fans. That became perfectly clear on July 4, 2004, when the band returned to Buffalo to play a free gig for more than 60,000 fans. When rain fell on the outdoor show, it could have turned into a logistical nightmare, but instead it became a hometown triumph that was captured for posterity's sake on The Goo Goo Dolls Live in Buffalo July 4th 2004 CD/DVD release. "The whole thing turned around as soon as it started raining," Rzeznik recalls. "It was awesome. I remember being up there playing and going, 'Sometimes God just cuts you a break' and that's what it was."

Writing the songs for Let Love In, Rzeznik found similar inspiration in his hometown. "When you drive down the street and you see the park and the bleachers where you first a kissed a girl, you drive past the house you grew up in and you remember them taking your mother out in an ambulance, you see the post office where your father worked, you drive through a neighborhood that used to be all factories and now it's just leveled, or you drive by a street and see a beautiful little shop that just opened and how people are really thriving there," he says. "It gives you a lot of hope and perspective."

That feeling, hope, and perspective informs Let Love In. "That whole experience kind of opened up my heart," Rzeznik says of the Buffalo sessions. "It was good to feel again. I don't need to feel good all the time. I just want to be able to feel."

Listening to Let Love In - recorded with acclaimed producer Glen Ballard - it's apparent that Rzeznik isn't only sharing his own feelings, he's tapped into consciousness to such an extent that some of the Goo Goo Dolls' songs have become anthems. Take "Better Days" for example, a song from Let Love In with such power and empathy it was adopted by CNN as an anthem of sorts for the recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina.

With that hope, the Goo Goo Dolls have offered Let Love In, a rare work of naked honesty and emotion in songs that will stick in your head for the weeks, months, and years to come.

Here's hoping that you, too, will open the door.