Lil Wayne

Tha Carter III

For those of you that like your rappin' explicit and as real as you can get it,you won't find any better than good ol' Lil Wayne on 'Tha Carter III'.

Chocked full of guest stars,this amazing cd brings back my faith in modern rap.Normally,I am against cd's with every freakin' song being a potential hit...but not on this cd.And here's why.The videos and radio play that are bound to come off this album are going to be 'beeped' and edited more than a Tourette syndrome patient giving an acceptance speech at the Golden Globes.

That's a terribly bad analogy,but exactly my point.The only way to savor 'Tha Carter III' is to listen to the cd[non-Wal-Mart version,of course] in it's entirety.

Not to say that Lil Wayne is crass...just the opposite.'Tha Carter III' is nothing but fun.I dare you to listen to songs like,'Dr.Carter' without laughing(or,at least,smiling)...ditto,'Phone Home'.

But this ain't no one trick pony.Lil Wayne paints a broad spectrum with a board brush.'Tie My Hands' is a very Marvin Gaye-ish sounding tune.It should be a big radio hit.' Mrs Officer' is another R&B jem.How can you not love it?

True-full,playful,real.If radio was this diverse,more people would be listening to the radio.'Shoot Me Down',is one of my favorite songs on the cd.It is rap,but has a rock feel to it.The anger transcends genres.Hell,there's even a tad of guitar.

OK,ya' gotta love,'Lollipop'.But is it the best song on the cd...?Nah.Just the beginning of the opus.Same with,'A Mili'.

'La La'-filled with pop references-can be either a song about a child or a Los Angeles parody...who knows..I just like it.

'Playing With Fire' may not be for everyone,with the blatant over use of the word 'pussy',but I liked it.This is rap---right?!?

The end song is,'DontGetIt'.It's free thinking word streaming should be loved by everyone...except,maybe,just maybe,Al Sharpton.

One of the best cd's of the year.

A

Disturbed

Inde-struct- ible

First off,Kudos to the most kick ass album cover since the Nazareth's [via Frank Frazetti]'Expect No Mercy' album cover.

Secondly,I love metal.I love metal fans.Metal is a genre with fans that say Led Zeppelin is an acoustical band.Metal fans claim that pounding your thumb with a hammer against a wall is a way of creating meaningful lyrics.Metal fans are a very loyal and creative lot.But only one band is truly a metal band to these fellows...their band.

So,with that in mind,I will just classify 'Disturbed' as a hard rock band.Which pretty much puts them into a 'pop' music sub-genre.So what?How else can the number one cd in the country be classified?

I suppose that the first two songs are shout outs to all the group's fans based in Iraq and Afghanistan.These songs are meant to be jammed to-I suppose- to get the troops psyched up.It works for me.Though I am against the war,these songs make me want to go out kill something.

Disturbed is a very good name for these hard rockers.They are not afraid to ask the hard questions...or perhaps,better put...question the powers that be....be it your nation,God,your loved ones,or,hell,especially,yourself.

The only question about this ask questions style is...are these boys locking themselves into a musical corner?

i.e.{OK,I am dating myself,here} I used to be a big Journey' fan.Hell,after their first couple of albums they got themselves a new singer,and bam!The upped their game.Shift to years later...some interviewer asked them if they ever thought of changing their musical style.They replied,no...they did not want to'disturb' their fan base.

'Journey' instantly lost me.I didn't want the same old album over and over again.I wanted to be challenged.Think,'The Clash'.Think,'The Beatles'.Think,Neil Young.

Yes,I know that there are subtle nuances that can't be ignored in metal.I had a good friend named Bob that showed me this while we were listening to Pantera.Back in the day when 'Jethro Tull' was winning Grammies for best metal group,people were already bored with 'Kiss' because they became caricatures of themselves.

There may come a time when 'Disturbed' might become too old,too rich,or too comfortable to be 'disturbed' without having to fake it.Will their loyal fans boo and hiss if they decide to do a 'Music From the Elders',type cd?Yes,I think these loyal fans would.

Which is a shame.Disturbed(David Draiman,Dan Donegan,John Moyer,Mike Wengren and former memberSteve "Fuzz" Kmak) are surprisingly very good musicians.At some point,'Disturbed' may even decide within all the hypocrisy that there are answers within the anger(there are hints of it on 'Indestructible').

*

Their metal fans may object,but as I said before,'Disturbed' is a hard rock band.In hard rock it is preferable not to pull a Journey.Change is good.

*

I just realized,I've said very little about this cd.Here's the important part:

B+

Usher

HERE I STAND


On,'Here I Stand',Usher's smooth style transcends the usual R&B production styles.What I mean by this is that you pretty much get your standard R&B album here...yet you get more.


You get the atypical intro-a quarter of a possibly great song somewhat out of style with the rest of the cd....average fare.

The first full song is the hit single,'Love Is In the Club'.The only problem with this song is a problem most artist wish they could have...it seems like it was picked as a single simply because was the first song on the cd.There really is nothing standoffish about this song that sets it apart from the rest of the cd.It is first amongst equals....Oh,that's a good thing.

'Trading Places',is one of my favorite songs.It is romantic,sensual,and somewhat,just a tad,kinky...what's not to love?

I have to mention that I love Usher's singing voice.In this day and age of cookycutter R&B,it is a pleasure to listen to an artist that transcends the genre.Cooky cutterism is a problem in most all styles of the music industry..R&B and Metal seemingly catching the blunt of the commercial crassness...more of the same..the Wal-Mart-settle for mediocrity mentality...gone are the days of the 60's-70's musical mini-Renaissance.

I am not saying that,'Here I Stand' does not have it's typical songs.Most cds either have a death or baby song...'Prayer For You' fits that bill.Most albums have their double entendre song...'Love You Gently' fills that void.And of course,a guest rapper song has to added['Best Thing'].

What I am trying to say is: Usher turns these 'isms' into very good Usher songs.Songs where you go,'Yeah,Usher'.The prime example of this is,'Love Is In The Club Pt.II'.The guest artists(Beyounce' & Lil Wayne)do not overpower Usher,they add a nice nuance.

The title track is a cool addition-two songs in one.Pretty sweet....Usher shoots above the average on 'Here I Stand'...


....Now,if he could only get LeBron some help and transcend the Cavs the same way....


A

3 doors Down

3 Doors Down

Because of newer technologies[not necessarily a good thing],recording techniques have also changed to keep up with the ever changing tastes of the listener.

What I mean by this,with cd's falling less and less out of favor[for good reasons] and MP-3 players being more and more pronounced in favor of convenience over quality,bands and their producers are creating music recordings accordingly to this change in listening style.

When subtle audio nuances can't be heard,they are forgotten,or called-as a young rocker pointed out to me-
old fogy.

To compensate for this,many recordings are simply created loud.Turn up the bass,crank up the drums,bring up the vocals and lay down the guitars:all to the exact 'to the top before distortion' and then,flatline it all.

Loud and proud!Noise-glorious noise.

That is both the glory and the downfall of this '3 Doors Down' cd.The glory is that this cd is chocked full of singles.Each song on it's own is a ever thoughtful,well produced song.Aaah,can't wait to hear it on the radio or a selection on my ever growing MP-3 collection.

But,unlike great noise producing groups like Wilco,RadioHead and Death Cab For Cutie,3 Doors' sound gets lost in the mix.The 'equalness' of the sound gets lost in the repeated 'sameness' of sound level.It becomes background music.

Maybe nice for social gatherings or driving to Toledo and back.But it gets lost.I forget what I am listening to.I forget that I am even listening.

Single-ly,this cd rocks.Every song is important.'Train',the first song can be listened to over and over again.The first two singles,'Citizen/Soldier' and 'It's Not my Time',deserve their airplay status.They are great songs.'Pages' is a very passable song,but it is,'It's The Only One I Got' that will probably get lots of airplay.O-K,you can say that about,'Give it Two Me',too.

That is just the way this cd plays.

Probably after every other song is a gigantic hit I will listen to this album differently,give it a greatest hits pt.II type status.Until then,I'll enjoy '3 Doors Down',on the radio.

B-