The Top 52 0f 2008

Britney Spears

2008-12-19T05:38:00.006-05:00

I am not a willing Britney Spears junkie.What disturbs me most about the Britney Spears brand is not that it sells crotch shots and naked videos;not how easily it sells this sleazy sex ,but rather just how willingly I could go along with it.

It's like media crack.

But I am very afraid of something that wants me to not just have it,but,against my will,and at any cost.

Sure,laugh,call me a 50 year old dirty ol' man.That just makes my point.But everyone loves to buy into the Britney 'Circus'.Tv,rag sheets.Hell,if Ms.Spears didn't sell to almost everyone(admit it:you buy it),they wouldn't sell it.

That is why I became against all things Britney.Britney on the Tv-click-next channel.Britney at the check out counter-check out the price of finger nail clippers instead.

The only place I didn't have to worry about running into Britney Spears was-of all places-on the radio.The worst part of the Britney brand was the music.

Yes,you had to deal with all the Spears-a-likes:Janet Jackson,Danity Kane,Miley Cyrus and yes,even Madonna.

Maybe that explains why 'Circus' even with all of it's Britney Spears typical voice tweeks sounds less like Britney Spears than any of her other albums.It sounds just like everyone else trying to sound like her.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,but flattering yourself is just another form of masturbation...oh yes...I forgot....we're talking about the B.S. brand:-(

Not that the cd doesn't have it's fair share of fun stuff(it is crack,after all).'All The Boys And All The Girls Are Begging To F.U.C.K. Me'{ie If U Seek Amy} is first and foremost the best hit..er.. song on the cd.

The Miley Cyrus sounding,'Mmm Papi' is almost as addictive..and if you take it as a Miley Cryus put down(I do)...just a little twisted.

'Photography' adds to the B.S. mystique(HEY!).

'Womanizer' is the first single.Oooh,that first hit...aaah,that's the stuff....

And so on and so forth....so...how do I rate this...

If you you go willingly: A

If you fight it:B-

If you're going to B.A.(Britney Anonymous): D+

Kanye West

2008-12-12T20:33:00.020-05:00

808's & Heartbreak

'808' refers to a type of auto tune voice distorter.

'Heartbreak' refers to the recent events of loss in Kanye West's life.

Put them together and you have a record closer to Phil Collins','Face Value' than any other auto tune rap cd.

I mean this as a good thing.There was a reason Phil Collins music was played to death:Everybody liked it.

There is no doubt about it,Mr.West is a unique wordsmith.On,'808' Kanye weaves a tapestry as fine as smoke yet strong as leather;simple yet poignant;brilliant yet open and honest.

While,'Heartless' is the hit it deserves to be,my favorite song is,'Amazing'(with fellow Rap Packer Young Jeezy).What makes this song so amazing is the slight use of Jeezy to just a few 'Humpfs' during the beginning and suddenly it is a rappers delight then back again.Now,something of this song reminds me of The Gorillaz,'Clint Eastwood',but that something 'adds' to the hear jammin' -not subtracts from it.Best lyric of the cd,"I'm the only thing I'm afraid of"...Damn straight.

'Love Lockdown' is a typical pop tune.It shouldn't work,yet it does.

On a personal note,during the winter,I plow snow for the state.'It's 4am and I can't sleep,' is the story of my life.'If spring can take the snow away...' is also my hope.Yes,I realize this song is about sorrow and lost and,yes,even hope...but,'Coldest Winter',is a prime example how Kanye West's very personal lyrics can be translated onto the clipboard of other people's personal lives quite nicely.

'Robocop' is a very funny song.With lyrics like,'Turned my life into Stephen Kings..' and ....'You're like the girl from 'Misery'.I just had to laugh...yet...maybe it is just me...but I get the hint that Kanye,perhaps,thinks that he created the monster,and that she is the way she is deservingly so.The coda(many songs on this cd have codas),'You're just an L.A. girl,' seems to be a rebuttal to this type of thinking...yet,I still think it.

That is what I like about this whole recording,it gets into your mind.It gets you thinking about your own life and set of problems.

Very entertaining...and more!

Beyonce

2008-12-06T00:08:00.022-05:00

I AM SASHA FIERCE

cOMPANION pIECES/yING AND yANG.

i SAW AN INTERVIEW ON tV WITH mISS 'Knowles.sHE LOOKED MORE THAN BEAUTIFUL.sHE LOOKED EMPOWERED,SEXY AND EVEN WITH A GORGEOUS BREAST EXPOSING POWER DRESS-SOMETHING YOU CAN SEE BUT NOT TOUCH.a MIXTURE OF A SMARTER tYRA bANKS & A YOUNGER oPRAH wINFREY.

tHEN...LOOKING AT THE BACK COVER OF THIS CD WE HAVE A SOMEWHAT BORED LOOKING bEYONCE WEARING A SKIMPY WHATEVER CONTORTING HER BODY TO THE ABSURD POINT OF STICKING A STILETTO HEEL IN HER EAR....BIZARRE.

i GUESS THAT IS AS GOOD OF A METOPHOR FOR THIS CD AS ANY.

'iF i wAS a bOY' IS A PERFECT COMPANION FOR kATY pERRY'S,'i kISSED tHE gIRL.'

'hALO' IS THE PERFECT COMPANION TO 'aVE mARIA.bUT 'aVA mARIA' IS EVEN A BETTER COMPANION TO rUFUS wAINWRIGHT'S VERSION OF, 'hALLELUJAH' BECAUSE IT IS PROBABLY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL,SARROWFUL SONG SINCE 'hALLELUJAH'.

tHOUGH,'rADIO' MAY NOT SEEM TO HAVE A SECOND...IF i CAN BE JUST A TAD OBSCURE,i FOUND MYSELF WANTING TO LISTEN TO AN EARLY 'eLECTRIC lIGHT oRCHESTRA TUNE CALLED,'hELLO,mR.rADIO' JUST BEFORE i WOULD LISTEN TO,'rADIO',AND THEN tHE mICHAEL sTANLEY bAND'S,'mIDWEST mIDNIGHT'' JUST AFTER IT.

mY THEME IS NOT TOTALLY SHATTER PROOF.'sINGLE lADIES' IS A THEME ALL TO ITSELF{EXCEPT i KEEP HEARING 'fREE'S,'aLRIGHT nOW'}.i LOVE THIS SONG.pART HUMOR,PART TRUTH..ACKWARD DANCE STEPS.jUST FUN.

oTHER THEN THAT,THERE ARE MUCHO GOOD STUFF HERE(i LIKE,'vIDEO pHONE' WITH IT'S NAUGHTY MOANS AND SUGGESTIVE LYRICS).

oNE NICE ALBUM.

Taylor Swift

2008-11-28T08:43:00.009-05:00

FEARLESS

There is a nice quality to Taylor Swift's music that I can't quite put my finger on.It is not her voice.Her voice is quite singular in tone;it cracks;squeaks off key and is somewhat immature.

It's not the instruments.They are played to a rather bland loudless that leaves them more or less under enjoyed.

Maybe it is Taylor's earnestness.

I have a friend that says it's her barely legal beauty.He calls it,The Disney Effect'-duded up youngsters that make young kids admire their work and parents admire their looks.

That seems somewhat too jaded and evil for my taste.I mean,yes,Taylor Swift is an attractive young lady.There is nothing wrong with that.I keep getting the feeling that if she wiped off the overly applied eye make-up that her chubby cheeks would make her lots younger.

My guess is that she probably walks down the street pretty much anonymously.Her very age appropriate outfits are probably just that:costumes for her stage persona.

If not,so what?what's wrong with being young and beautiful?

And talented.

Unlike most of her peers,Taylor Swift actually takes part in writing her song choices.In fact on,'Fearless' she is given writing credits on every single tune on the cd.

In most cases when a young star or starlet is given writing credits,it usually just for adding a word or two.That can not be the case with Ms.Swift because on 7 of the 13 songs she is given sole credit.

And though most of her songs do sound similar,hey,so doesn't most of 'The Stones' stuff?An album chaulk full of radio singles.

I guess that is what I like about Taylor Swift's music.Yeah,maybe it is created to be big parts in a great big HIT factory,but so what.

It's all part of it.Song,video,tour.$$$.Fun is had by all.Heck,it could be allot worse.

My favorite songs are:'Love Story'(of course);'Fifteen' and 'The Way I Loved You'.

B-

Twilight

2008-11-21T16:56:00.011-05:00

Twilight ,The motion picture soundtrack,in my

opinion,has a few negatives going for it right away.First,how can you have a 'goth-chic' album without ,'Evanscence' on it?

I know-mind blowing.

Secondly...well..crap...it's a 'goth-chic' album.

I am a fifty year old faux-gie.Tweenage love affairs outside Romeo and Juliet {and my very old memories} just don't run out and grab me anymore:Even if they do involve one hundred year old vampires.

Most of the time my mind isn't involved in fantasies of frolicking through the woods as much as it is at hobbling through some bland corridor in a walker.

The movie (and the book it is based on)wasn't written with me in mind.

I don't know if that makes me biased or unbiased towards the movie's soundtrack.But I am trying to judge this cd just via the music.

...Though I do understand-VERY MUCH- the idea of vampires.

One year ago I found myself very sickly and weak.I thought myself overworked,overstressed and just tired and depressed as hell.

I was pale as a ghost.

Finally,going to the doctor,I found out I was severely anemic.Borderline anemic in an adult male is 13.0 g/dl .I was diagnosed with a 5.2 g/dl level.

Once to the hospital(I played softball first),both the doctors and nurses told me they have never seen someone with such a low blood level up and walking around.

They immediately intravenously gave me two units of blood.

WoW!Though I was at the hospital until 3:30 am,I was back up at 5:30 and putting in eight hours of standing work by 6:30.I came home and mowed the lawn and than had to drive to the Columbus airport.On the way i got a flat tire.changed it in a snap.

Man!Was I feeling energetic and ready to go.I had not felt so alive in so long...

...Later on,I realized just how sick and weak I really must have been.To have that much energy from two units of blood...well...lets just say that I truly understand a vampire's bloodlust..it made me feel like Superman.

So,while I may not understand the romance of this 'goth-chic' movie,I am not against it's sentiments.

So,when I heard the first song,I was some what disappointed.Muse's,'Supermassive Black Hole',initially sounded like a My Morning Jacket's,'Highly Suspicious ' ripoff.The same falsetto voice,basically the same melody.But,you know what...instead of stopping me from liking the song,I found,instead,it made me like it.

The whole album,in fact,seems to walk that fine line between edgy vampire-ism and hot under the collar romance.A high wire act very hard to achieve.

Besides,how can you dislike any cd with Iron And Wine on it?

A very fine effort.

B+

2008-11-14T19:11:00.011-05:00

FREE WEEK #14

Meet Glen Campbell

While I am not a huge Glen Campbell fan,I have to admit that I am a fan.I consider his Christmas album,'That Christmas Feeling' a Christmas classic...probably one of the top five Christmas albums ever.My family has played it for years-and probably will continue to on into the next generation or two.

Not that 'that' makes this cd any better or worse.I did not come into reviewing 'Meet Glen Campbell' with any other expectations except the,'I hoped that I would like it'.

And I do.

In latter Johnny Cash fashion this is a covers album.Glen sings(amongst others)Tom Petty(twice),Jackson Browne,U2,The Foo Fighters,Lou Reed,Billy Joel,and even John Lennon.

Mr.Campbell does a very good job.I very much enjoy his guitar work[though I don't actually know how much of it is 'his' playing],but I could have done without the lavish orchestra that is on most of the songs.

The cd is short,so will be my review.My favorite songs are,'Sing','Walls','Times Like These',Lou Reeds,'Jesus',and 'Time Of Your Life'.

I even think that(gasp-sacriledge)Glen Campbell's version of John Lennon's,'Grow Old With Me',is better than John Lennon's version.

Not bad for a quaint little covers album...

...not bad at all.

B+

2008-11-08T11:19:00.008-05:00

FREE WEEK #13

Queen + Paul Rodgers:The Cosmos Rocks

Hurray for free weeks!This album download is most awesome!This is one great recording!

Yes,I have to admit it:I am a HUGE Queen fan.I have all of their albums(if you don't count all of the many and repetitive greatest hits compilations..phewwy uck!).

Also,I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by last years Queen + Paul Rodgers Live cd,'Return Of The Champions'.

It also can be said that I am a fan of Paul Rodgers(formally of,'Free',Bad Company' & 'The Firm').I have fond memories of listening to Bad Company's ,'Shooting Star' in my basement.It is one of my favorite family/rock and roll memories.It was just cleaning the basement with my brothers while the song blasted on the radio...but it is a memory that has stuck with me for some whatever reason.

The Queen memories are too many to recount and/or explore.But people that know me know how big Queen has been in my life.

Not that I think this group should necessarily be refereed to as Queen.John Deacon(Another One Bites The Dust) is nowhere to be seen.But,on the other hand,besides guitarist Brian May and drummer,Roger Taylor,Queen silent partner Spike Edney toured with them on 'Return',so there is an argument for the 'Queen' name.

Besides,they will instantly get more ticket/cd sales under the 'Queen' name than they would ever under,'May-Rodgers-Taylor' or some super group name like 'The Altered Audio Revolver Tower'.

[Though,in the long run,'The Altered Audio Revolver Tower' thing maybe the better choice-if you want the system to work right now- you have to go with 'Queen + Paul Rodgers.]

And ' The Cosmos Rocks' does work right now.

I said it once,I'll say it again,This is one great recording.

According to what I've read(once again,I bought the on-line version-no liner notes)not only are all of the songs written by Brian May,Roger Taylor and Paul Rodgers,but all the instruments are played by them as well....Is that Roger Taylor on lead guitar on,'War Boys'!?!

'Cosmos' really starts hitting on all cylinders straight from the get go,but from,'Small' until 'Small Reprise' is the heart of this delicious album.

I think there was a deliberate attempt on this cd to get the listener involved into the music.I believe this was done for immediate concert participation.Arena rock at it's best.Great sing-alongs.

One of the ways I tend to judge a new recording is to not totally judge it until after I have listened to it at least for three times.Another measuring tool is if and when I find myself absent mindedly singing/humming the tunes from the album while I am at work.

For the latter,this was a humdinger.Though I didn't know even the song's titles,I found myself jamming inside my own noggin to many of the songs off this Queen/Paul Rodgers listening experience.

Some of these tunes included,'Still Burnin';'Small';'Warboys';and especially the almost Christian rock sounding,'We Believe'(a possible 'Obama' shout out?).

Two of my favorite songs on 'Cosmos Rocks' are the very Queen sounding,'Call Me'(what a fun song) and the very un-Queen sounding,'Voodoo'(This had an almost Santana sound to it).

I can not tell you how much I enjoyed hearing the enthral voice of Paul Rodgers followed by the distinctly Queen guitar work of Brian May.Roger Taylors contributions should not be over looked in this mix either.His great percussion work as well as his unique voice and writing skills truly make this a 'Queen +Paul Rodgers production.

They don't make albums like this anymore.Which makes,'The Cosmos Rocks' even that much better!

A+

Kenny Chesney

2008-10-31T13:41:00.009-04:00

LUCKY OLD SUN:Deluxe Version

I have never been a very big fan of Kenny Chesney.There is something about his hairless(nay-shaved?) chest that I find somewhat creepy in a country singer.

I know it's a sort of,'my problem' kind of thing.It's not that I'm homophobic(This coming from a big 'Queen' fan),it's just that I thought-perhaps,wrongly-that country music was the last safe haven away from this sort of thing.You know,the last place that you had to be politically correct.Gosh darn it,if you can't get your good ol' boy freak on while listening to country music...where can you go?

I assume Kenny exposes his buffness to impress the gals{just like Shania Twain did to attract the guys},and that is the problem.I just assumed Kenny Chesney was a 'chick' thing.

Or,a lite version of Jimmy Buffet.

And I assume-still-that I am correct.But,I also like The Dixie Chicks:they're a chick group,too,right?

So anyway,I just never gave good ol' Kenny the chance of day.

Until I had to here.

And you know what-maybe I am getting in touch with my feminine side(you really can't listen to the live versions of either,'Boston' or 'Got A Little Crazy' without agreeing with me),but I really liked,'Lucky Old Son'.

The cd starts off with,'I'm Alive'.Dave Matthews' guest stars,and this is a very nice song.

In fact,I believe that though Kenny Chesnesy only wrote three of the songs('Way Down here';'Nowhere To Go,Nowhere To Be' and 'Soul Of A Sailor') he uses the lyrics most profoundly.

In fact,the first two singles,'Everybody wants To Go To Heaven'(a Jamaican sort of diddy),and the Mac McAnally penned,'Down The Road',though different in styles,are great/fun ballads.

Not that there isn't some weak stuff.'Spirit Of The Storm',and 'Ten With A Two'(another Caribbean flavored tune) are just typical fare.Fan based stuff.

But what I liked the most,was the extra 'live' stuff.I think Mr.Chesney must put on a heck of a live show.

Am I converted into a Kenny Chesney fan?Nah,not really.But I may put him on the next time I want to snuggle up to the wife.

B-

2008-10-24T18:14:00.010-04:00

FREE WEEK # 12

AC/DC:BLACK ICE

OK,OK,I may have just jumped the gun on this one....maybe bent the rules just a tad waiting until Tuesday to go to Wally's World to purchase this cd...but what the hey...This is new AC/DC my good man.

And I bet I am not the only one.

This is old school area rock & roll.Loud and proud.Balls to the metal,buddy.This is the kind of stuff they used to crank from the Greek houses on late Friday nights.This is the stuff of legend that they used to jam to from everything from old Chevy pick-ups to souped up Trans Am Firebirds.

Yet,it isn't.I suppose every song deserves airplay on the radio.Yet,there isn't a stand out song in the bunch.I don't know why this fact bothers me.This is a very hard rock album.

Maybe that's it...it makes AC/DC seem-for all of it's noise-somewhat-safe.There doesn't seem to be that old anti-anthem feel to the whole cd.

There is no,'For Those About To Rock' mutten chops on this cd.

Besides this vague minute point{I mean AC/DC was never meant to be a thinking man's kind of artsy fartsy rock group-you rock out to AC/DC-not sit back like it's Pink Floyd or something} I have no disclaimers to this long awaited cd.

This-only can be purchases at Wal-Mart-release rock and rolls.If you can't rock out to,'She Likes Rock & Roll' and 'Decibel' you can't rock out.

The same can be said for the whole of 'Black Ice'.Turn it up.Crank it out.Play it loud.

T.I.

2008-10-18T08:33:00.004-04:00

Paper Trail
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The word out on the street is that 'rap' is dead/if not dead-stagnant at best.I hear every day how music loving people hate 'rap'.This comes from the farm boys out on the farm all the way to music elitists whom shout that there hasn't been anything fresh and new come out of the 'rap' world in nearly a decade.
*
Meanwhile.T.I. is getting dissed for basically the same thing: BORING!
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I am here to basically lay claim to the truth of these statements and to refute them both at the same time.
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It is true that T.I. does nothing new on,'Paper Trail'.That is the point.
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This is blue blooded true to life fresh shit.
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There is nothing new in the Numa Numa song,'Live Your Life',except that T.I. and guest artist,Rihanna,excel so freakin' gracefully on it that the song is simply spellbinding.
*
This is just one highlight on this cd.With guest stars galore this is one sweet album.
*
Other stand outs are,"'What Up,What's Haappin','Porn Star','My Life-Your Entertainment(featuring Usher)','Swagga Like Us(featuring the new rap pack of T.I.,Jay-Z,Kanye West and Lil' Wayne) and etc.,etc.,and so forth.
*
I guess what I am trying to say in my own special way,is perhaps,just perhaps,maybe,just maybe,we are in the golden age of 'rap' and just don't know it.While most 'Rap' productions may seem cookie cutter,that is not necessarily a bad thing.'Paper trail' is a prime example.

B+

2008-10-10T06:10:00.014-04:00

FREE WEEK #11

Michael Stanley: The Soft Addictions

Michael Stanley has been such a part of my adult life that I can hardly image it without his and his band(MSB) not being a part of it.

From my senior year in highschool with,'You Break It You Bought it' until this week's 'Soft addictions',I have been a huge fan.In between,I have discovered Michael Stanley's earlier stuff and almost everything in between.

Be it via 1979 jamming to 'Stage Pass' with my brother Greg in his dorm room,or treating my sister,Nora,to a MSB concert in Canton.

Be it rocking to side 'A' of the Michael Stanley Band album,'MSB' with my roommate,Mike Vinkler,or having an album listening party to,'Heartland',with my cousin Frank.

Or going on a Lake Erie fishing trip with my brother,Carl,and all of his buddies rocking out to,'Friends & Legends',or drinking over at my brother,Ted's,cranking out,'Ladies' Choice'.

Be it hoping that,'Cabin Fever' to 'You Can't Fight Fashion' being the break out album that makes them nationwide phenomenons,or going down to Florida celebrating spring break by praising WMMS as the best radio station in America and MSB as the next best thing.

Or taking various girlfriends to various MSB concerts,or crying to the 'Forth And Ten' live version of ,'Lover' {Thank God For The Man Who Put The White Line On The Highway},after a particularly bad breakup.

Be it dancing with my wife,Robyn,to the very romantic,'Spanish Nights',or putting,'Voodoo' on my Halloween mix tapes for our once small triplet boys...

...well,you get the idea.

The end came not when-no matter how hard MSB fought the fashion-but when WMMS fell to the new god of media trifling.When 'MMS played Madonna,I knew independent-nay-important,local radio was dead.

Hammering MSB's final death nails into it's own coffin was Michael Stanley himself by becoming a radio DJ for Cleveland classic rock("you were sick of this song in 1980-you have to be really sick of it now.") station WNCX...virtually guaranteeing no MSB radio airplay on any other North Coast radio station.

Michael continues to make music-some good,some uneven,via 'The Ghost Poets' or various solo projects('Live In Tangiers' would have been one of his greatest albums ever,if only Michael would have sung instead of half talked his lyrics).But lighting has never caught and put back into the bottle.

That is until,'The Soft Addictions'.This is one fine classic cd.The music is tight and Michael Stanley has never sounded better.The two best songs(amongst the many finely crafted tunes)come back to back.'Same Blood(Different Vein) and 'Cadillac Man'.They are are just excellent songs.

I think,'Drinkin' In The Driveway' would have worked better if Mr.Stanley would not had made the man a bigot...instead,having the man noticing the differences in a neutral tone instead.

In fact,if he had,this song could have gotten some air play on 'country' radio.The whole album could.It's funny,as much as this cd rocks,it has more of the modern soft rock/country feel to it.Just shows how the industry has changed.

Will,'Soft Addictions' become that sleeper cd that Michael has always dreamed of?I seriously doubt it.Does it matter?

2008-10-03T20:32:00.006-04:00

Free Week #10

CSNY/Deja Vu Live

One of the very hardest things in rock & roll must be trying to bottle lighting twice.Crosby,Stills,Nash and Young try to do that here.

The first time that they bottled lighting was in-perhaps-the greatest live album of all time:'4 Way Street'.One half acoustic;one half rock & roll.A literal masterpiece.

Here,on,'Deja Vu Live',Crosby,Stills,Nash & Young come very close to achieving said goal.

Based mostly on Neil Young's,'Living With War',with a few classics thrown in,this is a very honest cd at the very least.For instance,on the end of,'Let's Impeach The President',CSN&Y let you hear both the cheers and the boo birds.Powerful stuff.

Of course,though all of their voices show their ages,that is not a bad thing.Indeed,I say it is a very good thing.But not as good as Neil and Stephen playing oh so well together(One of the quite strengths of this cd is the excellent drumming by Chad Cromwell).

The two highlights are,Deja Vu',and,'Wooden Ships'.And let's not discount the great live version of,'For What's It's worth'.

But that is not to discount the,'Living With War',stuff.This is a political album to be sure...perchance lost on this modern day 'Clear Channel' generation,but it still is message driven.I can see why Crosby,Stills and Nash would gladly offer their many talents to this offering.

I particularly liked,'Looking For A leader','Living With War{all three-two?-versions},and,'Families'.

All in all this is a pretty impressive album.The only flaw that I can see is the way it is mixed.It seems to me not a concert cd at all,but rather a bunch of live tracks from their current tour slapped together.

Strangely,after a few listenings,that is not a problem.

A-

Metallica

2008-09-27T00:14:00.012-04:00

Death Magnetic

On the one hand,Metallica is one of the last great hard rock groups.Born when M-Tv was still young and relevant,they grew to the monster they are despite lack of Tv time.Born in the dying embers of when radio was king,they grew despite no airplay.

For their time,Metallica was a true rock god.Fans a plenty/fame and fortune...sex,drugs and rock & roll.

Then,came their downfall...Napster.

Many fans-myself included-had Metallica on tape,record and cd.But,downloading music was new and exciting and easy.Why get out the old record Lp when you could download it and listen at your leisure?

I mean,yeah,I have Metallica on tape,but to transfer them to my computer/MP-3 player is a pain in the ass.

So...asshole Metallica gets a burr up it's ass and says,"What the fuck?How come we ain't getting our $$$ from this free download shit?"

They changed how we listened to music.Suddenly we became criminals for just downloading a song we already had.In the backlash,cd sales started dropping because what was once tauted as being the next great big thing was exposed as only being the wizard behind the curtain.Cd's were over priced and extremely hard to keep in good playing shape:ie quality sucked.

Now,money hungry-it's all about the $$$ -Metallica was accusing us of ripping 'them' off!Bullshit.As far as I was concerned,Metallica were sucks that sucked the big suckity suck suck...screw them.

I never bought another Metallica cd/download.I turned the channel when they were on the radio.F.U. you greedy bastards.

Forward to now.Some years later.If Metallica is on the radio,I may,or may not change the channel,but it sickens me that I had to download this cd to expound upon it.

As I have paid to download more and more music I have come to realize just how much this format sucks over every other musical format.Music is throw-a-way now-a-days.You 'do' miss sounds in the music.You do miss the treat of liner notes and album art.You begin to accept the mediocrity of it all.Quality Schmality.Average is best.

And that is 'Death Magnetic' in a nutshell.Average disguised as great.I may listen to,'The Unforgiven III' or anything else from this cd on the radio...but no matter how many weeks this cd stays at the top,I know deep within my heart of hearts this cd is just average at best.

C

Young Jeezy

2008-09-19T21:40:00.008-04:00

The Recession

Young Jeezy has made the A-typical rap album.This is the album you think about when you think about loud music playing at wild parties.This is the rap cd coming at ya from a low rider.This is the rap blasting from a 'Fast and Furious' Honda Civic that shakes grandpa and Gramma's windows.

This is everything your parent's warned you about.

And I can't decide if that is a good thing or not.

Yeah,the beat and the rap are wound tight.I enjoy each and every track.Young Jeezy is a supreme wordsmith.Yah Da.Yah Da.Yah Da.

But there is nothing new,here.

I have been listening to this cd for a week...and while the album on a whole is extremely enjoyable:while I am listening to it...the whole thing is totally forgotten by me as soon as it is off.It all just seems to blend together.

Due to Hurricane Ike my electricity at home was out for six days,so I only got to listen to,'Recession going ' to and fro' from work;going to the store or on various other driving adventures.Listening to this cd that way reminded me of carpooling back in the day with my old friend Jimmy Gray drinking forty ouncers an jamming to Snoop doin' it Doggy Style.

'Cept it wasn't quite the same.This album was a quandary for me.How could I enjoy something soo soo much while I was listening to it,yet feel soo little about it later on?

Maybe it was the stress of not having lights.Maybe,I just couldn't be totally fair to this great album due to circumstances beyond my control.I don't know.But the only lyrics from this cd I caught myself singing were from the simply put,'Vacation'[I need a va-ca-tion].

That is what I kept telling myself anyway.

But then...why did I find so much more pleasure in the only couple of times of hearing Lil Wayne singing,'Lollipop' on my crank up radio in the candle lit darkness?

I don't know.

And,I suppose,that is the problem.I wanted-nay-needed-more than just the A Typical.I needed new.I needed fresh.And while,'Recession' could be this...it just didn't seem that way.It wasn't comfort food.It seemed more like day old bread.

B+

SLIPKNOT

2008-09-12T05:12:00.005-04:00

ALL HOPE IS GONE

ISN'T IT IRONIC THAT THE FACE OF MODERN ROCK IS BY A GROUP THAT HIDES BEHIND MASKS?!?

Anonymous said...
I hate Sliprot.They stole Mushroomhead's karma!

A-

2008-09-05T16:25:00.016-04:00

Free Week #9

Dr.Dog: Fate:In my last post,I stated how mimicry can lead to a very good cd.What Dr.Dog does with,'Fate',is go well beyond that to create one of the best albums of the year.

Dr.Dog takes these other influences and paints brushstrokes with them then creates their very own masterpieces.Not only does each song stand alone,but when combined with what comes both before and after it,creates an effect of pure listening pleasure.

The classic-timelessness of 'Fate' gives me the strange feeling that I need to go out and buy the Lp version of this album.Maybe it's because this record has a lost rock and roll feel to it.Styles as diverse as John Lennon and Sufjan Stevens.Rock,Pop,Blues.
Country.And everything in between.This is the way rock albums used to be before everything became minutely categorized and overly analyzed and typecast.Prepackaged and presold bullcrap.

That makes this cd/download that much sweeter.In a time with non fat desserts and low carb candy,'Fate' gives you the real stuff.

Every song is a prime example of what I mean,but let's use,'The Old Days'because it is what's playing while I am writing this.I am reminded of early,'Glass Harp.I am not sure that the members of Dr.Dog even know whom'Glass Harp'are,yet,this song{also with an early ELO edge}fits into that early seventies genre so well,yet seems perfectly set in today's world of indie rock.

The next song,'Army of Ancients'(a Sufjan Stevens brush stroke)fits so well after,'The Old Days'that you just have to smile with it.

You are still smiling when,'The Rabbit,The Bat And The Reindeer',comes on afterwords.

I've got to hear this on vinyl.

If there could be a best song on an album this good,it could be,'The Ark'.Anguish,guitars,and a slice of unrepentant rebellion...yeah,baby.

The next four songs are so diverse-yet complimentary-that the grouping reminds me of listening to an old set of music on a 1970's AOR radio station(I'm talking to you 'M.M.S.').This was back when music on the radio was king...before it was washed,bleached,homogenized and pasteurized by big conglomerates like 'Clear Channel'.

'From'...

'100 Years'...

'Uncovering The Old'...

...are all good,but Dr.Dog proves they can jam on,'The Beach'.

Hell,this album even has a railroad theme to it(as is evident on,'My Friend'/'100 Years'/'Uncovering The Old'/'From'.

This cd has everything a Drew can ask for...now if I can only find it on vinyl...

A+

The Jonas Brothers

2008-08-29T09:07:00.015-04:00

A Little Bit Longer

There is an old story about 'what you value and to what matter of degree you value it' that I wish to get into here:

'Once upon a time there was a rich prince who cared for nothing but power and money.In his opulence,he strode along in the finest clothing and rode in the wealthiest carriages.He only ate the finest food and drank the most expensive wines and drinks.

'One day,as he was riding through his kingdom,a poor,but beautiful girl ran up to his carriage carrying a old beat up box filled with shiny red apples.One of the prince's guards immediately shoved this pitiful girl forcibly down shattering her wooden box and spilling her apples into the mud.

'As the prince rode away,he watched the now crying girl scramble to retrieve her apples out of the mud.

'The image of the poor young girl so affected this young prince that he could not sleep.Finally,in despair,the prince renounced all wealth and lived a pauper's life inside of a cave.'

The moral of the story to most people is either,one:'Money is the root of all evil.'Or,two,:'Where your heart is,so is your treasure'.

I fine neither answer to be exactly the truth,for in fact,I find actual little change in the prince.He was just exposing both sides of the same coin.Both the rich prince and the poor pauper were the same.Both based their existence on how much cash he possessed.He could neither have too much,nor too little money!His life was always based on money.

It was all just a matter of degree.

What this has to do with the Jonas Brothers is this...how do I go about judging their music?Do I go the boy band route?Do I play the Disney card?The screaming tweenager scene?Do I judge them by there hard work?Longevity?By their purity rings?Their Christian upbringing?

When it is all just a matter of degree,I finally decided that the only fair way to 'judge' The Jonas Brothers was by their music.

I liked their music.First off there is 'attempt' in their music.There is a hint of 'danger' in their sound.'Rage Against The Machine' danger?Well,no,of course not.but sometimes it is not what is said,but how it is said.In 'Burnin' Up' the Prince/Gorillaz attempt could be just a Disney front of pretend rebellion{most likely it is}but the attempt overwhelms the mode.Most parents of Elvis era children disliked his hip swiveling,but the truth be told,it was Elvis' voice that was the real danger.

Not that I am calling The Jonas Brothers dangerous...I am calling them artists.'Lovebug' is a perfect example of this.They(or their handlers) are fearless in their production of this cd(well...within the degree that The Jonas Brothers are a Disney Tweenage boy band).'Lovebug',is an excellent song all the way around.It deserves radio play.

There are plenty of sounds coming off this diverse cd.In a way of cursing them,The Jonas Brothers are not afraid of exposing their influences in their sound in a way that is eerily similar to the way the very early(Peter Best)era Beatles mimicked their early influences.

There is also a toe tapping funness to The Brother's sound.I bet there are plenty of soccer moms(and dads)singing and jamming along with music in their SUV and mini van trips to and from here and there.

As a matter of degree,worse could be said about many an adult cd.

MAMMA MIA! The Movie Soundtrack

2008-08-22T08:34:00.007-04:00

Ella:Oh,I just love the new soundtrack to,'Mamma Mia!'It is soo good!

Don:Please-just kill me now.

Ella:Come on...it's fun.Everyone loves Abba.

Don:Cough[GAY]cough.

Ella:Oh,stop it.

Don:O-Kay,'Chick Flick',then.

Ella:You're terrible.And I really like'd it.The movie was extremely fun.And the music flowed so well within it.

Don:I have not had the honor of seeing the movie.All I can say is that that Amanda Seyfried sings like she's Disney's Snow White.I mean when she sings,'Honey Honey',it's all I can do not to imagine birds flying onto her fingers.

Ella:Why you kidder,you 'have' listened to it.

Don:Everyone talks about how noble Pierce Bronsan is in his attempts at singing,but I think he has some of the best songs.He stands out in both,'SOS',and,'When All Is Said And Done'.

Ella:I liked him too.Colin Firth does really good on,'Our Last Summer'.Oh,he's soo good.

Don:Look-If I admit that I like the cd will you stop trying to make me gag?

Ella:Deal.Which Meryl Streep song did you like the best?

Don:Hmmm...none of them.

Ella:Stop.

Don:O-kay.O-kay.I liked,'Winner Takes It All,'But it was a little too over the top in parts.Aah,let's see,what else did she sing?

Ella:'Money,Money,Money'.

Don:I liked that.

Ella:Ummm,'Mamma Mia';'Dancing Queen';ummm,oh,'Super Trooper'.

Don:None of them is as good as 'Money'.

Ella:They're all good,though.

Don:If you say so.I liked,'Does Your Mother Know'.I never knew that was about a woman trying to pick up a young boy before.

Ella:That wasn't Meryl Streep.That was Christine Baranski.

Don:Did I say that it was Merly Streep?

Ella:No.

Don: Then don't put words in my mouth.

Ella:My favorite song was,'I have A Dream'.It is soo wonderful.

Don:So Disney you mean.Gad,I didn't know Abba sounded so much like 'The Little Mermaid'.

Ella:Pooh,you didn't like like it?

Don:Did I say I didn't like it?Sorry.O-Kay.I did like that song.Was that a dulcimer in that song?O-kay-O-kay.I liked it.I liked it.

Ella:I'm so proud of you.

Don:Yeah,yeah...just don't blackmail me with that knowledge will ya?

Ella:Wouldn't think of it...but only if you go to the next showing with me.

Don:Crap.I knew there'd be a catch to it,somewhere.

A-

Sugarland

2008-08-15T08:41:00.014-04:00

LOVE ON THE INSIDE [DELUXE FAN EDITION]

EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE,IT IS NICE TO HAVE YOUR CD EXPECTIONS MEET THE ACTUAL PRODUCT.THIS IS ONE OF THOSE CD'S.REAL COUNTRY MUSIC THAT IS BOTH CONTEMPORARY AND NOT AFRAID TO BE BOTH BRAVE AND DARING.

THE OTHER GROUP THAT COMES IMMEDIATELY TO MIND THAT DOES BOTH OF THESE IS 'THE DIXIE CHICKS'.THE COUNTRY MOGALS IN THEIR RADIO GREED HAVE PUT THE 'CHICKS' INTO RADIO LIMBO>OUR LOST.

THANK OUR LUCKY STARS THAT 'SUGARLAND' HAS NOT BEEN SO BLACKLISTED{...AND,YES,I DO MEAN BLACKLISTED IN IT'S NEGATIVE MCCARTHYISM CONNOTATION}.

NOT THAT 'SUGARLAND' HAS DONE ANYTHING WORTH BLACKLISTING..,UNLESS YOU COUNT,'GENEVIEVE' AS BEING A LESBIAN LOVE SONG OR THE SONG,'STEVE EARLE' BECAUSE IT IS ABOUT THE LIBERAL TROUBADOUR STEVE EARLE.I ONLY KNOW THAT BOTH ARE GREAT TUNES WELL WORTH LISTENING TO AND ENJOYING.

THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES.EVERY SONG ON THIS CD IS WORTH REPEATED LISTENING.BOTH,'ALL I WANT TO DO',AND 'OPERATION:WORKING VACATION',PUT SOUTHERN COMFORT INTO MY TIRED BONES-SOMETIMES ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS NOTHING-TOO BAD YOU DON'T ALWAYS GET THAT CHANCE....WELL...'IT HAPPENS':-) LOVE THE 'SSHH!' PART.

BOTH,'JOEY' AND ''LOVE' ARE CLASSIC COUNTRY TEAR-JEARKERS.BUT,'WHAT I'D GIVE' IS THE SONG MOST FILLED WITH HEARTACHE OF AND/OR FOR LOST LOVE.OF COURSE IT'S COUNTRY COUSIN,'FALL INTO ME',IS JUST AS LOVING.

GREAT COUNTRY TWANG.I'D LIKE TO HEAR ALL FOUR OF THESE SONGS IN CONCERT.

OF COURSE THE MARYANNE SONGS('AND THE REST')ARE ALL WORTH THE TROUBLE THEY'LL GET YOU INTO-EVEN THE EXTRA-LIVE-STUFF.

Miley Cyrus

2008-08-08T09:47:00.010-04:00

Breakout

I have to admit that my expectations of this Disney star's first non-Hannah Montana project as not being set very high.I don't know why.'High School Musical' and it's cousin,'High School musical 2'[both Disney vehicles] were likable enough projects.Miley's own Disney Tv show,'Hannah Montana' has a nice 'Lucy' like quality to it.Her 3-D concert movie,'The Best Of Best Worlds' received mostly favorable reviews.

What was I thinking?America has a fine history of young teenage rock stars.Why so skeptical of young miss Cyrus?Perhaps,as a father myself,I like Miley.

Call it my teenager Tv star bias.I've seen so many starlets ultimately crash and burn,that maybe,I hoped for a little failure to perhaps prepare her for being a 'has been' by age 21.

That grounding(as I said-based on my own bias) is going to have to wait.This cd is actually not half bad.I know-faint praise.

'Fly On The Wall' is the best song on the record.It has a funny snide side to it.Something,just a little unexpected.

'7 Things' is the first single off,'Breakout'.It's a likable enough song.In fact,it fits pretty much in with today's pop/country music.

'See You Again' sounds somewhat like,'I Wear My Sunglasses At Night' and,'These Four Walls' could be a Natalie Maines/ Dixie Chicks ripoff.On the other hand,'Girls Just Want To have Fun',sounds nothing like Cyndi Lauper's version.Miley Cyrus has turned into more of a stadium anthem.Ditto,'Full Circle'.

Well,you get the idea.'Breakout',is a very listenable cd.By Tv standards this is the gold standard.American Idol and other reality show cd's are not up to this production.

B-

Nas

2008-08-01T09:08:00.013-04:00

Despite my disappointment of Nas not going with his much publicized original title of 'Nigger' on this production....I can understand why he didn't.

The power and the glory of the word as I believe he intended on using it{Listen to,'You Can't Stop Us Now',and tell me that I am wrong} would have simply gotten lost via the media:

"Hi,I'm 'the Drew'.You're listening to'W.U.N.D.',F.M.102.We're broadcasting from white,small town,U.S.A.Now,off his instant urban classic,'The 'N' word',here is the Wal-mart homogenized and thoroughly bleached clean Nas."

Or even worse:

"Hi,I'm Alison Becker,and this is the VH-1 special,'Nas and the making of 'Nigger'.'Nigger' is the controversially tittled cd by rap bad 'boy',Nas.VH-1 has decided to use the actual title of,'Nigger',the cd,not because of it's intended take on the social reverberations and implications of modern day American society and the artist's take on the perceptions of racial freedoms and free speech,but because we white people at VH-1 want to use this album's title as an excuse to finally be able to say the word:'Nigger.Nigger,nigger,nigger,nigger,nigger,man,that feels good to be able to use that word in public again.'

I know,I know...that is a tad over the top.But,I believe not far off the mark.

And that brings out the problem of the 'X'-ed out title.I,as a middle aged white man,grew up in the struggle of civil rights.I grew up a follower of Martin Luther King,and for the ideals he stood.All men are created equal.That means 'all people'.Photos of sicking dogs on elderly ladies(they could have been 'my' grandmother') and southern firemen using fire hoses on young adults(they could had been my cousins),had a profound effect on me.

The 'N' word stood for all that was wrong.Using it was giving into all my fears and hatreds,to all of my prejudices.I did not want to use it because it would offend other people so much as I did not want to offend myself.It's use was a wrong step backwards.

Yesterday,when John McCain accused Barack Obama of using the race card,I was not so much offended by him accusing Mr.Obama of such as his white Massa' tsk tsk tone,and going,"I'm so disappointed in him," speech afterwords in front of a black crowd.

I felt like standing up and sticking my finger in the air at him and yelling,"Fuck you,fuck you,mother fucker!".

This is where Nas and this great cd comes in.The title maybe gone,but the truth behind it is still there.Unlike so many other rap cd's,this is more then just fun and games.It's partying with a purpose.It reminds me of not only James Brown &NWA,but also of Woody Guthrie,Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.Heck,it even puts me in mind of 'Huck Finn'.

There has been allot of talk that rap is dead(some of it my own),but with records like this Nas cd,I am beginning to think this is rap's golden age.

A+

2008-07-25T07:54:00.013-04:00

Free Week #8

Weezer(The Red Album)[Deluxe Version-Extra Tracks]

The truth is that when I started this web-sight it was with the intention of buying nothing but cd versions of albums.I am no longer doing that.Buying music is so much cheaper on line.I don't get liner notes...rockin' art...but the sad fact is that that is rarely given out on the cd format anymore.Another on line bitch is that 'on line' purchases add extra tracts that the cd doesn't include.

As a cd buyer...that sucks.Pay more-get less.

In fact...the whole cd format:the former music holy land...sucks.

But I will leave that for another post.

So...as I was saying...extra tracks are usually not worth the price of admission....yeah..they usually suck...better without them.

Not here.'Miss Sweeney';'Pig';'The Spider' and 'King' are legitimately in contention for the best songs on this 'on line' album.

But this is Weezer,here....all of it is good.'Troublemaker' is a back to their roots,'Clashish meets Weezer mix...nice.

The next tune,'The Greatest Man That Ever Lived(Variations On A Shaker Hymn) is an acquired taste...but I like it.Different is good.

In the days before 'The Flight Of The Conchords' ruled 'YouTube',the conglomerate of the weirdness was king.You have to love Weezer's first single and video release,'Pork and Beans'.It really brings you back to the golden days of ....last year...fun and funny stuff:THAT ROCKS!

Now that we are put in the mood for nostalgia,Weezer gives us,'Heart Songs'.The boys(Rivers Cuomo,Patrick Wilson,Brian Bell,and Scott Shriner) aren't afraid to announce their musically influences.

The thing that I like about Weezer is that you know that you are listening to Weezer.'Everybody Get Dangerous' and 'Dreamin' prove this while also proving that the Weezer sound is wide and varied.

On the other hand,'Thought I Knew',isn't very Weezer-ish at all.

This is what I like about Weezer...fearless.

But,don't worry,the very next song,'Cold Dark World',is a Weezer masterpiece.

'Automatic' is ...automatic.

Finally,my cd format on line purchase's final regular song is,'The Angel and The One',an almost Wilco-ish sounding song(in part)...long and good.

I have been jamming to this weezer product all week.

A-

2008-07-18T11:06:00.020-04:00

Free Week #7

MY MORNING JACKET:Evil Urges

I am a rocker.I rock out.

I am not a indie rocker/I like pop music.

No,nix that.I like good music.Labels are for fools and followers.

No.Nix that.Everyone has a right to enjoy music the way they seem fit.You have a right not to like any group for any reason.

It seems,'Evil Urges',has gotten it's fair share of this elitism backlash....and,in my humble opinion,it doesn't deserve one iota of it.

I am a rocker.I rock out.So does My Morning Jacket on their,'Evil Urges' cd.It is a rocker.This cd was born to be played in concert.

No,MMJ does not play it totally safe on this recording.They take chances.If this is your gripe about this album,then perhaps you should go back and listen to the other MMJ cd's....then come back and listen here,again.

It's not that growth is always necessarily always good...it's just that stagnation seemingly is always bad.

The song,'Evil Urges' is what I call a 'set-up' song.It not only sets up the whole album,but a few songs in particular(ie 'Highly Suspicious').In doing so,it stands out on it's own.I-like almost everyone else-compares front man,Jim James,falsetto to Prince.A-just as likely-comparison is to Paul McCartney mimicking Little Richard.This song would make a great openner to any concert.The jam at the end is worth the price of admission itself.

Speaking of 'Highly Suspicious',it is a fun energetic tune.Maybe,it is because I am planning on going to see the new 'Batman' movie tonight,but I am equating it with Heath Ledger's Joker in it's mad-cap laissez faire attitude.

'I'm Amazed',is a more typical My Morning Jacket production.Is questioning some MMJ fans lack of faith?Just 'cuz a few songs are different,you're gonna a blow off the whole cd?

Come on.

Grown up.

The whole cd is a diverse conglomerate of all of the My Morning Jacket repertoire.In fact,it is fun just listening to them expand and grow.

'Libraian'is just a nice song-Bobby Goldsbrough-esque.Of course,I mean this in a good way.

I am a rocker.I rock out.That is why I like both,'Alumium Park' and 'Remnants'.

I also like songs that build and climb and then jam their little hearts out.That is why I like,'Smokin'From Shootin',and,'Touch Me I'm Gonna Scream Pt. II'(There is allot of Pinkamus Floydamus','Echoes', on Pt.II).

All and all,just a fantastic album by My Morning Jacket....now,of I could only find a way to go see them in Colorado with the Black Keys....

2008-07-11T07:19:00.011-04:00

FREE WEEK #6

Carly Simon:This Kind Of Love

Carly Simon-like her fellow journeyman wordsmith,Neil Diamond-has come out with a fantastic album in what is supposed to be the 'twilight' of her career.

Maybe,it is being at the point where record sales aren't the most important aspect of her music that makes it easier for her to create such good music.Maybe it just the vast amount of writing,singing,recording,experience that makes this cd seem such a pleasure.Perchance,maybe,it is just a case of all of the elements falling into place at the right time.

Whatever the reason(s),this is a great cd.Carly Simon shines here.

I like albums that grow on me.Two examples of this are,'London Calling',by The Clash,and 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot',by Wilco.There is something fresh and exciting about music that you have to actually listen to repeatedly to fully grasp.

As a proud owner of every Carly Simon album,I can truefully say that almost every Carly album seems that way.The first couple of listens of her new stuff never seems as enjoyable as the third,forth,etc.Maybe because Ms.Simon usually makes her music seem so effortless and spur of the moment...like she's making it up(or nearly so)as she goes along.

This is a plus for me.Though there can be a certain charm to over produced/over rehearsed/over rehashed music,in the pop music world, that is not often the case.There are few things that I hate more then music that has been 'blanded' to death.

That is definitely not the case here.The more times you listen to this cd,the more you like it.

'People say A Lot' is one of my favorite songs of the year.It is so new on so many levels...and fun:-) At almost six and a half minutes long,it is already a rule breaker.It sends a funny,but sober message on getting ahead...or maybe just being in the rat race....whatever...With voice overs,etc...I haven't heard another song like this(except maybe Neil Diamond's 6:04 opus,'Don't Go There') all year long.

It just makes me think how much classic rock/adult contemporary radio sucks!Yeah,I love,'You're So Vain' and 'Nobody Does It Better', as much of the next guy...but Geez Us...without playing artist's new stuff...it all becomes so...stagnant after a while.Play some new stuff,will ya!?!

Carly Simon was supposed to had been influenced by Brazilian music on this collection.I don't know enough about that genre to truthfully tell you to what extent she achieves this.However,I do enjoy the nature of this beast,mellow,yet bold{gulp...sounds like I'm describing a cup of coffee}..Very nice.

Songs that stand out are,'How Can You Ever Forget';'Hola Soleil' and 'When We're Together'.

Another song that deserves mention is,'They Just Want You To Be There',a very trueful(in my experiences,anyway) song about being a good parent.Simple advice,but a different kind of love song.

We won't talk about the Michael Jackson sounding,'So Many People To Love'.Sssh,just don't mention it.

A

Cold Play

2008-07-04T10:06:00.018-04:00

VIVA LA VIDA

For the ones of you that only know 'Cold Play' by the songs,'Yellow' & 'The Scientist',you maybe somewhat surprised by the sounds coming off this cd.The fans of 'Cold Play's other cd's,on the other hand,will be more than pleasantly surprised.They will be tickled.

That's a good thing.

'Viva' is not a concept album-so to speak-but there are some common threads running throughout it.

I'll give one.The song,'Cemeteries Of London'is,in my opinion,about the fog rolling in...perhaps 'Passover' fashion.The lyrics:"I see god come in my garden but I don’t know what he said/For my heart it wasn’t open",pretty much sums up the jest of it....very visual.

Yet,what a tangled web we{they}weave.On,'Violet Hill',Cold Play sings,"And the fog, became God."See,it's very subtle,but it is there.

I will leave it up to you to find other such tidbits.

Another theme could be said to be the feeling of hope held within hopelessness.Perhaps,hope is not the exact word that I am looking for.These songs leap Psalm like with a glory in sorrow and despair.As if these feelings are O-K to feel.It is this allowance that produces the release of relief.In this relief is the beauty akin to hope.

Two prime examples of this are ,'Yes' and 'Viva La Vida'.Both very touching and beautiful songs.

Another Psalm like song is,'Death And All His Friends'.You can't find more powerful lyrics then these:"No I don't want to battle from the year to end I don't want to cycle and recycle revenge I don't want to follow death and all of his friends".

One of my favorite songs is,'Strawberry Swing'.What a positive upbeat tune.

The most Cold Play-ish sounding song probably is ,'Lost'."Your a big fish in a little pond....I'm just waiting till the shine wears off"

I don't understand the significance of the title of,'42',but I love it's sentiments...."Those who are dead/Are not dead/They're just living in my head,"and then the happy up-tempo switch to,"You thought you might be a ghostYou didn't get to heaven but you made it close,"Just great happy stuff.

If you were not a Cold Play fan before,after 'Viva La Vida' you will be.

Lil Wayne

2008-06-27T07:07:00.010-04:00

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.

Disturbed

2008-06-20T23:48:00.017-04:00

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

2008-06-15T22:24:00.008-04:00

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

2008-06-07T09:47:00.009-04:00

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-

Death Cab For Cutie

2008-05-30T18:09:00.013-04:00

Narrow Stairs

1:Bixby Canyon Bridge.WoW!What a way to start off an album.This song is a rocker.The lyrics tell the story of a man going back to where his girl(I suppose) lost her soul.He finds nothing....there is a good jam...and he walks back to his car.

2:I Will Possess Your Heart.I was listening to Don McLean's 'American Pie' the other day and thinking,'You wouldn't hear an eight minute and thirty second song playing on the radio today.' I was correct...this great song comes in at 8:25.I love the rockin' non lyrical opening.Gotta spend some time,love...

3:No Sunlight.This is a nice little pop ditty.

4:Cath...This is a song about a woman marrying a respectable man because her heart is dying.The people in the pews are betting that it won't last and the girl(Cath)is going to miss out on many a man whom would love her more...but,concludes the story teller,he would have done the same.

5:Talking Bird.This is the best song on the cd.It really isn't about a caged bird,me thinks,living inside a house inside a house.The longer you think...the less you will want to do.

6:You Can Do Better Then Me....but I can't do better then you.Great drum beginning.Great singing.This song lasts just long enough.

7:Grapevine Fires.I love the way D.C.F.C. mixes it up.A song of fear,fighting the good fight,and ultimately child like hope and salvation.Musically extremely well put together.Wunderful tune.

8:Your New Twin Sided Bed.A song about doing what you have to do.Taint easy.Emptiness vs. holding on.I hate good byes,but love this song.

9:Long Division.Powerful lyrics.I have to admit these guys sing about other things.The end results of deceit...or should I say the end cost.This is the new style rock,kids.Lead or get out of the way.Awesomeness.

10:Pity And fear.It should be downcast,but It's not.Beware and rock out....watch the ending.

11:The Ice Is getting Thinner.If you should go skating on the thin ice of modern life...no wait,that's the other thin ice song.I love Ben Gibbard's vocals and guitar.In fact,the whole band (Ben Gibbard Chris Walla Nicholas Harmer Jason McGerr) jells better then The Blob.

Neil Diamond

2008-05-22T18:57:00.021-04:00

Home Before Dark

First off,I like Neil Diamond.I have always liked his music.He has made hits for The Monkees,Deep Purple,Barbra Streisand,UB40 and many others.

He has had tons of hits of his own,too...'Forever In Bluejeans','Love On the Rocks','I Am I Said','Song Sung Blue',etc,etc and so forth.

He is also a minor player in my life.I remember the Cleveland late night duo,'Hoolihan and Big Chuck'' playing,'Sweet Caroline ,every single time they were on Tv.Also,my Mom loved Neil's song,'America' so much,that my Dad made sure that the live band played it at my sister,Nora's,wedding.It was' one of the highlights of the reception.

Good stuff:-)

But I hadn't heard much from Neil lately.And what I had heard was sort of greatest hits,Vegas kinda stuff...so,I was curious.

I was pleasantly surprised.On,'Home Before Dark',Neil Diamond has made a jem of an album.Mr.Diamond was actually brave enough to make timeless,real music instead of another unneeded or unwanted pop music cd.Looong songs that tell stories and that are well crafted.What's up with that?WoW![Kudos to producer's producer Rick Rubin]

From the very first song,'If I Don't See You Again',you know you are on to something special...a craftsman,at the peak of his form...not caring about the 'pop' value,but just making enjoyable music.

'Pretty Amazing Grace' is a song of salvation-either via someone loving you,or,perhaps,even religiously.Either way,I say,'Hallelujah'.

My favorite song on the cd is,'Don't Go There'.The song clicks in at 6:04,but is so good that despite it's length,it should be a radio hit....it won't be...but it should be.It's that fun.

'Another Day(That Time Forgot)-'with Dixie Chick Natalie Maines- and 'One Bite Of The Apple' are both story songs.I am telling you folks,by this time,I am just enjoying a great album with actual songs that mean something on it.While the songs seem simple-just Neil Diamond,and a guitar or so,Mr.Diamond's husky voice and smooth tale telling come across with more 'ump paa paa' then almost every over produced cd that I have heard this year.

I also like,'Forgotten'.Sure,some of it is corny,but that is it's strength.It is so unique to hear an artist sing passionately about something he seems to care about.

Next,is the introspective,'Act Like A Man'.The beginning word instantly puts me into mind of 'Song Sung Blue',but Neil quickly turns this beauty into a nice country tweaked song...very nice.

'Whose hands Are These' and 'No Words' are also very nice pieces of music,but along with,'The Power Of Two',are probably the weakest songs on the cd,with 'Two' being the only misstep.It comes across as a little 'too' trite.

I don't want you to forget the last two songs,'Slow It Down',and the title track,'Home Before Dark'.If you listen to the cd a couple of times,I am sure you won't.

A very good cd.

A

Madonna

2008-05-16T05:34:00.029-04:00

Hard Candy

Madonna is exactly one week older then me.She is probably one of the beautiful women in the world.

So,it's not that I don't like older women.One of the great advantages of getting up there in age is that you find mature women more and more attractive.

To put it another way,let's-just for the shits and giggles-compare a woman's beauty to an apple.Actually,this is a great metaphor.Even though most Biblical scholars consider the pomegranate 'the' forbidden fruit...all the rest of us Bozo's think of the tempting fruit as our apple.

Now,there is a certain appeal to a nice young green apple.Everyone loves to bite into a beautiful crisp,tart green apple.Yum...Mmmmm.

But,in reality,this green apple has very limited uses.It is the fully mature red apple that is just so juicy and delicious.Aah,just thinking about biting into a fully mature red apple,it's juice rolling down your chin...nothing better.

And the multiple uses of the 'at it's peak' apple.Slice it,dice it,put it in salads,dip it in caramel.It is used in other products as a sweetener....just like a beautiful woman...it's am amazing multi-tasker.

In fact,nothing can diminish the fantastic beauty of this sensuous fruit except for when it pretends to be less then it is...when it dresses up as a green apple.

That is why-though I commend Madonna for showing us her true self-on the photos in the liner notes and on the cover,I feel these latent dominatrix photos weaken her image of a very fantastically sexy cougar.

Take these two pictures of famed silent screen movie star Gloria Swanson.

I think Madonna imagines herself in these photos looking like this....

...when,in reality,she looks more like this!

I only mention this because I find Madonna overly sexy,talented and in league I will never ever even hope to attain.She has more balls then most men ..and who am I-the no talent that I am-to question her visual and musical making decisions?

I am a buyer of her product,that's who.Not only a buyer,but a reviewer.if Madonna is going to pitch a product,it is my(if you can't do:review)duty to voice my opinion.

All this tirade leads to my review of the first song on the cd,'Candy Shop'.I know she wishes to come across on this song as the ruthless White Witch.But,to me,she comes across more like the old witch in the story of 'Hänsel and Gretel'....It's like biting into an old mushy apple...ugh!

It's humorous actually.

And that sets the tone for the whole cd.

It's a shame,because there are some really good Madonna songs,here.But it's hard to take them seriously.These include,'Give It 2 Me',The Kate Bush inspired,'Miles Away',and,'Heartbeat'.

'She's Not Me',I like and,yet,don't.Just what is this song about,lost love,Sean Penn?'

'Dance 2nite' has a positive message,but reminds me of John Lennon's message in,'Imagine','Imagine no possessions'/'You don't have to be rich and famous...'easy for the rich to spout.

'Spanish Lesson' is good,but the song hints at using a pungi
,the snake charmer flute.Aaah,if only it would have.

I think that in some ways,'Devil Wouldn't Recogize You',is the most honest song on the cd.

All & all,if you like Madonna,you will enjoy,'Hard Candy'.If you don't,you won't.

B+

2008-05-09T05:09:00.002-04:00

FrEE wEek # 5

YippY! ThE BlaCk kEyS HaVe COmE OuT WitH,
'ATtaCk
& REleASe"...

... and I love it.

There are very few music groups-now-a-days-that I get excited about releasing a new Lp,but I was so excited about the new Black Keys release that I could hardly sleep the night before it came out....

...and i love it.

I wondered if they would stray far from their roots[or not far enough] when they got mega producer,Danger Mouse,to motivate them.Alas,no need to worry.This is The Black Keys best cd yet.

Growth...it's funny how by just tweaking their sound a little bit here and a little bit there,The Black Keys have added just the right amount of new soul to their sound .

A banjo here(Psychotic Girl),a flute there(Same Old thing),a duet(Things Ain't Like They used To Be),a little bit of background chanting(I Got Mine/Strange Times),an organ(Things),a second guitar(Lies/So He won't Break) etc,etc and so forth.

And yet...still so much like the freakin' great Black Keys.

New players besides Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney include Ralph Carney.Ralph is Patrick's uncle and has played with a ton of groups...including Tom Waits,Elvis Costello,Tin Huey and one of my all time favorite band's,Kent,Ohio's own,'The Waitresses.He add's-at least-the clarinet on,'Remember When' and the Tull like flute on,'Same Old Things'.Great stuff.

Another Waits/Costello alumni on,'Attack & Release' is guitarist Marc Ribot.Listen to his work on,'Lies' and 'So He Won't Break'.

On,'Things Ain't Like They Used To Be',Dan even sings a duet with another Kent,Ohio product,18 year old blue grass singer, Jessica Lea Mayfield.Take a listen...

...I love it.

The heavily produced by Danger Mouse single,'Strange Times' fits in with the rest of the Lp perfectly.This is the Black Keys,baby.Ditto,'I Got Mine'.

Perhaps my favorite song is,'Psychotic Girl'.With it's piano and banjo backing,this is a very smooth groove.It almost seems to come from some demented western..hmmm..perhaps from 'The Dark Tower',say,'The Gunslinger'.This song is the bomb.

On the album,the softer,'Remember When(Side A)' is on side A,and the more jamming 'Remember When(side B)' is actually on Side B.Either way...very enjoyable.

'Same Old thing' is another favorite.Flute,man!Rockin flute!This ain't the same old thing...yet,it is.

'Oceans and Streams' should be a radio staple.It sounds like sonar love.'All I Ever Wanted',starts off both the cd and the Lp.It is a mostly acoustic blues tune.But a nice beginning.

The Black Key's:"Attack & Release...

YippY!

Mariah Carey

2008-05-02T05:10:00.009-04:00

E=MC2

Mariah Carey has one of the most beautiful exotic,erotic voices in all of music.That is why it is a total mystery to me why this cd does everything in it's power to try and hide it.

Back in the sixties,Motown produced group after group in an endless procession of hits.Much of that music got tons of airplay.The same musicians,the same producers,the same sound.Everyone pretty much benefited from the machine...except maybe the vocalists.O-K,some of the cream came to the top ,but the artists were sort of an after thought.Come on,how many of these groups can you name.

It seems this faceless music is back.I am sure I have heard this album six or seven times already this year.It could have been done by anyone.

And that's a shame.For the most part you will have to wait for the video to come out to even know it is Mariah Carey singing.

Oh,the cd started out with high expectations,all right.Mariah's patented high pitched banshee calling card on,'Migrate',is the perfect opener.And on the closing,'I Wish You Well',it is all Mariah.The only trouble is that directly after the,'Migrate' opening,you never hear Mariah's distinct vocals again.In fact,even the end of the opening high notes seems electrically manipulated.

The only songs that Ms.Carey shines on are the very nice,'Love Story' and the destined for airplay,'Thanks For Nothing'.Even here,the production discredits her voice by layering it and using male vocals.

It's as if the Mariah Carey value is downplaayed on purpose.That the less the Mariah the better.

Is this what pop music has come to?Has bland,faceless music become what the audience wants?Has it become more important to not offend-or just give the people what they expect then to produce a specific album knowingly from front to back done by one artist?

Is the music from one party to the next's only object to be new,yet the same?Gotta have a love song.Gotta have a party girl song,a song of lost,a song of romance?

When you have to fight and/or listen multiple times just to hear the artist cd after cd,you get so disappointed.

I guess the goods must come through in the videos.Something I don't often have the time to watch...because I am listening to the music!

Like the great 'Saturday Night Live' sketch that asks for more cowbell...next time,more Mariah Carey,please.

C-

Leona Lewis

2008-04-25T05:56:00.011-04:00

Spirit

Ms.Lewis is a winner of England's version of 'American Idol'(a show called,'X-Factor')...Finally,a Tv reality show winner with some real talent.Make no doubt about it,this gal has some pipes.And she uses them.

Unlike so many horrid r&b productions,'Spirit' actually emphasizes the singer's voice.American Idol icon,Simon Cowell,actually makes the most of Leona's very impressive vocals.Unlike so much of today's over-dupped,over-produced crap,you hear-with clarity-this voice.

Leona'a voice-a cross between Alica Keys and Mariah Carey-carries this cd well...unto a point.

'Bleeding Love',deserves to be the hit that it is.In fact,the first five songs all deserve to be hits.Both,'Better Love' and,'I Will Love',actually have piano and(oh-baby)cello!Actual music!Great use of the voice,there,too.

[In fact,while I am thinking about it,I mentioned in a previous post,that the group,'Danity Kane',would make great back up singers.They are not the back up singers here,but,listen to the back up singers on this cd...and my point is made.]

'Forgive Me' and 'Misses Glass' run smoothly into the 'Angel'.This is where the cd has it's first flaw.I could swear she's singing,"You're A 'Ninja'."

The next song,Roberta Flack's,'The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face',I have mixed feelings about.At first,I really didn't care for it at all(I thought it too slow),but I am slowly but surely growing to like it.

The rest of the album sort of gets lost on me.I think it could be a case of Michael Boltonism.The heartfeltness of the songs(Mariah Carey belches not withstanding)seem to all blend together into a mind numbing emotionless mishmash...Too much of a good thing?!?Perhaps.

But,maybe,that is just me.

A real r&b cd using a real human voice.WoW!What a refreshing concept.

George Strait

2008-04-18T05:24:00.009-04:00

Troubadour

The trouble with listening to allot of music is that you listen to allot of music.

What I mean is this.If you are a movie critic and see a bunch of action movies a year,you may be a little less forgiving of seeing your 100th car crash than the person that only goes to see latest 'Die Hard' movie.

The same with music.

Soon,you can't tell when an artist is pandering to his audience or simply making great music for his fans.

That is the way I feel about this George Strait cd.'Troubadour' does has some great songs.I really like,'House Of Cash'(about the late great Johnny Cash's house catching fire).The song,'Troubadour'(a self portrait song), is another favorite.

But most of the music on this album seems...how do I say this...targeted...towards his fans.'Brothers Of the Highway',is your classic trucker's anthem..'nothing wrong with it,'cept that it is yet another trucker anthem.

'I Saw God Today' seems likewise targeted more than personally felt.I had to listen umpteen times to realize he was singing about his baby(or the songwriter's baby)being born.No baby name was ever mentioned.I know if it was a song about my baby,I would be shouting out the name.But I am sure there are mommas everywhere singing this(or soon to be singing this)song.

See what I mean about listening to too much music.

'Give Me More Time' is the atypical tear jerker.Gotta have a tear jerker.

Don't even get me started on,'House With No Doors'.Yoda wisdom.I can hardly tolerate this song...yet...I rightfully see people embracing this bit of wit as they go through some personal troubles driving to work in the morning sipping on their coffee.

Thank God for,'West Texas Town'.It is the best song on the cd.

All in all,my critic side gives,Troubadour' a C+ ,and my fan side gives it an A-.

B+

Day 26

2008-04-11T05:09:00.009-04:00

DAY26

Brian Andrews,Michael McCluney,Qwanell "Q" Mosley Robert,Curry,Willie Taylor are 'Day26',the season four 'Making The Band' winners.

To my surprise they aren't actually that bad.The reason I voice my surprise is that they raise above the bland production values of the MTv reality show's main producer,Sean'Puffy' Combs.Puff Daddy constantly amazes me by how he can drain all individually out most things he produces now-a-days.I believe it to be a sin to make soulless R&B.That is what Puffy does.Production tricks should have very limited access to a R&B group.The voices should rule.

And Day26 uses it's voices much better then a newly formed band should have a right to.

That doesn't mean that I can always tell which singer is leading or singing solo.The harmony is also pretty faceless,also.But if I accept Day26 for Day26,what you have here is a quite enjoyable cd.

'Got Me Going' deserves to be a hit on the radio,but it is not the only song that I found myself tapping my foot to.

'Co Star' had a very nice sound.So did 'Come With Me'.If fact,I think 'Come With Me' is probably my favorite song on the cd.'If It Wasn't For You' is yet another very nice smooth sounding song.I also liked 'Ain't Going' with Danity Kane,the other Making The band winner.

But will Day26 expand on their next album?I seriously doubt it.I don't believe that there will be another album.At least not with Day26 as they are now.

The problem is that these five handsome young men are the product of a reality show.There is probably not much beyond that show to hold them together.I suppose they all will break off to do solo careers.

Day26 was a nice deversion from the coming and goings of this week's events,though I doubt I will remember much of cd beyond this week.Sometimes that is enough.

Danity Kane

2008-04-05T09:32:00.015-04:00

Ten Things you need to know about Danity Kane's 'Welcome To The Dollhouse':

10:They are five girls{or is it six?}that won season two[or is it three?] of the Sean Combs/Mtv reality show,'Making The Bland...er...Band.I have never seen the show,so I don't know.

Nowhere on the album art does it say who 'Danity Kane is':...(I will tell you,anyway.Danity Kane are:Shannon Bex, Aundrea Fimbres, Aubrey O'Day, Dawn Richard, and Wanita "D. Woods" Woodgette
*
9:This cd is full of what I call' Cheerleader Rock'.DK is much like a bunch of cheerleaders as you can get....both musically and visually ...five (or is it six?) pretty girls singing/cheering together in a blandness group.When my boys were young and playing pee wee football,our team would play these farming towns.The Lilly white cheerleaders would come out at half time to put out a show.They would cheer to music that was way more urban then this.
*
8:This cd also reminds me of 'Bud Light'.Bud Light is probably one of the best selling beers in the world.So comparing DK to it is not all bad.Bud Light sells not because it rocks or is so tasteful,but because-in my opinion-it is so non offensive.It has no or very little taste.When walking into a strange bar in a strange city,I will always be able to find the comfort of a Bud Light.'High School Musical 2' is more uncomfortable then this cd.
*
7:It is quite evident that Mr.Combs had no faith in these girls either individually or as a group.There was virtually no attempt at making any of these beautiful young ladies stand out.He over produced and underrated these women right out of the cd.Listen to some of the great harmony groups...The Beatles...Take 6...The Four Freshmen...The Temptations...Gladys Knight & the Pips...The Beach Boys....you could hear the individual voices...hell..you wanted to.
*
6:Not that there aren't a few good songs.It's just so faceless that they could have been sung by anyone.'Strip Tease' is another Britney Spears knock off.I am so sick of the Betty Boop goosed loop that seems so prevalent on so many r&b tracks..please..give it a rest.
*
5:There is something to be said about paying your dues.If any of the members in DK had any input in the production of this album,I can't tell.That's a shame.They seem truely earnest.Maybe this cd is seen as paying there dues.
*
4:Danity Kane would make a fine 'back up' group.The songs with Rick Ross and Missy Elliott show this.Most of the songs seem to be missing something...a lead singer-perhaps.
*
3:The best song on the record does deserve airplay.It is the one song with some heart..I truely like,'2 Of You'...Danity using their strengths.
*
2:Other songs that I enjoyed ara:'Damaged','Ecstasy' and 'Is Anyone Listening'.
*
1:I'm a hypocrite.In spite of all of it's obvious weaknesses,I enjoyed listening to this product.Sometimes light fluff is all you want or need in the morning.

*
C+

Rick Ross

2008-03-28T05:44:00.015-04:00

TRILLA

par·o·dy:any humorous, satirical, or burlesque imitation, as of music,a person, event, etc.

gue·ril·la par·o·dy:Rick Ross

Since the death of 2Pac(O-K,maybe,Biggie Smalls)Gangsta,Mafioso,hardcore rap-whatever you choose to call it-has been less about keeping it real and more about living in a fantasy world.It has been less about Al Capone and more about Alfalfa{entertaining the small white boys};in other words,rap has become very close to becoming a parody of itself.

Not that parody in itself is necessarily bad.Eminem has made a living parodying the genre.But he was(is)a wordsmith.He actually sang/rapped about things.

Most gangstas do not.Gold,wealth,sex and power became sub routine.When you had no real words to spout,they became the classic fall back mode of the untalented...no wonder that there is not a single 'classic rap' station?

Enter Rick Ross.How do you take the parody out of rap?By parodying the fools that make it.On 'Trilla',Rick Ross goes hardcore.I have not had so much fun listening to a hip hop rap cd in a long time.

But how do I know it's parody?First off Rick Ross isn't really Rick Ross,but William Roberts pretending to be him.Secondly,this stuff is so over the top that I don't see how you could possibly enjoy this taking it seriously.Third...would a gangster be thanking God in his credits?This is meant for dancing and fun.

That does not deny that this is good stuff.'The Boss' single is getting serious airplay.Rightfully so.The song just rocks.The selling point to this song-to me,anyway-is that 'the man' is 'the man' no matter who he is.Hell...is this song about Rick Ross or is it about Dick Cheney?Does it matter...only to a degree.

On,'Speedin',despite all of it's boasting...the song is talking about 'American Idol' and wishing to being on the Grammies!Ya' don't get much more middle American white bread than that!

One of my favorite tunes on the cd is the typical,'This Me'. Not since Kanye West's 'Jesus Walks' have I enjoyed the use of the word,'nigga',so much....but 36(or is it 37?)times?Now...that's ice cold.

'Luxery Tax' is probably the biggest parody on the album.Any rap that says that it is,' going to finger f*ck your whole squad' and then in the next sentence says that ,'I did it for the kids,'can't legally be considered anything but.

The Eminem feeling,'All I Have In The World' is another prime jam....the only question I have is...is that repeating sample...Snape from Harry Potter!?! LoL!

Arguably the best rap on the cd is,'This Is The Life'.I don't like that Rick Ross calls his Afro-American girls 'ho's while he then calls the white woman a girl.But I have a biker friend who calls his wife his 'bitch',so I guess I can accept 'ho's as a term of endearment.

The absolute worse thing I can say about this cd is that I am sad that this week is over:-(

Alan Jackson

2008-03-22T07:43:00.007-04:00

Good Times

"Don't make any waves..."That is a punch line to an old joke about a man who goes to Hades and has to stay in a pile of septic waste up to his neck.

If there is any complaint to this cd it is that it 'doesn't make any waves'.No political protests,no lighting bolts from the sky,no names named.

But sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.I don't buy a'Rage Against The Machine' album for songs about pick up trucks,neither should I buy an Alan Jackson cd for anything but great country music.

And in the days where country music is more Bocephus than Hank Sr.,Mr.Jackson is the bridge between the two.I shouldn't be complaining about great ol' school country.

Throughout this lengthy cd Alan Jackson not only channels the likes of Merle Haggard ('When The Love Factor's High'),George Jones('If You Want To Make Me Happy') and the steel guitar of Hank Williams Sr.(I Still Like Bologna),but you hear so much banjo,mandolin,fiddle and even accordion that you swear that he went straight back to the good ol' days.

Songs that probably get air play are too numerous to mention:they all can.But I like,'Small Town Southern Man';'I Still Like Bologna';'1976';'I wish I Could Back Up',and 'Nothing Left To Do'.

Alan Jackson sings the gauntlet of classic themes here,partying,heartbreak,love,lost,even the before mentioned pick-up truck song.Hey!Where's the song about trains!?!

On the nit picky side,on,'Nothing Left To Do',Alan sings about shaving and putting on new underwear(too much information),but doesn't mention showering first...I'm not that country...If I am going out with my gal for an evening...I'm a showering first...

...And,for an old Ford pitchman,it sure was strange hearing Mr.Jackson sing that Jesus would ride in a Chevrolet...

...Maybe I am being a litle anal retentive on Mr.Jackson's writing skills(I couldn't even begin to be half the writer he is),but I think of these points every time I hear these songs.

They are the cd's only down sides.

Janet Jackson

2008-03-14T18:40:00.013-04:00

Discipline

Or should I say;'Disappointing'.
There are allot of things wrong with this cd.First and foremost is:where is Janet Jackson?This cd sounds like a D.J. Dangermouse cd with just a few Janet Jackson samples thrown in.Her voice has been sterilized,harmonized,homogenized,pasteurized(just up to her knees),looped,echoed,chorused,tweaked,
fluttered,electrified and otherwise made just totally unrecognizable.This is very puzzling behavior for someone who has said that she was going to pull out all the stops.The worst part of 'Discipline' is that I can't tell where the real Janet Jackson is.

The album is totally generic.The first song on the disk is probably the cutest,with the 'Ooow' refrain reminiscent of Betty Boop.The only trouble is...damn... I could have sworn that the song was sung by Britney Spears.

All of the other songs have just as a generic taste to them.Sometimes the song list sounds like Janet's brother,Micheal,must have been both the ghost writer and the ghost singer(there is even a Michaelesque song called...'Rock with U'!).Alicia Keys should be feeling that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...and...is that Janet or Paula Abdul singing?Is that a 'Technology 'rip off?Heck,she even steals from 'Chant'.

Janet even had writers write her song intros...how lame is that?And just who are these intros geared for?'I.D.'seems like something only a Japanese tweenager would like,and the 'Spinning' intro seem like Janet is reading Dr. Seuss to a toddler.

This is in direct opposition to the adult material throughout the rest of this cd.Talking about 7 inches,getting wet,and having organisms(this is not even close to even the best '0' in pop music...that honor goes to Yoko Ono on 'Kiss,Kiss,Kiss') is just the start of the filth on this production.

Don't get me wrong.At 40 something,I feel Janet is just in exploring her sexuality.Who doesn't love a sexy 40 something Cougar?I know I do!40 something women are some of the sexiest women on the planet.

But in order for this to work,you have to feel her sexiness through her voice.Throughout this work Janet Jackson's voice seems cold and robotic.Dubbed and overdubbed does not make one feel very amorous or excited.It seems more like having phone sex with an answering machine..it just doesn't work.

Another bazaar atribute to ths cd is the ongoing theme of Janet with her computer,Kyoko.This computer voice calls her'Miss Janet'.

Now,it may just be me,but seems to have a 'Gone With The Wind' feel to it...with Janet playing the Miss Scarlet role and her computer,Kyoko,playing the Prissy role.This feels to me awkward at best and...dare I say it...elitist and racist at worst.

Either way,it's just wrong.

'Disciple' is very disappointing.For a R&B cd it has made the ultimate sin...it has no soul.

D+

2008-03-07T05:25:00.009-05:00

Free Week #4

Dengue Fever

I was listening to 'N.P.R.'s ,'Fresh Air',when I heard this great interview by Terry Gross.She was interviewing two brothers,Ethan and Zac Holtzman.They were the founders of an unique rock group called,'Dengue (pronounced:den-gay)Fever'.

Ethan had backpacked for an extended time throughout Cambodia and had found a liking to a 1960ish brand of American/Cambodian psychedelic rock music.

This music had a clearly rock and roll influence mixed up nicely with a neat Cambodian attitude.East meets west/the Orient meets the Ventures.Very nice.

But the very ingredients that made this niche like genre-almost totally destroyed it and the people who played it.The evil Pol Pot and the murderous Khmer Rouge literally almost totally annihilated it along with almost everything western.

So,when Ethan came home to the San Francisco area he was surprised to find that brother Zac was also into this obscure music.They became inspired to form a band.They quickly found singing in a bar in Long Beach,a female pop singer recently immigrated from Cambodia named Chhom Nimol...

...and Dengue Fever was formed.Their first two albums were mostly covers of Cambodian bands(sung in the Cambodian 'Khmer' language).On their third cd,'Venus On Earth',they ventured into original material.Sung basically half in Khmer/half in English.

And,by golly it's good.Chhom Nimol has such a sweet voice.Zac's laid back vocals really compliment her sweetness.

My favorite song is,'Sober Driver',You can not ask for more fun from a song.Sung in English,the song is about a girl taking a boy's willingness to taxi her for granted.Dengue Fever has a great horn section(as well as a supreme guitar/bass/drum section)and it shines here.

*
My next favorite tune starts off the cd and is sung in Khmer.It is called ,'Seeing Hands',and even though I have no idea what it is about,it is a rocker...and is that crows?!?
*

Next on my list is the instrumental,"Ocean Of Venus'.I am a rocker,because I rock out.'Clipped Wings' is old fashioned funky and the English,'Tiger Phone Call' is another fun duet.

*
The only song I initially had somewhat trouble with was ,'Monsoon Of Perfume'.It is sung in Cambodian;it just reminded me too much of something that would be sung at a wedding.After multiple listenings,though,I have grown very found of it.

*
The final song,'Mr.Orange' is just plan fun.It should me the theme song to something.

*
Yessirre,One fine cd.
*
A-

2008-02-29T23:47:00.003-05:00

Free Week #3

Wilco:Blue Sky Blue

I know I have sung the praises of Wilco before.Their last three cd's have been most excellent.'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' is a modern masterpiece.'A Ghost Is Born',though somewhat lesser of the two cd's is brave and goes beyond the grandness of Foxtrot.Their double live cd,'Kicking Television' puts out some of the definitive versions of some of there best songs.

And boy,does Wilco have great songs.I can not imagine how joyless my life would be without knowing such great songs such as,'Jesus,Etc';Christ For President';'I Am Trying To Break Your Heart';'I Must be High';'Via Chicago';'Ashes Of American Flags';'At Least That's what She Said';'Hell Is Chrome';'Kidsmoke';'Hummingbird';'Wishful Thinking' and many many more.

Now,comes their new cd,'Blue Sky Blue'.And,like most Wilco cd's,it is not totally like any other Wilco cd.'Blue Sky Blue' is what I would call Wilco's most commercial cd to date.And I mean that in a very good way.Throughout the cd they channel 'The Eagles','The Allman Brothers Band' ,Neil Young' and other 70's icons....while still keeping it 2007 fresh and a blazing new Wilco.

Jeff Tweety and company have done themselves proud.Just listening to songs like,'Impossible Germany';'Sky Blue Sky';'Please Be Patient With Me' and 'Hate It Here',make me want to have a record listening party.

However,like most of the freshest,newest sounding music,the full affect of this cd's greatness does not hit you until after your forth or so listening.Beware,you will be caught off guard catching yourself humming and singing these tunes if you give the cd the chance to grow on you.I know with the throw-a-way music that is out there now-a-days that is asking allot.But this Wilco cd stays with you just like the music did in the good ol'days.And that is high praise,indeed.

If there were any justice,Wilco would be king of the FM radio heap.This is exactly what today's modern FM radio should sound like.

A

Jack Johnson

2008-02-22T15:28:00.019-05:00

'Sleeping Through The Static' is one of those cd's that you almost instantly fall in love with,and want to continue playing over and over.

Sure,on first listen you are taken away by the seemingly easiness of it all...

...that is Jack Johnson for you.Whether driving the madhouse interstate or laying back on some warm tropical beach,this cd is both entertaining and soothing enough to thoroughly enjoy.

But,there is some bite to this music.Jack sings about darker subjects here than he has on earlier works.His laid back style vs. his poignant lyrics remind me somewhat of Hank Williams Sr.He gets you into an upbeat dancing rhythm all the while breaking your heart at the same time...ache enough to share,even when you are alone,I guess.

The opener,'All At Once' leads perfectly into the title track,'Sleeping Through The Static'.Both are anti-war anthems...or,perhaps,more precisely,heart break songs of giving up and giving in.The ending lyrics to 'All At Once':'Sometimes,it feels like a heart is no place to be singing from at all',pretty much says it all,and sets the tone for the whole album.

Yet,Mr.Johnson,does not leave us without,'Hope'.'It will defeat you and teach you to get back up' & 'hope you are not alone',are very powerful lines.

The very short,'Angel' is another song of contradiction,followed by argumentatively,the weakest song on the cd,'Enemy.'This song is too much of a lullaby for my taste:caution,do not operate heavy machinery or attempt to drive a vehicle while under it's influence.

Next,is the,perhaps Sufjan Stevens inspired,'If I Had Eyes'.This is probably the album's biggest jam.It is one of my favorites.

'Same Girl',is a smaller,'Sleeping Through The Static'.War on a personal level.This one gives you the feeling of making love-not war.

I love the almost marching style of drums on the more traditional J.J. song,'What You Thought You need'.'Adrift' flows nicely into one of my favorites,'Go On'.'Go On',to me is a very endearing song of passing...loving someone enough to let go.

'They Do,They Don't',is the glue that holds this cd into a cohesive whole,mixing both the war and personal lost & hopelessness themes together into an almost religious song(similar to:The spirit is willing but the body is weak).Ditto with the intermingling short,'While We Wait/Monsoon'(Monsooner or later).

'Sleeping' ends with a nice ditty called,'Losing Keys'.

A week seems like too little time to listen to this almost perfect cd.

2008-02-16T18:31:00.001-05:00

FREE WEEK# 2

Taking the 'free week' concept to new levels(yes,Ms.Keys is once again on top),I actually ordered a 'free' cd to listen to.I want to give a big thank you to the great state of Louisiana for sending me this great actual 'Time-Life' cd of Cajun and Zydeco classics.

I initially wanted to review this cd last week as that was when Mardi Gras ended and Lent began(ask me about my Lent hat).But,it didn't get here in time...and besides,I am getting ahead of myself.

I first fell in love with New Orleans' Cajun influences through what I consider one of the best Tv shows of all time:'Frank's Place'.Think 'Northern Exposure' before 'Northern Exposure'.CBS really did this Tim Reid vehicle and it's viewers a grave disservice by switching this all time classic television show from one time slot to another.

I first fell in love with Zydeco music when it was featured in the,'Big Easy' movie.I immediately went out and bought the album.Pass the crayfish,gumbo and jambalaya,please.

I was very happy to get this cd in the mail.I have heard of such groups as 'Buckwheat Zydeco','Queen Ida' and 'BeauSoleil'.And of course I have heard of such classic songs as,'My Toot Toot' and 'Zydecon Gris-Gris'.But this whole compact disk rock and rolls.

Jo-El Sonnier's version of Hank William's 'Jambalya' almost HAD to be included.But I am really glad that 'Give Him Cornbread'(by Beau Jocque) was included.This song put me so much in mind of Andre' 3000 that I do believe that I could be shaking my cornbread like a Polaroid picture.

'Sugar Bee' could be a great Rod Steward cover,except that it is better than most of the things he's ever sung.

The dance crazy,'My Girl Josephine',by Queen Ida and her Zydeco Band,is more than a toe tapper...it's a body mover.

In fact,this whole shindig is a party in the making.You can hear the heavy influences of early rock and even earlier country and western.This free cd suceeds in wanting you to go to Louisiana to hear this great music live.

Nuff' said!

A

2008-02-08T04:45:00.002-05:00

1st Free Week

...OK,second free week...But when Alicia was in her 2nd week at the top I knew Juno would be next...so I hedged my bet....

Audio Eagle Records is an Akron, Ohio-based record company owned by Patrick Carney, the drummer of the Black Keys. I like Northeastern Ohio music.I actually have quite an extensive collection(for a collector that just dabbles,anyway).So this cd and myself are a good fit.
I was expecting 'good stuff',and to hardly my surprise,this compilation of Ohio bands fit the bill.From the opening riffs of the first act,Doug Gillard's,'Four What I've Done' to the final note on the last tune,'Chalklit Phye II' by Gil Mantera's Party Dream,I got a such a wide variety of Ohio rock,that a Drew could not have been happier.

Trying to pinpoint which of these groups stoodout the most on this compilation proved much harder to do then I expected.This album did what most radio stations have forgotten to do....mix music.Songs flowed steadily from one song into the next.This cd was like a holy text to great Ohio rock and roll...not just a bunch of compiled songs.This album was much more then just a bunch of single acts,alone.It was like chapter and verse on how to listen to great music.

A example(but neither the prime example ,nor necessarily the best example) of this comes in the middle of the mix.The Buffalo Killers','The Path Before Me',leads you into the Black Key's,'Nobody But You',which then brings Hell's Information's,'Song Six' to the forefront of your attention.You keep going"!WoW!How can the next song be even better...but it is!

Yet,another great mix comes next on the playing order,
'Spanish Fly',by Deathly Fighters,flows so exactly into the excellent Seven Parts Six song,Stolen Moments,that when Brainbow's,'Secret Histories'comes on,you are,again,totally blown away.

A week hardly seems enough time to absorb all this good stuff.I am in anguish just knowing that I can't name and go into every song in this review(but I gotta mention the Heartless bastards:-).

Great album

A

Juno

2008-02-01T19:04:00.000-05:00

In what could had been a quirky,'Afterschool Special','Juno',the movie,is a fun
filled surprise.The acting is terrific(especially the delightful Ellen Page,as the title character,Juno),the plot engrossing and the music...

...Well,I have never 'heard' a soundtrack-not a score,mind you,but a soundtrack-that fits so well within the actions of a movie.Every song more than fits.Every song fits perfectly.

What makes this movie so fresh,also makes the soundtrack so refreshing.Neither is over produced to the point of blandness.Neither feels like they are produced by a committee of generic people just for the pointless reason of make beau·coup bucks(think Opie Taylor's "The Grinch That Stole Christmas')...

...And unlike some rap videos where renting out mansions,monsterous amounts of bling,Royal Royces and a thousand party girls is considered keeping it 'real',Juno feels so true to life,that you almost wish your teenage life could have been this real:And the whole point of the film is that Juno is pregnant!

Reading the liner notes to the cd,I discovered that the music all came together when the maker of the film,Jason Reitman,asked his female lead,Ellen Page,what she thought Juno would listen to.Miss Page downloaded,'Anyone Else But You' by The Moldy Peaches and they were off.

It seems a main part of The M.P.'s is a singer-songwriter named Kimya Dawson.When contacted,she brought tons of wonderful songs that make up the back bone of the Juno soundtrack.Kimya Dawson's work rocks!Not in the 'bang your head & scream your head off' way that seems to pass for rock and roll now-a-days,but more in the 'you can tell she just loves to play music' variety.She whistles,sings off key,laughs,harmonizes with what can only be her friends or siblings...I just loved her sound.So,when I played the cd for my boys(whom had not seen the movie) I was expecting radiating joy coming from their faces.

The were not immediatly impressed.They thought the first song('All I Want Is You',by Barry Louis Polisar) hokey;'My Rollercoaster',by Kimya,pointlessly short.Though they had heard of the Kinks before(hell,they are even fans),'A Well Respected Man',seemed just OK.They liked Buddy Holly,but the 'Up The Spout' song by Mateo Messina was,to them,just another short bunch of nothing.

WoW! I wasn't expecting this.Could the very strength of this cd-that it fit so well in the context of the movie-also be it's weakness:Could it be that it fit only within the movie,and that it could not be totally appreciated without it?One comment was that 'it seemed like they were making up the songs as they went along'...

...Damn.Was this an 'American Graffitti' nostalgia type movie...meant more for forty somethings reminiscing about their teen years then a movie meant to play to today's youth?The same with the music?

Then,we got to Kimya Dawson's 'Loose Lips'.Of course,this changed their minds.It wasn't just a good chorus of 'Fuck Bush/Fuck this war' that changed their minds(I don't know what it is about the word 'fuck' in music that makes it seem so hip),it was the rest of the lyrics (if you want to burn yourself/remember that I love you/if you want to cut yourself /remember that I love you/and if you want to kill yourself/remember that I love you).They loved this song.The positiveness of the music...and then everything else somewhat,somehow made some sense to them.

Not that the cd is totally perfect.The movie played very little of Sonic Youth's version of The Carpenter's,'SuperStar',and for good reason.I agree with Juno's assessment of Sonic Youth-they're a bunch of noise(Hey!I like noise,but I have heard noise done way better than this).And I have heard ,'All The Young Dudes' a quadtrillion times too many already.But,If I wasn't a Mott the Hoople fan or if I was a teenager,I know that I would have appreciated it being on the Juno soundtrack allot more than I did.

All in all,this has been the best cd that I have had the honor to review,yet.But...if I hadn't seen the movie...I don't know.

A If you have seen the movie

C+ If you haven't

Alicia Keys

2008-01-25T19:10:00.002-05:00

As I Am

Long ago in the land of Urban Myth,Paul McCartney and John Lennon were to have supposedly told Mick Jagger and Keith Richards how to write pop songs.The idea was this:Steal a melody,or style from someone else and make it your own.George Harrison's 'My Sweet Lord' sounding eerily similar to The Chiffons' 'He's So Fine' & Paul perfectly mimicking Little Richard in no way lend credence to this myth.

And with sampling and club mixes,the point of who owns what seems slightly irreverent by today's standards.I only point this out because there have been those who have said that some of Alicia's work on this cd sound somewhat like other people's songs.The hit,'No One' is said to echo The Black Eyed Peas,'Where Is The Love' & her,'Like You'll Never See Me Again' is said to be a Prince's,'Diamonds and Pearls' doppelganger.

To this,I say,Bah,Humbug!I doubt if you will find a bigger hit laden cd this year.The beautiful Alicia Keys sings her heart out on 'As I Am'.It is destined to be a major player all the way through this summer.

The album has a supreme trifecta of perfectly upbeat sounds. "Superwoman',blends nicely into the modern r&b/pop stylings of,'No One',and then-the cd goes straight into the nice love ballad,'Like You'll Never See Me Again'.These songs sound so deliciously sweet together that they are a perfect excuse to keep playing this cd over and over again.

I really like Alicia's piano playing and mostly real music.It just makes you want to see her perform in concert.Her,'As I Am' intro,is live,and adds just the right touch to the beginning of the cd{Let's Get The Party Started}.'Go Ahead';'Wreckless Love' and the very jamming and beautiful ,'Where Do We Go From Here' keep the party going.

This cd can be both a great party album and/or a cd to snuggle up with your loved one on the couch.

The only flaw is a minor one,but I am going to have to take points away for it.Maybe it is just me-if I was a teenager,maybe,I would feel a tad different about it-but the song,'Teenage Love Affair' was just too generic,and somewhat creepy.Alicia is just a little too old to be singing this.Maybe if the song was subtitled,'The ballad of Jossie and Jose'.I don't know.I am more likely than not,putting too much into the song,and for that I am sorry.

Besides that,one hell of a cd.

A-

RadioHead

2008-01-19T11:49:00.001-05:00

OK,we have Richie Blackmore's,Rainbow;Alice Cooper is 'Always Chasing Rainbows' and Rufus Wainwright is 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'.We have The Rainbow Coalition,and the Rainbow Warrior.So,Radiohead has hit upon something here with 'In Rainbows'.

In truth,I was expecting a more noisy cd then what,'In Rainbows' produced.Not that I minded,though,I truly like this cd.

And I mean 'cd'.I did not join the band and take this off their 'download for what you feel it's worth' website.I bought the cd for it's additional packaging.Tons of cool stickers and such...all of which only made me wish that I had access to the 'lp' version....ah,nothing like a good album cover to enjoy while jammin' to the tunes.

All of which has nothing to do with the quality of music on a cd,just the quality of the listening experience.And listening to Thom Yorke and the boys was quite the enjoyable listening experience.

I did allot of traveling this past week via the highway,so I got to put 'In Rainbows' to the test.At first{as,I think with all RadioHead projects} the cd sounded like one continuous music loop...everything sounded basically the same.But after repeated plays,I found the exact opposite to be true.

The sound became so diverse that I sometimes wondered if I was listening to the same band.'Bodysnatchers' sounded like I was listening to 'U-2'.'Faust Arp' sounded a little like early Pink Floyd.Somewhere on the cd,I swear they were playing the rhythm guitar part from 'Maggot Brain'.Damn,some of it even sounded like 'Oasis'...and I hate Oasis...but I liked this stuff.On,'15 Step' they even sounded like RadioHead!I have never heard of shuffling cards' being played as a musical instrument before.Most Awesome.

Suddenly,I got an idea of where the name RadioHead may have came from.These guys were the fans of radio.I bet they flipped through the channels like the rest of us,and that is what drew their inspiration.

Though,'In Rainbows' lacks the groups usual noise,and is somewhat short-time wise(only 40 some what minutes),I enjoyed this cd.My favorite songs,lyric wise-include,'All I Need'(I’m the next act/Waiting in the wings/I’m an animal/Trapped in your hot car/I am all the days that you choose to ignore);'House Of Cards(The infrastructure will collapse/Voltage spikes/Throw your keys in the bowl/Kiss your husband goodnight) and 'Videotape'(When I'm at the pearly gates/This'll be on my videotape/My videotape/Mephistopheles is just beneath/And he's reaching up to grab me).Good stuff.

In the end I just didn't know how to classify,'In Rainbows'.Is it Rock & Roll?Avent-guard?Contemporary Rock?Alterno-Pop?Mellow Rock?All of the above?

I just know that it was good music.I guess that's enough.

B+

Mary J.

2008-01-11T20:25:00.000-05:00

I never though I would be a Mary J.Blige fan,but guess what?With the 'Growing Pains' cd, I have become a very big fan of Mary J.Her throwback 1980's r&b style is so catchy you can't help but love her.

Of course she wears her heart on her sleeve...that-plus her very sexy down to earth vocals-really make you love her.Her stand out songs are "Work That'(which starts off the cd)quickly followed by,'Grown Woman'.These song of empowerment really grew on me and like most of the rest of the album I found myself singing them at work.

I also liked,'Til The Morning'and Roses'.Though both of these songs understandably understate the reason why men can not figure out women.In 'Til The Morning' Mary J. sings,'Touch me/Hold me/Kiss me closely/Teach me/Show me/Enjoy me.' Believe me,brother,it does not get much more erotic and sensual then that.

But in the very next song,'Rose',Mary J.sings a very different tune.She sings about just not wanting to be bothered.She sings about someone just pushing her buttons and it being her way or the highway.Geez!Talk about hormonal!This is just the kind of thing that makes a man go...'Huh?!?'

Honestly,you gotta love it.

My favorite songs though are the wonderful,'Fade Away,' and the hauntingly beautiful,'Come To Me(Peace)'.These are just exceptional songs:Exceptional!

I also found myself singing,'Work In Progress(Growing Pains)';'What Love Is' and the awesome 'Stay Down'.

Sometimes it feels like Mary J is channeling Micheal Jackson,but that is a very good thing.

The cd cover and insides also added to the whole experience.My only exception is that Mary thanks all of her managers,lawyers and planners by name,but she only gives a quick shout out to the musicians that played on the album...without naming a single one.

And outside of Tina Fey,Mary J. Blige has the sexiest scar on the face of the planet.WoW!

Sometimes I just need a HUG!:-)

B+