Britney Spears

Circus[Deluxe Version]

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

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!

*

A

Beyonce

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.

a-

Taylor Swift

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

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+

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+

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

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-

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.

*

*

*

B

T.I.

Paper Trail
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
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!
*
I am here to basically lay claim to the truth of these statements and to refute them both at the same time.
*
It is true that T.I. does nothing new on,'Paper Trail'.That is the point.
*
This is blue blooded true to life fresh shit.
*
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+

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?

A

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

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

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

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-

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

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.

A

MAMMA MIA! The Movie Soundtrack

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

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.

*

A

Miley Cyrus

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-