Music Reviews

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Music Reviews

That was the worst "review" I've ever read.......

Its a good song, I'd give it a 9.5 out 10.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Music Reviews

BB King - Completely Well
I'm not exactly sure why I picked this album up for my first official BB King album. I had Riding With The King to use as a partial introduction to the King of Blues, but I wanted a real introduction. After trying to decide exactly which album to pick up from BB King first, I chose Completely Well. After reading a little bit on his albums, Completely Well wasn't the best (though not the worst either) and certainly wasn't his highest rated album. Yet I went with it anyway, mostly because his most popular song, The Thrill Is Gone, is on the album.

Anyway, the album leans more to the big band, jazz influenced blues side rather than the stripped down side. One would think the big band instrumentals would drown out BB King's emotionally driven guitar, but that just simply isn't the case. Despite the big band presence, BB's guitar is the focal point of the music. The simple styling of BB's guitar is what puts the album on a personal blues level. Where the stripped down blues artists depend on their stripped down style to create a personal and emotional listen, BB uses his guitar to shove the big band over and lets his guitar connect with the listener. Then of there is BB's personality shining through on the entire album, like he's having a blast with the sessions. From the classic and blues essential The Thrill Is Gone, to the jam oriented Crying Won't Help You and You've Been Mean, this album is a great album for anybody who is a fan of both jazz and the blues.

If I were to re-start my BB King collection, however, I would have gone with one of his early live albums instead and left this for later.

Tracks to keep on repeat: The Thrill Is Gone, Crying Won't Help You, and You're Losing Me
8.50 out of 10

[Brandwin]

Re: Music Reviews

What about John Legends album..I never heard any of it, but Oridinary People

[Slymm]

Re: Music Reviews

Great great album. I can ride in the car and listen to it the whole way through.

[Brandwin]

Re: Music Reviews

Great great album. I can ride in the car and listen to it the whole way through.

What, they John Legend album?

[Slymm]

Re: Music Reviews

Yeah. I don't have it with me right now so I can't break it down but it is good.

[BGarrett7]

Re: Music Reviews



Shawn Mullins: 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor

I'm sure most of you remember Shawn for the hit he had in '99 with "Lullaby" -- and maybe a few of you even remember the follow-up single "Shimmer." While this isn't exactly the follow-up to that album, Soul's Core, in essence it kind of is. It is, however, the first album Mullins has released since 2000's Beneath The Velvet Sky, however, an album that had a wonderfully crafted blend of pop hooks and folk-inspired lyrics. Most found it to have too much pop and not quite enough folk though, and that is something Mullins hoped to accomplish by returning to his roots with 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor. And he accomplishes it wonderfully. Depending on how much modern rock radio you've been listening to over the first part of this year, you may have caught the first single "Beautiful Wreck" a couple times, an excellent guitar-driven track co-written by Mullins, Glen Phillips, and former Thorns bandmate Pete Droge. That is only the tip of the iceberg though. Other strong tracks includes the lead track, "Blue As You," which was also co-written by Mullins, Droge, and the third member of the Thorns, Matthew Sweet; "Homemade Wine" which features the mandolin work of Nickel Creek member Chris Thile; and a breath-taking cover of "House of the Rising Sun" that wraps up the CD. If you are, or were, a fan of any of Shawn's work in the past, I would definitely recommend you hop on iTunes and at least pick up the four songs I mentioned by name, if not the entire album. I have no doubts in my mind that when the end of the year rolls around, 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor will have a place in my Best of 2006 list.

[Splitter77]

Re: Music Reviews

American Minor- American Minor

Ive had this Cd since early September and it has yet to leave my player for more than a week. This is a pure rock N Roll CD. Its been quite some time since I have heard a flat out rock N roll CD like this one. This debut CD features 11 tracks. I can honestly say that each one is very unique with excellent lyrics and sound. This band is influenced by Cream and The Band to name a few.

Negatives-- Too short.

Songs to keep on repeat- "Buffalo Creek" "Walk on" "Break" "Cheaters and Non-Believers" "One Last Supper"

[X*Cell]

Re: Music Reviews


"20/20" - Dilated Peoples

This Album resembled "The Platform" more than "Neighborhood Watch". Thats not just a statement in this review. It's a step backward for the trio from LA. The Beat-boy style of most of the songs can irritate the eardrums, but the tracks in which Dilated Peoples enlist the likes of Talib Kweli, or DeFari are pure fire. Another track with Kanye West like "This Way" could have single-handedly taken this cd from the Platform to the Ceiling. Basically in short, Evidence and Rakaa's lyrical journey was cash. DJ Babu on the other hand rolled a gutterball. This Album could have been 20/20, but now it needs some kind of repair.

• Grade
  • 81%
  • B-
• Song to DL
  • "Olde English" ft. Defari
  • (Producer: Joey Chavez & Bravo)

[X*Cell]

Re: Music Reviews


"The Minstrel Show" - Little Brother

"The Listening" was an A quality album, so who thought that 9th Wonder and the gang (Phonte, and Rapper Big Pooh) could progress? Well, they did! "The Minstrel Show" is, dare I say it, possibly one of the top 10 greatest albums of ALL-TIME. Using a radio-broadcast format, the album is like one single track beginning at 0:00 of the Intro, all the way to the last minute and second of "We Got Now". Since this cd could be regarded as one of the greatest ever, it's obvious that the substance was all there. It got to the point that the hit "Lovin' It" was too intelligent to have its video aired on BET. The Network reluctantly gave way to the track and aired it a month later, proving that you can't keep this kind of quality a secret. With Little Brother's success reaching new levels, its also hard to ignore the ranks of the producer 9th Wonder. By some he is regarded as the greatest producer in Hip-Hop, and to most, no lower than the top 5. This album is a must-own for all.

• Grade
  • 99%
  • A+
• Song to DL
  • "Lovin' It" ft. Joe Scudda
  • (Producer: 9th Wonder)

[X*Cell]

Re: Music Reviews


"Smoke and Mirrors" - OC

Unfortunately, I can only list one song to download, but as service to everyone, more good joints are ready for you if you just cop this cd. It's worth a listen, or two, or two-hundred. Mike Loe has some hardcore beats that compliments OC's style. One thing that is noticeable about Omar Credle (OC) is that he is worse than his cd's suggest. That's a good thing folks. He doesn't suffer, because he hooks up with good producers who let his rhymes and flow take off, and sweep competition. Do yourself a favor and drop the $13 to purchase this cd. It has some good "cruisin' gangsta" music. It's cash for the ride.

• Grade
  • 93%
  • A
• Song to DL
  • "Martyr"
  • (Producer: Mike Loe)

[X*Cell]

Re: Music Reviews


"The Unusual" - El Da Sensei

"SO CHILL!" is the best way to describe this album released by El Da Sensei, who employs the talents of OC and Sean Price. Repping the beats are the two of the top five producers in hip-hop - Jake-One and Illmind. Sit back and relax is the beats message, but the lyrical sermon preaches "Blow **** Up!" and "Rock it Out". How does that work El? Other than some On-target songs on this album, the rest of the tracks are tastless. They just don't fit into the mix that El Da Sensei fixes for himself with the first collection of songs. I have a feeling however, that this cd might not be the end-all of underground hip-hop, it still showcases the talents of El Da Sensei, and the fire he might bring in the future.

• Grade
  • 82%
  • B-
• Song to DL
  • "Nuttin' To Lose" ft. OC
  • (Producer: Fyre Dept.)

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Music Reviews

Prince - 3121
The first thing a person wants to do when listening to a new work by a living legend is to compare it to their greatest accomplishments. While this may work or be suitable three, five, or even ten years after great albums such as Purple Rain or Dirty Mind, comparing new work twenty years after their peak is not all that fair. 3121 itself is a wonderful album ranging from various genres such as R&B, hard rock, dance, to latina.

Prince, having established himself as an eccentric artist many years previous to his latest album, is not only bragging about his eccentricity but he knows he cannot be touched. Honestly, I'm not sure if any other artist could get way with such quarky vocals or sexually prone lyrics and also come out to be considered a genius at the same time. The album is a straight throwback to the good Prince of old, however, he still remains in 2006 as a married man. The song Lolita marks a very different milestone in Prince's life where, instead of saying yes to the pretty young thing, says no to the love affair. Who thought they would see the day when Prince, the mastermind behind the incestuous song Sister would be saying no to any woman. Fury is an instant Prince classic and has already proven to be a live performance favorite from around the world as Prince lets loose with the guitar and gives reason as to exactly why he is an underrated musician. Black Sweat is an infectious dance song which essentially wills you to get up out of your chair and move your limbs around as much as you possibly can. There are some moments of typical, unoriginality on the album, however, such as the song Incense and Candles. The song is a cliched bedroom R&B song and despite my amateur status in the R&B and hip hop community, even I was expecting the rap verse at the end of the song.

3121 isn't Prince redefining his sound, it is simply Prince reintroducting himself to a new, younger audience in a new age. Although 3121 doesn't quite stack up to Prince's work during his peak, the album is an easily accessible album which has something to offer for everybody.

Tracks to keep on repeat: Fury, Lolita, Black Sweat
8.0 out of 10


Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
The most obvious difference on Show Your Bones when compared to the Yeah Yeah Yeah's previous album, Fever to Tell, is how soft and calm the band sounds. Continuing with the style that closed Fever to Tell, Show Your Bones decides to go on the soft-rock side of love, instead of ripping the ex's head off with Nick Zinner's guitar. While the album isn't as good as Fever To Tell, the Yeah Yeah Yeah's make a statement that they are (or were) more than a punk-rock band with Karen O screaming her head off with a hint of sarcasm in her vocals. Although the topics are more than cliche, the songs themselves stand out when compared to other songs from today dealing with breakups and heartaches. The polished production of Show Your Bones doesn't take away Karen's fiery vocals or Nick's distorted riffs, the material does that. While the album is a wonderful piece of work, I cannot help but think what the songs would have sounded like if Karen had a little bit more fire in her vocals and a little more intensity. There are times when Karen and Nick find the fire of Fever To Tell and incorporate into the song (ie: Mysteries), however, those instantes are rare.

Although the fire and intensity is mostly gone, the intimacy is still very much in tact on the album, which elevates the album dramatically. While the soft-rock sound may have fans wondering where their intesity went, the band picks up an intimacy that Karen O had showcased on their hit single Maps. Songs such as Warrior show Karen in a vulnerable state as the listener can connect with the music in a completely different way then they did with Fever To Tell.

As it stands, Show Your Bones is the most logical continuation of Fever To Tell and while it may lack the fire and intensity their debut LP had, Show Your Bones is still one hell of an album that will continue to get repeated spins in my CD player. It will undoubtedly be one of the best albums of 2006.

Tracks to keep on repeat: Gold Lion, Phenonema, Warrior
9.0 out of 10


B.B. King - Live At The Regal
Having gotten a taste for what B.B. King can do inside a studio and coming away relatively satisfied, I decided to see what the Blues Boy could do on stage. Having heard great things about King's showmanship, especially during his early days, I took it upon myself to pick up one of his live albums ASAP.

Live At The Regal opens with a DJ introducing King to the crowd, presenting them with the "world's greatest blues singer. . . the King of the Blues." This seems like quite a claim, but I'll be damned if it doesn't hold true after listening to this live album. While B.B.'s vocals may not be as creative or as "bluesy" as Howlin Wolf's, King makes a great show of what exactly he can do with his voice. Apart from King's ability to display the passion and emotion of his lyrics through his vocals, B.B.'s best quality of his voice is his falsetto. While King uses his falsetto throughout the entirity of the live album, the best example of how a falsetto should sound like is with the song Worry Worry; the song not only incorporates King's wonderful falsetto, but the introduction of the song by King's guitar is truly magnificent. King may not be most technically advanced blue's guitarist, but the punch he packs into every string almost knocks you out of your seat.

Possibly the best part of the album is listening to the audience's reaction to the King of the Blues. Hearing the fans almost faint with excitement and pleasure hearing King taunt his falsetto or playing his guitar is as fascinating as the music itself. King holds the audience at his mercy and doesn't let go until its over and I'm almost certain the audience left in a state of pure ecstasy.

When it comes to the blues and live albums, there is no better place to go other than B.B. King's Live At The Regal and thats as simple as I can put it.

Tracks to keep on repeat: Worry Worry, Sweet Little Angel, How Blue Can You Get
10 out of 10


Foreigner - Double Vision
Having listened to Foreigner since I can remember on the radio and picking up one of their greatest hits CDs, it is hard to get past their singles and get into their albums. Not that their albums aren't great, which Double Vision certainly is, you're always comparing the non-radio songs to their hit singles which makes accessing the album more difficult than it should be.

I have had Double Vision almost a year and while it has gotten a couple spins in that time-span, I could never really dive into the album as a whole. After "going back" to the album a year later, however, I find myself finally being able to enjoy the entire album and not just the hit songs such as Hot Blooded, Double Vision or Blue Morning, Blue Day. The rest of the songs are 100% Foreigner goodness, ranging from the rocking side of the Arena Rock greats to the love rock ballads which kickstarted their career in 1977. As with all of their material, Lou Gramm's vocals lead the way and Mick Jones' guitar sounds like it could actually fill an arena. Although the polished hard rock styling works for the album, the instrumental Tramontane sounds like a filler track meant to split the album up and simply doesn't work with the arena rock sound of the band. The remaining songs, however, come pretty close and in some cases surpasses the hit singles of the album, such as the song Love Has Taken Its Toll, as Double Vision proved it was worth getting into, albeit a year later.

Tracks to keep on repeat: Hot Blooded, Double Vision, Love Has Taken Its Toll
8.75 out of 10


CCR - Cosmo's Factory
As I stated with Double Vision it is always hard to get into an album when a listener is use to hearing the band's classic singles. I was in the same boat with CCR that I was in with Foreigner over a year ago. I had grown up with CCR and had picked up The Chronicles, Vol. 1 from a friend. Recently I decided to dig deeper into Creedance Clearwater Revival and landed on Cosmo's Factory. Having already been acquainted with 7 of the 11 tracks through The Chronicle, the album was not difficult to get into at all. The remaing four tracks stand right beside their top singles from the album and the album never drops a beat. Every single is as good as the next and is very difficult to stop playing the album. John Fogerty's voice is one of my favorites in classic rock with its rough-edged, southern raw drawl (even if he is from Berkeley, CA) and the music is a perfect reflection of Fogerty's vocals with a 50's rock basis and covering it with rockabilly and swamp rock.

For those familar with CCR through their singles, especially Travelin' Band, Lookin' Out My Back Door and Run Through The Jungle should already have this album in their collection as it is a proven classic rock essential.

Tracks to keep on repeat: THE WHOLE DAMN ALBUM
10 out of 10

[CM1847]

Re: Music Reviews

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
The most obvious difference on Show Your Bones when compared to the Yeah Yeah Yeah's previous album, Fever to Tell, is how soft and calm the band sounds. Continuing with the style that closed Fever to Tell, Show Your Bones decides to go on the soft-rock side of love, instead of ripping the ex's head off with Nick Zinner's guitar. While the album isn't as good as Fever To Tell, the Yeah Yeah Yeah's make a statement that they are (or were) more than a punk-rock band with Karen O screaming her head off with a hint of sarcasm in her vocals. Although the topics are more than cliche, the songs themselves stand out when compared to other songs from today dealing with breakups and heartaches. The polished production of Show Your Bones doesn't take away Karen's fiery vocals or Nick's distorted riffs, the material does that. While the album is a wonderful piece of work, I cannot help but think what the songs would have sounded like if Karen had a little bit more fire in her vocals and a little more intensity. There are times when Karen and Nick find the fire of Fever To Tell and incorporate into the song (ie: Mysteries), however, those instantes are rare.

Although the fire and intensity is mostly gone, the intimacy is still very much in tact on the album, which elevates the album dramatically. While the soft-rock sound may have fans wondering where their intesity went, the band picks up an intimacy that Karen O had showcased on their hit single Maps. Songs such as Warrior show Karen in a vulnerable state as the listener can connect with the music in a completely different way then they did with Fever To Tell.

As it stands, Show Your Bones is the most logical continuation of Fever To Tell and while it may lack the fire and intensity their debut LP had, Show Your Bones is still one hell of an album that will continue to get repeated spins in my CD player. It will undoubtedly be one of the best albums of 2006.

Tracks to keep on repeat: Gold Lion, Phenonema, Warrior
9.0 out of 10

I wholeheartedly disagree with everything about this review except for the score.

More polished production should not be confused with taking the intensity/fire out of the music. Karen O isn't as angry as she was on Fever To Tell, but her lyrics are still quite intense and obviously directing some hatred out there, just in a shiny wrapping this time around instead of the ditry, gritty wrapping Fever To Tell had.

PS. Good reviews, I always forget this thread exists.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Music Reviews

I didn't say the polished production took the fire and intensity out of her vocals and Nick's guitar.