Let's Talk About Music

I finished my review on Purple Tree yesterday. I love the reviews that I don't get paid for doing? Why? If I want to write a short review, I can.

But back to Purple Tree.

If you like bands like Pink Floyd, Oasis, The Beatles, and The Kinks, you definitely want to try them. The guitar work is very like Floyd and on occasion boarding on Black Sabbath. (Yeah that kinda threw me too). The vocalist, David Perry, has a very youthful sounding voice, almost girlie at times, but not quite a bit like Peter Noone or in more recent years, Ian Brody from The Lightning Seeds.

The album is called The Final Prophecy, which made me inititally think the album was going to be all deep and thoughtful, but it really wasn't, so that gets a yay in my book. I don't like to think too much when I listen to music, I like to listen and enjoy.

You can listen to the album @ Purple Tree Music. I recommend listening to Happiness (The Ending Day) which a really gorgeous tune. If you want to read my review click here

I Feel Awesome

I told you about the two comments I had on my reviews this past week. Well, woot! I logged into my Myspace account and found another email from the band Down By Avalon. Now mind you, Down By Avalon is a band I discovered on my own through an awesome site called Reverbnation.

Its just so cool to receive recognition for something like this.

See deep down I've always wanted to be a writer, though this isn't quite the form of writing I ever expected to be doing. I really would prefer to write stories, but somewhere along the way all my inspiration for that kind of writing was killed.

But I guess it doesn't really matter though, because I have found something that I'm apparently good at and that I enjoy doing. (Plus it helps out artists that aren't signed to major labels too) So its all good.

If you want to check out my review of Down By Avalon and some awesome music by the band just go to here.

I'm So Excited

As you guys know, I do some freelance music reviews in my spare time, some for pay, some for the love of unsigned artists. Well this morning I had two really lovely thank yous from two of the artists I've reviewed in the past few weeks, The Beloved Infidel's who come from the Philadelphia area and Nicholas Howard.

Want to read what I wrote?

Nicholas Howard's review is here.

The Beloved Infidels' review is here.

If you like these artists, support them and buy their music. Its the only way the music industry is going to changed. Give the indie artists a fighting chance at a career.

Lord knows the airwaves are flooded with enough crap from all the Idol shows.

I'm Disappointed

I finally got to listen to Lindsey Buckingham's kinda new CD, Gift Of Screws and apparently I'm one of the only people out there that didn't really care for it.

Its too produced if you ask me and Lindsey's vocals are almost drowned out by the guitar work at some points. Not that I don't want to listen to Lindsey play. He's a fantastic guitarist, especially acoustic, but I don't buy an album just for guitar work. I want good songs that are enjoyable. 4 out of 10 songs are what I'd call good. The other 6 are mediocre, bad, or just downright strange.

This is a classic example of waiting and getting excited over an album, only to have my hopes dashed after one listen.

The cover alone is enough to put me off. Seriously, Lindsey couldn't afford a good photographer? That picture could scare small children!

It certainly isn't worth $13.00.

Massacring The Red Carpet

I was lucky enough to have had the chance to preview Duran Duran's latest offering, Red Carpet Massacre before it hit the stores. Now most people that know me, know that I've been a Duran Duran fan since high school. I picked up on the guys when The Wedding Album came out, because in the 80's I was stuck in the 60's. Go figure, I'm crazy that way.

I loved The Wedding Album and I loved all their previous albums. However after that great record that managed to get them 2 hit singles, everything went downhill. Thank You was an atrocity. It's probably the worst album of cover songs ever done. (OK, not the worst but close to it) Medazzaland is just vile with only 3 or 4 songs to recommend it. Pop Trash is better but not by much.

Astronaut saw the band reforming with all original members and to me the best album they'd done in yonks.

But lets not talk about the past. I listened to Red Carpet Massacre and I had mixed feelings. There's good and bad on this record, and the more I listen the more it seems to be evening out. There are 12 songs on this album, half of them are good and half are vile.

The vile tracks? The ones that feature the strong Timberlake/Timbaland vibe. They take the Duran Duran out of Duran Duran and that's wrong on all counts. Falling Down, the first single is the only song from the odd collaboration that works well. Stay away from Nite Runner and Skin Divers, they are just bad music. (Very bad music)

The title track is full of Simon screaming and making me go WTF, that I'm left speechless, and I'm not sure if it's in a good way or not. This is one of the songs that I like on some days and hate on others.

Box Full O' Honey is a bizarre retro number that sounds psychedelic while having the Duran vibe that we all are used to. I love this song best of all.

Zoom In, Uh...erm...weird...odd...and proof that Simon must be doing some seriously weird drugs, because that's the only explanation I can give for the lyrics.

The Valley - This is all Simon, it has to be. I waffle on this song too. The heavy breathing makes me laugh hysterically though.

Tempted is a get up and dance song. I love this one, even though the dance groove isn't Duran Duran.

She's Too Much - Simon's token ballad. It's almost too much. Really it is. Not as good as Come Undone, but it's nice.

Tricked Out - Wow there's some guitar work on this album. I think. It's a shame they forgot to write lyrics for this. Duran Duran instrumentals are a waste of time and my ears.

Last Man Standing - The album's second ballad, and Simon's trying really hard to write intelligent lyrics. Note I say trying. Writing intelligent lyrics is something Simon will never ever be able to do. I do like the song though. It's catchy, even though it's slow.

Dirty Great Monster - Blergh. Blergh. Blerghity, blergh blergh. Make Simon stop.

All in all, I don't think this is an album that's going to draw new fans to the band. It's not good enough, and I don't think Timberlake and Timberland are going to save them. If this album were a novel it would be a pot boiler. It's only worth having if you are a die hard fan, and I am that, or a person that doesn't mind having only half an album.

Ranking against some of their more recent work makes it seem brilliant though, so it might be worth giving it a listen or two. They've got my $13, I hope they are happy.

It's Murder! Two Rooms: Celebrating The Songs Of Elton John & Bernie Taupin

I bought this Elton John/Bernie Taupin covers disc ages ago, and today I sent it on to some poor soul on LaLa.com that wanted to toss away $1.75.

I ripped it to my hard drive before sending it on, because I hadn't listened to it in ages, and with good reason. It's vile. I don't even know where to begin.

The worst tracks:

Tina Turner - The Bitch Is Back
(She does this one so much better live. The album version is an abomination)

Sinead (Shinehead) O'Connor - Sacrifice
(You don't do things like this to my favorite Elton John track. Make her shut it!)

Jon Bon Jovi - Levon
(I hate this by default. I hate Jon Boy. Everything he sings sounds the freaking same, and this is a damn good Elton song.)

The WTF tracks:

Rod Stewart - Your Song
(It's not bad....it's not good...I hope you don't mind if I put down in words that Rod should stop singing other people's songs...and start recording some stuff of his own.)

Wilson Phillips - Daniel
(The verdict is still out on this one. It's possibly good)

Kate Bush - Rocket Man
(So weird that its good. But it just doesn't suit Kate's voice and the arrangement is truly a WTF!)

The Good (And I'm hard pressed to find any)

The Who - Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
(OK, by default, I love Roger Daltry....but this is a song that is suited for The Who...but can I please look at Roger...rather than listen?)

Hall & Oates - Philadelphia Freedom
(Oddly a nice interpretation of a song I truly hate)

Phil Collins - Burn Down The Mission
(Phil does covers well. I actually prefer his cover of True Colors to Cyndi Lauper's original)

The Most Pitiful
The Beach Boys - Crocodile Rock
(I HATE THE BEACH BOYS! This is a bigger abomination than Tina's cover of The Bitch Is Back. It's much much worse than their cover of the Mama's and the Papa's California Dreamin' from the 80's)

The rest of the album isn't even worth mentioning. Don't waste your money on this. Seriously! Don't do it!

The Duets CD is a much easier listen, as Elton is sharing vocals, rather than having his songs killed by artists that are so much better than this. (with the exception of Jon Boy)

Memory Almost Full

The new McCartney album fell into my hands this morning and it immediately got to take it's turn in my winamp player.

One listen isn't enough to truly "get" this CD, because it goes all over the place, from the typical bouncy, get up and move your butt, McCartney tunes, to a few R & B type tracks that remind me of the early 80's Macca, one or two remind me of the Wings disc "Back To The Egg" and there are even a few more modern sounding tracks that aren't really typical of Paulie.

The opening singles Dance Tonight, which features Paul on the Mandolin and Ever Present Past are the type of songs you expect from a McCartney tune. Both are ear worms of the finest pedigree.

One of the more eclectic songs one the disc is Mister Bellamy. The unique arrangement of this tune reminds me of one of Danny Elfman's Oompah Loompah songs, while making the listener think of other "people" McCartney tracks like Uncle Albert and Eleanor Rigby.

House of Wax, which is the longest track on the album clocking in at 5:01 can only be described as strange. It has a guitar solo that one wouldn't really expect from a McCartney album and an overall "Progressive Rock" sound. Perhaps that's why it's the only song on the album clocking in over 4 minutes. (How many progressive rock songs have you heard that are under 5 minutes?)

That Was Me and Nod Your Head are two tracks that are both funky and fun while proving that good songs can still be less than 3 minutes.

One of the stand out tracks for me is Feet In The Clouds for it's quirkiness and for it's very catchy refrain. End Of The End is a bit depressing, as the subject matter is death, and even the most lighthearted song about this subject leaves me feeling out of sorts.

This is not an album that you can listen to once and say "I love it!" It's an album that has to be played over and over again so you can appreciate some of the quirkiness as well as Paul's sense of humor that makes its way into several of the tracks on this disc.

It's not Macca at his very best, there are even times when listening that I thought his voice was going, but it's definitely a good offering. Coming off the praise that Chaos and Creation received, this may seem like a step back, but I disagree, it's just a step in a different direction. It's definitely a better album than Driving Rain, but it falls short of the brilliance he achieved with Flaming Pie. But you can compare all you want, one thing will be obvious, it's a good McCartney album, and it's one you won't mind playing over and over.

Musings On Robert Plant

Today I sent this CD off to a fellow LaLa-er. Not to worry though, I have another copy.
I know most people consider this to be one of Plant's worst discs. It's very 80's. But I defy you to find many artists that didn't sound 80's in the 80's. The Moody Blues sure as hell did on most of their albums. Blue World sounded very New Wave to me. In fact, I thought it sounded kinda Duran Duran-ish. I won't even mention the fact that Mr. Hayward seemed to be wearing an outfit similar to one worn my Mr. Simon Le Bon in the video. So if Robert went 80's on us on Now and Zen, so be it. The album produced some great singles.

If it weren't for Heaven Knows, I probably never would have paid any attention to Robert Plant, and then there was the very catchy Tall Cool One, which is still one of my favorite (forgotten) songs. After all how can a pervy girl like me not like the lyric "With one hand loose I am to satisfy"? The most beautiful song on the album is by far Ship Of Fools. It's just a really gorgeous tune that shouldn't be missed. Plant covered all bases on this album, there are rockers, ballad and stange songs. What more could you ask for really? And if the tone of the 80's rubbed off on him, so be it. It's still a solid album in my eyes and well worth the listen. I hope the LaLa-er getting it enjoys it.

Hold The Fire

It's wonderful to see a great 60's artist still recording new music. Tommy James who is famous for songs like Mony Mony and I Think We're Alone Now, is not to be discounted as another dinosaur rocker. Hold The Fire is full of great songs that are reminiscent of his early days while sounding fresh. So far the album has seen 3 singles released, Lupe & Joe, Love Words and Hold The Fire. All three are worthy of being hits.

Included on this disc is the wonderfully catchy I Love Christmas, which is truly a holiday classic and the beautiful reworking of his classic Sweet Cherry Wine. Sweet Cherry Wine is slowed down in this new incarnation, but that doesn't take away from the beauty or the message in the song. The message Tommy sent all those years ago is just as strong today as ever.

Oh, yeah, yesterday my friends were marching out to war.
Oh, yeah, listen, now, you hear them marching any more?
No, we ain't gonna fight.
Only God has the right to decide who's to live and die.
He gave us sweet cherry wine, so very fine.
Drink it right down, pass it all around;
So stimulating, so intoxicating;
Sweet cherry wine.

This album is what "classic rock" is all about. It's pop. It's entertaining. It's good. The songs will stick in your head. It's quite likely that you'll sing one or two of them as you walk down the street, in some cases you may even sing them in your sleep.

If you have $10 dollars burning a hole in your pocket, send the money to Tommy and get yourself an excellent CD that will keep you smiling for days on end.