With not a single hint of waning, American Classic brings out everything great about Nelson, but with a softer edge. American Classic highlights Nelson's jazzier side, losing the bit of country flair for the classier, perhaps more suiting wandering jazz coat that has been on the horizon for the last while of Nelson's career. New tracks and covers ("Fly Me To The Moon", "If I Had You," and a few others) makes American Classic another in a long line of Nelson's spotless records.
*****Shelton's Single of the Week: "Ain't Misbehaving,"*********
EDITOR'S NOTE: Will make you happy, and that's what music ought to do.
DeVoe has the low-energy pop persona down pat. With a bit of soul influence tossed in for good measure, Strange Sunshine is an album composed of only the most quality ingredients.
Beautiful vocal melodies (which, in all honesty, are what make the entire album), original and organic instrumentation, and nothing short of a full heart of emotion thrown in, there is nothing wrong with this package.
******Shelton's Single of the Week: "Strange Sunshine,"*********
EDITOR'S NOTE: The lyrics define every aspect ot its being.
Hendrix like you have never heard him before. Yes, everyone has been subjected to Are You Experienced at one point in their life, and most of us can't get enough of the record. But that doesn't change the fact that what you've heard before is nothing more than Hendrix stripped down.
Live 1968: Paris/Ottawa and Live in Paris 1967 are Jimi Hendrix at his best: super high energy, solos that human brains cannot comprehend as guitar playing, and everything else that is great in the world.
Two versions of "Purple Haze" and "Fire," a rendition of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," and all the classics you could dream of, these albums are essential for anyone who cares about music at all.
************BEST ALBUM OF THE WEEK********************
****Shelton's Single of the Week: "Foxey Lady,"*****************
EDITOR'S NOTE: If you didn't know that Jimi was the greatest guitarist in history, get these albums.
Daughter of Hank Williams Jr. and half-sister to Hank Williams III, Holly Williams certainly has a shadow to break out of. Luckily, she blows Williams III out of the water, leaving only her father and grandfather to overcome.
More traditional singer/songwriter country than her musical kin, Williams relies heavily on her full voice to move the music, which it certainly does. Songs are overproduced and textured, which works in this case and allows Williams to explore her musical ability to its full potential.
****** Shelton's Single of the Week: "Alone,"**************
EDITOR'S NOTE: Abject singing makes the lyrics sound genuinely humane.
Give Bird a few minutes, and I promise you'll warm up to him. Despite his brand of indie-pop which walks the thin line between genius and boring, Noble Beast manages to put one foot in front of the other from beginning to end of the album, creating one of the more masterful pop-folk releases as of late.
His distinct voice lays groundwork for the entire release, driving every song towards their content endings. This record is worth whatever hurdles it takes to get to.
******ARTIST TO WATCH!!!*******************
Here's the issue: I know Nugent is the scum of the Earth, but I still can't help but like his music. I mean, no-holding-back hard rock with ripping solos and a huge personality to match? Little in the rock world is better. But, even though I don't quite get off on the vague self-loathing from Nugent's anti-animal rights and love of degrading women, I still can't help but enjoy his records.
I cannot, though, back another live Nugent album. Why in the name of distortion do you need a seventh album of you playing the same songs, doing the same stupid banter, and proving your stupidity over and over? I guess some people just love degrading themselves with whatever will get them a bit of press.
******ARTIST TO WATCH!!!*******************
Despite the sketchy nature of his death, Sam Cooke's legacy will be a lasting one. Pioneering soul, and the subsequent entire industry of music that arose from it, created a sound and approach that has set in to craft the art of modern music.
Ain't That Good News was groundbreaking from its '64 release, spreading the emotions and drive that created Cooke's sound as his own. One of the best performers of the twentieth century.
************LATE BUT GREAT***********
*******Shelton's SIngle of the Week: "Good Times,"***********
EDITOR'S NOTE: Try to subdue his hormones with common sense - no hope.
While supporting veterans is incredibly under-discussed and needs more recognition, glorifying military and war is complete nonsense. Ironically, so is Montgomery Gentry's For Our Heroes.
Obnoxious country with some descent song construction, but with pride that is virtually audible throughout the record. Not only this, but when you have stupid ideas, its best to at least write interesting music. Unfortunately, the album is also a huge bore, and makes me wish that Johnny Cash was still around to kick these two into shape.
************LATE BUT GREAT***********
ĘPioneer of hip-hop production The Alchemist's third album Chemical Warfare pulls off the stylistic hip-hop flawlessly. Think Mobb Deep, but with less hard-hitting MC work.
The real genius here lies in the work between production and The Alchemist's lyrical delivery: every syllable was thought through and spewed perfectly. While the thematics are a bit cheesy at moments, the album is one of the better crafted hip-hop records of the year.
**************MIGHTY MIGHTY**********************
Pioneer of the New Orleans r&b sound, Allen Toussaint has done it again with The Bright Mississippi. The sounds that are felt the world over as N.O. sound, Toussaint has made it less an artform as an identity for his musical work.
Heavy on piano and swingin' horns, the record is jam packed with intricacy, musicianship, and soul. If you like jazz, oh man, are you in for a treat with this one.
EDITOR'S NOTE: He captures what every person goes through: that time of tears, whether its joy, sorrow or love.
Luckily, this band's miserable name is only trumped by their awful music. Bad nu-metal influenced alternative rock with vocals resembling Korn and the like really reinforce the notion that all creativity is dead, and music has lost all artform. This band is just stupid.
***********LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL*****************
This album is no surprise at all. Randy Travis, twenty-five years on the airwaves, give us what he always does: the best in contemporary country. His country twang is signature to everything he does, making nothing that we can really argue with. Travis is one of the characters that you either love, or don't like country. He knows what he is doing.
Around The Bend highlights mostly him and his guitar, but to no ones surprise it is heavily produced with every other possibly country instrument at some point or another. Mainstream records tend to do that, which works quite well in Travis' case. The album, the first in almost eight years, may be one of his most personal yet, dealing with inner conflict. Also on here is a spotless cover of "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright".
***********LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL*****************
Revolutionary blues-jazz that took a complete overhaul to the constructs of how we think about music. With a liberal sense of where the beat actually lies, Memphis Slim took the world by storm with mesmerizing melodies that seemed to defy all logic with speed and intricacy.
The Folkway Years displays the better half of Slim's career, focusing primarily on his piano-based work, proving to the world the light that was Memphis Slim.
************POLITICAL ALBUM OF THE WEEK*******************
While I certainly wouldn't call this "dirty" blues, there's something definitely gritty about Make A Move. Musically, it's all over the place: guitars are playing different things for a good portion of the record, accents are thrown in at random intervals, and the vocals are perfectly accented with a good, healthy dose of reverb.
Conceptually, though, the album feels pretty standard. Straightforward blues approach that runs, with no let downs, from beginning to end of the record. Not exactly my cup of tea, but if I can't help but enjoy myself while playing this, this is bound to be gold to any avid blues listener.
************POLITICAL ALBUM OF THE WEEK*******************
Something between smooth jazz and r&b lies Mimi Jones. Song structures diverge from all logic, giving Jones the flair that sets her apart from all others setting out to perform in a scene such as this.
While original, the compositions sit a little too comfortably. Almost nothing here stands out song-to-song, but there isn't a single painful chord on the entire recording. Albeit a bit of a bore, A New Day shows Jones's accuracy with the tricks of the trade, but has forgot to add the "interesting" factor to the mix.
**************** NEW ALBUM OF THE WEEK**********
I've never cared much for Pete Yorn, and Back & Fourth isn't changing that. I take that back: I don't care about Yorn, but the man does have his moments. Not many of them, but he does have them.
His harmonies create the beautiful heavy-ness that I am a huge sucker for, and certain progressions seem to work out flawlessly, but overall Back & Fourth is just a bore. Uninteresting songs with no real energy or captivating moments create nothing that I could possibly care about, meaning this album is going right to the "yawn" pile.
************POLITICAL ALBUM OF THE WEEK*******************
Aside from an overdose on Pitbull tracks, the Fast & Furious soundtrack fulfills all of the promises of a Hollywood franchise existing solely for more money.
Catchy hip-hop from Busta Rhymes, Rye Rye, and more than enough Pitbull, the record collects surprisingly good songs for a film that is so based on bad looks and less interesting cars.
*********Shelton's Single of the Week: "Stronger Than Jesus,"********
Rockabilly played from old-timers sits so much better with me than youngsters trying to relive the long-buried past. Bill Noonan tones it down a bit, but still hitting all the key points: wailing solos, rambling vocals, and the general repetitiveness that signifies rock & roll for what it was so long ago.
Heartfelt songs about love, The Man That I Can't Be has hit the nail right on the head. I wish everyone else would be reading this man's notes.
"SO NICE GOTTA DO IT UP TWICE" (created by the original NYC D.J., Jocko, 1955)
EDITOR'S NOTE: He drives around aimlessly - feeling there's no way to be in his kind of hell, no way to extinguish a flame that burns, burns, burns.
Remember William Shatner's rendition of pop songs? Well, Lookin' For A Change is that, but not embarrassing. Piano-driven soul makes a perfect new lens to view modern pop songs.
I got hooked on opening "Crazy", which reenacts the r&b hit perfectly, taking just the right amount of liberties to envision a song that fits just as well either way. McBrides musician ship matches everything else about this record, so if you love pop covers, this album's for you.
************POLITICAL ALBUM OF THE WEEK*******************
While his politics remain veiled and foggy at best, Young Jeezy's The Recession strikes a chord as a hip-hop album success. Nothing fantastic, but with a solid flow and stellar beats, the album works in every avenue it walks onto. With cameo's from Nas and Kanye West, the record's only low point is Jeezy's hyphy influence, which makes him sound more drunk than artistic.
************POLITICAL ALBUM OF THE WEEK*******************
Country-influenced indie rock forerunners Wilco return to us with another stellar album. The band refuses to sit in their cages, instead preferring to reach out with all their strength to pull in as many new attributes that they can infuse into one record.
From start to finish, (The Album) is golden: every track lays perfectly with its neighbors, showing just how good this band actually is. For anyone who likes interesting music, this album comes highly recommended.
***************If You Like Music You're Gonna Love This******************
I felt the earth on Monday. It moved beneath my feet.
In the form of a morning paper. Laid out for me to see.
Saw his face in a corner picture. I recognized the name.
Could not stop staring at the. Face I'd never see again.
It's a shame to awake in a world of pain
What does it mean when a war has taken over
It's the same everyday in a hell manmade
What can be saved, and who will be left to hold her?
The whole world...World over.
It's a worldwide suicide.
Medals on a wooden mantle. Next to a handsome face.
That the president took for granted.
Writing checks that others pay.
And in all the madness. Thought becomes numb and naive.
So much to talk about. Nothing for to say.
It's the same everyday and the wave won't break
Tell you to pray, while the devils on their shoulder
Laying claim to the take that our soldiers save
Does not equate, and the truth's already out there
The whole world,... World over.
It's a worldwide suicide.
The whole world,... World over.
It's a worldwide suicide.
Looking in the eyes of the fallen
You got to know there's another, another, another, another
Another way
It's a shame to awake in a world of pain
What does it mean when a war has taken over
It's the same everyday and the wave won't break
Tell you to pray, while the devils on their shoulder
The whole world,... World over.
It's a worldwide suicide.
The whole world,... World over.
It's a worldwide suicide.
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