Tribute to Woody Guthrie Review

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(More customer reviews)This cd is excellent and makes a wonderful gift for any music lover. I have played and bought this cd for many friends and all who heard it loved it. The cd contains songs and narrative written by Woody Guthrie but performed at two tribute concerts after his death by artists including Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Pete Seeger, Country Joe McDonald, and more. The background music is provided by The Band. Woody Guthrie's songs on this album, while not all happy by any means, bring out a sense of pride in the listener for our country, for the workingman, for injustices and tragedies suffered and survived. He sings and speaks of many sorrowful things such as the sufferings of migrant workers, miners, hoboes, and the "poor and downtrodden" but the overall message is one of pride and hard work, and love and compassion for your fellow man. I can put on this album when I'm sad or frustrated, or sense myself letting the petty every-day problems of life get me down, and the soul-wrenching folk music of Woody Guthrie never fails to put things back in perspective and a smile back on my face. This is one of my all-time favorite albums that I believe everyone should own!

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No Description Available.Genre: Popular MusicMedia Format: Compact DiskRating: Release Date: 7-NOV-1989

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A Cross The Universe (CD/DVD) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is one of my favorite albums. If you like to bang your head to electronic music, then this is an excellent place to start. The bands' best music is best performed on this live album. If you don't get another Justice album, then get this one. They have truly defined a new genre, and I hope to hear more of this kind of music from them in he future.
Regards,
proclus
[...]

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This live CD + DVD release includes recordings of Justice's signature headbanging live sets along with show footage and various hijinks captured as the band toured the U.S. in March 2008.

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Under The Covers: Vol. 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)As in the first volume of this series, which focused on the 60s, Sweet and Hoffs pay tribute to the 70s with more of their perfectly selected, arranged, and performed covers. While faithful to the originals, these tracks vary in many ways, both in the colors their voices bring to the harmonies and in the styles of guitar work on display.
Both performers clearly love the era and the radio singles they sang along to when they were young. Their emotional fidelity is as remarkable as their technical proficiency, and the fact that both have retained their youthful attitudes and voices in middle age (Hoffs is 50!) amazes this aging baby-boomer.
Both CDs are a joy to listen to, and we can only hope that the two will give us further volumes devoted to the 80s, when Hoffs' group The Bangles had their heyday, and to the 90s, when Sweet made his commercial breakthrough.
I also recommend the bonus tracks that you can download for this album, which include ten more interesting and adventuresome cuts:
Dreaming (3:07)
Marquee Moon (11:40) (even longer than the original!)
I Wanna Be Sedated (2:23)
Baby Blue (4:00)
You Say You Don't Love Me (3:07)
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding (4:22)
You Can Close Your Eyes (2:47)
Melissa (4:34)
Killer Queen (3:08)
A Song For You (5:07)

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Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs delighted rock and pop fans when they teamed up as Sid 'n Susie to record an album's worth of '60s classics called Under the Covers Vol. 1. Now, three years later, Under the Covers Vol. 2 finds our heroes moving forward through rock's back pages to take on another decade: the '70s. From power-pop like The Raspberries and Big Star to the soft-rock of Carly Simon and Bread, and from the classic-rock of John Lennon and Derek and the Dominos to the prog-rock of Yes, Sid 'n Susie offer a pretty thorough survey of the state of rock, just before the Sex Pistols. Features guest appearances by Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac, Steve Howe of Yes, and George Harrison's son, Dhani Harrison.

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Stone Free: Tribute to Jimi Hendrix Review

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(More customer reviews)Move on over, let P.M. Dawn, Beck/Seal, the Cure, Body Count, Buddy Guy et al., take over. An eclectic tribute album of Hendrix's greatest tunes featuring rockers, rappers and R&B artists. The Cure's cover of "Purple Haze" or Body Count's "Hey Joe" or P.M. Dawn's "You Got me Floatin' is worth the purchase price alone. Even if you didn't grow up with Henrix as a staple diet for your rock n roll body, this offering is a fourteen course meal of his musical buffet. One is left with the feeling that this collaborative group of muscians, aside from their own creative interpretative presentations, have given great reverence to a man and his music that has enormous staying power. Two thumbs and eight fingers up!

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Motown A Journey Through Hitsville USA Review

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(More customer reviews)It's disgusting and disheartening that a great group like Boyz II Men even has to MAKE a tribute album or that their last full-length album was released exclusively online and in Japan.
Worse yet is the seemingly rampant idea that the Boyz should stop recording because they "just don't sound the same" without Bass (Mike McCary).
Unforgivable is the statement by one idiotic reviewer (who, incidentally, can't even spell or use proper grammar) that this sounds like something a "soccer mom" would make and that it was cheesy because of Randy Jackson's involvement.
The fact of the matter is that people went out and made Ja Rule's remake/sampling of Stevie Wonder's "Do I do" (featuring Case-CASE!!!) a multi-platinum hit. No one complained about a classless rapper "tainting" an old song.
No one pointed out that Lauryn Hill's vocals on "Killing me Softly" were, well, SOFT and nowhere NEAR the original version.
I mean, really...PHARRELL comes out and gets FEATURED as a GUEST VOCALIST on rap songs...and people just laugh it off.
J. Lo, Britney Spears, Mya, Ciara...the list goes on and on of artists who are WHOLLY unworthy to even think about sampling great artists.
And let's not even THINK about forgetting good 'ole Mary J. Blige, who jacked a whole album worth of classic soul songs to PUT HERSELF ON THE MAP.
And with that, I begin my short argument.
First of all, Boyz II Men is--hands down--the greatest male vocal group of the past 17 years of R&B. It's not even close. ONE--JUST ONE--of their albums--II--sold more records and won more awards that Jagged Edge's and 112's ENTIRE CATALOGS PUT TOGETHER...
Second, before the Boyz even endeavored to make this and Throwback, they had already come out with FOUR studio albums, a Spanish album, a platinum Christmas album (that remains the best Christmas album of this generation), and a remix album. This doesn't include chart-topping or near hits that did NOT appear on their albums like "End of the Road", "One Sweet Day" with Mariah Carey, and "I Will Get There" (Prince of Egypt).
The Boyz didn't NEED to ESTABLISH themselves with this record. They merely RE-INTRODUCED some hits from Motown WHILE RE-INTRODUCING THEMSELVES.
Who else could sing "War" like the Boyz did here? Who else could do an acappella version of "End of the Road" featuring the incomparable singer (more comparable song-WRITER, lol), Brian McKnight? With whom else would Patti LaBelle perform "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" by Ashford and Simpson?
112? Not together.
Dru Hill? Too many personality issues...not together or on hiatus...
Jagged Edge? PLEASE. They sing WELL together, but there is NO HARMONY.
Who else IS there???
I realize that attrition is not the strongest argument, so how about this one...The album is actually a 4 1/2 star album.
The production is SUPPOSED TO SOUND DATED because the SONGS are from the 60's and 70's.
I'll admit that the only song I wasn't feeling was "Reach Out". The Boyz' voices don't fit that song. I also think that the Ribbon in the Sky acappella version was beautiful, but loses the individuality of the original and may upset some fans.
However...
"War" (what is-a good for, absolutely nothing) may make some newer listeners think about "Rush Hour"...but that song is SOOOOOOOO appropriate for the times.
"Got to be There" was a very beautiful song.
"Ain't nothing like the real thing--very soulful (actually this whole album has a lot more soul than we are used to from the Boyz and THAT IS GOOD.)
"Easy" was just magnificent--it's a tie between that one and "War" for the best song on the album.
"End of the Road"--yes, it's different without Mike, but he was never the centerpiece of the group...the other members sang all of the leads and his presence, while missed, is not fatal.
"All My Love"--wow...just WOW.No, the album isn't perfect, but neither was "II"--which is considered the group's best.
It's more in line with "Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya", which was considered a very good album.
Pick it up and listen to it all the way through...This album made me think of my childhood (I'm 31) growing up with Mom (RIP) and Dad listening to these classics...what will it remind you of??
4 1/2 stars...Very good album--WAYYYYYYYYY better than any other male vocalists out there.
P.S. Please do not be so spoiled by the relative greatness of Boyz II Men's airtight vocals that you can't appreciate living (and still young--mid-thirties) legends. People do that with Take 6.
John Stephens may call himself a legend, but the Boyz don't have to--Let's stand up and give them the ovation they deserve--as LIVING LEGENDS.
Salih Alexander, Esquire

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On November 13, 2007 the Decca Label Group will be releasing a new Boyz II Men CD that will be a tribute to some of Motown's Classic songs including The Temptations "Just My Imagination", The Miracles "Tracks Of My Tears", The Four Tops "Reach Out I'll Be There" and more all produced by American Idol's Randy Jackson. Boyz II Men is the most successful R&B male vocal group of all time. They've recorded five #1 R&B hits between 1992 and 1997 and have since sold more than 90 million albums and 50 million singles. Three of their #1 hits, "End of the Road", "I'll Make Love to You", and "One Sweet Day" (with Mariah Carey), set and broke records for the longest period of time a single remained at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Praise & Blame Review

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(More customer reviews)"Praise and Blame" is Tom Jones's first gospel album. It is not a gospel album in the usual sense; it is more in the sense of a Buddy Miller or Bob Dylan gospel album (and the most apt comparison for this CD might well be Buddy Miller's "Universal United House of Prayer"). Speaking of Dylan, this set opens with a gorgeous rendition of Dylan's "What Good Am I?" Jones's take on this song rivals another wonderful version several years back by Solomon Burke. In addition to "What Good Am I?" we get a marvelous cover of Billy Joe Shaver's "If I Give My Soul" (taken at a slower tempo than the original Shaver version), Susan Werner's "Did Trouble Me" (a modern masterpiece), John Lee Hooker's "Burning Hell," and The Staple Singers' "Don't Knock." Adding to these more modern songs Jones also goes back to Rosetta Tharpe and Mahalia Jackson. The arrangements are appropriately and often hauntingly spare. It is amazing and pleasing to note how Jones's enormous musical gifts are still very much intact at 70 and after nearly a half-century of performing. "Praise and Blame" is among the four best albums of Jones's career. Any Tom Jones fan will have to have this CD in his collection. Fans of gosepl music and blues music should delight in it as well.

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"We wanted to go back to basics, go back to the source, it was just me singing live with a rhythm section - no overdubbing, no gimmicks, no complicated horn and string arrangements, just get the song down in an entire take, capture the meaning of the song, its spirituality, its life, and capture that moment, right there. And I think that's what we've done," says Tom Jones, the veteran singer from Wales, who turns 70 this year and who has just completed `Praise and Blame', his follow up to 2008's acclaimed `24 Hours' and quite simply his finest work to date. It is a truly remarkable record, one that captures the Tom Jones who listened to Mahalia Jackson and Sister Rosetta Tharpe on the radio as a child growing up, who thought gospel music was "just like rock'n'roll, every bit as exciting but with deeper lyrics", the Tom Jones who belted out The Lord's Prayer as a jubilatory spiritual in school assembly, "because that was the only way I knew how to sing it, it was natural for me." This is Tom Jones going back to his roots on an album of gospel, blues, traditional and country songs, wearing his heart on his sleeve, emotionally raw and true. Recording with producer Ethan Johns (Kings Of Leon, Ray LaMontagne, Paolo Nutini, Laura Marling) at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in the little village of Box in Wiltshire, coaxed the most exhilarating performances out of the singer. With musicians including steel guitarist BJ Cole, keyboardist Booker T Jones (of Memphis soul legends Booker T and the MGs), Hammond organist Chris Holland and background vocalists Gillian Welch, Alison Pierce, Dave Rawlings and Orin Waters at hand, Tom has quite simply delivered his tour de force. It's him bearing his soul, singing from the heart, telling it like it is.

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Your Songs Review

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(More customer reviews)There's a very interesting article from The Globe and Mail online that chronicles this, Harry Connick's first (and hopefully last) collaboration with mega-producer Clive Davis. Connick claims that the album was "the kind of...market-minded disc that [he] thought he'd never do, `not in a million years.'" Connick is quoted as saying that working with Davis at times left him "pissed" and "humiliated," and feeling "What am I doing, auditioning for this dude?" If there's proof positive that an artist of Connick's caliber should trust his own instincts, it's this seriously misguided collection of pop pablum.
The album starts with a fairly standard big-band arrangement of "All the Way," that clearly tells us we're in "When Harry Met Sally" territory. Which is fine, that's a place in which I'm more than happy to live. But what follows is dreadful: a cheesy version of Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" that turns this simple, Grammy-winning classic into the theme from "Love, American Style." And other tacky renditions of tacky songs follow: A hokey, bluegrass version of Elton John's "Your Song;" Easy Listening takes on Beatles and Burt Bacharach tunes; a lackluster, rinky dink "Can't Help Falling in Love With You" that made me want to sway and hold up a lighter. Wynton Marsalis' trumpet solos only reinforce that's it all very Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.
I've always regarded Mr. Connick as an arbiter of good taste and classy jazz, neither of which he displays here. There are thousands of brilliant, moving standards out there, and instead we get...Don McLean's "And I Love Her So?" Really? Disheartening to say the least.
To be fair, not all the tracks misfire. The abum's last three, including "Who Can I Turn To?" (which I was expecting to go over the top) are actually restrained and heartfelt; and the Nelson Riddle type arrangement for "Besame Mucho" works quite well. That it's pretty much the same one employed for "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Some Enchanted Evening" speaks again to just how uninspired and cookie cutter this album feels and sounds.
I'm not sure how reproducing the Perry Como Songbook is keeping Mr. Connick relevant, but Clive Davis has a plan. He did, after all, bring Barry Manilow back from the dead, and got a Grammy for doing so. We can only hope he confines himself to producing, and doesn't introduce Connick to Mr. Manilow's plastic surgeon.

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2009 album from the singer, pianist and actor, an album of cover versions of songs requested by his many fans. Like his best-selling Only You of 2004, Your Songs consists of Connick singing familiar songs with a full Jazz big band and string orchestra, and, as with nearly all of Harry's previous albums, he wrote each of the orchestrations himself. He also recruited two of his lifelong friends from New Orleans, Branford and Wynton Marsalis, as well as bluegrass guitar virtuoso Bryan Sutton, for guest appearances. 14 tracks including 'Mona Lisa', 'Smile', 'Just The Way You Are' and more.

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Soulbook Review

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(More customer reviews)(3.5 stars)
Rod Stewart's latest CD, "Soulbook," has him singing fairly well but it's not exactly the best album he has ever released. For Rod's fans when he was doing a much, much different style of music, this may not be for them unless they also like this genre of music, too. Rod's voice may not be quite as strong as it was twenty or more years ago; but that's the aging process. I will say that Rod still delivers his songs from the heart and that's admirable. The track set lets the songs flow rather well into each other and that enhances the album but then again there are a few missteps along the way. Some numbers are stronger than others for sure!
"It's The Same Old Song" is very well done; and this starts the album off in a good direction. The drums and percussion add a lot to the arrangement. The music fits in very well with Rod's vocals and he never misses a beat, either! "My Cherie Amour" features Stevie Wonder singing with Rod; I like it but this is truly Stevie's song. Moreover, at this stage in his life Rod's voice just can't measure up to the Stevie's original performance back in the day. Sorry, Rod! On the other hand, however, "You Make Me Feel Brand New" charms me with its beauty; Mary J. Blige does a great job with Rod and that's grand. They should do more duets together! I also really like "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher;" the arrangement works wonders for this classic tune.
"Let It Be Me" is a stunner that has Rod Stewart singing wonderfully with Jennifer Hudson. Hudson was the perfect choice for this duet--heck, she could sing out the phonebook and I'd be standing there applauding! Rod's vocals are also easy on the ear. In addition, "Rainy Night in Georgia" is a big highlight of this album. "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" is another song that gets a fine treatment; Rod sings this and the backup singers harmonize to perfection.
Whether or not you'll like the other tracks depends on your personal preferences. To my mind, other songs that make the grade include "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" and "If You Don't Know Me by Now." The arrangements for the other tracks are good but they could have been better and Rod's voice just isn't quite solid enough to rank as high in my book as it used to rank although I do get the clear impression that Rod sings with all his heart and soul and I admire that.
Overall, "Soulbook" is an album for people who like classic soul music and covers of those tunes; and Rod Stewart diehard fans may want to get this because they would probably like to have everything Rod ever did or will do. The more casual fan, however, would do well to keep looking for other soul albums; this is a pretty good album but it's just not completely distinguished.

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2009 album from the Grammy Award winning Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer. SoulBook is a collection of classic'60s and '70s era Soul favorites sung by one of the most interpretive voices in music. Stewart is personally passionate about this project, which is a return to his beginnings when he fronted The Jeff Beck Band and the critically-revered band The Faces, iconic in the history books for fusing American roots music - Rock, Soul and Blues. Soulbook reunites Stewart with his longtime collaborators, producers Steve Tyrell and Steve Jordan, of Rolling Stones/Xpensive Winos fame, who also brought in top musicians Ray Parker Jr., Waddy Watchel, Darrell Jones, Dean Parks and David Paich to join Rod in the studio for the album.

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Richard Thompson - 1000 Years of Popular Music (2 CD & 1 DVD Set) Review

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(More customer reviews)What began as Richard Thompson's cheekily literal response to Playboy when asked to name the "Ten Greatest Songs of the Millennium" has blossomed into something of a cottage industry for the cult folk/rock hero, spawning a concert tour, a limited edition CD, and now even a DVD.
And this is cause for celebration, because even though Mr. Thompson humbly asserts that "I am unqualified to sing 98% of the material here," you'd be hard-pressed to find another performer with the talent, intellect, and wit required to present this diverse and eclectic collection of songs in such an enjoyable and entertaining way.
A project like this could have easily descended into a tedious, winking, postmodern concert-length joke, and certainly Thompson and his troupe have a little fun with Gilbert & Sullivan and Britney Spears -- who wouldn't? But what ultimately makes 1,000 Years work so well is the sincerity and respect with which all of this material is treated, from Elizabethan ballads to coal miner songs to Shenandoah to Nat King Cole to Squeeze. The trio even manage to convincingly perform an a capella madrigal!
While about half of this "popular music" is understandably rooted in the 20th century, Thompson also adapts an impressive collection of tunes from the other 900 years of the past millennium (the ones that Playboy apparently wasn't very interested in), aided only by the back-up vocals, percussion, and occasional (and usually unnecessary) keyboards of Debra Dobkin and/or Judith Owen.
This backing duo (not exactly a "band") provides tasteful and unobtrusive accompaniment when needed. The only misfire occurs when Ms. Owen sings self-consciously "jazzy" and affected lead vocals on Night and Day and Cry Me A River, made even worse on the DVD format by her distracting and annoying hand gestures. I sure would have rather heard these classic songs sung by Richard Thompson (or just about anyone else, for that matter.)
There aren't any DVD "bonus features" per se, but a few interesting and amusing interview clips and rehearsal footage moments are interspersed here and there, and both stereo and 5.1 surround sound options are available. There are also two "bonus CDs" provided with the same audio as the DVD (presumably so you can also listen to this concert in your car, buggy, or covered wagon.)
Overall, Richard Thompson's 1,000 Years of Popular Music is one of the most enjoyable concert DVDs I have seen, from the rousing "Sumer Is Icumen In" opener to the boisterous final encore of "Sam Hall."
And without a dobut -- this is the greatest set list of the millennium.

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Richard Thompson - guitar & vocalsMichael Jerome - percussionJudith Owen - vocalsThe idea for this project came from Playboy Magazine - I was asked to submit a list, in late 1999, of the ten greatest songs of the Millenium. Hah! I thought, hypocrites - they don't mean millennium, they mean twenty years - I'll call their bluff and do a real thousand-year selection. My list was similar to the choices here on this CD, starting in about 1068, and winding slowly up to 2001. That they failed to print my list among others submitted by rock's luminaries, is but a slight wound - it gave me the idea for this show, which has been performed occasionally, and will hopefully receive a few more airings. The idea is that Popular Music comes in many forms, through many ages, and as older forms get superceded, sometimes the baby is thrown out with the bathwater - great ideas, tunes, rhythms, styles, get left in the dust of history, so let's have a look at what's back there, and see if still does the trick. I am unqualified to sing 98% of the material here, but me having a go could be considered part of the fun. Also, trying to render an Arthur Sullivan orchestration with acoustic guitar and snare drum is pretty desperate stuff, but may, at a stretch, be thought charming. What appears on this CD is a performance, rather than a chronological, distillation of several different shows - hence some gaps in the 17th and 18th centuries, and too much weight on Music Hall and Rock & Roll - we just felt that some performances weren't quite captured - perhaps on Part Two?

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