The Best Yet Review

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(More customer reviews)Switchfoot is certainly a driving force within the realm of Christian Rock, and after six albums, they've certainly cemented their place. So in-between their current crossroads, they want to make sure you know they're still around, so they've put out a best-of album. And of course, as is the case with all best-ofs, they open a can of worms to wiggle about.
But the usual pitfall is avoided here, by coming out with a strong set of songs that represent the vastness of Switchfoot. A strong set of 18 tracks anchor the release, almost maxing out the allowed time for a CD, but they add nothing you've never heard before. Of course there's a bias towards "The Beautiful Letdown," with it making up a third of the album. And also not surprisingly, the album has mostly songs from their last three releases. The range is a very good overview of the band, from the classic "Learning to Breathe," the haunting "Only Hope," to the amazing "Twenty-Four." You'll also get their Chronicles of Narnia track, "This Is Home."
And while it's still a pretty good overview, and better than what most bands do, they still left out songs like "Chem 6a," "New Way To Be Human," "You Already Take Me There," and "Paparazzi." Trivial sure, and fan-favorites all the way, they still did a good job regardless. But then there's the classic best-of question of, "Who's this for, exactly?" The answer is of course limited to the new fans, and the hardcore fans. Of course, if you get the special edition with the DVD, it just becomes that more appetizing.
So overall, for a best-of release, it gets a lot right. Good song selection from a great band. I'd rather the band released a b-side album like Relient K and Anberlin have done, or a professional live album, since they put on a great show. But for the audio portion, there just aren't many reasons to buy. Consider however if you get the edition with the DVD.

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The Best Yet is Switchfoot's first greatest hits compilation and it features the best songs from all their albums. Over the course of 10 years, Switchfoot has become one of the most successful and respected bands in rock music and they are is known for creating groundbreaking music that is compelling for both its sound and presence, and socially aware lyrics. With their breakthrough album The Beautiful Letdown, Switchfoot's music resonated with a broader audience and they saw two singles climb into the Top 10 at Pop Radio.

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Jason Mraz's Beautiful Mess - Live On Earth (CD/DVD) Review

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(More customer reviews)The second official full length concert recording from Jason Mraz, Beautiful Mess is an apt demonstration of his continued growth as an artist and performer. Recorded during the Gratitude Cafe Tour, this CD/DVD set is well suited for new fans and old hats alike.
The setlist, while unsurprisingly heavy on We Sing, We Dance, We Steal things, is well chosen and does a solid job of showcasing Mraz's sound of late and the tour the show was part of. "The Remedy" gets a new Reggae-style arrangement, "Make it Mine" is accompanied by long-time tour intro, and fan-favorite, "Traveler" and "Coyotes" reaches it's full potential as a surprisingly rockin' live jam. The two new tunes, "Sunshine Song" (previously known as "Ray of Sunshine") and "Anything You Want", also offer a promising look at what's to come. There's no pleasing everyone and quibbling over setlist selection is unavoidable but overall I think the set included on Beautiful Mess gets the job done. Although, attendees of the Chicago show will want to take note that half a dozen songs performed the night of the recording didn't make the final cut. Lionel Richie's "All Night Long" and a cover of the Bushwalla tune "Fall Through Glass", which became signatures of the tour are, however, welcome additions. As is the solo performance of "The Boy's Gone" which features Mraz playing to an empty Charter One Pavilion the night before the show was recorded.
Mraz's vocals are characteristically strong and his band top notch. The Grooveline Horns are featured prominently with multiple solos and their own interlude "Copchase". With keyboards, rhythm guitarist, bass, drums and ever-present "vocusionist" Toca Rivera on board, the sound on Beautiful Mess is full and robust but never becomes overbearing or cluttered.
The DVD also contains a pair of featurettes. "Un Beau Desordre" is a mocumentary featuring Mraz and long-time pal/roommate Billy "Bushwalla" Galewood touring Charter One and "overseeing" every part of the show's production. "We Sing, We Dance, We Make Videos" features director Darren Doane and Mraz sharing the story, and behind the scenes footage, of their collaboration on the three videos from the latest album; "I'm Yours", "Make it Mine" and "Lucky".
Beautiful Mess vs. Tonight Not Again
I'm sure there are more than a few folks just discovering Mraz and debating which live DVD they should pick up. To avoid the wholly useless (though completely justified) advice of "get both", I'll offer a bit of comparison. Both shows are enjoyable yet vastly different in both content and production. Sound wise, the significantly smaller Eagles Ballroom gives Tonight Not Again a more intimate feel while the outdoor Charter One Pavilion lends a grander, more expansive tone to Beautiful Mess. Both mixes are high quality, with vocals appropriately up front. The horns play a more prominent role on Beautiful Mess with the Grooveline boys taking a few welcome solos while The Ohio Players appear only on select tracks on Tonight Not Again. I would say that for live DVDs, both shows offer a pretty good balance of crowd noise. That is to say that neither show really suffers from any sort of distracting screaming, though there may be a few debatable moments on Tonight Not Again.
The setlists from the two shows are completely different with the only duplicate song between the two being "The Remedy" which is performed in a completely different style on Beautiful Mess. Both albums reflect the album being toured to support at the time, but Beautiful Mess also offers a couple of new tunes.
Both DVDs contain some fun bonus features. Tonight Not Again features the 20 minute "International So and So" which follows Mraz on part of his world tour as well as a behind the scenes featurette on the taping of the show. Beautiful Mess follows suit with the Mocumentary "Un Beau Desordre" featuring Bushwalla and the featurette We Sing, We Dance, We Make videos. Both will be well worth watching for fans and entertaining at the least for the casually acquainted.
The biggest difference between the two CD/DVDs, other than song content, might be that Tonight Not Again features interspersed interview segments between songs, while Beautiful Mess sticks to just the music. Both shows lack much of the between song banter that's become familiar to Mraz fans but doesn't lend itself well to a live recording.
In general, I'd say that fans of We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things will definitely want to pick up Beautiful Mess if you're interested in hearing those songs fully realized in the live setting or look into Tonight Not Again if you're more interested in hearing what else Mraz has to offer (which is plenty). Past that, comparing the two DVDs really becomes a matter of apples and oranges so flip a coin, pick one up, then save your pennies and grab the other one when you can.

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Jason Mraz follows up his platinum selling 2008 release 'We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.' with a brand new release, 'JASON MRAZ'S BEAUTIFUL MESS - LIVE ON EARTH' This Live CD/DVD was filmed at Jason's Gratitude Café Tour date at the Charter One Pavilion - Chicago (August 13, 2009). 'JASON MRAZ'S BEAUTIFUL MESS - LIVE ON EARTH' features all of the old favorites as well as the hits Lucky (with a special guest appearance from Colbie Caillat), and I'm Yours from 'We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.' The DVD, directed by Darren Doane, features the full length concert, never-before-seen bonus footage, and a special mockumentary titled 'un beau desordre'.

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Story of Your Life Review

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(More customer reviews)For his new record, The Story Of Your Life, Matthew West did something unusual: He turned the microphone around. Rather than write about what he was experiencing in his life, he asked his fans to submit the stories of their lives. When he opened up this opportunity to his fans, the message spread quickly - and soon almost 10,000 stories were submitted. Radio stations, media outlets, and retailers caught the vision and helped spread the word of this unique album. What emerged on The Story of Your Life is a powerful collection of songs that cover a diverse range of difficult subject matter.
The stories gave Matthew a window into what his fans had experienced in their lives. And they covered a wide range of human experiences and emotions. "My Own Little World" perhaps serves as a capstone to the entire album, describing a person who lived in their own "little world" and then was awakened to the bigger picture of need and God's work in the world. Following the great trend already established by Matthew West of completely transparent and vulnerable lyrics, "My Own Little World" addresses the truth of personal selfishness that most believers are too proud to admit. I applaud Matthew for once again convicting me that my faith is not just for me and God, but needs to be expressed in outward appreciation for what God has done for me. "Strong Enough" is the most vertical worship song and my overall favorite song on the album. It includes a great bridge "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength, and I don't have to be strong enough." The song is based on Philippians 4:13 and is an uplifting, catchy and encouraging song.
Another of the album's strongest tunes is "To Me," which West wrote in response to a letter from a mother whose heart was aching over the way other kids cruelly treated her son in middle school. "So I wrote this song from the perspective of that parent," West explains, "and it says, `they don't know you like I know you and if they did I know they'd see. . .you are heaven's finest invention by far, so even brighter than the brightest star, what I'd give to make you see who you are to me.'" Another powerful song about parenthood is "One Less," a song about adoption that West cites as one of his favorites on the album. "There are a lot of stories that inspired this song, but there was one specific one from a family in Tennessee that went about trying to adopt this little girl from Guatemala," he relates. "It's an amazing story of redemption, both for the child and for the parents.""Family Tree" deals with a dysfunctional family and a girl whose dying homosexual father talked about the family legacy. The girl who submitted the story felt God speaking to her saying "You have My legacy because you are My child." It is a poignant and moving song and has a great affirming chorus from God's perspective: "No, this is not your legacy, this is not your meant to be, I can break the chains that bind you."
CLOSING THOUGHTS
From "More" to "You Are Everything" and "The Motions," I continue to hear a progression musically and lyrically from Matthew West. The Story of Your Life is yet another solid album from one of Christian music's most prolific singer-songwriters. Certainly "My Own Little World," "To Me," "Strong Enough" and "One Less" will all get heavy radio airplay and deserve recognition. Those songs all have very strong messages and are all catchy and uplifting.

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For his new record, Matthew West did something unusual: He turned the microphone around. Rather than write about what he was experiencing in his life, he asked his fans to submit the stories of their lives. When he opened up this opportunity to his fans, the message spread quickly - and soon almost 10,000 stories were submitted. Radio stations, media outlets, and retailers caught the vision and helped spread the word of this unique album.The stories gave Matthew a window into what his fans had experienced in their lives. And they covered a wide range of human experiences and emotions. From joy to sorrow, struggle to victory, and life and death. The song "Family Tree" describes how Christ gives us a new identity and legacy and life, while "One Less' chronicles the joy of adoption and helping those most in need. "Broken Girl" tragically recounts the countless stories Matthew received about sexual abuse - and describes the healing and redemption that Christ promises. "My Own Little World" perhaps serves as a capstone to the entire album, describing a person who lived in their own "little world" and then was awakened to the bigger picture of need and God's work in the world.

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