Give Up
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 February, 2003)
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Editorial Review

Give Up, the debut release by this indie supergroup composed of Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie and Jimmy Tamborello from Dntel, is a smart, quaint, and often transcendent little pop record. The roots of the album lie in "(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan," a woozy, gorgeous song recorded for the rad 2001 Dntel album Life Is Full of Possibilities. With Jimmy in L.A. and Ben in Seattle, the two simply mailed tracks back and forth, collaborating via (you guessed it) the United States Post Office. Lyrically it’s far breezier and happier (though not too happy) than anything Gibbard had written up to this point for Death Cab. The music is an elastic, very smart update of synth-pop and the melodies crystal clear, while the backing vocals courtesy of Jen Wood and Jenny Lewis are spartan and pretty. The songs stick in your head for days at a time. Forget the tags that have been thrown up against this music--Poptronica? New new new order? Please just enjoy this album. It just might be a classic--but of what exactly, we’re not quite sure. --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Reviews (341)

THE ELECTRONIC DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
This cd isn't the best cd I have ever heard but is still very good. To be honest I like more DCFC but they are still one of the best music bands on these days of bad , overrated, and unoriginal music. The combination bewtween the electronic beats and the voice of the singer is great and sometimes beautiful soundscapes result in their songs. My personal favorites are Nothing Better and Brand New colony, please check the lyrice of nothing better, they are just amazing and the way the singer combines with the woman to sing the song together is awesome. This cd is worth your money and really deserves serious attention.

decent beats, cheesy vocals.
sorry, but the vocals sound like he's reading paragraphs from a short story written in a high school creative writing class.the awkwardly square delivery and below average voice do not help either.a few of the tracks have rather nice beats.more poetic lyrics and an interesting voice and postal service might actually have something.

Not quite there
"Give Up" had a lot of potential from the start, but fell flat after a few tracks.A couple of songs stand out ("Such Great Heights" and "We Will Become Silhouettes") and are really great tracks, but the rest of the album could easily be mistaken for some guy sitting around a studio messing with the Super Mario Brothers soundtrack.

Ben Gibbard, the lead singer, has a very weak, faint voice that sometimes makes you want to cringe, especially when it's in a somber setting, but all that changes when he gets a solid beat and catchy rhythm moving.Unfortunately most of the tracks didn't provide the jolt he needed, so it's tough to get through the whole album without losing focus. ... Read more

Asin: B000089CJI
Subjects:  1. IDM    2. Indie Electronic    3. Indie Pop    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. United States of America   

On Your Way Home
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (16 September, 2003)
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Editorial Review

Patty Loveless has spent her career choosing between country pop and hardcore country, and she’s produced masterpieces in both styles (Long Stretch of Lonesome and Mountain Soul, respectively).But now it seems she’s sick of having to choose at all. On Your Way Home is built equally around the boot-scooting rhythms of contemporary country and the phrasing, melodies, and instrumentation of honky-tonk and bluegrass.For instance, "I Don’t Want to Be that Strong" begins, hushed, in a manner as perfect for a front-porch performance by fiddle and guitar, then skyrockets into right-now power ballad territory even as an old-school pedal-steel guitar keeps wanging away.She cries here at a grandfather’s funeral; gets so horny, on the Rodney Crowell-penned first single, that she calls in sick; goes carousing on Buddy and Julie Miller’s "Lookin’ for a Heartache Like You"; and on the title track, confronts a husband about where he stops on his way home from work. Loveless’ every strangled, knotty note is classic in content and contemporary in execution. And vice versa, too. --David Cantwell ... Read more

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Reviews (22)

Real McCoy without the twang...
Now this is good country music...the real McCoy without the twang and so much better than what the music industry tries to pass off as country. There are lots of guitars, fiddles and pedal steel giving this CD a real down-home rootsy feel. Loveless possesses an excellent voice that emotes honestly. The one negative is that none of the songs are hers but she covers some great talent such as Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Miller and Rodney Crowell. The last cut is a real tearjerker called "The Grandpa That I Knew".

A Little Short of the Mountain Soul Standard
Among many other sterling attributes, Patty Loveless and/or her husband-producer Emory Gordy sure know how to close out a CD.The Grandpa That I Know tears me up every time, as sure as One Day I Will Lead the Parade, Where I'm Bound and Sounds of Loneliness did on previous albums.

Much of On Your Way Home continues the roots bluegrass of Mountain Soul.Songs like On Your Way Home, Born Again Fool and Higher than the Wall -- all by different songwriters, some of them mainstream country regulars -- nonetheless manage, in the hands of Loveless and her band, to sound as if, to take a lyric from Grandpa, they "never dreamed beyond the county line."There is also a terrific long-term substance abuse song, Last in a Long Lonesome Line, that great though it is simply does not track with the gorgeous Ms. Loveless.Hank Williams, George Jones, yes, but Patty Loveless singing "They say the blood in my body is agin' like wine"?I don't think so.

On Your Way Home lacks Mountain Soul's consistency because two or three cuts yank it back as close to country FM radio bland as Loveless gets.Looking for a Heartache Like You, ironically co-written by the enormously talented Buddy and Julie Miller -- along with Jim Lauderdale --, is just dull.And where The Boys are Back Again immediately introduced Mountain Soul as a fresh, traditional sound, Draggin' My Heart Around and Nothin' Like the
Lonely are good but nothing that grabs you and won't let go.

Stay out of the city, Patty, stay in Harlan County and think about doing some writing or arranging of your own, as on a couple Mountain Soul songs.

Patty is the Best singer ever!!
This is a great album !!!!I don't think there is anyone that can sing songs the way Patty does. The songs on this album pull my heartstrings real good. ... Read more

Asin: B0000BV20W
Subjects:  1. Contemporary Country    2. Country    3. Neo-Traditionalist Country    4. Pop   

Stumble Into Grace
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (23 September, 2003)
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Editorial Review

Twenty-eight years after her major label debut, Emmylou Harris remains as vital, electric, and bold an artist as the young woman who moved to Nashville in the early ‘70s. But where she once carried on Gram Parsons’ vision of wedding hardcore country to contemporary rhythms, for the past decade Harris has explored an acoustic sonic landscape rooted in folk, yet set apart by driving percussion, world-music elements, and gauzy and ethereal vocals. Stumble Into Grace follows the Grammy-winning Red Dirt Girl with an even bleaker and beautiful collection of songs, almost all of which she wrote or co-wrote. Two songs concern themselves with social commentary, the slant-eyed "Time In Babylon" (co-written with Jill Cuniff ofLuscious Jackson), poking a stick in the eye of designer fashions and TV culture, and the affecting "Lost Unto This World" framing scenes of female genocide throughout the ages. Yet much of the program has an Emily Dickinson quality about it, as if told from the point of view of a woman looking back on her past life, realizing it is almost over, and finding herself nearly crazed from lost opportunity, lost loves, and loneliness. Even her elegy to June Carter Cash, "Strong Hand," where Linda Ronstadt guests, centers on the "miracle of how one soul finds another." A poetic spirituality lifts up even the most hopeless lyric, as do the otherworldly background vocals (Julie Miller, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, andJane Siberry) and producer Malcolm Burn’s haunting instrumental touches (a Cuban churanga and a deftly-placed accordion, which offers a sympathetic wheeze). At 57, Harris may be square in the middle stages of chronological life, but as a performer, she is still in the forefront of genre-transcending artistry. --Alanna Nash ... Read more

Reviews (79)

The new direction all comes together here. Beautiful!
What a beautiful CD and the picture of her on the CD - Wow! This is where her new sound starting with Wrecking Ball and continuing with Red Dirt Girl really come together. And I am so happy that it was Emmylou herself that wrote or co-wrote most of the songs. I love the way she has re-invented herself (her pal Nanci Griffith needs to take note).

One reviewer said Emmylou had a two note range. I think she has had some voice problems in the past and certainly her voice has changed but her voice has always had a unique imperfect quality to it. I saw her in concert last spring and let me tell you, she can still carry it off live! Knowing her voice troubles and not being thrilled with her TV performances over the years, I was not expecting the high quality live performance that she delivered. It was great! And the occasional voice cracking and the whispers are real and raw. It's truth.

Also, her old standards didn't even really seem to fit into the concert. They were just kind of plunked down in the middle of the concert (fans do still want to hear them). Her performance of "Together Again" was top notch. She rocked "Born to Run". Believe me she can still sing. But I love this new direction Emmylou has gone and loved that she focused on alot of new stuff, especially this CD when I saw her. She is keeping her music so fresh and interesting that I don't find myself pining away for her old stuff.

I know I haven't talked about the actual CD much. I can't really even describe it. It's just plain beautiful. It's an "experience". To get my full experience I pass "Time in Babylon" and "Jupiter's Rising". While the songs are ok, in the midst of this CD they are clunkers that I prefer to pass by so I can keep within the same frame of mind and musical experience as the other songs.

Stunning!
Emmylou Harris is staying true to herself. She doesn't take on anyone else's style or do anything artsy-fartsy. This album is just plain Emmylou.

Little Bird is the best track. I love the instrumentation.

Overall, the songs are uplifting and angelic, just like the beautiful cover art. People have been complaining about her vocal range and her songwriting. I personally don't see it. For a woman in her fifties, she has a beautiful highly textured voice. So what if she can't hit the high notes anymore! As for her songwriting abilities, I think it is refreshing to hear simple songs that aren't trashy and sexual like much of the music put out today.

Beautiful album by a beautiful woman! Promise me that you will stumble into grace and buy this album

Two note range at best!
Look, I was the biggest Emmylou fan in the world. I saw her in coffee houses before GP I lover that voice voice with its cadence, range, emotion. It just "wowed" me. Those Reprise albums for the most part were gems, but somewhere down the line the voice started to sound strained. Emmylou's stretches vocally became annoying and I stopped buying her albums. She was kind of painful to hear.

Then she met Daniel Lanois, and started making those non-country alternative albums, which were great ideas and some good songs. But Emmylou, just cannot sing anymore. Let;s face it, The lady has a two note range and chooses songs where she does not have to stretch and screech.Are they vocal polyps, ruptured vocal chord, strain? And now she writes songs that compliment her lack of a voice. It is not that these songs are not well constructed, but they are just pretty empty songs and her albums are limp and not fullfilling. Damn, I miss those good old days when her voice was fresh, angelic, and truly an instument. ... Read more

Asin: B0000AKNEN
Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Country    3. Country    4. Pop    5. Singer/Songwriter   

Rock N Roll
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (04 November, 2003)
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Reviews (172)

Fantastic. This guy can do anything!
How rarely we encounter an artist who is truly eclectic in their musical talents.This guy knows how to tug on his listeners hearstsrings in a gentle, quiet-room and hard drink kind of way, but that's not what this album is about.This album is just Ryan having a blast recording well-written tunes that pay tribute to late 80's/early 90's alt-rock. There are few today who can match him lyrically, and his melodies are once again upbeat and catchy.If you're looking for Ryan Adams at his most sincere and intimate, this isn't your ticket.But if you want to have a good time, a record you can blast in the car, that DOES get better with every listen, pick this up pronto.

Probaly hard for Alt-Country People to Get
This is Ryan Adams rocking out. This is not "Singer/Songwriter" music, this is, as the title suggests, rock and roll...and it's great. If you dig his more country sounding stuff, you might want to try the new "Cold Roses" or "Heartbreaker" or "Gold". If you hate country and love music like the Strokes, Von Bondies or White Stripes, you might want to give this album a try, it's well deserving of 5 stars.

PLAY IT LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!
The first time I "discovered" Ryan Adams, I was watching the CMT Crossroads episode with Ryan and Elton John with my Dad. I now have Heartbreaker, Gold, Love is Hell, Rock n Roll, and Cold Roses. I love them all (Cold Roses is my new fav). anywayz my Dad didn't really like Rock n Roll and he had disgarded it in his CD sliding drawer thing and one day I was cleaning it and I popped this CD in. To my surprise I found myself thoroughly enjoying it. I know that it might not be as good as his other CDs but it is definitely a fun CD to play really loud when your stressed. ... Read more

Asin: B0000DZ3D1
Sales Rank: 6786
Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Singer/Songwriter   

Love Is Hell, Part 1
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (04 November, 2003)
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Reviews (61)

Kill me now (instead of making me listen to this cd again!)
This sucked big time.What a waste of valuable time and money.And for his sorry a** version of "Wonderwall" being better than Oasis'...can you say tone-deaf??There goes another CD for the trash heap!

If You Don't Get It You're a Zombie
Both Pt 1 and Pt 2 are some of the finest moments in pop music -- in ages. The stream of consciousness poetry, the gorgeous atmospheres, the eerie vocals -- and most important the melodies. So, yeah, Wonderwall appears on disc 1, it's like a little icing on an already superb cake -- and better than the Oasis version. Both discs deserve six stars -- that would be 12 total. Anyone kvetching about these discs should go back to their Guns and Roses collection and leave Adams alone.

For Ryan Adams Fans
I love this Adams boy. This is a good album. So is there something here I may be missing? This entire album (I'm include volume 2 in this review because I see them as one) is well done, but I can't help but feel the old Ryan is wearing his musical influences on his sleeve. "Political Scientist" is a straight channel of Jeff Buckley, I hear a lot of Thom Yorke in "Afraid not Scared" and a couple tracks that have a straight U2 sound. These are fantastic songs, though, so don't let that discourage you. One reveiwer pointed out the Springsteen connection and these songs are where I feel the album falls flat. He uses this sound for 6 or 7 songs outta the entire 2 ep set, and while there's nothing wrong with trying to bring some o' the Boss out in your music, they are the least interesting tracks on here. They lack the depth and creativity that makes me appreciate Adams so much. Overall it's a solid album and the not Springsteenesque songs make the full set worthwhile of you know you like Ryan Adams. ... Read more

Asin: B0000DZ3CQ
Sales Rank: 35389
Subjects:  1. 5"CD Singles    2. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Alternative Pop/Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Singer/Songwriter   

Love Is Hell, Part 2
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (09 December, 2003)
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Reviews (31)

Shouldn't y'all expect more?!!!
I am a huge alt. country fan. I love Wilco, Son Volt, etc.So I have some affection for Whiskytown, Ryan Adam's old band.They were good, but not pioneers like Farrar and Tweedy.Anyway, I also like good indie pop, but I am very picky.So, with these two interests in mind I having been researching Ryan Adams and decided Love Is Hell part 2 was my best bet.I just can't get into it.The song writing is bland and just does not hang with me.The production is sparse, but it still has that top 40 gloss.It's ironic, because Adams never gets played on top 40.Anyway, I agree with a previous reviewer that Adams needs some quality control.His other albums essentially suck.I do think he is capable of writing some 4 star stuff.If he would just pick his best tunes, stick with mimimalist warm production, and bring back Gillian Welch and David Rawlings to produce, we might get something good.Damn, I really want to get into this dude but to no avail.He is branded an alt. country bad boy, but he is nothing more than a top 40 wanna be who can't even write a song for that format.Too bad, Whiskytown sounded pretty good.Now people with all your 5 star reviews, shouldn't you expect more from music.Quit lapping up everything some says is cool.Why do we put up with all this crappy songwriting and production and force ourselves into believing we have some quality.Quality left in 1980, but we can bring it back.Rise up!Expect more!

A Very Talented Man
Love is Hell Part 2 is astonishing. It seems ridiculous that Adams' record company was not willing to put the Love Is Hell albums out.
The album emanates a quiet, late night with a bottle of wine and a candle. The beautiful melodies are full of sincere thought and emotion.
English Girls Approximately is the standout track but nothing on this album lets you down. Excellent stuff.

The whole thing
You can't just review half of this full album, which is now available in one piece. Recorded as the official follow-up to 2001's brilliant Gold, then jettisoned by his record company, Lost Highway, Adams considers this his truest artistic statement, and that seems like a fair self-assessment. It's a beautifully written album, and Adams sings like he means every word.
The title track is rollicking fun, followed by a cover of "Wonderwall" that stakes a claim for Adams as its new owner, even in the eyes of its writer, Noel Gallagher of Oasis. There's a splendid and wistful sadness in "This House is Not For Sale," a song that's actually about ghosts in their old house-sounds weird, but it really works. Adams can carry off an up-tempo tune as well, bringing Part 1 nearly to a close with "World War 24." The final song, "Avalanche," fades out beautifully, wrapping up the first EP so that it would stand well on its own as an eight-song album.

Instead, the second EP continues the mood of the first, though it is clearly a different side of the same record. (The full album has been issued on vinyl, which is what qualified it to be considered as a single entity.) With "Please Do Not Let Me Go" we discover the real impetus for such a sad work-the death of a close friend. This vein of tribute-thought continues on "City Rain, City Streets," tumbles into "I See Monsters," and completes a three-four-five punch on "English Girls Approximately." The latter lifts the mood musically just in time, jangling with the flair Adams displayed on Gold, but even here the lyrics are sad, as the girl Adams loves says she doesn't love him.

Overall, Love is Hell is a remarkable album. It changes setting halfway through-EP 1 seems to "take place" mostly in a rural setting, while EP 2 is more urban-but it holds together as one record. Its depth of emotion and the variety of tempo and instrumentation choices Adams makes to surround his weighty material make it worth having as a whole. It would be tough to divide it, in any case: the best material on each EP is sandwiched in its center, giving the overall album a good balance. Turns out you can be prolific and make coherent albums. May other artists take note. ... Read more

Asin: B0000DZEAX
Sales Rank: 49433
Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Singer/Songwriter   

I'm Staying Out
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (22 April, 2003)
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Editorial Review

Caitlin Cary's 2002 solo full-length debut served notice that Ryan Adams wasn't the only Whiskeytown alum deserving of attention. Aptly titled While You Weren't Looking, that disc was a surprisingly graceful, fully confident first effort. For the follow-up, Cary and her newly seasoned road band again recorded with producer Chris Stamey, and the result is another accomplished collection that adds richer arrangements and instrumentation to Cary's mix of rock, folk, and country tunes. Stately peals of electric guitar shimmer between verses of the ode to laziness "Sleepin' in on Sunday." Cary steps out for violin solos on "Please Break My Heart" and the twangy title cut. Whether lending color to ballads like "The Next One" or a bouncy soul kick to the up-tempo "You Don't Have to Hide," ex-Jayhawks pianist Jen Gunderman is everywhere. It's a credit to Cary that neither the newfound swirl of sounds nor the bucketful of big-name guests--among them Mary Chapin Carpenter, Don Dixon, Mitch Easter, and Springsteen cellist Jane Scarpantoni--ever threaten to steal the spotlight from her solid songs and expressive soprano. --Anders Smith Lindall ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Cary On
She was an integral part of the alt-country band Whiskeytown with her fiddle and backing vocal work, but Caitlin Cary often found herself overshadowed by the band's lead ringmaster Ryan Adams (perhaps our era's Gram Parsons minus Gram's chemical excesses?).Since the band's break-up, Caitlin has managed to step out on her own with solid results.Her 2003 album I'M STAYING OUT is proof of that.

Although recorded in her native North Carolina with veteran alt-country producer Chris Stamey, and featuring backing help from Tift Merritt's band the Carbines and Mary Chapin Carpenter (whom Caitlin occasionally sounds like), I'M STAYING OUT has as much folk, rock, and R&B influences as it does country, with Caitlin's intricate violin work providing a lot of its traditional country base."Please Break My Heart", its ironic title notwithstanding, frequently sounds like a long-lost Patsy Cline hit; while "You Don't Have To Hide" occasionally evokes the classic country-rock of Linda Ronstadt.It's hard not to note such influences, but that doesn't mean Caitlin is a derivative singer or a mere imitator of legendary artists.Indeed, with Nashville having succumbed to corporate greed and a maniacal obsession with pop crossovers, artists like Caitlin who evoke legends of the past while plowing their own unique ground are sorely needed and very welcome.I'M STAYING OUT is a fine second album for Caitlin, and here's hoping that she has many more great albums like it up her sleeve in the very near future.

Bipolar
Whiskeytown was a country rock band and I wish that Caitlin Cary, the best thing to emerge from that group (yes, I know all about Ryan Adams, thanks), would remember to rock more.When she does, as on Cello Girl, I'm Staying Out is an outstanding CD.Empty Rooms, The Next One, and the title cut are also strong songs, but too much of the rest of the CD is languid where it's apparently meant to be sensuous, e.g. Sleepin in on Sunday and I Want to Learn to Waltz with You.On Please Break My Heart, she does sound like Patsy Cline, too much so.At other points, I hear Kathy Mattea.Those artists are certainly wonderful country voices, but Ms. Cary's talent is such that I want to hear more of it in her own voice.Finally, she also needs the musical equivalent of a ruthless editor; many of the songs in Staying Out meander on endlessly.Cut 'em all by 30 seconds and give us two more cuts on the next CD.

Very Nice!
I really enjoyed Ms. Cary's work with Whiskeytown, and her first solo LP, "While You Weren't Looking." This cd is quite good-strong song writing, gentle vocals that play well off of the musical arrangements, and a wonderful backing band. Among the topics she writes about are a broken marriage, sleeping in on Sunday with your lover, about letting your feelings out, a friend she's lost contact with, and she does it in a way that really makes you think about your own life. There's a nice mix of folk, rock, pop and country-sometimes within the same song like "Sleeping in on Sunday."The one straight up country song is called "Please Break My Heart" and it is a real gem.I can imagine Patsy Cline singing this song if she were still alive!"Cello Girl" is a rock song that really grows on you with repeated listens-it's one of my favorite songs on the cd.The closing song is called "I Want To Learn To Waltz With You," and it's the only one that Ms. Cary didn't write herself.It's a song of real grace and beauty, and she does a beautiful version of it here. (Just for the record, Peter Holsapple wrote it, and it was performed by his former band The Continental Drifters on the cd Vermilion.)A must have for all Caitlin Cary fans, and anyone that enjoys well-thought out songs that give equal prominence to the vocals, lyrical content, and the music that accompanies it. ... Read more

Asin: B00008S7YM
Subjects:  1. Alternative Country-Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Americana    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Singer/Songwriter    7. United States of America   

Pain to Kill
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (14 January, 2003)
list price: $13.98 -- our price: $13.98
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Editorial Review

The Canadian Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year for three years running, Terri Clark isn't even close to anyone's idea of a diva. With Pain to Kill, her fifth collection of songs, she returns to her more upbeat side after the introspective nature of her previous set, Fearless. Here she proves that she's a take-no-prisoners type of woman who isn't afraid to have a strong side and tell you exactly what she thinks, while making sure to keep it country. Fans of Mary Chapin Carpenter and, perhaps, Emmylou Harris, may find a lot to like here as Clark in many ways, including vocally, takes a cue from their renowned mix of assertiveness, humanity, and winning melodies. --Jim Caligiuri ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Flawless!
Terry clark must be the greatest country singer of all time.This is probably my favorite album from her.All her song are instant classic.I can't find any bad song on this album.All her twelve song are not just good, there top notch!No wonder she is The Canadian Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year for three years running!

Terri clark is all about country.Yes, she isn't like other country singer that mix with pop.Terri clark is straight out country singer at her best.i just love her passion for her music.She just put out perfect album one by one!She made me relized that true country can overcome pop/country.

You won't regret buying this album.I can assure you of that!
This is a highly recommend buy!This is a hot buy, folk!

Go!!! Terri!!!
I'm very happy to say this is the first flawless album i've ever bought.Thank you Terri for saving Country once again!I stop liking country because after listening to faith new cd "breathe" i was so disappointed and forgot what country music sound like!But Terri has made me remember what country sound like once again!All i can say is the twelve song on this album is absolutely stunning to say the least.It flawless!!!So go buy it NOW!!!

Best album yet
I have been putting off on buying this album and now I am kicking myself in the ... for it.This is by far the best album that Terri has ever made.Every song is very good. ... Read more

Asin: B00007L9ND
Subjects:  1. Contemporary Country    2. Country    3. Pop   

Now
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (15 April, 2003)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $14.99
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• Enhanced

Reviews (31)

NOT country music
This album just like all of Jessica's albums is not country. This is Nashville at it again, trying to sell pop as country. Whan will you learn Nashville that country fans like myself are sick of pop music passing itself off as country. If you like the typical nashville pop singers like, LeeAnn Rime, Shania Twain or Faith Hill. Then you are sure to love this junk. But if you are a country fan I would advise you not to buy this. But one thing I am glad about, is that her career didn't last longer than two years. Jessica you are now a has been. ~~ Twang

JESSICA On PBS' AUSTIN CITY LIMITS
WOW!!! What a resonating and spectacular voice JESSICA ANDREWS has been blessed with! She's 19 years old and this is her third album! GREAT SHOW on PBS' AUSTIN CITY LIMITS - she is a confident, sparkling performer onstage, and her "live" vocals are powerful, soulful and she's a focused, entertaining performer - she is magically enchanting! I cannot wait till her next album.

Where's the commercial success for this album?
I'm very discouraged by country radio's inability to play anything but the "top 20" hits.It seems like most of the time I tune in, I don't hear the great country music found on the albums in my collection and I live in Indianapolis with the supposedly highest rated and CMA & AMA award-winning country radio station in the country!

At any rate, this album is a great blend of country-pop and Jessica's delivery of the emotion of the songs gets better with every album.She's definitely growing up!

Keep up the great work, Jessica.If you loved "Who I Am" and Faith Hill's "Cry", you'll love this album. ... Read more

Asin: B00008W2R0
Sales Rank: 14252
Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Contemporary Country    3. Country    4. Country-Pop    5. Pop   

Room to Breathe
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 November, 2003)
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Editorial Review

Reba McEntire's first album in four years finds the spunky redhead (and sitcom star) thinking like a singer again. Where she'd virtually burned out, doing too many albums a year, she's now thoughtful about her material, updating her repertoire with the hill-country radio hit, "I'm Gonna Take That Mountain," while also drawing on the kinds of meaty ballads that propelled her to diva-ness. If "Moving Oleta," a nursing home tale of love, is too squishy a topic for most folks, McEntire seems to be saying that it's high time we looked unflinchingly at a full range of relationships beyond the standard romantic fare. To that end, there's the woman-to-woman song, "My Sister," the pained adoption tale of "Secret," and the bittersweet "He Gets That From Me," a tribute to families who lost loved ones on 9/11.By the time McEntire mixes in some uptempo dance tunes, a gospel number, and a straight-country waltz, she's delivered an album that's a combination of all of the types of music she's recorded over the past 25 years. Thankfully she keeps her trademark vocal curlicues to a minimum, which allows guests Alison Krauss, Union Station vocalist/guitaristDan Tyminski, and Vince Gill to sweeten the sound. But it's really all Reba, in a very classy return. --Alanna Nash ... Read more

Reviews (62)

Lackluster CD; Typical Country Pop
If you like today's make believe country then this is the CD for you.All the ballads sound exactly alike, the uptempo tunes have no substance to them and McEntire warbles on as usual in her big egotistic way!This is not country music and this is one CD I will also sell at my next yard sale!

CD DOES NOT LIVE UP TO EXPECTATIONS
REBA should have allowed herself some more room to breathe.I tried very hard to like this CD but I just couldn't.The CD is a mixture of pop sounding tunes with one real country song on it.McEntire isn't winning many raves from this CD.She has done a lot better in the past.I'm giving up on country music because when stars like McEntire compromise themselves just to do what sells to the masses, that tells me there is no integrity in that individual.I agree with the review below that success changed one who was once a humble, country girl before she "went hollywood" and decided that she was the best country singer and actress on the planet.Not!This is the last CD of hers I'll ever buy.

NOT WORTH ONE PENNY!
I remember once, a long, long time ago, when Reba sang real country music.I remember meeting her at a State Fair once when she was just starting and I was a star-struck teenager.She was so nice and humble.Then success happened and with it came stardom and all the changes that happens.I'll never forget one night at a concert in "Nashville" back in 1985 when Reba had just won her first of four Female Vocalist Awards.I went to get her autograph and I complimented her on one of the songs she had done on the concert and how she should release it as her next single.She glared at me with fire in her eyes and snootily said "That's Janie Fricke's new single".I was taken aback and wondered, "then why are you singing it"?Then she proceeded to scrawl her name on the program I paid good money for and snubbed a lady who was asking her advice on how to get her son started in the music business.Despite her arrogance, I continued to buy her music, though I no longer cared for her as a person after the way I saw her treat me and some others.One year at fan fair she left a crowd who had been standing there for hours in the hot sun and humidity just to get a chance to meet her and get her autograph, standing there and came out and waved to them and got away as quickly as she could.She tried to justify this action in her book "Reba" by saying that she could not put (not herself) but those around her through that kind of torture.Well, goodness knows, she has enough people around her to hire people to work in shifts who would have been glad to help her.If she was exhausted herself, she could have informed the fans as they started to wait in line that she would not be able to sign autographs instead of having them wait for hours only to be disappointed.Needless to say, hundreds of angry fans proceeded to rip her photographs to shreads and stomp on them with their feet (and justifiably so).Still, I continued to buy her CDs until she released "Rumor Has It".Then I had it!!No more Reba for me.I was first hand witness to how nastily she treated good folk who made her what she is today and I vowed never to buy another one of her CDs after she stopped recording "real country", not the pap makeshift that she and all the others are recording today.Anyhow, I broke that vow after I read the glowing reviews for this CD and read an interview that said she was returning to her roots with this CD.I should have known better.The only real country bona fide tune is "Gonna Climb that Mountain".The rest is pure filler and more of an example of the awful stuff she has been putting out for nearly twelve years now.I quickly gave my CD away to a used CD place (actually I traded it in for a Connie Smith vinyl!!Now there's real country!).Of course, there are others, who continue to support Reba and "her kind of music".I learned my lesson a long time ago and I was a fool many times before I woke up and saw and "heard" the light about the kind of music she chooses to sing and, sadly, about the kind of person she really is. ... Read more

Asin: B0000SYAB2
Subjects:  1. Contemporary Country    2. Country    3. Neo-Traditionalist Country    4. Pop   

Body Language [Australia Bonus Track]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (16 December, 2003)
list price: $34.49 -- our price: $34.49
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Features

• Extra tracks
• Import
• Limited Edition

Reviews (65)

Different to "Fever" - more mature.But not credible enough
I've liked kylie since 1988 but my favourite era was 1990 - 1998.Ever since she signed to Parlophone (2000), her music has been very commercialized and her voice's tone sounds like it's been technologically altered to sound higher and more babyish.I don't like it.I thought "Light Years" was a real waste of her talent.And although I appreciated the pop appeal of "Fever" It didn't do much for me at all.Her vocals were nasty and the tracks were dilute.I think she's taken a step backwards since her cool "deconstruction" years which is never a good idea; artists need to mature as they grow older, not vice versa.


"Body Language", although more mature than her previous 2 albums, is still way too poppy and is not credible at all.Her voice sounds like it's on helium - it sounds most unpleasant."Slow" is tolerable and so is "Promises"."Chocolate" is almost good; the only thing that devalues it is the fact it is not done properly and is too commercialised.


So-called "R n' B" hit "Red Blooded Woman" sounds cheap and is dreadfully bland.This album, like all of her's since 2000 is only suitable for 10 year old girls.Kylie Minogue is very talented, creative and stylish.But she does not make records that capture theses qualities anymore.I recommend her 1994 self-titled "Kylie Minogue" album and 1998s "Impossible Princess" - they are how Kylie should be; natural and cool.

Magnificent Kylie!
Kylie has proven once again why she is the Austrailian (& European) heavyweight contender for a title worthy only of a chosen few. She is a phenomenal performer who never fails to deliver and she could definitely give Madonna a run for her money any day! It's a shame she is not a popular in the states as Madonna, because in many ways Kylie is even more entertaining and her music is certainly much more infectious.
Kylie is a true diva and if you are a Kylie fan you won't be let down by this CD! Kylie, when are you going to tour the USA??

Kylie's Comeback Still In Full Swing
Kylie Minogue's "Body Language" is a sound for sore ears!With today's music industry, it is refreshing to hear something new and entertaining rather than just the same music recycled over with different (and lousy) lyrics.Both editions of "Body Language" are pretty much the same (with the American version carrying more content for your dollar) but, the Australian version being the better of the two.

The bonus track on this version is "Slo Motion" and is probably her best written and produced song since "Ocean Blue" or even the "Impossible Princess" era.

The album carries along on the electro-pop train that "Fever" started with and "Body Language" being right up to par with itspredecessor and at times surpassing it. "Slow", "Red Blooded Woman", "Loving Days", "Slo Motion", and "Secret (Take You Home)" are some of Kylie's best work in the past decade and can hold up against any of her older material that has garnered her worldwide recognition and praise.

Kylie is a comeback queen and this album and recent Grammy win only cement her into the American music market.

So, to anyone contemplating buying Kylie's "Body Language" need to go ahead and let yourself be consumed by the new Kylie "fever" wave. ... Read more

Asin: B0000SVWZ4
Sales Rank: 76046
Subjects:  1. Club/Dance    2. Dance Music    3. Dance-Pop    4. Euro-Dance    5. Pop    6. Rock/Pop    7. Synth Pop   

Neon Nights
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 March, 2003)
list price: $23.99 -- our price: $23.99
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Features

• Enhanced
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Reviews (35)

Put the needle on "Neon"
It's must be pretty tough being the sister of a pop icon -- just ask Dannii Minogue, elder sister of pop star Kylie. While it has a naughty smoothness that American pop doesn't have, Dannii's first major album "Neon Nights" is nothing special, a pleasant little clubby album with thin vocals and some 80s-style beats that alternately grate and bounce.

While Dannii doesn't have quite the golden touch that her more famous sister has, quite a few of these tunes are fun and catchy, such as the danceable "Put The Needle On It" and flittery, fast-paced "Nervous." One particular highlight is the rhythmic "I Begin To Wonder," a breathtakingly fast song that switches from light techno to pop at a moment's notice.

Unfortunately, "Neon Nights" has a somewhat dated feel at time -- Dannii relies too heavy on crystal synth in songs like the painful "Mystified," which sounds like a keyboard gone mad. Not to mention the passable "Dont Lose This Feeling," which despite its technically good beats sounds tailor-made for chick-flick soundtracks.

It was inevitable that Kylie and Dannii would be compared in their singings careers, especially as they share the same clubby-synth sound and wispy voices. How the heck can a person objectively look at "Neon Nights," without thinking of "Fever's" infectious beats? Well, taken alone, "Neon Nights" is a fun little club album, with a dash more sophistication than your average dancepop disc.

The dancey synth beats of Dannii's music are guilty pleasures -- there's the sense that you really shouldn't enjoy this fluffy poppy stuff, but it's fun enough that you just can't help it. The slower songs don't fare quite as well -- while they are not terrible, they feel rather lifeless. Minogue should stick to making people dance.

One thing the sisters definitely share -- sultry, wispy voices. Dannii is a bit wispier than her sister, and so her voice tends to get buried from time to time. The songs she sings are much the same -- sultry and wispy, like "Mystified heard it on the grape vine/ Lover on the other line, why you wasting my time?". And it has occasional flashes of nudge-wink naughtiness, such as "Vibe On," an ode to her, um, vibrator.

Dannii Minogue's "Neon Nights" is nothing too special -- a wispy but fun collection of dancey pop tunes, marred by a handful of dud songs. Fun for a party, not for serious music.

Electro Funk at its Best!
This album is a more funky electro dance flavour that suits Dannii's sultry image, enough to give Britney Spears a run for her money. The opening tracks, "PUT THE NEDDLE ON IT" and "CREEP"(one of my favorite guilty pleasures on this cd), would be the right sort of sounds to float out across a hot summer's night. The highlight on the album is also the single, "I BEGIN TO WONDER" with its stop start dance beats and a vocal delivery that would keep the crowd on the dance floor.Dannii's dark song-writing powers can compete right at the top of the charts and this by far shows her talent and place in the music industry.This is an excellent addition to all Dance and Electro 80's fan. I highly recommend it.

Danni Minogue is Awesome!!
I bought this album because of Kylie Minogue's "Fever" album and I was surprised that it was so good. "I begin to Wonder" is a great dance, upbeat song. Her voice is so Hot!! As well "Who Do You Love Now" and "On the Loop" is another cool song. If you are a fan of Kylie Minogue, you will really like this album!!! ... Read more

Asin: B00008NV53
Sales Rank: 103005
Subjects:  1. Dance    2. Pop   

Restless
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (19 August, 2003)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $13.99
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Editorial Review

Sara Evans’s 2000 effort, the platinum-selling Born to Fly, put her in the front ranks of the most promising of modern country singer-songwriters. As a woman with a strong traditional background, she found a way to marry contemporary sounds and sensibilities with her bedrock country and bluegrass history, and, with the help of producer Paul Worley, delivered a complete, believable, and very fetching record. But Restless sounds as if she and Worley just went in and cut a passel of songs. A lot of them carry a message of hope, of making "something magic out of something frightening," as she sings in "Rockin' Horse," one of five tracks she co-wrote. But most of them just sound as if she had getting on radio more in mind than anything else.It’s hard to tell if the album doesn't know what it wants to be, or if it’s Evans who’s confused. Worley over-produced the majority of it with unnecessary layers and busy arrangements, and the repertoire ranges all over the place, from an awful attempt at swaggering R&B ("Big Cry") to the hay-bale-and-pickup milieu of "Suds in the Bucket." While the languid and affecting "Backseat of a Greyhound Bus" sticks in the memory and the sensual "Otis Redding" gets the hormones charged, too many of the songs just roll by. Evans remains a wonder of a singer, however, whether she’s projecting her clearer pop voice or calling on the nasality of her Missouri barn-dance-and-bluegrass training, something in too short supply on this uneven effort. --Alanna Nash ... Read more

Reviews (77)

Great cd
I don't buy country cds, this is the first country cd I got and was surprised because it's so good.Sara Evans is my favorite country artist which is why I decided to buy her album and was glad I did.Her album is very strong and good.She has many hit's to be if she makes any.Every song on here is great in it's own way, plus her current single "Suds in the Bucket"I hope she makes Restless or To be happy for her next single.Her first two singles are catchy and pop flavor to it.I hope she makes a new cd soon.

Move Over Leann Rimes!!!
As a lover of female singers, but not country music specifically, I have been on a quest during the last year or so to find terrific female singers in all genres.My favorite so far has been Leann Rimes.However, I listened to Sara Evan's album Restless for the first time just yesterday.I am in my car 8 hours a day and it has been played at least a half dozen times already. The second I heard "On The Backseat of a Greyhound Bus" I was hooked.Sara has a terrific voice that just pulls you into her world.I do not profess to be a music afficionado who knows all the technical terminology as to why music is good or not, and what instruments are used where, etc., etc.Suffice it to say, that this is one of the very best singers I have ever heard, country or otherwise, and if you enjoy great female singers, buy this cd.There are many other terrific songs on this cd as well, including "Niagara", "Rockin' Horse", "Suds In the Bucket" and my personal favorite "I Give In", which reminds me of a girl I used to know in high school who finally gave into me after over a year of pursuit!!!Brought back very happy memories.I have not yet heard Sara's other cds, and I am told "Born to Fly" is even better.However, if you truly are a Sara Evans fan (and I am now a fan, less than 48 hours after hearing her music) I highly recommend this music. Now, I don't know if it's "pure country", or "country Pop", or what...I just know that I LOVE the music.I can hardly wait for her to release a new album, but even as I write this review, I am placing an order for all of her previous releases.Listening to this cd made me love her that much.ENJOY:

1.Rockin Horse5/5
2.Backseat of a Greyound Bus 5/5 (my favorite)
3.Restless 3/5
4.Niagara 5/5
5.Perfect 5/5
6.Need to be next to you4/5
7.To Be Happy4/5
8.Tonight 4/5
9.Otis Redding5/5
10. Feel It Comin' On4/5
11. I Give In 5/5 (My second favorite)
12. Big Cry 3/5
13. Suds In The Bucket 5/5(I thought this song was about beer drinking when I first saw the title!!But then I heard the song!! )

I have a feeling when I get my new 10 cd changer this weekend that this cd will find a permanent place.

Left me feeling 'Restless' and wanting more from Sara
I love this album.'Rocking Horse' is a rocking opening track that will definately get you going. Sara definately has her 'sound', 'Backseat of a Greyhound Bus" reminded me so much of "Born To Fly" with the swirling orchestra at the end.Also, a lot of albums open and close with the uptempo/ballad songs, so its really refreshing to hear "Suds in The Bucket" closing off the album.Cant wait for her new album.!!! ... Read more

Asin: B0000AC8PE
Subjects:  1. Accordion    2. Banjo    3. Bass    4. Bouzouki    5. Brass    6. Concertina    7. Contemporary Country    8. Country    9. Country-Pop    10. Drums    11. Fiddle    12. Guitar    13. Guitar (Steel)    14. Harmonica    15. Harmony Vocals    16. Harp    17. Keyboards    18. Mandolin    19. Organ (Hammond)    20. Penny Whistle    21. Piano    22. Pop    23. Vocals   

What If It All Means Something
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (22 April, 2003)
list price: $10.98 -- our price: $10.98
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Reviews (57)

WOW
when i bought this cd today,i knew it would be good for i had recognized track s1 2 and 4 as songs i had loved,and i had read the other reviews for it.but i had no clue....its amazing,simply amazing.i could listen to it over and over and over and not be tired of it.all of the songs are excellent and i highly recommend u to buy this cd.

Love Chantal! This was a little dissapointing...
I thought I was so awesome when my canadian relatives sent me Chantal's "Colour Moving and Still" 5 or so years ago, cause not many people knew her.Colour Moving and Still had some great tracks, so I went out and bought Under These Rocks and Stones, which was even better.

So I was delighted when Chantal hit American 2 or 3 years ago with her third album What if it all Means Something.
Unfortunately, I didn't think it lived up to her first 2 previous releases...

"In This Life" "Time" "What if it all Means Something" and "Julia" were easily likable, but they seemed alot more maintstream than her hits of C, M & S and UTRaS.

I was able to find 2 that I really liked- "Brenda's Song" and "Waiting" but it was the others that really dissapointed me.
"Morning Light" "Ready for your love" and "Weight of the World" weren't just mediocre in tune but in subject matter.They lack the emotion that Chantal put into songs like "Hands" "Souls" "Little Things" ect.

Could be worse, but for gread Chantal pick up the other 2 CDs.

I'm Hooked
Somewhere along the line, "pop" became a dirty word for a lot of people.It wasn't ever thus.There was a time, when, say, Paul McCartney's "poppy" tendencies complemented the edgier Lennon material beautifully.Or Marty Balin's pop-soul effectively counterbalanced Grace Slick's experimentalism and Paul Kantner's bombast.I'm new to Chantal Kreviazuk's music, but I already can see (in the reviews posted below) that there are different camps even among her fan base, with some embracing this most recent album's pop sheen and others yearning for the simpler production and songwriting of her two previous albums.

Well, I am eager to hear some of the earlier stuff myself, but it's hard to believe that the gorgeous pop of her third album is somehow lacking.I understand why people want to compare her to Sarah MacLachlan and other Lilith ladies, but I keep hearkening back to a much earlier time.WHAT IF IT ALL MEANS SOMETHING reminds me of nothing so much as the Beatles circa "The White Album," a time when they were exploring the sonic possibilities of the studio and beginning to tailor their songwriting to same.
The songs are richly evocative, but still fundamenatally hooky pop.Somewhat prosaic titles ("Waiting," "Time," "In This Life," etc.) belie the intelligent lyrics and imaginative arrangements.I always try to avoid the standard critical line about there not being a "bad track on the album" (are there supposed to be?), but WHAT IF IT ALL MEANS SOMETHING? is a particularly satisfying record.Each song is not just pretty good, but heartfelt, inventive and memorable.Who could ask for more (and hope to get it)?

Interesting that some of the Amazon reviewers on this page talk about her "crystal clear soprano," while others complain about (or alternately, praise) her vocal "distortions."Can both be right?Sort of reminds me of the kind of commentary Cyndi Lauper, Kate Bush and other singers of considerable vocal and stylistic range often get.Yeah, they can sing pretty--and they also experiment with various degrees of harshness and distortion when they feel the songs call for it.Some will find Chantal Kreviazuk's vocal at least occasionally too mannered, but her affectations are honest artistic choices (agree with them or not), reflective of a thoughtful and intelligent artist.

Like Bush and Lauper, in fact, Kreviazuk is likely to develop a substantial cult following--along with a fair number of fair-weather fans who will remain reluctant to follow her wherever she chooses to go.But like Bush, Lauper--and, yes, the Beatles--hers is a restless artistic temperament.She will continue to grow and develop--that much is clear.








... Read more

Asin: B00007H044
Sales Rank: 6915
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock