Editorial Review

Immaculately prolific and blatantly ambitious, My Morning Jacket celebrate eight years as a recording band with what many refer to as a death knell: the double live album. Yet it takes but a single listen to declare that the brass neck and bravado pays off for this Kentucky band of longhairs, which released the 21-song epic as a companion piece to their concert DVD. Songwriter and singer Jim James's howling falsetto ricochets through MMJ's backlog of songs, which have been reenergized for the stage by the band's airtight live-show mettle. Dusting off remnants of the first two records like "I Think I'm Going to Hell" and the stunning "The Way That He Sings," then lining them up with the more contemporary "Gideon" and "What a Wonderful Man," MMJ never take their foot off the gas. In fact, rather than getting bogged down in concert-album fashion, Read more

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Reviews (7)

One of the greatest live albums of all-time ****1/2
My Morning Jacket is an incredible band.I knew I could always count on them to release a solid psychedelic, southern rock record.But when "Z" came out in 2005, I was absolutely speechless; there was finally a band in the United States to compete with Radiohead, and incidentally, "Z" is probably the best album released since "Ok Computer."It took the band to a whole new level.They went from being solid to superstars; from doing obscure music magazine interviews to releasing a concert in indie theaters across the country.
The ultimate live album from the best live act these days
My Morning Jacket has steadily been climbing the commercial and critical recongition in the last 6 years, with 2005's "Z" album ranking easily as one of the best albums of last year. MMJ has built its reputation as a tireless live act, and finally MMJ releases a live album, and what a joy it is.
JamBase CD Review
The whole idea of a live album can be a bit tricky for all bands, especially for a great band like the Kentucky boys of My Morning Jacket. Let's face it - out of all the groundbreaking artists of the past 40 years who've cut a live one, about 90 percent of them seem to be sub-par. And no, the live downloaded Phish and .moe bootlegs that you listened to in your college dorm while sucking on a glass Jerome Baker piece don't count. Sure, the concerts at which they were recorded must've been enjoyable for the fans, but it can be very taxing when attempting to capture the essence of what it's like being there as a concertgoer in that exact moment. A double-disc album, Okonokos was recorded last November during a two-night stint at The Fillmore in San Francisco, while touring in support of their latest release Z, which was on many critics' year-end top ten lists. Okonokos exhibits the majestic semblance of MMJ's live shows and proves that they are not a jam band but instead a band that just knows how to jam.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Country-Rock    2. Indie Pop    3. Neo-Psychedelia    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. United States of America   

Editorial Review

For its first new set of music since 2000's Read more

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Reviews (2040)

One Of The Greatest Cd's Of Our Time
Epic and anthemic, and yet every track can be listened to without the others.It tells a great story and has a great set of characters.Jesus of Suburbia and Homecoming particularly stick out in my mind.If you don't have it already, get it.

You tell 'em
OK, fair enough, Green Day were the first band with the guts to actually call the Bush administration out for what it is (or what they think it is, anyways).I'm puzzled how people can say the lyrics don't even make sense - I have no problem figuring out what the songs are about!That's the lyrical review - 5 stars.I'm not a fan of punk rock so I can't fairly review this CD in musical terms, so I gave it the 3 stars of middle ground.The average # stars is therefore 4 stars.(I wonder if the people who can't figure out the meaning of the lyrics, will be able to follow that.)
Brainless, mindless trash...if you like Greenday...you must be a retard.
Green Day is a completely talentless pop rock band.Ths type of music takes no talent what so ever.Its three chords played on a guitar...and nothing more.Then they put those three chords through a bunch of distortion and fuzz boxes to mask the lack of talent.Well Greenday, you little bas.ards didn't fool me with your noisy guitar pop.I know a lack of talent when I hear it, and Green Day are absolutely talentless at playing their instruments.And what are these lyrics anyway?Half the time you can't even understand what these punks are saying because the music is such a noisy guitar pop racket.And whenever the lyrics are audible, they sound stu.pid and don't make any sense."The New Media"?"The Redneck Agenda"?Lyrics like that are such a bunch of pseudo intellectual nonsense that its almost laughable.Green Day are a bunch of juvenile delinquents who probably aren't even old enough to vote, let alone know anything about politics.And the harder they try to be intelligent, the more idiotic they sound.SO Green Day, please stop writing those pseudo intellectual "social commentary" tunes that take no talent.You don't sound smart.You don't sound intelligent.Every word you sing on your pseudo intellectual "rock operas" just shows your ignorance abou t the topic you're writing about.ANd Green Day fans...how can you actually enjoy this noisy, three chord, guitar pop racket? How can you like listening to a bunch of bratty juveniledelinquents from the suburbs shooting their mouths off about politics when their knowledge is limited to riding skateboards, smoking joints, and playing 3 chords on a guitar?I'm begining to think that in order to be a Greenday fan, one must not have a brain cell.After all, that's the only way one could listen to this brainless, mindless cr.ap.Come on Green Day fans, this CD isn't a five star unless you're reta.rded. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Punk Revival    5. Punk-Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. United States of America   

Editorial Review

It's common knowledge that solo albums are simply an excuse for a frustrated band member to indulge their experimental sides and Rob Thomas, singer for decidedly M.O.R. multiplatinum rockers Matchbox Twenty is not one to pass on the opportunity. Having already explored the classic rock thing through his collaborations with Mick Jagger and Santana, Thomas goes the other way here with results that are unexpected, and, sometimes totally unbelievable. He veers from modern R&B on the Justin Timberlake-aping "Lonely No More" to vintage prog-rock in "All That I Am," touching on all points in between. There are a few nods to the Matchbox canon with "Ever the Same" and "This Is How a Heart Breaks" but, as the title suggests, this is an album about finding himself. For the moment, Thomas is still searching. The DualDisc portion features 5.1 surround sound, a 20-minute documentary on the making of the album by filmmaker Gillian Grisman, plus the holiday tune, "Christmas in New York."Read more

Features

• DualDisc

Reviews (220)

It's probably a good CD
but I wouldn't know because when I got my copy (not ordered from Amazon) it was this super thick disk that was bigger than all my other CD's and won't fit in my CD player.As a result I'm afraid to try it in my car becuase I don't want it to get stuck.
Rob Thomas is one to watch...
His singing style is very unique as are his lyrics.He has an eclectic mix of love songs, "we are the world" type songs and a few others on this album.He has the staying power for long the long term and I would love to see him mature throughout the years and watch to see where he goes.I loved Streetcorner Symphony!It is so upbeat it can pull me out of whatever is ailing me.Lonely No More is my theme song for right now in my life - needless to say I am replaying grooves in that one!Enjoy this album - I sure do!

In a word... horrifying
I must admit, I kind of like Matchbox 20. I never went out and bought their albums, but songs like "Push" and "The Real World" do bring back some good memories of the mid-to-late-90's (although the late '90s was when pop culture first began to truly suffer).
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. American Trad Rock    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Post-Grunge    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Loaded with lyrics about nightmares, pain, isolation and broken relationships, Read more

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• Enhanced

Reviews (78)

Great driving music
Ok, i bought this album because i liked the first one's sound.In that respect, one x did not disappoint in the least.They have creative, catchy riffs.The drums are simple but they work.The lead singer's voice does sound better in this effort than the first cd.I am pleased overall by the sound.
This is a great CD
This CD seems to have a lot of positive reviews, so I'll keep mine short.I saw Three Days Grace in concert as an opening band a few years ago, and I liked them so much I went out and bought their first CD.I really liked it, although there were a few songs on there I don't play that much.But, the other songs made the CD a major favorite of mine.
Well Rounded and Full of Power Musically and Emotionally
This is the first album in years that I have bought and enjoyed almost every song.Usually I buy two or three of the songs I like off of an album to save myself some money, but this was a great album.It's powerful lyrics, heavy riffs and overall full sound just blew me away at first listen.I have it in my car, and I haven't taken it out in over a week even when my total drive time is two hours a day.I am so impressed with the way they've matured and haven't sold out at all. A great rock album, one that I keep suggesting to all my friends. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Metal    2. Canada    3. Pop    4. Post-Grunge    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Math wiz and multi-instrumentalist John Ondrasik's third album under his rather misleading Five For Fighting rubric shows that he's lost little of the cranky ire that he unleashed on Read more

Reviews (141)

Great Album
This is good stuff lol. I love five for fighting. I love alternitive music (hope i spelled that right lol). I love 100 years and If god made you. Great job five for fighting. YE-AH! lol.

An amazing album
This is an extraordinary album with very good instruments.The way this guy combines his voice with the piano is unbelievable. It's a really heart warming album that puts a smile on your face and sometimes brings out tears of joy.
Amazing album
There seems to be two groups of reviewers with regard to FFF, the 5-star gang who love John Ondrasik's musical versatility, opera-trained voice, and whimsical songwriting, and those who disparage the album for 'only having one good song' or Ondrasik for having too high a voice or writing lyrics that don't always make sense.
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Popular Music    5. Post-Grunge    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. Singer/Songwriter   

Features

• Explicit Lyrics

Reviews (47)

Nothing like before
If you're anything like me, then you probably plugged this disc in expecting to hear driving rhythms accompanied by mindless vocals: testosterone fueled screeming, snarling, growling, and incomprehensible lyrics that wouldn't hold much value even if you could understand them.Basically then, all the same components that permeate most modern metal/heavy metal acts such as Slipknot-from which Stone Sour was born- and the like.It seems to be a fair assumption because that's the direction that their debut album took.That's what Slipknot, Corey Taylor's other band, have been doing for years now.Start to listen and you will still find some of that in Stone Sour's music, but it's held to a minimum, and they also have something more to offer.There's a softer and more melodic side to their music than there has been in the past.A number of songs are steered in the direction of alternative rock and alternative metal.This is evidenced mainly by such songs as "sillyworld", "Through Glass", "Socio", and "Zzyzx Rd."They do start to regress into their old style in the middle of the CD with tracks 5-7: "Made of Scars", "Reborn", and "Your God", but they rebound in a big way toward the end of the disc.Another positive is that some of their harder edged songs are more listenable.Take for example "30/30-150" and "Come What(ever) May", two of the highlights.
OMG!!!!
I am in love with the song "through glass"!!! i heard it on the radio and fell in love... its the best song ive heard from them in a long time. if you dont think this song is good your crazy

Come What(ever) May
This is one of the best rock cds that I own. Just as good as their debut.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Metal    2. Pop    3. Post-Grunge    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Buckcherry reestablish their status as one of the most raucous and delightfully dirty-minded acts in the industry today with Read more

Features

• Explicit Lyrics

Reviews (35)

Bluesy riffs reminiscent of GN'R and Aerosmith in their prime, BUT...
...there's also some filler (as per usual with Buckcherry). Songs like Next 2 You are catchy and cool, but not really as substantial as one would hope; comparatively the sleaze-rock hit Crazy Bitch is cool but almost tries too hard to capture the spirit of misogynistic '80s hard rock (think It's So Easy meets 2 Live Crew). The guitars are bluesy and capture the vibe of Perry and Slash and Josh Todd's have the raw screech of Steven Tyler, but overall I still think this band has a bit of a way to go before they become truly great - their albums tend to have a bit of filler and this is no exception. All they need now is a substantial hit like "Sweet Child O' Mine" and to put out a few songs that aren't quite as simplistic.

Finally
At last, a rock band for the 21st century is back with an awesome CD that I would reccommend to everyone.My sister, who listens almost exclusively to Pop is in love with Buckcherry's 15 as well. What are you waiting for?Add this to your Cart!

I love it!
I absolutly love this cd and amazon was so quick to get it to me. Thanks Amazon!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Metal    2. American Trad Rock    3. Hard Rock    4. Pop    5. Post-Grunge    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

In an era when pop nihilism fulfilled its dark promise all too regularly, Pearl Jam not only survived, but thrived to become one of rock's greatest bands. This 33-track double-disc career retrospective documents the arc of a career that went from arena and radio triumphs in the early 90's (while Nirvana's promise imploded in the wake of hype, Pearl Jam's crowd-pleasing fame only burgeoned) to the uncompromising, core audience-focused tack that carried the band into the 21st century. Shrewdly compiled by the band into an "Up" disc that chronicles the band's driving, Stone Gossard-Mike McCready fueled hard rock dramatics (including such early career landmarks as "Jeremy," "Alive" and "Even Flow" alongside more aggressive fare like "Go" and "Spin the Black Circle") and a "Down" side that focuses more on Eddie Vedder's brooding, often darkballads ("Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town," "Yellow Ledbetter," their unlikely hit cover of the oldie "Last Kiss"), it's a collection that underscores both the band's range and musical integrity. Though centered largely on the band's pre-Read more

Reviews (174)

The best pearl Jam
It's as it's title... rearviewmirroring there hits, you can listen to how they have evolved during time in there different songs... and listen to all your favorite songs in one album... it's divided between harder and softer songs... very good compilation work.

Very Good
If you like Pearl Jam, this is an album you need to own.I am very much enjoying it.

Definitely the best of Pearl Jam
This 2 disc collection is absolutely awesome. I was a HUGE PJ fan in the early 90's when they burst on the scene, but as I got older I drifted away from them. I've recently rediscovered them and wow, what a set! My favorite PJ tunes are here, and they flow great. Yellow Ledbetter, Alive, Even Flow, Dissident, Black to name a few.I'm listening to it now as I write this review, and feeling rather nostalgic. Some great times with Pearl Jam as part of the soundtrack!
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Grunge    3. Hard Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. United States of America   

Editorial Review

The Goo Goo Dolls have long since traded the bracing, Replacements-lite abandon of their early days for an ethos of heart-on-their-sleeve emotionality wed to a solid heartland pop craftsmanship that's too easily been casually mislabeled. Superstar producer Glen Ballard (who shares many a writing credit here as well) pushes that latter sensibility to its logical extremes, ensuring a slick sonic experience that won't disappoint those who hitched themselves to the Dolls' wagon circa their mid '90s commercial breakthrough. But there remains a nagging sense that this is a band that isn't pushing itself very hard: even the hook-solid opening single "Stay With You" seems downright cautious. Coupled with Ballard's penchant for polish, Johnny Rzeznik's introspection on "Without You Here" hews close to the center line before Robbie Takac's "Listen" gives the album a much-needed jolt of energy. The album's featured cover, a faithful, contemporary AOR-friendly take on Supertramp's "Give a Little Bit," is emblematic of the Goo Goo Dolls fortunes here: They often seemed boxed in by a past that's not necessarily their own. Read more

Reviews (116)

Man... can you say brainwashed trash?
This is the most ovhyped paltry piece of corporate garbage that has been my displeasure to enter my ears. -_-This album is terrible... not much more to say then that.The muscianship is terrible, the lyrics are more cheesy than you'd believe possible.I mean come on with a title like Let Love In you can basically tell this is the epitimy of all sellout albums.About anything up to before A boy named Goo is great with ACTUAL LYRICS!!!Plus its not a snoozefest they all have great songs to listen to!Guess its bands like this that keep the greedy corporate machine running.
Another Great Goo Goo Dolls CD!!!
There are a lot of great songs on this CD...At first I only recognized the hits like "Better Days","Stay With You", and "Let Love In", but then as I listened to the other songs they kept growing on me, and now I can sing the words to all of them! One thing I really liked about this CD, and previous ones like Dizzy up The Girl, and Gutterflower, is that there are so many great songs on each CD. It really seems that Johnny and the boys have taken great care in making sure each song is great, not like some groups where 1 or 2 songs are potential hits, and the rest are filler. I highly recommend that you get this CD!!!

What happened?
I will be honest here, I love the Goo Goo Dolls steming from the first album I bought, which was jed.I can understand to really make it in this business you need to be on the radio and the googs have done just that.They have metomorphed their music for the main stream.That part Im okay with, Ive actually enjoyed their previous mainstream albums.However with this one Im just plain dissapointed.It seems like Im listening to a 80's love ballards.Where is the power?Where is the rock?They are all mainly love ballards with no real power to them.I can really only enjoy the first couple of songs on the album and the rest just disgusts me.Even when the guitarist guy (ive forgotten his name) tries to have a go at a ballard its rediculous.He dosent have the voice to be singing those kinds of songs.I really feel they have lost their touch as a band. I am wondering what John was thinking when he wrote this album and put it together.Im really dissapointed.It way to lovey dovey and soft for me ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Hard Rock    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Post-Grunge    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Irish troubadour Damien Rice doesn't so much reinvent the folk genre on this lush, impossibly mature debut album as push its boundaries in several compelling musical directions at once--all the more remarkable considering the album was largely self-produced and home-recorded. His songs revolve around familiar, bittersweet concerns of life, love, and their attendant frustrations, but delivered with conspiratorial intimacy on melodic wings (like on the graceful "Cannonball") that Rice seems almost embarrassed to share. If there's anything like a template here, it's "The Blower's Daughter," the song that first attracted the interest/stewardship of film composer David Arnold (whose guest production provides "Amie" with expansive cinematic elegance) and became a massive Irish hit. His plaintive vocal, embroidered by the mournful solo cello of Vyvienne Long, is suddenly brightened by an instrumental flourish and Lisa Hannigan's vocals--before just as quickly wafting on the breeze. With touches that range from "Day in the Life"-styled string collages to the dizzy, exhilarating neo-operatic excesses of the 16-minute "Eskimo," Rice's musical palate here is as adventurous as his songs are grounded in emotional intimacy. Read more

Reviews (312)

Magical
This has to be one of the most beautiful CDs ever recorded. Damien's vocal range is vast; his musicianship excellent; but it's the crafting of songs at which he truly surpasses most artists. Haunting, sensitive, flowing, crashing...(If I have one criticism, it's the mixing levels - at times, his vocals are drowned. In concert, when he lets rip, you really feel the power of his vocals/music, which, unfortunately, doesn't come over quite as well on the album.) A truly magical album.

This album is amazing
This is one that sways the soul. Damien Rice's timing and melody just reach into your gut and extract every piece of love and sorrow that you ever felt.
One of the most impossibly beautiful albums ever released
Although I knew "The Blower's Daughter" from the film CLOSER and "Delicate" from LOST, Damien Rice has until recently been unexplored territory for me.What I didn't know is that his album O is not a disc with only one or two great songs, but one of the most from-beginning-to-end brilliant albums of recent years.Vocally Rice reminds me of a lot of other performers.Jeff Buckley and Ryan Adams spring to mind, there is even something of the very young Leonard Cohen in the songs.But this album is more consistently brilliant than anything released by those singers.He isn't quite the singer that Jeff Buckley was (but then who is?), but he is a much better songwriter.His songwriting reminds me somewhat of Hayden, but it is much more dramatic, lush, and expressive and his singing is in an entirely different league.There is also a soft serenity to the music that is nearly as gently calming as the best of Iron and Wine.Actually, Rice and Iron and Wine's Sam Beam write songs that evoke many of the same feelings, though Rice is a far stronger vocalist (though it has to be granted that Beam is perhaps unrivalled as a lyricist today--I think you have to go to people like Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan to find a demonstrably better lyricist than Sam Beam).
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Folk    2. Contemporary Folk    3. Contemporary Singer/Songwriter    4. Folk & Traditional    5. Folk-Rock    6. Ireland    7. Pop    8. Popular Music    9. Post-Grunge    10. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

One of the freshest country albums of the year comes not out of Nashville, but rather New York, from a sporadic band with the unlikely (and somewhat suggestive) moniker of the Little Willies. At times, the fivesome (named in homage to Willie Nelson) hearkens to the great historic western-swing bands--crack, loose-limbed musicians fronted by a hypnotically sublime girl singer. If that sleepy female voice (and her distinctive piano) sounds astonishingly like Norah Jones, that's because it Read more

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Reviews (48)

Perfect for the road
I purchased this CD before going on vacation. With both a seven-year-old and a nine-year-old in the car, we had to endure the loud soundtracks of movies from the back seat. And, when I suggested that we turn off the TV and listen to a CD, they were both unhappy! That is, until I popped in this CD. These happy tunes made all of us smile and my kids even started to sing along! If you want a CD that will make your day, purchase this one!

Fun listen... more fun the second time, even more fun after that!
I'm a recording engineer by trade.I sit in little rooms with no windows and big speakers listening to the same song for 15 hour stretches for weeks in a row.Every now and again a record will roll through that is actually fun to make.This sounds like one of those recordings.
Nora and Texas Swing
Great collection if you like Nora and also like Texas Swing. There's Nora doing a few cuts as lead and sounding great as usual. The other cuts on the CD are great country tunes, some funny, some sad with a tight band keeping it interesting. Definately worth a listen. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Country-Rock    3. Americana    4. Country-Rock    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. Singer/Songwriter   

Reviews (8)

A Cut Above Country Radio Regulars
Charlie's latest has no weak tracks whatsoever.The title song is full of tongue-in-cheek humor and rebellion, hearkening to some of John Prine's best songs.It has one of the catchiest lines ever in country music:"Buy me a whiskey, get yourself stoned, we gonna have a good time." As usual, Charlie tells a great many stories in his songs:a unrepentant pleasure seeker lets it all hang out south of the border in "New Year's Day;" a man hits the skids emotionally in "The Bottom;" the narrator remembers his own broken childhood and admires his infant son in "Photograph;" a dissipated adult recalls his first drink and charts his own disgrace in "Something in the Water;" a girl weds a bad man in the haunting "Magnolia," a story-telling style that is reminiscent of Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying." Charlie Robison has more talent as a writer and performer than 99% of anyone in Nashville.Please buy this album; do yourself a favor.If you like songs deeper than your average mud puddle but still universally-applicable, this CD is for you!

Different, But Good
I found this album to be quite different then what I've come to expect from Charlie, but it is still good and worthy of attention."El Cerrito Place" is the best song on the album and I find myself listening to it over and over.If you are a Texas Country Music Fan or a Charlie Robison fan then you will like this album.Also, if you like Charlie, check out his brother Bruce Robison as well.

Charlie Robison's Best Yet
This is Charlie's best release yet.It features a wide range of songs that will keep everoyone happy! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Country    2. Contemporary Country    3. Country    4. Pop    5. Progressive Country   

Editorial Review

Australian-born Keith Urban, hot off the double-platinum success of his 2002 sophomore album, Read more

Reviews (129)

Be Here is Be-au-tiful!
I love this CD.I put off buying it for awhile but am so glad I finally got it!I love every song.It's very relaxing on the slow songs, and upbeat & fun on the faster songs.He's so talented, and everything he touches turns to gold.Get this CD - it's GREAT!

buy it NOW
Every song on this CD is writen masterfuly and with emotion. if you want a tear-jerker, it's on this CD. If you want power-country, or what ever, it's here. It's all in this nice little CD.

Be Here
Not a bad CD.It is a little tough for me to rate this cd properly due to the fact that I'm not a fan of country music.However, I enjoyed Making Memories Of Us, The Hard Way, and Tonight I Wanna Cry a lot. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Country-Rock    2. Contemporary Country    3. Contemporary Singer/Songwriter    4. Country    5. Country-Pop    6. Pop   

Editorial Review

Todd Snider, the East Nashville antihero, can always be counted on to deliver a brilliant spitball of humor and satire, shot across a classroom devoted to John Prine, Randy Newman, Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, and the Rolling Stones. Here, on one of his most instantly accessible albums, he balances troubadourish recounts of personal experience and mythmaking (the getting-mugged-in-Memphis tale of "The Highland Street Incident"), the chronicling of not-so-famous-moments in history (Bob Dylan's ass-whipping of Phil Ochs in "Thin Wild Mercury"), and songs of romantic surrender. "All That Matters," a declaration of marital love with a nearly prayerful electric guitar solo from the great Will Kimbrough, shows how profound Snider can be in his simplicity. But his genius is best captured in the deceptively smart "Just Like Old Times," particularly in an exchange with a cop about a high school photo, carried in a wallet since 1982. Here, on his half-drunk vocals, Snider makes clear what he really is: A professional smart-ass whose bravado masks a wounded heart. Read more

Reviews (8)

Todd will not likely be invited to the White House . . .
I'd never even heard of this guy until I saw him on the Tonight Show a couple of weeks ago and then it was difficult to find the album locally.I'm glad I did.It's the best album I've bought this year.If you like folk/rock with a bite, then this is the album for you.The social commentary of "Looking for a Job" (performed on the Tonight Show) puts me in mind of Woody Guthrie and a lot the others remind me of a young Bruce Springsteen.
Country music for people who don't usually listen to country music
This album gets better and better with each listen.I know that's what everybody says, but it's true.While I haven't listened to any of Snider's other records, I can't really compare it to his general output. What I do know that I intend to listen to his other discs at some point, making this a great starting point for other new fans.
Add a half-a-star, please, but it isn't as strong...
as the three albums he released on the "Oh Boy" label this decade (four if you count "Near Truths and Hotel Rooms", his live CD.) Todd does some rockin' here with a band, a la his "Viva Satellite" disc for MCA in the late '90's, but I have never thought rock was his true genre, and I've been a fan from the beginning. "The Devil You Know" starts off with the two weakest songs of the project, in my opinion, and ends with the two best. Inbetween, the slower tunes, with lyrics clearly enunciated, seem superior to any of the up-tempo efforts. This is Todd's seventh disc of new work (there is also a compilation of his best from the MCA years available) and I would rate it fifth in overall appeal. However, I am nearly 62 years old, and my favorite kind of music is confessional singer-songwriter folk and country- style stuff. When a great lyricist like Todd rocks so loud you can't clearly understand his poetry, it seems a waste to me. So my advice, if you are a fan already, is to buy this to support him, but expect to put only half of it on repeat play. If you are new to Snider, then "East Nashville Skyline" or "New Connections" or "Happy to be Here" or "Songs For The Daily Planet" are more satisfying choices. His voice sometimes cracks, but his wit saves the performances. He has been troubled by substance abuse, low sales, and less attention than he deserves, but I hope he keeps on keepin' on, because he has a distinctive talent. For an idea of what his concerts are like, buy "Near Truths and Hotel Rooms"---the closest thing to seeing Todd live you can get. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Country    2. Americana    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Roots Rock    7. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

If Read more

Reviews (1668)

A celebrity endorsement by Kurt Cobain
Hi!I was Kurt Cobain.You know, I found that when you try to kill yourself, drugs are just not a sure shot method.That's why when I killed myself, I used the new Remington Sure Kill Suicider Shotgun!It has been specially designed for those of us who want to take our own lives.And it is guaranteed to do it in a gutsy, macho manner that will leave your brain splattered all over for that really cool image!The suicider features a short barrel with no stock to get in the way, a reversed trigger that is easy to operate, and a special soft foam rubber mouth grip attached to the barrel end.Not only is the mouth grip comfortable to use (no more biting down on cold metal), but it also ensures that the bullet will do the most damage possible while still leaving your teeth and jaw intact so that you will be a great looking corpse!So if you're thinking seriously about suicide and want to end your life, run down to your local gun dealer and pick up the new Remington Suicider today!IT WILL BLOW YOU AWAY!!!And it makes a great CHristmas gift for that suicidal season...

A celebrity endorsement by Kurt Cobain
Hi!I was Kurt Cobain.You know, I found that when you try to kill yourself, drugs are just not a sure shot method.That's why when I killed myself, I used the new Remington Sure Kill Suicider Shotgun!It has been specially designed for those of us who want to take our own lives.And it is guaranteed to do it in a gutsy, macho manner that will leave your brain splattered all over for that really cool image!The suicider features a short barrel with no stock to get in the way, a reversed trigger that is easy to operate, and a special soft foam rubber mouth grip attached to the barrel end.Not only is the mouth grip comfortable to use (no more biting down on cold metal), but it also ensures that the bullet will do the most damage possible while still leaving your teeth and jaw intact so that you will be a great looking corpse!So if you're thinking seriously about suicide and want to end your life, run down to your local gun dealer and pick up the new Remington Suicider today!IT WILL BLOW YOU AWAY!!!And it makes a great CHristmas gift for that suicidal season...

R.I.P. COBAIN!!!!!!
One of the worst albums of all time from one of the worst bands of all time. That's all I have to say... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Drums    3. Grunge    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. United States of America   

Editorial Review

If the idea of basement tapes made by Billy Corgan and Doug Martsch appeals to you, say hello to your new favorite band. Silversun Pickups are fairly early adopters of the 1990s revival, but they're not grunge dorks or anything, and they're from L.A. so they dress nice. Their music updates the anthemic but gauzy heavy rock sound that Veruca Salt and the Smashing Pumpkins had down pat. Thankfully, they strip it down and add plenty of finely distorted guitar leads to the whole thing. It's nice. With a spacey, laid-back sound due in no small part to knob-twiddlers Tony Hoffer and Dave Cooley, repeated listens are mandatory. Just don't pass out on the couch. Read more

Reviews (21)

Don't understand the hype.
..I've given this a listen to about 5-6 times now and can't understand the fuss. While there are some great tracks on the album like Melatonin and Lazy Eye I find most of the album just sounds so contrived and has a lack of originality. Similarities to Smashing Pumpkins are obvious but in this day and age of musical regurgitation that doesn't bothers me. What did bother me was the contrived and cringe-worthy lyrics..it just sounded like an "I'm too cool 15 year old" singing in front of the mirror...

You'll be picking it up over and over and over and over and over and...
Silversun Pickups get a lot of Corganishishness thrown their way for the sake of vocal inflection, but on their new record "Carnavas," they've pinned down that elusive "love in neutral" tone that only bands like My Bloody Valentine have managed in the past, and spitshined it with a melodic Guided by Voices sheen, yielding white noise-pop that sparkles from the glint of all the fuzzy edges.
Best CD of 2006
I can't quite put my finger on what they sound like. Yeah, some emo/shoegazer in there. Maybe a splash of Pumpkins but I don't see the overwhelming Corgan references. It's really a unique CD. As soon as I heard a 30 second clip I felt I was home. Simply the best CD I've bought in a long time. Probably since Radiohead's Hail to the Thief. That's it. It's like Radiohead if they were a rock band and with more coherent vocals. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dream Pop    2. Indie Pop    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Post-Grunge    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop