Editorial Review

An all-star cast has joined forces to produce a wonderful CD and, if that weren't exciting enough, a portion of the proceeds will help restore music education in the U.S. public school system through the VHI Save the Music Foundation. Clever new renditions of familiar Muppets and Read more

Reviews (65)

Great album
We like the album a great deal. It wasn't a big hit at first, but the songs grew on us. Our baby likes to bounce to the hippity hop song and others. It is a mix of classics (Mahna Mahna and Rainbows) and some new ones. A good variety.

Best kids tape out there!
When I was pg I was searching for good music that could grow with the baby. This CD had excellent reviews so I took the risk and am so thankful I did.
It's ok
I bought this cd mainly because I saw the Bare Naked Ladies as one of the artists on here...My kids and I listen to tracks 1 and 2 and after that they're not that interested. Some of the songs are just a little boring. It's ok for the price, but definetly not our favorite. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Collections    2. Childrens    3. Pop    4. V/a Compilations   

Editorial Review

With Read more

Reviews (76)

Music Lives!!!!!
They have turned my negativity about music as-of-late completely around. I could loop it 24/7 and only love it more.
Best Band in the Land - the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California at this summer's Download Festival (next to Google's headquarters).Heard of them but never heard them before.Came to see the headliner, Beck.Was completely blown away by the YYY's.They definitely outshined everyone else on the bill.Beck's opening remarks about this year's festival being the best lineup of bands he had played with in some time and how he was honored to be playing alongside them was clearly aimed at the YYY's and specifically, Karen O, the lead singer of the YYY's.She absolutely rocked and the band was incredibly tight.Some have criticized the band for that polished quality on their latest album but pay no attention.I can't think of a more creative band at the moment.After the show read up on the band and saw a quote from Sonic Youth saying that singers like Karen comes along only once in a decade.Can't wait to see their next show.This is the best album I've heard since Odelay.

Just good fun music
This is a great album.It is perfect for doing chores at home, driving in the car or plugging away in the cubicle.I took a chance on this ablum because I enjoyed "pins" and "maps" from fever to tell and I am glad I did."Golden Lion", "Way Out" and "Cheated Hearts" are my favorites. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Drums    3. Garage Punk    4. Guitar (Acoustic)    5. Guitar (Electric)    6. Indie Rock    7. Keyboards    8. Percussion    9. Pop    10. Rock    11. Rock/Pop    12. United States of America    13. Vocals    14. Vocals (Background)   

Features

• Enhanced

Reviews (10)

lemonadeby: G. Love
this is a great cd. yes, a couple of the songs are mediocre at best, but the rest make up for it.Missing my baby is a true groovy ballad. Holla, a bit queer sounding at first, is a really fun and tight song.beautiful is an awsome song as well. Get the cd!

fresh, new,a little funk and soul
this is my first cd by G-Love, I like it and I think it has some
Smooth like GLASS
Solid offering from G. Love.Start to finish, nice record for anyone who like G. Love or Jack Johnson. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Rap    3. Blues-Rock    4. Indie Rock    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. United States of America   

Reviews (24)

Best Of
Like his hero, Roy Orbison, Chris Isaak maintains a devoted following in Australia. Songs such as Somebody's Crying, Only The Lonely, Blue Hotel and Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing charted down here. His Best Of album topped the Australian album charts. Isaak is shameless in his devotion to the retro sound of Orbison and Presley and rightly so. He does what he does very well as evidenced in this collection of his best tracks and biggest hits. All of his albums (except the Christmas CD) are represented. This wonderful music sounds like nothing else around today and with the constant monotony of new music in 2006, that is a breath of fresh air. A must have collection.

Good, but TV show "soundtrack" would do it
Chris Isaak surely has plenty for a "Best of" collection, but why didn't he release a set of the songs performed on his Showtime series? That hit almost everything here plus all the covers, giving the Silvertones a good showcase as well.

Best of Chris Isaak CD
Was well worth the wait. I enjoyed hearing him again. I had lost his cassett that I used to listen to often. Saw him on TV and had to go online to get the CD. ... Read more

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

Editorial Review

On his first eponymous effort, Ben Kweller sounds wise beyond his years--and younger than ever. Some songs come on mature and understated, like "Nothing Happening," others surge with youthful enthusiasm, like "I Gotta Move." Then again, Kweller is at that midway point between 20 and 30. His lyrics trod the same fine line between young and not-so-young. Rhyming "losing control" with "rock and roll" ("I Don't Know Why") seems pretty facile, but then he busts out with the infinitely more original, "I'm-a just a penny on the train track / Waitin' for my judgment day / Come on baby girl let me see those legs / 'For I get flattened away" ("Penny on the Train Tracks"). It takes dexterity to combine humor and longing without letting both sides down. Repetitive, if heartfelt ballad "Thirteen" messes with the momentum, but Read more

Reviews (11)

not a kid
I think ben kweller is a great artist, He is very consistent with his work. very lively and uplifting. This album has many great songs on it. Like penny on a train track and sundress. Most of these songs are very realistic and you can tell they straight fomr ben kwellers heart. i think that this would be great album to listen to if your feeling down. It's such a happy sound.

Should go down as a classic
Ben Kweller's latest effort is outstanding, and should perhaps be listened to multiple times before judged. On the first listen I liked it about as much as On My Way, which gets only a moderate amount of play time on my playlist. Now I like it as much as Sha Sha, if not more.
Kweller is Growing Up...
First off i liked "On My Way" alot. I thought there where alot of stand up tracks, but also some crap. Whereas this album doesnt have the songs that blow your hair back the first time you hear them (except maybe "Run") it has songs that reward you listen after listen. I find it to be alot better than "On My Way", because it cuts the fat and is filled with alot of gems, i dont know why Ben would release "Sundress" as his single there are alot of contenders. Some of my fave tracks are "run" "i gotta move" "thirteen" "penny on the train tracks" "i dont know why" "until i die" "magic" and "this is war".So basically this album is the sound of Ben Kweller growing up, i am excited to hear what comes from him in the future, this is a really great album!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter    7. United States of America   

Features

• Explicit Lyrics

Reviews (156)

Blinkprog starts out strong and shows promise
Tom Delonge shucks the stage jumping punk image for a leaner, more progressive sound with his new project "Angels and Airwaves"."We don't need to whisper" starts out strong with some incredible music that does not break barriers but is still a good mix.You have Tom's signature, no-nonsense vocal efforts mixed with some atmospheric and melodic sounds and structures that make this album something refreshing to listen to.The first track is strong as we have some great tones and serious melodies in "Valkyrie Missile".Tom doesn't beat us over the head with theme or lyrics, but instead seems to be more at ease in a less intense, more substantial setting as is the music found on this album.The second track is equally impressive in its buildup intro that is almost mesmerizing and "world" sounding.These first two songs remind me a lot of the style and structure that made bands like Emerson, Lake and Palmer as well as U2.
influenced by...Rush? Maybe just a little...
I heard "The Adventure" and really liked it. I can't really say the same for the rest of the CD. A lot of people seem to love it and that's great; I'm just not one of those people. In my opinion, the songs all sound the same, and with the exception of "The Adventure" just aren't very good. It sounds like some kind of futuristic, progressive sounding experiment in music and I think it would have been better if it was just more rock. However, I would have settled for it just being more...good.

Great But Derivitive
Next to Coldplay's X&Y this is probably the best U2 ripoff I've ever heard. It sounds great. They are maturing lyrically, which means they should reach adulthood soon. It's a great album, but sometimes I wonder if they should be paying royalties to The Edge. ... Read more

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

Editorial Review

While Radiohead saw its stock rising in 1994, it wasn't until 1995's Read more

Reviews (560)

Left High & Dry years ago
I remember going to a R.E.M. concert in Phoenix AZ circa 1994, waiting for ticket prices to go down just before the show while the warm up group played.That group had had one hit, Creep, but despite glowing reviews of their new album, I couldn't be bothered.A few weeks later Fake Plastic Trees arrived to me via a promo CD.I thought it was fantastic and decided to buy The Bends and check out the hype.
Classic Radiohead
This was the first album of Radioheads I brought and after listening to all their other records I still believe it to be their best. The Bends was a major progression from debut Pablo Honey, it was still Radiohead but more organic.
The Bends ~ A Perfect Radiohead Album
It's extremely difficult to pinpoint exactly where/how Radiohead were able to transform themselves into one of the most influential alternative rock bands of the 90's with songs that `hook' one in after a few careful and detailed listens. Their stuff is certainly powerful, sheerly brilliant and beyond beautiful, though occasionally a little odd (as in different) but very arty - which is a good thing in my book. The transformation probably began somewhere between ` My Iron Lung EP' and `The Bends', to safely say the least. They're not an easy band to `get into' but once you do get into them you will be captivated by their utter uniqueness and confidence in the music they make. And they're the kind of band that are willing to take risks. My introduction to the band came when I picked up `OK Computer' (the best music purchase of my life) in my local music store. It is indeed my favorite Radiohead album but believe me `The Bends' always comes a close second - sometimes I even prefer it to `OK Computer.' SOMETIMES. I can never really make up my mind now. Not taking the punk rock/grunge approach, as they did with their debut album, `Pablo Honey' (which was of mediocre quality, but the song `Creep' was a standout as a proclaimed self-loathing anthem), the songs in this album [The Bends] seem much more personal and therefore much more touching (`Fake Plastic Trees' is a simple yet beautiful song - one of the best). Frankly, I love pre-Kid A Radiohead so much better than post-Kid A because they weren't in their experimental stages but still gave it all their best and managed to release their follow-up masterpiece, `OK Computer' and finally they were hailed as the best new thing in rock. Something well deserved. `Just (Do It To Yourself)' is a strong, spunky and guitar driven song and the video (in horrific fashion) is just as good. `High & Dry' is a haunting ballad and my second favorite song in the album as Street Spirit (Fade Out) is my first. Though it usually varies. `OK Computer' is to a greater extent - a very complex, complicated, and obscure album, but if you are a first timer to Radiohead's music `The Bends' is the best album to start off with as it's their essential basis. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Britpop    3. England    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

One need hear only the first notes of this collection--the Edge's ringing guitar notes ushering in "Pride (In the Name of Love)"-to be taken back to 1984: Ronald Reagan and Maggie Thatcher rule the Western world, the L.A. Olympics is the top sports story, and Ms. Pac-Man reigns at arcades. In rock & roll, there's U2 growing in stature with each new title. Even doubters of the Irish lads have to concede that together they formed the one '80s band with the skill and sense of scale to take over the airwaves and concert stages in a decade of diminished expectations. This 15-song '80s best-of assortment (stick around for the hidden track) spans the decade, reaching back to 1980's "I Will Follow," when Bono and company were peach-fuzzy and earnest as choirboys, and tracking their path through their most glaring misstep, 1988's overblown Read more

Reviews (226)

Toast with Guinness (Paul or Extra Dark)
U2's 'The Best of 1980-1990' may be straightforward, but that simply shows how important and successful they have been for harnessing passion. This compilation works because their singles are often their best material. The '[Limited Edition]' is worth the extra purchase because it has some essential material. (There are some weaker songs as well, but the B-sides will prevent the collection from becoming repetitious.) "Pride (In the Name of Love)," "New Year's Day," "I Will Follow," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," and "Desire" have all rewritten the history of pop/rock music. They resonate well even today. The other allegedly lesser songs are merely great. Singles were their strongest suit, but their albums are solid and consistent as well. (Although the nineties found some uneven albums, but that should be saved for another day.) Passion is rock's hallmark, and Bono's primal singing, The Edge's inventive guitar, Adam Clayton's throbbing baselines, and Larry Mullen's athletic and idiosyncratic drumming all have come together for some of the best big rock band songs since The Beatles.
This is good but the '1980-1990, special edition' is better!!
Hey, did you know that the 'Best Of 1980-1990' exists in a double CD. The second CD is less famous but it is worth the money! There is a version of 'Everlasting love' and a nice version of 'Unchained Melody', plus,songs like 'Dancing Barefoot', 'Walk to the water', 'Bass Trap', 'The Three Sunrises' and 'Love comes tumbling' among other things. This second CD is actually very good.
ho-hum
Not bad, but not their best. compilations can be pretty bad and this one ?????????? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Album Rock    3. Alternative Pop/Rock    4. College Rock    5. Ireland    6. Pop    7. Pop/Rock    8. Post-Punk    9. Rock    10. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

David Gray's glorious fourth record explodes in a wellspring of spacious, electronica-tinged folk-pop. He uses his bright growl of a voice to memorable effect, chewing on vowel sounds while spinning odes to lost love, the resiliency of young hearts, and the pain of experience. Gray's work finds the universality at the heart of folk music and tweaks it just enough to make it relevant for alternative audiences. Read more

Features

• Enhanced
• Extra tracks

Reviews (384)

A nearly perfect alt-pop album
If you can get only one David Gray album, this is undoubtedly the one to get.Although he has been around a long time and recorded a lot of good music, he has unfortunately not been as good at putting together albums filled only with his best work.FLESH, still his second best album, indicated great promise, but subsequent albums had superb material placed along some quite weak songs.They all show that he had talent; you just had to wonder why he either didn't substitute better songs for the weaker material or wait longer to write a stronger group of songs.WHITE LADDER is the glorious exception.There isn't a weak cut on the disc and there are several that are as good as anything he has ever written.I believe that at some point it will be one of the two must-own David Gray albums.The second will be some future anthology of all his best work.Though of course we all hope that he also records more albums as strong as this one.
Hooked
..and captivated. Not only to the music itself but by the lyrics this artists has delivered. I'd heard the song 'This Year's Love' from the movie Crazy/Beautiful and thought of it fittingly cool to listen to. Outstanding and superb is all i can say with this great recording by David Gray.

What a great CD
As a musicman supreme, it's hard for me to accept I'd never even heard of David Gray until the immortal "Babylon", which I played for about an hour straight after I purchased this Cd. It's years later, it's still a tuff groove, and I'm listening to it right now as a matter of fact. However, once you slip past that track, more gems await. This is a great piece of work that will stand the test of time without a doubt. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter    7. Wales   

Editorial Review

After two expansive yet winsome epic albums like Read more

Reviews (103)

Listen Again...
I think the Lips suffer a similar fate as all the great acts that constantly reinvent themselves (Dylan, U2, Beatles...).That is that some folk love a certain album so much they want it again and if they don't get it then the band has failed.I have so much love for Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi.No two albums from the last 20 years are so close to me and my own dilemnas.Certainly the song "Race for the Prize"is enough to endear them to any scientist.Which brings us to At War.When I first listened I had certain expectations, immediately met by The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song.Then the rest was so different from my expectations I set it aside.Then in making a mix tape for the Lab recently, I listened again and found myself adding so many of these songs to it!"Yeah,Yeah,Yeah" of course, but also "Mr. Ambulance Driver", "Vein of Stars", and "The W.A.N.D."This album stands proudly for me with each of classics they made since Clouds...But just remember, it wasn't always so.Suddenly Everything Has Changed...

Cliche? The Lips?
I'll give this 4 stars for a Lips album, as some of the songs sound like they were tossed off rather than crafted (Free Radicals, for instance). Compared with anything else currently being made, it'd have to be a 5. But what I really want to say is that anyone who dismisses anything the Lips have done as cliche doesn't understand the band. Go back through their entire oeuvre for long, repeated listenings, and you should discover that the Lips have never done anything based on industry or fan expectations, or genre pigeonholes. They do what they want, and it's almost always a combination of undeniable tunefulness, outright goofiness, and masterful musicianship (well, at least in the last decade), with some element of okie (guitar) noodling usually lurking underneath. They can sound like a drugged-out heavy-metal band, Prince, or Floyd, but they're always just themselves.
Such a Let Down
I write from the perspective of a life-long fan. This was one of the first modern bands that I loved and I followed their every release from my preteen years onward. They seemed to never miss the mark creatively or sonically, and the increasingly strong imagination and coherence behind each record was only matched by the increasingly complex production. But on this release, they seem to have run out of ideas and melodies and passion. That hurts to say, but it is painfully true. I'll accept this as their auto-pilot record. The reason I give it two stars is because it makes me appreciate Yoshimi, an album I initially viewed as a disappointment in the shadow of the Soft Bulletin, as a proper album (albiet a lateral move). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Dream Pop    3. Experimental Rock    4. Neo-Psychedelia    5. Noise Pop    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. United States of America   

Editorial Review

The Rapture wasn't the first band to revisit the clanky dance-punk sounds of bands like P.I.L. and Gang of Four. But with its DFA-produced debut, 2003's Read more

Reviews (6)

Whoo! Alright - Yeah...Uh Huh
Not easy to compete with 'echoes',one of my favourite albums of the past 5 years but i think a good follow-up. less edgy, more rythm.
excellent record
i was driving home from work, listening to my local college radio station, and i heard "get myself into it" ... i was awkened from deep thought and was wondering what i was listening to... the "sound" reminded me of NYC 1981 ... but i wasn't sure ... i heard the dj announce the name of the band, i bought the cd the following day, and i can't wait to see this band perform live ... you might not like every track on this cd, but to this listener's ears, the majority of tracks are well worth the purchase price ... can't wait to get ahold of their first record...

synthy dance rock at its best
this is what future rock is supposed to be. i love the contrast and creativity between the tracks. each one has its own soul and feeling. this band doesn't try to be anything other than what it is, a party monster. this much energy can't be contained with just ten tracks. you scream for more after each song, and yell for defness as you analize each sonic creation. i listen to electronic dance music, and have a hard time following anything in the "rock" segment. this totally keeps my interest.... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Dance    2. Indie Electronic    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (68)

Zzzzzz
I don't usually buy a CD by someone I never heard of w/o listening to the clips, but I'm from Mich. and I just wanted to hear what this one was like no matter what. Besides, it has those weird titles peppered with all those exclamation points!!I thought it was probably going to be a lively rockin' little tongue-in-cheek CD with some songs that were even borderline novelty tunes! Oops! No question these people are great musicians, and I like indie/folkie stuff, I really do. But (and you knew there was a but coming) these songs don't say Michigan to me. I think you could almost insert state/cities of your choice in each one and no one would notice. And maybe it's because I'm a first-wave boomer teetering on the brink of old foggie-dom, but I expected/wanted more from this CD. These songs are just a little to bloodless for me. But hey, I grew up on Seger and Smokey, so cut me some slack, 'kay?

Brilliant
Hey, "Music I Am," Sufjan Stevens and Cat Stevens are not the same person.Cat Stevens (who changed his name to Yusuf Islam) is nearly 60 years old, and Sufjan himself is in his 30s.
Thank heaven for CDs!
...else if Michigan was on vinyl I would have worn it out by now.
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Subjects:  1. Ambient Pop    2. Indie Pop    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Post-Rock/Experimental    6. Progressive Folk    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

U2's second decade often seemed as preoccupied with the band's burgeoning superstardom--and how to confront/confound it--as it did with creating music. The band managed only four albums during the era (only half of its '80s output), projects whose gestations seemed perennially plagued by turmoil as much as mercurial creative instincts. But as this anthology chronicles, U2 ultimately managed a considerable feat: producing a memorable, lasting body of work in a decade where one of pop music's chief attributes was its disposability. The disc mixes hits like "Mysterious Ways" and "One" with seductive soundtrack cuts (the title track to Wim Wenders's Read more

Reviews (97)

Great compilation of their best songs.
Not the hugest U2 fan but my love of them grew after listening to this album.A good mix of popular and those I've never heard.

Almost unnecessary
I'd rather give The Best of 1990-2000 three and a half stars, but as that option is unavailable, I'll round it down. There's no arguing that some of the songs here are absolute classics: "One," "Beautiful Day," and "Mysterious Ways" are just a few. But there are a number of reasons why this isn't the best way to get this material.
U2 Compilation
If you like U2 and you need to conserve space and/or the number of CDs you maintain, this CD and its companion greatest hits are great. They have the selections you want to hear repeatedly already compiled for you. You do not have to rip selections from five CDs to create the one you want to enjoy over and over. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock    3. Rock/Pop   

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

Twenty-year-old Anna Nalick is the rare artist who makes you want to grab pop music's wheels by the spokes so they'll stop spinning so fast. "Wait," the 11 songs on this debut disc say collectively to the newly initiated, "there's something substantial here." An onslaught of substance is more what it feels like, actually, and it grabs hold early. Though each of these songs is distinctive enough to avoid congealing with the others into a gorgeous glop of introspection, heavy sighs, and reflection, leadoff track and first single "Breathe (2 A.M.)" works small wonders as a flagship song. Its simple, lonely piano swirls into guitars that stop just short of rocking, allowing plenty of room for Nalick's unaffected voice to spill in. When it does, the music turns forest-thick and dreamy--influences run the Tori Amos indie singer-songwriter gamut, with streaks of Jewel and Alanis Morissettespiking out--but there's a naturalness and urgency to her singing that saves every chorus and verse from clouding over. Now that she's cautiously alighted into pop territory, sophisticated listeners will do well to dust off their welcome mats. --Read more

Reviews (170)

Soothing & Nice
A lot of reviewers have commented that this album has a couple of good songs on it, and that the rest are just so-so at best.I disagree.Sure the first few songs are the best, so everything after seems to be a let down, but these are still very good songs.Anna Nalick has an exceptionally good voice.This is not regular radio drivel, nor is it 1-hit wonder material.It you enjoy lighter female singers - Tori Amos' and Fiona Apple's later stuff, Sarah McLachlan, etc - then you will probably like this CD.
Talented, Not Exceptional, But A Real Debut
Pop music today consists of glossed-over, hyped-up, overly processed and highly manufactured music with Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff at the helm; most people don't even care that the synchronized background effects that completely overlap their voices have more work and talent put into them than Lindsay's and Hilary's voices combined and multiplied. In a society where every blond pageanted bimbo that comes to Hollywood and scores a few acting gigs will have a sugar-filled bubblegum pop album out in a few months, talent or not, Anna Nalick is a refreshing break. Her music has hardly any warped-over sound effects, and her voice, a soft, breathy, almost twangy/country sound, confirms that she is the real deal. I'm not a fan of country music at all (with the exception of Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts), and on some songs, notably Paper Bag, In My Head, and Bleed, she could almost, ALMOST be classified as country, but really she's a mix of folk and pop. Not overmarketed and highly advertised, Anna wrote (not cowrote) all of the songs on this album,and when you listen to her, you know that she's a genuine, real, talented musician.
solid pop
What can I say? It's catchy. At first I thought it was the lyrics (Breathe [2 a.m.]) that caught my attention, then I thought it was the rhythm and vocals (In the Rough), but after hearing the whole thing through and reading the liner notes I suspect the appeal at least partly due to production by Eric Rosse, who did Tori Amos' first two albums.
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Singer/Songwriter    8. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Florida’s brilliant singer-songwriter Sam Beam expands Iron & Wine from solo project to a gaggle of friends and family on slide guitar, percussion, and backing vocals on his second album. Fans need not worry--the hushed immediacy and rich melodies remain the focus--but new flavors abound. For instance, the strange "Cinder And Smoke" sounds like a collaboration (with banjos of course) between America, Robert Wyatt and Low. Meanwhile, "On Your Wings," "Free Until They Cut Me Down," and "Teeth in the Grass" showcase a brooding, earthy, Southern-rock-on-laudanum side that the band had previously only demonstrated in concert. It's rare when an artist who's become known for bedroom recordings makes the transition to the studio to produce work that's better--Daniel Johnston, Lou Barlow, and Liz Phair all made their defining moments crouched above a cassette recorder at home. But Beam is the exception to the rule, as he has easily bested himself on the second Iron & Wine album. Read more

Reviews (117)

ZZZZZzzzzzzz...
Oh my, what can I say about this whispery little train wreck.It's third-rate coffee house music that struggles to be heard over conversations (as it should be).In the quiet sanctuary of my den, it's revealed for all it isn't.It isn't clever, musically or lyrically, and just drones along seemingly forever.My audiophile friends would like it because the sparse notes and little extraneous noises would make their overly analytical and fatiguing systems sound magical.
There are things that drift away
Our Endless Numbered Days is a quite marvellous album. Sam Beam's gentle, poignant songs about love, life and the changing of the seasons are simplicity itself. Played out mainly on picked acoustic guitar or banjo, but with added piano and percussion when the occasion calls, the strength of Our Endless Numbered Days is undoubtedly Beam's gorgeous, hushed voice. It infuses the album with a wistful sense of loss and longing, and is beautifully underlined by the interplay with the (female) backing vocals. Lyrically there is an elemental, almost biblical, resonance to the songs which I haven't come across before. The album's timelessness can certainly be attributed to the fact that it could have been written at any point over the last hundred years: there are no references to late 20th or 21st century life that I can think of.
Just drift away
this album ( and his other albums) make me feel the way Norah Jones did a few years back. this is the type of sound that you want to listen to while you drift away with aglass of wine. absolutely amazing ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Lo-Fi    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

Given these tumultuous times, one would expect Ani DiFranco to confront strife head-on, but on this, her 18th album, she tunnels beneath the headlines toward deeper emotional, psychic, and institutional conflicts and causes. She begins by channeling her inner Joni Mitchell, pouring out a quartet of jazzy confessions lightly dusted with electronica, musique concrete, and keyboard drone, but urged forward by Todd Sickafoose's warm acoustic bass. His throbbing, be-bop lines are this spare but somehow atmospheric album's musical soul. As DiFranco's voice bobs and weaves around those rhythms, the personal poetry makes the politics hit harder--and vice versa. She celebrates marginalia and makes peace with a world in flux. She conveys the heat of across-the-café infatuations and grows anxious over her subconscious desires. When she locks her sights on contemporary culture, she sends a scattershot spray against celebrity cults, network news, biotechnology, Yucca Mountain, stolen elections and, of course, patriarchy. But she's a gifted enough poet and musician to keep the album from collapsing into radical rhetoric and psychobabble. The spoken-word title track begins in Hiroshima and ends in a declaration that feminism is not about equality but about "reprieve"--an amnesty from fear and hate, in other words, and an affirmation of life. In the context of a death-driven culture, her decision to bear children, "to split herself in two," becomes the most "radical thing you can do." None of her manifestos, however, would ring true if it weren't for her imaginative, even playful singing and her ever-more accomplished acoustic guitar playing, sometimes classically graceful, sometimes purely urgent. Read more

Reviews (16)

Another masterpiece!
It seems Ani Difranco is getting better and better as she grows up. This particular record is mellow, deep, thought provoking and musically brilliant.
More of a Man Than Most Men Will Ever Be...
Invariably a looming epitome of political awareness and self-reliance, the very pregnant Ani Difranco is in rare form with her latest studio album "Reprieve." Quite a varied collection, and the first after what has been for her a long absence (the outstanding "Knuckle Down" came out in January 2005), Difranco sounds revitalized and acutely in touch with herself. In each lyric and guitar strum resides a sense of purpose and unquestionable passion.