Editorial Review

Ben Lee has been a mainstay on alternative rock airwaves; it’s hard to believe the Australian singer/songwriter is still only 26. For album number six he comes full circle on a decade of recordings, working with producer Brad Wood (Liz Phair, Smashing Pumpkins) who spearheaded the sound of Lee’s debut record Read more

Reviews (26)

Ben Lee is AWESOME!!!
I am totally captivated by this musician and have not been this into a CD for years.His sound and lyrics are interesting and meaningful, yet fun at the same time.This is very "concious" rock and roll!I am hooked...BUY THIS CD!!!

My new favorite!
I heard Gamble Everything for Love when Ben Lee performed on a late night talk show and on the strength of that one song, I bought the CD. Glad I did, because there are a lot of songs worth hearing. I don't have a longterm perspective on this particular singer and haven't bought other CDs of his but I'd strongly suggest getting this one. I admit that I didn't love every single song. One was overly long and another one (Whatever it is, yes that IS the actual name of the song)just didn't grab me.
A perfect cd
Ben Lee's new album is absolutely worth buying, even if you've never heard it. If you like pop, this will be your new favorite cd. The cd contains both upbeat (catch my disease) and more melancholy (begin) tunes, but each song is sure to inspire you.There will always be one song on this album that you can relate to at any moment in time.
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Pop    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Singer/Songwriter   

Features

• Enhanced

Reviews (513)

Not as good as her first ablum, but still pretty good!
Wow, this album was a lot different from her first album called "The Spirit Room." Basically what was so different about this was that in her first album, when she talks about her boyfriend, she talks about him like she'd do anything in the world for him. But in this album, it's all negative. She changes her songwriting styles and says she's better off alone without the guy she likes because he made her upset. This appears in songs like "Are you happy now", "Love me like that" and "Til I get over you." I mean, it's all fine with me, some of the songs are pretty cool, but her music and voice just aren't NEARLY as good as they are in her other album.
Disappointed
I love Michelle Branch's first CD, The Spirit Room.
AWESOME!!!!!
I JUST DISCOVERED MICHELLE BRANCH AND ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT SHE IS THE BEST SINGER EVER!!!!EVERY SONG IN THIS CD HAS ITS OWN RHYTM AND STORY!!SHE SINGS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT NO MISTAKES BUY THIS ALBUM ITS GREAT THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT ITS A BIT SHORT BUT WHO CARES??? ... Read more

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

Editorial Review

With a slate of more than 200 shows a year, Ben Harper has never been an album-tour-album-tour kind of artist; for him and his fans, the stage is the ultimate proving ground. So after four studio albums, Harper has finally released his first official live set, a 25-song double-disc collection that surveys each of his four albums and adds a couple of well-executed, if not terribly inventive, covers. Disc one is electric and finds Harper and the Innocent Criminals tearing through their patented mix of rock, folk, soul, and blues. Yet, the solo-acoustic disc two is the true prize, putting the spotlight squarely on Harper's incredibly agile, versatile, and enormously moving voice. In this pared-down setting, Harper shows an uncanny ability to connect with his audience, offering one spellbinding performance after another. Culled from two years' worth of shows--no two songs are taken from the same concert--Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (82)

worthy
this recording doent fully convey the essence of his concerts. there are better recordings of each song one can find on morpheus or limewire. It is worth the money spent however, i just found that there were a lot more worthy performances of his out there.

To dig his music, you must bleed
Harper is one of the most eclectic and soulful artists that I've heard in my life and each time I listen to this live concert, it turns me inside out. When I am unable to understand my rage, my pain or pride, my bleeding, my state of mourning, my yearning for a lover, I play Woman in You, and I howl (shamelessly) along with Ben Harper, without censoring my fall and then my rise.
Best Live Album
If you have never heard any Ben Harper, or if you are the world's biggest Ben fan...this is the album for you!The double disc set really shows off Ben's versatility, grace, and style.This is one of my favorite albums of all time...it always makes me feel like I'm right at the show.
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Jam Bands    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

The phonograph crackling that opens Pete Yorn's debut album is an appropriate gesture for an artist hailed as the best thing to come out of South Jersey since Bruce Springsteen. Actually, Yorn doesn't sound a thing like Springsteen, but he does possess a classic pop craftsmanship shared by tradition-minded singer-songwriters such as Neilson Hubbard and Elliot Smith. On the cool, infectious "Life on a Chain," Yorn's relaxed crooning evokes the spirit of Bruce Cockburn, while "Simonize," ostensibly a love song penned by Jack the Ripper, calls to mind Big Star-period Alex Chilton. Rhythmically, the part-time drummer and multi-instrumentalist (he scored the Farrelly brother's movie Read more

Reviews (235)

Great CD!
This music transcends its genre. My husband listens to Pete Yorn, and I was converted when I felt myself being spiritually moved. Don't worry, he can rock out too. Whatever your mood, this CD is a great choice.

FIVE 1/2 STARS
i took a chance this cd...it was ok the first time, better the second and magnetic after the third. simply the best artist and talent no one knows about. someday i like to see him live, but i cannot take any of my friends , because they never heard of him. thats ok...i like to keep some things to myself, i will attend solo.

Good in the begining, and just as good all the way through.
I first heard Pete live as an opening act and even as he had to fix his amp himself because he couldn't afford roadies I knew it was magic.Every song on this album tells a diffrent story in a beautiful voice and catches me in a diffrent way- there isn't a single one I don't like."Caus it already is (For Nancy)" however has always been my favorite.
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

Eponymous albums are usually either debuts or the work of musicians trying to introduce themselves to a new audience. Count Read more

Features

• Enhanced
• Explicit Lyrics

Reviews (447)

The downfall of indies' best....
I don't want to compare this album to all of Liz's other albums but it's hard not to. Yes artists would like you to take their work for what it is at the moment and I have done that. I must say some of the songs on the record, I can almost see the Liz of old, lyrics-wise. She has some wit on this album and towards the end of the album there are some more listenable songs.
Excellent Album! Glad Liz chose a New Groove!
The "purists" will hate it, but Liz Phair said she wanted more than just a barely profitable CD. So, she and Lauren Christy and co. put together this. Christy is more indie than most. Gee, if HWC and erotic songs isn't enough, make your own Liz Phair album. The CD is rock solid with her sensual voice, guitar rips, and seducing lyrics. It was Extraordinary!
Complex music, great with headphones
each song -unique,lyrics -what about the underwear song?How original is that!A couple of hits, too.Tis THE best Liz album. ... Read more

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

Editorial Review

Culled both from studio sessions that his friends maintain he wasn't pleased with, and from four-track demo tapes never intended for public consumption, Read more

Reviews (100)

Half polished, half sketches...
Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk is so good, and, at the same time, so hard to listen to. Jeff Buckley had planned to go into the studio to record his sophomore album, My Sweetheart the Drunk, in June of 1997. He died in May. This album, a two-CD compilation of three studio sessions and a fourth unofficial recording session, was released posthumously.
Disc 2 is just AMAZING!
This CD is one of my favourite CD's of all time. You people saying that the disc 2 is not worth listening to, you haven't got it, have you..? When disc 2 really starts with "haven't you heard" (the first two songs are remixes from disc one), it takes you to a totally unique experience all the way to the last chord is played.
The masterpiece even Buckley missed?
I'll add a few thoughts for the person considering this CD, particularly who only knows the album Grace:The first disc of this set is a relatively finished product produced for Buckley by Tom Verlaine (with some subsequent minor clean-up).The second disc consists mainly of rough drafts for unrecorded songs, and should be considered as such.The second CD is not easy listening, and is really for the most devoted fans only (as is fully disclosed in the liner notes).
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Folk-Rock    4. Pop    5. Popular Music    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. Singer/Songwriter   

Features

• Soundtrack

Reviews (103)

Decent soundtrack
This soundtrack did something that all record stores should do - it introduced me to new and worthwhile music. Considering the movie was about a record store, well put two and two together.
Not a good representation
The movie "Empire Records" has one of the best "song scores" in any movie ever. As far as use of music goes, it's right up there with "Dazed and Confused" and "Rushmore." The problem with this CD soundtrack, though, is that it contains some of the least memorable songs from the movie. Instead, they use songs by more well-known artists that were used as background music during dialogue scenes. I was listening to this earlier and I had a very difficult time placing where the songs had been in the movie. It's an abosulute crime that the song "Seems" by Queen Sarah Saturday (the song that is played when the kids are opening the store) does not appear on this disc, as well as "Rock n' Roll EGA," and "I Shot the Devil." Instead of buying this, I suggest hunting down the songs individually.

MUST BUY
And one correction to "lightremedy"... the version of "Hey Joe" on the movie is not by Hendrix, it's another cover from The Dirt Clods. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Film Music    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Power Pop    7. Soundtrack    8. Soundtracks    9. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Editorial Review

The story of Elliott Smith is well known now: Shy and reclusive indie rocker soars to a Hollywood soundstage and major-label contract. His fans gasped in collective horror when he took a bow at the 1998 Oscars, his hand clasped by Celine Dion. He seemed far too fragile to survive among the sharks and vultures on the corner of Hollywood and Vine. But as his subsequent albums Read more

Reviews (152)

Musical masterpiece
I would agree with Patrick Burnett's comments from 5 years ago. I recently ended a relationship and Elliott has been on repeat since the summer.His music fits perfectly with those moments where you feel like there is nothing left.But in a way, the beauty behind his music lifts your spirit like nothing else. "Everything Means Nothing To Me" was the first song I ever heard from Elliott just last year and it is a small portion of the brilliance found throughout this whole album.
Overlooked, but possibly his best
Many "hardcore" Elliott Smith fans seem quick to judge and often pass this record off as "too over-produced", or the lyrics aren't as personal as past records. It couldn't be farther from the truth.
dear elliott smith fans,
i highly recommend dancing to this albumn, figure 8.it is the only elliott smith albumn i can dance to and it is my favorite albumn to dance to. of all,by all,and of all time that may or may not be danceable.it will make your feet float and sometimes you'll bend way back.sometimes you'll walk instead of dance other times you'll just stop to hear his voice. at the end of this record you ascend to the great spirit in the sky. give it a whirl,
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Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Popular Music    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Sadcore    8. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

Harper's soulful musical mix continues to defy genre categorization and his growth as an artist continues to amaze. Read more

Reviews (123)

A combination of blues, jazz and hard rock
I love Ben Harper and this has to be his most creative CD yet.You can find Bens classc acoustic sound to high gain slide guitar to the delta blues and even some jazz.It is one of my favorites now.

Burn to Shine is a fantastic all purpose album....(4.5 stars)
Most of us in our mid-20's went through that Ben Harper phase around 2000 when he started touring campuses around the nation and the buzz built.Some of his other albums have come and gone but Burn To Shine is his masterpiece that will forever endure.It's his most even album and I still listen to it semi-regularly 5 years later.
Rockin
I had heard "Steal Your Kisses" on the radio and fiogured I'd see what the whole album sounded like.I am not disappointed.What a great artist.You can really feel the emotion in his music. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Guitar    3. Guitar (Steel)    4. Jam Bands    5. Pop    6. Popular Music    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

It's the rare singer-songwriter whose emotional confessions rise above bathos to find true resonance with their listeners; rarer still the one who can connect their audience with the plight of everyday strangers. Suzanne Vega not only managed that feat on her unlikely, child-abuse themed breakthrough hit "Luka" in ‘88, but opened the door for a renaissance of intelligent, female folk-oriented music in the decade that followed. This 21-track anthology spans Vega's career before and since, a chronicle of cool, sharp-eyed detachment infused by a restless, oft-underrated sense of musical invention that spans club-mixes (the "Tom's Diner" here was originally a "pirate" deejay mix by DNA that Vega wisely adopted), Latin jazz ("Caramel"), electro-percussive rhythm explorations ("Blood Makes Noise," "99.9F," and ""Woman on the Tier" from the Read more

Reviews (21)

If you want to discover one of the most under-rated artists out there, start here...
Because Suzanne Vega has, over the past 20 years, produced some of the very best rock-poetry you'll find. An artist that's prepared to push things out to the edge lyrically without losing sight of the fact that what makes a song work is a great tune, an exciting, carefully executed arrangement and... beautifully sincere delivery. And, when she gets it right, as this compilation more than adequately shows, the results are quite stunning.
Moving
How relevant could the female, quasi folk, New Yorkish musical perspective be to a man in Australia? I don't know but I love it. She is moving, personal, "feministic", sensual, chameleonistic, and above all- the tunes rock. She is not mainstream but will leave a legacy that is second to none. Nearly every track on every album is a gem or simply a pleasant few minutes of this short life. If any artists songs convey pleasure and pain concurrently it hers. Go for any of it!

A Generous Retrospective & Fair Assessment Of Works
After new wave, dance and more agressive sound of the early 80's, Suzanne came on the music scene during the mid 80's as the return of more acoustic, folk and new age music was on the rise. Suzane's vocals were quiet and her arrangements were simple, making her mark with her debut as a cross between her past Joni Mitchell and her contempoaries Tracy Chapman & Enya. With songs like Marlene On The Wall, Freeeze Tag, The Queen & The Soldier and Crackling from her debut and her classics from Solitude Standing Luka, Tom's Dinner and the title track, have lead her to more experimental types of music.
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Folk    3. College Rock    4. Contemporary Folk    5. Folk-Rock    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

She may not break new ground with Read more

Features

• Explicit Lyrics

Reviews (199)

Happiest PJ Harvey Album
This is one of the best albums in Polly Jean's oeuvre. For the first and only time, she reveals the happiness and hearbreak of a relationship, which is the main concept behind the song cycle. As a result, the production is unusually polished with soothing guitar textures and more relaxed vocals. Her next album, "Uh Huh Her," goes back to the stripped down indie rock from her earlier works. She begins with the brilliant high-voltage assault of "Big Exit" and quiets down in the gorgeous "One Line." PJ Harvey ends the album on an ambiguous note, signaling an end to her reverie in New York. Overall, I recommend this album as the most accessible and second only to "To Bring You My Love."

Wow. Just wow.
This album rocks. All over, it's great. PJ Harvey is one of the most influential artists, at least I think so. There isn't a "bad" track on here, they're either great, good, or not your favorite. There's a good mix of fast and slow songs, and it pretty much goes from fast, mid-tempo, slow, fast, slow. The single, "This is Love" is the most single-worthy song on the album. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think that lyrics like "I want a pistol/ I want a gun/ I'm scared, baby/ I wanna run/ This was crazy/ Give me the gun" are family friendly. Instead, "This is love/ This is love/ That I'm feeling/" was chosen.
The Beauty Of Urban City Life
The fascination I have with female artists seems to know no bounds. From Madonna and Britney, to Bjork and Tori Amos, to Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush, I definitely prefer female music over that of the male. PJ Harvey is someone who I was not very familiar with, and had always avoided her music as I thought it was too rocky for my taste. However, I'm all about experimentation and at Christmas I bought her Mercury Music Prize-winning fifth album "Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea." I knew about the album years before I bought it; albums that win that kind of award become notoriously famous despite how many copies they sell. Such was the case with Polly.
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

For Tori Amos, sex can be a weapon, a spiritual offering, or an act ofprotest;it's certainly been the singer-pianist's big subject since her 1989debut, Read more

Reviews (376)

From A Toriphile Condo
From The Choirgirl Hotel was the first new Tori I bought, years after my entire collection was stolen (see my review of the CD single for China for the full story, if you like) and I cast myself adrift in the world; I bought the cassette version in the fall of '98, and it was all I had to connect me to my own soul for awhile, living in the deep wastes of Roswell, NM.That tape got lost as well eventually, and for years I drifted.Then, when I finally landed in Austin, TX., managing to acquire some stability, this was the first record I bought, rather tentatively, when I started to rebuild.It had the virtue of being familiar, yet lacking the heavy baggage attached to her earlier ones (I'm a Toriphile going all the way back to '92), which, at the time, would only have made me dwell upon all the great singles I'd lost, never (or so I then thought) to see again.Whatever my reasoning, Choirgirl Hotel is a great record, right from the beginning.'Spark' is a brilliant techno-symphony of emotional disturbance, ranking with her finest creations; 'Cruel' continues the theme but does so in a less Wagnerian, more danceable manner; 'Black Dove,' though it fits right in, moves more into the traditional Tori style of weird piano, fairy-tale noir we're all familiar with from Under the Pink And Boys For Pele.Little did I know when I first heard it that the 'but i have to get to TEXAS' part would later resonate so deeply in my own life, though I swear that even back then, that line did give me chills. . .
The cult of Tori lives...
You figure someone as talented and as unique as Tori Amos would polarize people.Such is life.I think she's brilliant, not only musically, but as a person as well.Spark is my favorite Tori song, and I love the denseness and the mystery of her music and lyrics.I always hated the whiny, indie rock of the 1990's exemplified by Lisa Loeb and Alanis Morrisette.I've always favoured Fiona Apple (who I think is astounding), and Tori.Tori is not like Fiona (and vice versa), but they are both accomplished and unique artists in their respective careers.This is my favorite of Tori's albums.She seems to grow on each successive album, and in a good way.She doesn't seem to buy into the celebrity aspects of the business, and seems intent on making her music better and better.I am in the cult of Tori, and quite proud of that.For those who dislike this vision for our ears, I suggest you open your ears wider.You're not listening...
Another excellent Tori album
Tori Amos is sure one talented woman! She's been releasing great albums all along her career combining her amazing voice with piano and subtle yet very emotional songwriting. This album is no exception! This time she adds some more interesting elements such as electronic sounds to enrich some of her songs. No matter what she does though the effect is simply amazing. While not as good as her earlier albums "From the Choirgirl Hotel" is a very nice addition to your Tori Amos catalogue and a very good album to own. ... Read more

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

Editorial Review

Dividing her time between waging war on the music industry and writing sublime pop songs, Aimee Mann shows on her fourth solo album that she is equally adept at both. "Let's hear it for guys like me," she sings over the lilting rhythms and stylish guitar work of "Guys Like Me." Her case for toppling the corporate structure is airtight; just check her Web site for the latest bulletin. Her music, meanwhile, keeps getting better. The success of the Read more

Reviews (136)

bachelor number what??
"lost in space" is almost a perfect album.i don't like how some of the songs were performed on "bachelor no. 2" compared to her superior versions on the magnolia soundtrack, or live.on "lost in space," aimee mann MAKES IT LOOK EASY as a songwriter.she deftly chronicles a crumbling relationship with wonderful lyrics and catchy acoustic hooks, as her backing electric band adds drama.
Gets better with every listen
I've been listening to this album in fairly heavy rotation for over a year. It not only holds up to repeated listenings, it just gets better, which is really extraordinary. The quality of the singing, the melancholy songwriting, the lushness of the sound ... it's just a brilliant album all-around.

lonelinessand isolation make great company.........
listening to this cd is like trying to find your way home in the dark.
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Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Popular Music    3. Rock    4. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Jam Nation hero Ben Harper tones down his lap-slide guitar flash in favor of the holy spirit for this blend of originals and gospel classics, his first full-length album with the historic singing group. They've worked together before, on the Blind Boys' excellent Read more

Features

• Enhanced

Reviews (23)

HOLY moly this is good
What a combo!Ben Harper, road warrior, jam master and granola hero, teams up with the ageless grammy award winning gospel warriors.....this has the potential for 2 outcomes: 1) something that just flat out won't work or 2)something very very special.
Funky Gospel
Bought this CD because I heard the track "Satisfied Mind" on public radio and just had to have it!!This CD is well worth the money just for this track alone.The rest of the CD is great if you are into the origins of funk.Some of the tracks get a little too Gospel for my taste.There are some sweet guitar solos and truly excellent blues riffs scattered throughout the more upbeat tracks.I would definitely suggest buying this CD after buying it I am very intersted in checking out more Ben Harper and more Blind Boys of Alabama fare.
4-1/2 stars -- Religious, nutritious
This is my first time picking up a Ben Harper record, as well as a Blind Boys of Alabama record. To me, Ben Harper has always been talented, and the Blind Boys of Alabama have always been known for making great songs (STUPID videos, but great songs). But now Ben's funky, light rock and the Blind Boys' spiritual flavor joined forces on There Will Be a Light, and as another reviewer put it, this marriage works.
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Blues Gospel    3. Jam Bands    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Singer/Songwriter    8. Soul   

Editorial Review

Only months after his initial conquest with Read more

Features

• Original recording reissued
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (39)

elvis's 2nd album, one of the best by about anyone
i had been in a deer hunting accident. i awoke in a hospital and down the hall a boombox was playing this album very loudly. i knew everything was going to be okay.

Well worth re-buying
I owned an older CD of this from the 80s, one of his rocking-est albums and my favorite, along with "Delivery Man". The definitely superior sonic remaster (not a lot of obvious re-mixing for a change!), the bonus disc and informative liner notes really made this worth buying. I subsequently bought the other remasters with bonus discs, and now have a huge library of THE Elvis (as I heard him claim on a radio interview in 1977), with loads of demos, alternative versions and tasty goodies.

His masterpiece enhanced by second disc

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Subjects:  1. British Punk    2. England    3. New Wave    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Pub Rock    7. Punk    8. Rock    9. Rock & Roll    10. Rock/Pop    11. Singer/Songwriter