Editorial Review

Liz Phair's Read more

Reviews (166)

excellent
I'm not much of a fan of her 2 latest pop albums, but wcse is just great pop, not saccharine, just great. You can definitely appreciate exile in guyville and this album as well.

"Yes I'm broadcasting myself!"
Liz Phair's whitechocolatespaceegg is a fun and catchy album. More produced than her two previous albums, but still a classic collection. Some of the gems on the album include: What makes you happy (loved it first time i heard it!) polyester bride, big tall man, and ride. Liz is an amazing songwriter, and her lyrics do not disappointment on this particular album. lyrics like, "I'm sleeping in the girls room, i'm sleeping in the sky, i'm sleeping in the water, i'm sleeping in the girls room tonight" What i like about this album it was the right transiton that Liz needed in her career, yes the sound is more slicker and predictable but every artist needs to grow and not write about the same thing all the time because the prevoius formula was successful. Whitechocolatespaceegg is worth checking out, keep rocking Liz!

AnnaNalick
I thinkAnna's cd isinteresting because hersongs Breathe2(am), and In TheRough.(GOAnna!)
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Indie Rock    4. Lo-Fi    5. Pop    6. Popular Music    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. 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

Features

• Enhanced
• Limited Edition
• Original recording reissued

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   

Reviews (7)

Fans can never be objective...
From the OBJECTIVE reviewer...This only thing stopping this collection from a solid 5 star rating is the fact that it includes remixes and some b-sides. Therefore, it ends up being a must have for fans missing some great tracks and too much for someone wanting an overview of Beth Orton's great music.

A Good Beth Primer
As another reviewer says, this is a fine place to start lovin' Beth.If you don't know her, you should.Once you do, you will at the very leastlike her.She - IMHO - is one of the best artists to come along in recent memory.So do yourself a favor, and check her out if you haven't already.

But it's not an album....
If you're like i was a year ago, and you are not sure where to put your money when it comes to Beth Orton, you'll buy this CD.This collection contains some of her best songs, with a few missing exceptions ("Carmella," "Paris Train," and her rendition of Cat Steven's "Wild World" come to mind), and is a great introduction to her work. It makes for a great gift to someone who seriously needs to be introduced to Beth Orton (one of the best female musicians of our time).
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Folk    3. Alternative Pop/Rock    4. Pop    5. Popular Music    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. Singer/Songwriter    9. Trip-Hop   

Editorial Review

The 22-year-old son of two of rock's most enduring icons releases his debut album with production help from his girlfriend, Yuka Honda of Cibo Matto. Unfortunately, Sean has neither his girlfriend's sense of humor, his mom's experimental boldness, nor his dad's pop genius. The bulk of the album is devoted to soft rock, singer/songwriter material delivered at deliberate tempos in Sean's thin, wispy voice. Periodically--just to prove he's a '90s guy and not just copying the '60s--he throws in a hard rock interlude, a bossa nova rhythm, a jazz instrumental or a hip-hop sample before getting back to the same, dreary balladry. He does have a knack for appealing chord changes and melody lines, but he doesn't have the vocal chops to execute them.Read more

Reviews (95)

You can tell who's genes this kid has...

You've got to be kidding
This is the worst album I've ever heard.John Lennon is the most overrated act in history, and Yoko's an absolute joke.Sean just proves the apple never falls far from the tree.What did we expect?

Wrong side of the gene pool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sean sings like Yoko.To quote another reviewer, "Leave the music to Julian,"PLEASE!Does any more need to be said? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Pop    3. Pop    4. Popular Music    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Twee Pop   

Editorial Review

Even after 15 years of releasing albums on her own Righteous Babe imprint, it's hard to know what to make of Ani DiFranco. Some see her as a folkie-punk-bisexual-feminist-radical-crap-kicker, while others reckon she's merely Alanis Morissette with better lyrics. On her 15th studio album the truth just might be somewhere in between. She does dysfunctional family portraits ("Studying Stones") and broken affairs ("Lag Time") just fine, but she also manages to leave room for rambling, autobiographical beat poetry ("Parameters"). And then there is the music. Matching acoustic guitars with earthy funk rhythms and soft moonlight moods with out-of-leftfield song arrangements, it reconfirms the one label everyone can agree upon: fiercely original. Read more

Reviews (41)

different, but i love it!
this one is pretty different in my opinion, but defenteley not bad.
New to Ani DiFranco
My friend saw Ani DiFranco at JazzFest in New Orleans and recommended the CD.I liked it so much I bought Not a Pretty Girl

A Very Good Album
A very good album with strong melodies and lyrics sung with a lot of heart. I hadn't bought any new Ani music for a long time. The last couple I had listened to did not seem to have the same intensity as her earlier material, but I decided to take a chance on this one and was thoroughly impressed. Unlike others that reviewed the album, I really enjoy "Seeing Eye Dog", it has a bluesy, gritty feel, but has Ani's signature sound throughout.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Folk    2. Contemporary Singer/Songwriter    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Singer/Songwriter    8. United States of America   

Editorial Review

For many pop-music cynics, excess can be neatly summed up in three things: live albums, double-CD's, and Tori Amos records. Damned ifRead more

Features

• Live

Reviews (418)

The Freak Flag Still Flies on Planet Tori
To Venus and Back is, even in the Tori canon, a unique record.Originally planned as a live album, it unexpectedly grew a full-length studio record in the process; as far as I know, it's the only example of such a division in the history of (relatively) mainstream rock music (well, my roommate just informed me that Neil Young did a similar thing called Journey Through the Past, but that was a single album that was a side of each, and I think it's out of print).Aside from the bracketed example, bands often record a few new studio cuts to sweeten up their live offerings, but this one is truly different.The difference is Tori herself, of course; she never does anything by any method but her own, and surely that counts for something.
"I'm stepping in to your space oddity..."
To Venus and Back is Tori Amos's most daring and complexed work to date. I got this album because i was crazy for the songs Bliss and 1000 Oceans. I quickly began to love every song on the record, and the live record is lovely as well. The songs I love live is the gorgeous Cooling, Bells for her, Cloud on my tongue, Space Dog, and Sugar. The studio album has 11 songs, Bliss is the opening track:"Is that what i taste, your supernova juice? you know it's true I'm part of you." Juarez has great music and interesting lyrics:"And the desert she must be blessed and no angel came..." Concertina is subtle and flows great:"I run into your thought from across the room..." The most uptempo song is Glory of the '80s:"Silicone party barbies to the left and Joan of Arcs to the right, no one feeling insecure, we were all gorge and famous in our last lives." Lust has the best piano music I have ever heard:"Is he real or a ghost lie, she feels she isn't heard, and a veil tears and rages til her voices are remembered and his secrets can be told." Suede has a fabulous chorus:"Call me evil, call me tide is on your side anything that you want..." Josephine is just too short because it's the best song on the record:"From here you're haunting me, by the siene so beautiful only not to be of use, impossible..." Riot Poof took me awhile to warm up to this song but now i love it:"It will all find it's way, it's way in time, blossom riot poof..." Dautra is the most weirdest song but has a gentle chorus:"And not need more blood from the tip of your star?" Spring Haze is about learning to stand on your own in a doomed relationship:"And my only way out is to go so far in." And the last song 1000 Oceans is her best song since Silent all these years, great love song:"I can't believe that i would keep, keep you from flying, so i will cry a 1000 more if that's what it takes to sail you home." To Venus and Back is Tori's most under-rated album so don't not keep this record on the shelf for one more day.

Datura
There is something serendipitous sifting through the air and it's all captured in Tori Amos' "Datura". An explosive song with double and triple layers (both production wise and in terms of its philosophical and spiritual meanings), "Datura" captures the lifting, haunting and suspended quality of everything from being high to discovering one's true self ("Is there room in my heart for you to follow your heart.")
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Keyboards    4. Piano    5. Pop    6. Popular Music    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Singer/Songwriter    10. Vocals   

Editorial Review

Ani DiFranco's fondness for cheeky self-effacement marks her fourth album, Read more

Reviews (77)

two and a half
We are all pretty familiar with the concept of over-acting. You know, like Al Pacino in Scarface. But is it possible to "over-sing." I think it is, and I'd argue Ani does it in every single song she's ever written. "eaaarggAh! OhheeeeOO!, UyayayayayEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Probably it does the trick if you're PMSing real bad, but as a dude I have a little trouble relating. For a while I thought she had bad lyrics. But then I tried just reading them straight up and realized hey they are totally decent, it's just the vocals that make them tough to stomach. Shakespeare would probably be bad if you said, "the-e-e-ea-a-a- quAAliteee-e-e-e-eEEEEEE of mer cy is not STRAYEEEYYAAAYYEEEAYYEEEAAAAAAnedahugooooh!...." That said, even though they aren't bad perse, they are sort of annoying. I don't like coffee houses, or people who frequent them. Which seems to be sort of the Ani universe. On the other hand, if you like to get an expresso before catching the subway downtown to catch the Innercity Radical Anarchocommunist Existential Collective's screening of their latest short film about transgender intellectual insurgents in the world of independent media publishing in Seattle, where you'll meet a group of girls wearing different colored socks and quirky glasses, and at least one radical photographer named Jeremy, with whom you plan to go backpacking this weekend on a scenic trail where you'll write obsessively about yourself in a journal, all the while missing the amazing plants and animals because you don't know anything about nature except that you hate corporations who want to destroy it, and you're too busy journalling about the flaky dudes you sleep with, plus your parents were hippies and you're exactly like them and not original at all, you'll probably totally dig the vibe here.
It's all good
That is not what i do....
A little out there just to be out there, but worth it
I don't know, maybe it's me but I get a little "activism-for-the-sake-of-activism" from this album...Or maybe "shock-value-for-the-sake-of-shock-value"...But that doesn't stop it from being good most of the time.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Folk    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Alternative/Indie-Rock    4. Anti-Folk    5. Indie Rock    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Singer/Songwriter    10. Urban Folk   

Features

• Enhanced
• Live
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (45)

This blows
I am a fan of him and Grace is still one of the best cds of the 90s but this sure does blow. His voice is mostly awful on this. I especially dont like those very long covers he does on here. The way young lovers do does not need to be 10 minutes with a bunch of annoying sounds. The listable songs on here are the short ones . The reason Grace was good is becasue it was well produced and his voice was more polish. It surprised me that this thing averages 5 stars on amazon. If he did not die young this cd would not even seen the light of day. I am so glad i did not buy this i found it at the libary. This show's you how awful this cd is this thing retails for 30.00 yet i found it at a libary.

Indescribable.
I got this 2-disc set for Christmas.Having been only a mediocre fan of Jeff Buckley before, I was unsure what to expect, but even before the first CD had ended, I was in pure awe.
soul boy
I could write something similar to this about any Jeff Buckley album, but instead of going through them all and repeating myself, I'll just say a lot here.
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Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock    3. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Give Poe credit for overcoming obstacles and delivering a second album as ambitious and loaded as Read more

Features

• Enhanced

Reviews (293)

A haunting experience
Poe's Haunted is one of the best start-to-finish albums out there.It is suitable for any situation... driving, at a party, or even relaxing with your favorite hookah.I wait anxiously for Poe to disentangle herself from the corporate red tape and finally lay a 3rd work of art on us.

Near perfection!

How much does PoE rock?
in the year 2000, i did study abroad for the first time, and in an effort to pack lightly, i took only one small cd case worth of discs with me. the crown jewels of the collection were jeff buckley's grace, kate bush's the dreaming, carl orff's carmina burana, and PoE's hello. i listened to them constantly, especially on the bus when we took day-trips. (i did add french purchases, as well...most notably teri moise)
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Rock/Pop    5. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

Is Liz Phair apologizing? It would be easy to get that impression from the title track of Read more

Reviews (85)

Why does it have to be one or the other?
The concerns raised about Phair's last two album are hardly palatable.The general concensus seems to be that either:
We've left "Exile in Guyville"
Liz Phair was an icon in the mid 90s indie-female-rock scene with her outstanding debut "Exile in Guyville" album, which was followed by 2 other great albums. In 2003, Liz did an astounding 180 degree turnaround with the self-titled album, instead reaching for the April Lavigne/Sheryl Crowe type mainstream crowd. Yes it did bring Liz her first Top 40 success with the "Why Can't I" single, but the album faltered commercially. Now comes the sequel.
Boooooooring.And so sad.
I am a Liz Phair from the "Exile" era, and unlike many old-time fans, I've followed her every step of the way and taken the stops, starts and turns in stride.I didn't even mind her self-titled album, which I found unchallenging but still catchy.I continued supporting her, even traveling long distances to see her on a couple of occasions.
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Rock/Pop    5. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

At 28 years intense, Harper released his third album, a mixture of R&B, deep blues, folk-rock, even topical singer-songwriter work (the deliberate, bluesy "Homeless Child"). Harper's voice and style marry the funk-blues of Taj Mahal and the eccentric, electric Dylan. Those weaned on his more commercially successful peers Hootie and the Blowfish and the Wallflowers will find that Harper is a revelation. At its best, Read more

Reviews (31)

Marvelous
Execellent album. Ben Harper incorporates many different styles of music and does it well. Overall the album is fairly spiritual in content without being over the top.I cant tell you how much I love this album. In the top 20 of albums from the Nineties.

one of the best rock albums of the 90s
First question. Why is it that whenever someone mentions Ben Harper the next person's name that comes up is Lenny Kravitz? Their music is not that similar. Obviously the similarity between them is that they are the most popular African American rock musicians of the 90s. I hate this because it suggests a sense of racism by immediately pinning them against each other and making comparisons. They are two entirely different musicians, though both great in their own right. They are not the first African American rockers, for rock was invented by Chuck Berry and mastered by Jimi Hendrix. Not only that but there were other influencial and revolutionary African American rockers since then, for example, Bad Brains, Fishbone, etc. soulful & moving
An album which expresses Harper's traditional genuflection to spirituality and concern for the less-than-fortunate.With "Homeless Child" and "Widow of a Living Man" (one of my favorite songs by him), Harper exhibits once again his uncanny ability of peering into the world of the downtrodden and revealing its anguish w/grace.While perhaps his most melancholy release, it's beautifully orchestrated, and like the majority of his work, it's an album that, thematically, speaks to those who are ahead of the status quo. ... Read more

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

Editorial Review

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Features

• Original recording reissued
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (14)

Classic Costello enhanced by second disc

rock's greatest one-two punch
Most of us, even with our very favorite CD's, will have one or two tracks that we will always skip over for no other reason than that they are not just quite to our taste. Well the performances on this album, and on This Year's Model are so flawless that I will not listen to any Costello music unless I am in a position to hear every single song on both of the original versions in one listening.
Great album....
I'm not gonna sit and write a full scale review of this one tonight.It's a remarkable album, Costello's greatest lyrics.Lately it has replaced This Year's Model in my Top 10 albums of all time, based mainly on the combination of incredible hooks, tight musicianship, lush production, and Costello's best set of metaphors ever (although some good ones show up on all his albums).The main reason I'm writing this review is to point out the source of the "ERROR" being discussed in a couple of other reviews (stating that in the song "Chemistry Class," the CD skips on the word "Action")...WELL...If you'll listen closely you'll notice that it skips of the word "ACCIDENTS" - the record or CD "skipping" is an aesthetic production flourish.A musical "ACCIDENT."It happens on the vinyl, the double disc CD, the single disc CD, and every copy of the album ever. It's part of the song.Just wanted to clue you in.Anybody ever notice "All Tomorrow's Parties" by the Velvet Underground does the same thing? ... Read more

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

Editorial Review

What we're getting here is what we've come to expect from this talented songstress: pop arrangements of literate songs that deal with knotty relationships involving lovers, critics, and corporations. Mann co-wrote a song with Elvis Costello for the final 'Til Tuesday album, and it was an apt pairing. Like Costello at his best, Aimee is equal parts adroit and direct. A couplet like "I came back twice, now I'm the Anti-Christ" or "A thousand compromises don't add up to a single win" may be accompanied by something a little more to the point--"Don't you know you're a fucking freak in this world?" Mann and producer/multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion keep the songs pithy and punchy, bringing on guests like Juliana Hatfield (on the particularly intoxicating "You Could Make a Killing"), Suede alumni Bernard Butler, Michael Penn, Chris Difford, and Glenn Tilbrook for occasional adornment, but mostly maintain a hands-on approach. The result frequently recalls Read more

Reviews (60)

My favourite album of all time
1. Longshot - 9/10 - Aimee Mann MUST have personally written this one for my ex boyfriend
title says all about the record labels........and deserves it..
another mann masterpiece also delayed from the idiots that be behind the record labels.
spark of genius (?)
This album gets played constantly in my house.Every number is positively brilliant, however different from one another.The only two that I may not listen to much are Ray and Frankenstein, but the rest show that spark of "genius", and I avoid using that word for anyone.I just read Allmusic's take on Aimee Mann and her recorded legacy, and somewhat disappointed - this album is great, as I also believe Lost in Space is.Those are the two I usually recommend first.Possibly pop/rock's best songwriter at the moment. ... Read more

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

Editorial Review

As promised, Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach's long-awaited full-length collaboration Read more

Reviews (192)

I Am Really Surprised By How Much I Like It
I am a huge fan of Bacharach, but just after I bought this, I heard Costello and hated him.So this CD sat unopened for a couple of years.
THE GOLD STANDARD BY WHICH ALL OTHER POP SHOULD BE MEASURED
Exquisite.Wonderful.Heartwrenching.Amazing.
elvis at his best
I remember seeing Elvis in a small concert hall in the early 70/s, totally full of attitude, I think when we clapped for him to come back and sing one more song he gave us the bird. Well this elvis is mature and has harnessed his energy. I suggest this, grab a bottle of wine
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Pop    3. Pop/Rock    4. Popular Music    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

One of the most promising of Peter Gabriel's Real World label protégés came not from some dusty, Third World village, but from that American tire and rubber mecca, Akron, Ohio. But while Arthur's previous Gabriel-inspired adventures netted him considerable critical kudos and even a ‘99 Grammy nod for his self-created album art, he turns an even neater trick here. The frameworks for Arthur's 16 poetic, alternately introspective and impressionistic songs may be more firmly rooted in traditional folk and singer-songwriter formula than ever, but the influence of Gabriel seems even more pronounced on the album's evocative, often hypnotic sonic textures.Densely layered yet deceptively organic, it's a record of endless production subtleties in service of songs that trickle and dart like a playful stream of consciousness. Whether putting his own peculiar spin on romantic foibles in the dirge-turns-anthem "Favorite Girl," the upbeat energy of "Let's Embrace" and "In the Night," or conjuring more intriguing existential imagery on the fragile "You Are the Dark," Arthur has produced an album that reveals itself anew on every listen. Read more

Reviews (40)

Great album, but all over the place
What to say about this album.The bottom line is there are some great, classic songs on here, then there are some not so good song.Luckily the cd has 16 tracks and is 75 minutes long so that even if you weed out the ones you don't like you still have a lot of music to listen to.The problem is this cd has so many different types of songs in it that you really have to be a fan of all music I think to fully enjoy this album all the way through.It seems like he was trying to do a little of everything possible here, having some type of identity crisis or something.If I had to split the songs into seperate categories I would say we would have 1)Classic Joe sound (which is basically him and his guitar with possible drum beat, singing from his heart about past or present girlfriends) 2) pop/emo 3) rock/grunge 4)industrial 5)country
If this was a religious album, I didn't see it.
Why can't the fellow sing about what he pleases?He does it well, you don't feel that he is after your soul, nor to cheat you out of your money. There may have been moments that the artist's faith shined through in his music, but this is certainly not a preachy album and mostly explores those things that people play music to explore. He sings about lost love and broken hearts and broken lives and hope and joy. I bought this with seven other CDs and I was a little afraid because of the alleged religious theme, but it is one of my favorites. The sound is