Year: 2020

You Picked It!: Stevie Wonder – ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ – Album Review

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Alright…You Picked It! And here it is. The one you picked was Stevie Wonder’s ‘Songs in the Key of Life’.  The votes were as follows:

  1. Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life – 7 votes
  2. Genesis – Genesis – 4 votes
  3. Funkadelic – Maggot Brain – 3 votes
  4. Adelitas Way – Shine On – 3 votes (one vote was a Like on Twitter by the band)
  5. Mr. Mister – Welcome to the Real World – 2 votes

Thanks to all for participating.  The October choices will be up on Saturday!

STEVIE WONDER – ‘SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE’

I don’t know what I was thinking when I picked this album to add to the You Pick It ! post. I had completely forgot what a daunting task this would be as this album is considered the best Stevie Wonder album, one of the best albums ever and it is a double LP with 21 songs and at a run time of 1 hour and 45 minutes, it is a lot of ground to cover. When the album easily won the vote count, I became a little freaked on how I was going to do this album any justice. There is really no way I can go song by song as this post would be way too long and you would get bored. So, I am only going to go through what I found to be the highlights of this album which is still quite a lot.

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My Sunday Song – “Car Crash” by Matt Nathanson

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My Sunday Song #213 is the song “Car Crash” by Matt Nathanson.  The song is off his 2007 album ‘Some Mad Hope’ and it was a single and got a relatively fair amount of airplay. Not as much as another song on that album which will be the final post of this 10 song series.

The song is rather dark in subject matter.  It seems to be about someone that has kept things inside for so long that they have become numb to everything around them.  They want to so desperately to feel something.  They want that “car crash” moment to wake them from the darkness and let them feel life again.  They need that dramatic cataclysmic catastrophe to be alive as they are dying on the inside.  It is rather heartbreaking that the person feels so low and depression is so rampant in today’s society which even today is easy to see how the darkness can consume.

Musically, the song fits the lyrics as the chorus explodes and the drum beats and cymbal hits sound like a crashing sound.  While on the verses, the electric guitars fill the image with a rich tone and texture that accompany the vocals to give it a sound that is uplifting despite the darkness. The sounds feel like everything is about explode and all will be right with the world.  It is a perfect blend of the dark lyrics with the light instrumentation.

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Friday New Releases – September 11, 2020

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A rather somber day for us in the U.S. as it is the anniversary of 9/11 and I can’t believe it has been 19 years…still feels like yesterday. Even though is is somber, it is still Friday and we still have new releases to celebrate. This week doesn’t see a ton of releases, but there are some very noteworthy ones to list and I have done just that for you. Are there any for me this week? No, not really but like I said a couple very notable groups that a lot of people like. I have no choices highlighted in Blue this week, but I still want to hear from you and what you want to check out and what I may have missed this week as there is always something. Thanks for stopping by and I hope everyone has a great weekend! See you next week!!

  • 71X13UqawZL._SS500_  Marilyn Manson – We Are Chaos – (Loma Vista Recordings / Concord): Marilyn Manson is back with his 11th Studio album…crazy to think he has that many. It has been three years since his prior release and I am sure the fans are eager to hear more of his industrial, shock rock brand of metal.
  • 81xY01P1Y-L._SX522_  Mastodon – Medium Rarities – (Reprise Records) – Vinyl out 10/16: I love it when a home town band makes it big and these Atlanta boys have done that and then some. This is a cool release and I might dive in to it as it is a compilation of rare tracks from the band. Rare tracks are always fun.
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Kiss – ‘Peter Criss’ (1978) – Album Review (The Kiss Review Series)

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The third Kiss solo album in the review series is none other than the Catman, Peter Criss.  Peter’s album was released on the same day as all the other band members on September 18, 1978.  And Peter, sadly, had the least selling and the lowest chart placing on Billboard charts at #43, however, that doesn’t mean it was the worst of the group…ok, yes it does!

Peter’s album was my least favorite, by far, and I haven’t heard it in over 30+ years probably.  And when I pulled it out for this review and gave it a listen, it isn’t bad as I remember.  I think that stems from the fact I know so much more about who Peter is that I feel the album fits him perfectly.  Peter is not a real rock drummer, he has more of a jazz feel and this is more of his style of music.  Does that mean I like this one, no, not at all, but I get it now and I respect him for it.

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Needtobreathe – ‘Out of Body’ – Album Review

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A couple months back, Needtobreathe sent out emails to their fans and told us some news about a new album, ‘Out of Body’. However, at the same time they discussed the heartbreaking news that Bo Rinehart, lead guitar and founding member, was leaving the band. This caused great pause to me as Bo is the creative mind behind the band. He did a lot of the art, the video concepts, he was a songwriter as well and a hell of a musician. He was one of the many reasons, I love this band. I now had worries about the new album and how the band was going to sound.

This only left 3 members of the band…

  • Bear Rinehart, lead singer, guitar
  • Josh Lovelace – hammond organ and piano
  • Seth Bolt – bass and drums (not at the same time)

I still ordered the album the day it went available for pre-order and I even ordered the Vinyl and CD bundle because why not. Artistically, the cover of the album was amazing, the color of the vinyl was stunning and everything about the concept was beautiful and some of the best the band has done. And you can see below, everything looks great…

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Collective Soul – ‘Half & Half’ E.P. – Album Review (#RSD)

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For the August 29th, 2020 Record Store Day, Collective Soul issued a 12″ EP called Half & Half. It is played at 45 RPMs and consists of 2 new songs and 2 cover songs…thus half and half. The vinyl isn’t an exclusive RSD issue, it is a First Release meaning the band will release this at a later time. I am hoping the fact that his is a clear transparent vinyl will be the exclusive RSD part otherwise the only good about it is that I got to hear it before anyone who gets the regular release.

A few interesting notes on the back cover, the band mentions that their new album ‘Vibrating’ will be coming out soon which probably means this two new songs will be on it, but I hope not the covers then this stays a little special. Also, I find it funny they are all wearing some form of sunglasses and I still get a kick out of Ed Roland now going by E Roland because a) it is must have been hard with such a long name as Ed that E is just easier for his mind and b) he is starting to think he is Prince and we will soon be getting a symbol as a name and he is just prepping us.

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Bush – ‘The Kingdom’ – Album Review

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The 90’s Post-Grunge band, Bush, bring us their 8th album and first in 3 years.  Post-Grunge?  What the hell is that anyway.  I hate these sub-genre names.  Bush is a Rock band, plain and simple.  And this album is some heavy-ass Rock!!

Gavin Rossdale, the only original member still in the band, gave us an album with so much guitar, some incredible riffs and there is a little anger in the songs that comes through loud and clear.  In what might the bands best album since Razorblade Suitcase, Rossdale shows that he still has life in those bones and still has a lot to say.

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If you saw John Wick 3 last year, you heard “Bullet Holes” and you thought, Damn!  If the album is anything like this, it was is going to be awesome.  And you’d be right! Their next single of the album “Flowers in the Grave” sealed the deal for me, this album had to be heard.  Songs like “Flowers…” were so inviting and accessible.  What do I mean by that?  Yes, what do I mean.  The song felt familiar and catchy and stuck with me and I just connected to it.  When you have songs that can do that, you have an impactful album.

Then you get the next song, “The Kingdom” and your life is changed.  The song is one of the heaviest on the album and maybe that they’ve done. It is an incredible portrait of the state of our world right now.  The star is not only Gavin’s vocals, but Chris Traynor on lead guitar. This album is a showcase of his talent.  He lays down killer riff after killer riff.  The band is hitting on all cylinders with this song and I don’t want to leave out the drum sound on this one either, The newest member, Nik Hughes has an immense sound here.

 

This album goes from one heavy song to the next and you don’t want to skip anything.  “Ghosts in the Machine”, also known as “Slave”, is a favorite with its haunting lyrics and what feels like references to his painful divorce (Apple Music calls it “Ghosts…” and the CD calls it “Slave”).  Then it is “Quicksand” which really sounds like early Bush to me.  There is so much here that remind you of the best of 90’s Bush that you get this big grin on your face when you are listening to it and finding those moments.

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It is one heavy rock song after another until you get to “Undone” which slows things down without losing any of the momentum that has been building.  And by this time in the album you need to catch your breath.  “Undone” is actually quite beautiful and very melodic and I would think it takes me back to “Glycerine”.  And the album ends with “Falling Away” and it leaves you wanting more.  The song is not that heavy, but not a ballad either.  Somewhere in between and it is so melodic, catchy and there is a tenderness to its sound you can’t help but become engrossed.

I could go on and on, but let’s be honest, I would be repeating myself on how great this album truly is.  It has already garnered a listen every single day since its release and will garner more to come.  Gavin Rossdale has given us an album that could be a pinnacle in the career of Bush.  It is one of the band’s heaviest sounding albums, the production is polished and lays Rossdale’s vocals front and center, it is melodic, accessible, inviting and everything you want in a rock album.  It is as close to perfection as you can get.  With all that being sad, this is easily a 5.0 out of 5.0 Stars!!

 

My Sunday Song – “Kinks Shirt” by Matt Nathanson

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For My Sunday Song #212, we are going to discuss the song “Kinks Shirt” by Matt Nathanson. The song is off his 2013 album, ‘Last of the Great Pretenders’ and in July of that year he released this song as a video and a single.  It was one of the fun songs on the album that shows he isn’t all heartbreak and sadness and that sometimes he can be a good mood or at least sound like he is.

The song was actually inspired by an actual girl that was wearing a Kinks Shirt.  You know The Kinks, who doesn’t love The Kinks?  No one, that is who.  While recording the album, Matt and his producer and band mates would visit this diner quite frequently, I mean like every day for lunch.  There was a girl that worked there with tattoos and piercings and nothing like someone that Matt would normally be attracted to maybe, but someone he was obsessed with.  Not in a crazy stalker way, but more fantasizing way.  He was so mesmerized by her that she inspired this song.

The song is an uptempo pop song, plain and simple.  It is so catchy, fun and you can’t help but get caught up in the beat and dance around a little.  Lyrically, Matt paints a vivid picture of this girl wearing The Kinks shirt and you can picture every little detail about her and how she makes him feel.  Who hasn’t had a girl at one time you were mentally in love with, but never approached her to see what could’ve been.

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Friday New Releases – September 4, 2020

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Are you kidding me? How is September already. This year is now flying by. The only thing slowing it down is there are so many damn political ads on TV and the web that it is making me physically ill. Ughh!! At least it is Friday and there are new music releases to help me make it through the day. It is not a huge week, but for me a very solid week of releases. I have 2 I want to hear and they are highlighted in Blue. Let me know what interests you and what I may have missed that came out as I know there are always a bunch. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

  • 91jITuj+KvL._SX522_  Stryper – Even The Devil Believes – (Frontiers Music): Michael Sweet is a machine. Between solo albums, Stryper albums, Sweet & Lynch, the man is non-stop. He and the boys from Stryper have been putting out some of their best music in their 4 decade long career and now going in to their 5th decade (I think that is right…80’s, 90’s. 00’s, 10’s and 20’s…yep that is right). I am really looking forward to cranking this bad boy up.
  • John 5 & the Creatures – Live Invasion – (60 Cycle Hum Records): John 5 is one of the premiere guitarist in the industry and is so sought after for his writing as well as his playing. When not by Rob Zombie’s side, he has his solo gig and they recorded their last live tour for the album ‘Invasion’ so expect some riff-tastick guitar playing and some super talented musicians.
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Kiss – ‘Gene Simmons’ – Album Review (The Kiss Review Series)

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The second Kiss solo album in the review series is none other than the Demon himself, Gene Simmons.  Gene’s album was released on the same day as all the other band members on September 18, 1978.  And Gene had the distinction of being the highest ranked album on the Billboard charts at #22, however, that doesn’t mean it was the best of the bunch.

Gene approached his album a little different than the other members.  Gene wanted as many people as he could possibly get to appear on his album.  And he delivered a smorgasbord of guest including Joe Perry from Aerosmith, his current girlfriend Cher, Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen, Bob Seger, Helen Reddy, Donna Summer, Michael Des Barres and an unknown artist at the time Katy Sagal (you know her as Peg Bundy from Married with Children). And an interesting note on the album is that Gene did not play bass on it at all, that was handled by Neil Jason.

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