November 2021 Purchases – Vinyl & CDs

Can you believe there is only one more month in the year? It has flown by so fast. And here we are again with another month end wrap-up of the purchases we have made here at 2 Loud 2 Old Music. It was a pretty decent month and another month where CDs outweighed the vinyl. There should’ve been a couple more vinyl in here, but with all the delays in vinyl pressing I have 3 that have been bought that will now not show up until 2022!! Thanks Adele!!!

First up this month are a couple that came in at the end of October after I had done my post. First is the John 5 & The Creatures release ‘Sinner’ and this one is signed. It is an awesome album and it will be interesting to see where this lands on our year-end countdown.

The other item that I received was another stellar box set from Whitesnake. This time around it is the 25th Anniversary of the album ‘Restless Heart’. It is full of demos, remixes and the always cool Evolutions disc that walks you through the evolution of the songs. Sadly, there was no live show added but that is being picky.

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Friday New Releases – May 15th

Another week has passed and another week impacted by Covid-19 as many releases scheduled for today originally are now later in the year.  A few brave souls have stuck to their guns and are releasing their albums still to our enjoyment.  As the U.S. is slowly opening back up and some stores are open again, we will see how things go. I won’t be venturing out as much at first, but I need to hit a record store soon as the shakes are starting to get bad. Withdrawal sucks!!  Until then, my choice for this week is highlighted in Blue. Let me know what you like or anything I may have missed.  Thanks and have a great week.

  • 71Rq-UG9g+L._SX522_  Colton Dixon – Colton Dixon E.P. – (Atlantic Recording):  Christian pop artist Colton Dixon is finally back after the stellar album from 2017, Identity.  That is a high mark to beat so I will be happy if he is anywhere near the greatness of that one.  Sadly, this is only an E.P….give us a full album soon Mr. Dixon!!! Please!!!

And that is it for me.  The rest has some promising stuff and maybe the Jason Isbell will get listened to, we will wait and see…

  • 91MF7wKgmML._SX522_  Asking Alexandria – Like a House On Fire – (Sumerian Records) – Digital Only – physical copy June 26th

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Top Songs of 2017

It is time for the Top 20 Songs of 2017.  My previous post, if you missed it, was the Top 20 Rock Songs of 2017.  Go check it out by clicking on the link.  These 20 songs are all genres other than rock.  Some were popular and chart toppers and others were not.  They are my favorites, that touched me in some way so don’t expect any indie bands or anything trendy.  If you want that go to one of the cool sites out there, this ain’t it.

If you missed the Top Rock Albums of 2017 or the Top Albums of 2017 (that were not Rock), just click on the link and go check them out.

Let’s get started…

#20 – “Something Just Like This” by the Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay off the album ‘Memories…Do Not Open’:  This song was a family favorite during the year.  The one song the wife liked as well as all the kids and as a result, I heard it a lot and it grew on me to where I stopped and listened to it when it came on the radio.  A catchy little song with a great beat.

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The Top Albums of 2017

The year is almost over so it is time to look back at what was awesome in music during the year.  I have already looked back at the Top Rock Albums of 2017 (click to read).   This list will cover all other genres that I listened to over the year including Pop, Country, Christian and whatever other genre you want classify these albums.  Rock is my favorite genre and that is why it gets it’s own list, but that doesn’t take away from any of these choices as I think they are great on their own.

Note:  These albums were my favorites and not necessarily the most played on the radio (which I hate the radio) or even the biggest sellers.  There aren’t the trendy indie bands on everyone else’s top albums list.  These are just what I came across during the year and connected with me in some way.  So, we might as well get started…

The #1 Album of 2017

A1gOoT2DCZL._SL1500_  Colton Dixon – ‘Identity’:  What??? Not Taylor or Harry or Ed??  Nope!!!  Colton Dixon’s album ‘Identity’ was the album that did it for me this year.  Colton’s very pop album, but a Christian based album, is what I found to be best this past year.  The album was a loosely based concept album which was broken down into 3 parts – The Mind, The Body & The Soul.  He was able to rock out, dance, and slow it down all with precision.  You couldn’t help getting caught up in the messages of the songs and I am still listening to it even though it came out real early in the year.  That says something right there.

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Colton Dixon – Identity (Deluxe Edition – 2017) – Album Review

Colton Dixon is one of the rising stars in the Christian genre.  As everyone always has to mention, he is a former American Idol contestant who finished in 7th place on Season 11. Now on his third album, the maturity and vocal talent are hitting their peak. Colton has been growing with each release and ‘Identity’ shows definitely shows that growth.

‘Identity’ is a very ambitious album for this young singer.  The Deluxe Edition is a startling 17 tracks and is a loosely based concept album.  I say loosely as the album doesn’t tell a story from beginning to end, but appears to be broken into three parts with the songs representing that theme.  The three themes are “The Mind”, “The Body” and “The Spirit”.

“The Mind”

The first part of the album is “The Mind”.  The album starts off with the Interlude called “The Mind” which is an instrumental piece with angel like voiceovers by a female and male voiceover giving you the theme of the section.  It is actually quite great.  The song transitions seamlessly into the title track “Identity”.  The four songs in this section are all pop songs that in one shape or another are representative of the mind.

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My Sunday Song – “The Other Side” by Colton Dixon

For My Sunday Song # 37, I chose “The Other Side” by Colton Dixon.  The song is off his new album “Identity” and if you haven’t heard it, be prepared to be impacted.  Colton is a former American Idol contestant who has found his calling in Christian Music.  This is his third album and it is an ambitious album to say the least.  I believe he has delivered a stellar collection of songs (See review HERE).

The song, “The Other Side”, has impacted me greatly.  The song is about not fearing death and how beautiful the other side is after death.  Here is Colton and his wife discussing the meaning behind the song.

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Friday New Releases – March 24th

Are you ready for Friday New Releases?  There are an absolute abundance of records today.  So many to choose from and where the heck do you begin.  I have more I want to hear than I have any week this year.  It is going to be busy non-stop music week.  I hope there is something for you.  The ones I want are in Blue and I can’t wait to get started!!!!

  • 61olilqtlgl-_ac_us160_  Colton Dixon – Identity – (Sparrow):  Colton Dixon has finally returned with a new album.  Colton is a Christian artist and he is a former American Idol Alum, but don’t let any of that scare you away.  He is an amazing talent.  This album is broken up into three parts about the spiritual journey of your Body, Mind & Spirit and should be very interesting.

  • 170x170bb-19  James Blunt – The Afterlove – (Atlantic Records UK):  The fifth studio album from James Blunt drops today.  I have followed him since the beginning even after hearing “You’re Beautiful” way too many times.  He always delivers stellar songs and he has a unique voice that I enjoy over and over.

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My Sunday Song – “Limitless” by Colton Dixon

My Sunday Song #4: “Limitless” by Colton Dixon was instantly one of my favorite songs by him.  It is off his album ‘Anchor’ which came out in 2014 on Sparrow Records/19 Entertainment.  For those that don’t know, Colton Dixon was on American Idol in Season 11.  He has parlayed that into a very nice music career as a Christian artist.

For me, the song is special as it is a great reminder that without Faith and without God, there are limits to what you can do.  Through God, there is nothing that you can’t accomplish.  We all lose that faith every now and again.  Here is to hoping that you don’t.

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