Tag: Needtobreathe

My Sunday Song – “Cops” by Needtobreathe

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For My Sunday Song #161, we are now taking over with the next 10 songs coming from one of my favorite bands Needtobreathe. A rock band with a Southern Rock sound, folk, Americana, gospel all with a Christian background and some of the best songs I have ever heard.  I usually try to stick with the non-singles, but as I want more people to know this band, I won’t always stick with that philosophy…although this song is just that.  The song this week is called “Cops” and it is a B-Side for the song “Keep Your Eyes Open”. The song is also a bonus track on the LP version of the album ‘The Reckoning’ from 2011.  Yes, the LP has the bonus tracks!!

The song is one of the bands heaviest songs and completely rocks out.  The reason for that is the subject matter of the song. Needtobreathe has always been labeled a Christian band, but they are not.  They are a rock band that has a Christian upbringing and that subject matter bleeds in to the music from time to time.  But that is not their focus.  They don’t deny they are Christians, they just want to play music and have a good time…nothing wrong with that.

The song is about the Christian people that are trying to tie the band down as a Christian band.  The constant opinions about how they are disappointing God when they don’t sing about him and they should be out there spreading the word.  Sorry, they are a Rock band first and they are not apologizing for that.  The band likens this pressure to being chased by “Cops”…so there you have it.  I find it funny how Christians are supposed to be holier than thou, but yet they are the first to cast the stone and point the finger when they should be looking in to that mirror themselves.  Another problem I have with religion although I am a Christian, their hypocrisy is sickening at times.  Soapbox, getting down now.

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Wilder Woods – ‘Wilder Woods’ – Album Review

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Bear Rinehart is lead singer of the band Needtobreathe and if you follow my site at all you know I am a huge fan of that band.  When I heard Bear was doing a solo project I was excited to see what different direction he might take.  His first solo project definitely explores a different sound and style then his main job.

The name he chose is Wilder Woods which happens to be the names of his two kids, Wilder and Woods Rinehart.  I think it is interesting he didn’t even use his own name on the project as he seems to want to keep it completely separate from Needtobreathe.

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The album is a pure R&B and Soul album which is far from the Americana, Folk, souther rock sound of his other band. The opening track, “Light Shine In”, might the one song that sounds most like Needtobreathe  with a little more of a rock edge and the track “What Gives You The Right” might have fit nicely on their album ‘Hard Love’ with its energy and alt-pop sound.

“Sure Ain’t” is classic R&B and one of the best songs on the album. He poors his heart and soul in to the vocals and there is this magical groove to pull you in.  This is followed by ballad “Someday Soon” sees Bear go soulful and gives us his most heartfelt vocals.

Another R&B track is “Supply & Demand” where Bear is trying to woo his woman into a little more horizontal part of the relationship.  It has a throwback sound and it is enjoyment for your ears.

“Electric Woman” might be the best song on the album with a catchy ass groove and its sultry vocal approach and seems to be another love song to his wife.  And the cool thing is she is in the video with him.

Speaking of his wife, it takes balls to tell your wife that she is wrong and he does just that with “Mary, You’re Wrong” to start off Side 2.  If she thinks he is going to leave her, she is mistaken as he has no desire and that is there for the long haul.  “Feel” is straight out of the 70’s R&B era with the female backing vocals and the total sonics of the song.

“Hillside House” is a really slow song that seems real personal to him and I think it is another love letter to his wife who seems to be his muse for most of this album…which is really cool to see that she still pulls those feelings out of him after so many years of marriage.

The last track, “Religion”, is very church-like in its approach and you can hear his Christian upbringing in the church flow through even though it is a song that is talking about his struggles with religion.  It is a little sad and the acoustic feel to the song keeps the voice as the highlight and lets you focus on the words.

It ain’t Needtobreathe and thankfully so as a solo album should be different.  His first solo effort is a strong statement that he has a lot more to offer.  There is a swagger and confidence in the style and his vocal delivery. I love the 70’s R&B vibes, the grooves and the soul that his heart is pouring out in his music and his lyrics.  He made a modern R&B album that plays well today probably as well as it would have played in the 70’s.  He has captured a sound that will hopefully resonate with everyone, young and old.  My only complaint is the 2nd Side is a little weaker than the first, outside of that there are no other complaints.  I would rate the album a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.  Thanks for stopping by.

Turntables & Vinyl #22 – The Live Albums

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One way to tell how good a band really is is to see them live.  If you can’t do that, then it is to listen to one of their live albums.  If they can capture what they have done in the studio and bring it to the stage or even take it up a notch, then you have a solid band.  Growing up, I was never in to live albums.  It was all studio albums for me.  One day, that changed and live albums became the thing.

Now, I tend to be gravitating to the live albums and trying the get them on vinyl or even CD if that is all I can get.  I figured we would go through what Live albums I have in my collection, then with the ones I am trying to get, my Top 5 Favorites and lastly let you weigh in on which ones I have to get my hands on as I am sure there are some I am not aware are great and I should go grab.

We will kick it off with the Hottest Band in the Land…KISS!!  It was the Kiss Alive albums that did it for me.  These things are great.  I have 4 of them…Kiss Alive!,  Kiss Alive II, Kiss Alive III and Kiss Unplugged.  They did get original with their names as you can tell.

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But that is not all, I also have a ton of Kiss Bootlegs as you have seen through my Kiss Bootleg Series…

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Friday New Releases – August 9th

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Happy Friday!!  Another work week behind us and new music weekend ahead of us.  Does it get any better than that?  Nope!  This Friday, however, there are not a ton of releases (at least not that I am interested in.  There is one I am anxious to hear and the rest…neh.  There is one I will hear whether I want to or not thanks to my daughter and another I might listen to as I am not sure I get this band and see if this one changes my mind at all.  MY choices are in Blue.  Let me know what tickles your fancy or if I missed anything.  Thanks and have a great Weekend!!

  • 6127Sh3ejCL._SS500_.jpg  Wilder Woods – Wilder Woods – (Atlantic Records):  This is the only release I am excited about and have ordered the vinyl which hopefully will there when I get home from work!!  Bear Rinehart, lead singer for one of all time favorite bands, Needtobreathe, has a side project called Wilder Woods.  The music is different from Needtobreathe, but that voice is the same.  It is another opportunity to explore something different and spread his wings of creativity.  It is a little lighter at times and yet darker as well as he explores different sides of himself than what you would normally get.  I can’t wait to explore this one.

  • 81bMGIBu5mL._SS500_  Slipknot – We Are Not Your Kind – (Roadrunner Records):  Okay, here is a band I have never really listened to. A little heavier than I like or maybe a little stranger than I like.  The mask, yeah whatever, the music, eeeh, but I might give it a listen to see what the hubbub is about.  Don’t expect I will like this any more (or any less) then their other stuff.

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American Authors – ‘Seasons’ – Album Review

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American Authors is one of those bands I had heard about due to their hit “Best Day of My Life” from 2013, but I had never wanted to take a deeper dive.  It is not because they weren’t any good band, it is just not my type of music.  It is too pop and generic and nothing really interested me.  Well, with the release of their third album, ‘Seasons’, that has now changed.

The reason for that change is simple, they have two songs on the album by a couple of my favorite singers right now, Billy Raffoul and Bear Rinehart (Needtobreathe).  You see, those two put out a song…I will listen and American Authors only reap the benefits…or do they…we will have to see.

I don’t know much about the band, so I will get straight into the music.  American Authors are really good at writing, happy type, uplifting songs and the opening track, “Stay Around”, is just that.  It is an uptempo and fun song that sounds exactly like an Imagine Dragon song with that drum beat and the lyrical phrasing.  Good song, but come on if you are going to copy any one why the hell would you copy Imagine Dragons?

The next song is one of the best on the album called “Say Amen”.  It features new singer Billy Raffoul and is probably why I am biased about loving this song.  It is a darker song for American Authors and I like this darker edge to the band.  Bill’s Jeff Buckley style vocals work well with singer Zac Barnett who I think changes his vocals to be a little more in Billy’s style which is great because Billy’s vocals have a lot of texture and character.

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The Top Songs of 2018

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It is time for the Top 20 Songs of 2018.  My previous post, if you missed it, was the Top 20 Rock Songs of 2018.  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 2018 or the Top Albums of 2018 (that were not Rock), just click on the link and go check them out.

Let’s get started…

#20 – “Space Cowboy” – Kacey Musgrave off the album ‘Golden Hour’: I am not huge into today’s country music, but Kacey is different.  She is doing things her way, pushing boundaries and sounds.  I love her voice and her songs are always interesting and worth diving into lyrically.  This one is no different.  It is more pop than country, but still good.

#19 – “Say Hello” – Rhett Walker Band off the ‘Rhett Walker Band E.P.’:  Rhett’s a Christian rock band and this song comes off with the power of Church Revival and gets you up out of you chair, hands in the air and give it your all.  If you want to get moving, this will do it.

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The Top Albums of 2018

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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 2018 (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 2018

91OE1mUg7jL._SL1500_-2Matt Nathanson – Sings His Sad Heart:  Man, what can I say about this guy.  He is my favorite singer/songwriter out their right now and has been for sometime.  Within just a couple listens to this album I felt like I knew all the words and I was singing right along like I had grown up with these songs.  And how do you know an album is great, you keep singing it when you aren’t even listening to it.  Yes, I was and I am still singing.  The songs “Mine”, “Way Way Back”, “Used To Be” “Long Distant Runner” and “Best Drugs” are some of my favorites but there is not a bad song.  Perfect!!

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Needtobreathe – ‘Acoustic Live, Vol. 1’ – Album Review

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There are only a few bands in your lifetime that come along and touch you in ways that nothing else can.  I have been fortunate enough to have that happen on a few occasions.  Needtobreathe is one of those bands for me.  Their music speaks to me and makes me feel things that have made them a part of my life.  I have only seen them live 3 times now and each time they get better.  I have all their studio albums on vinyl and now their 2 live albums.  The latest to the collection is the release ‘Acoustic Live, Vol. 1’.  And that is what we are going to talk about here today.

Back in 2017, Needtobreathe went on their first ever acoustic tour.  They played smaller venues and stripped it down bare to make the shows as intimate as they possibly could.  Sadly, I had to miss the show due to my work schedule and let me tell you how much that sucked.  I hate that work gets in the way of life.

Back to the album…the cover art was drawn by none other than Bo Rhinehart, lead guitarist.  He is one talented MF.  He also designed the videos shown during their most recent tour that my wife and I caught this past Summer (read about HERE).  The rest of the artwork is really strong giving the album this vintage, retro look of say the early 1900’s.  It is really cool.

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My Sunday Song – “I’m Not A Saint” by Billy Raffoul

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For My Sunday Song #120, I am discussing one of my favorite songs of 2018 called “I’m Not A Saint” by newcomer Billy Raffoul.  The song is from his 2018 E.P. called ‘1975’ which I did a review on a couple months back (go check it out – click here).  The song was released as a single, but sadly, I don’t think I have heard it on the radio which I find to be sad as the world is missing out on a real talent.

When I saw Billy Raffoul open for Needtobreathe over the Summer, I was really impressed with his Jeff Buckley sounding vocals and so I picked up the E.P on vinyl at the show (which he gladly signed for me) and it turned out to be one of my favorite albums I have heard this year.  This song in particular jumped out at me and I really connected to it.

The song is about the fact we all have things we do that we know we shouldn’t.  Some sort of vice that is keeping us from being what he calls a “saint” such as smoking, drinking and cursing (which is my biggest problem).  He states he could be a saint if he tried, but honestly, I don’t think he is going to try which is fine as there is nothing wrong with having a vice (well as long as it doesn’t kill you I guess it is okay.

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Friday New Releases – November 16th

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Wow! Another HUGE week of releases. There are a ton I am interested in and some I have bought already or will be very, very soon.  There is a wide range of artists covering Rock, Metal, Country, R&B, Pop, Showtunes, Christian, Alternative, Hip Hop and many more.  There has to be something you will be digging.  If not, let me know and let me if there is.  I love to know what people are in to and whether or not I am missing out on anything good.  My choices are highlighted in Blue.  Have a great weekend!!

  • 516Ip89wAfL._SS500  Needtobreathe – Acoustic Live, Vol. 1 – (Atlantic Records):  If you read my site, you know this is one of my favorite bands so it is no wonder this tops the list.  The vinyl is on order and I hope I get it on release day, but doubt it since it is from the NTB webstore and not Amazon.  Oh well!  The album is a collection of acoustic tracks from their acoustic tour last year.  All classic NTB tracks and these guys are fantastic live, so high expectations.

  • 51Gk2XlnhfL._AC_US436_QL65_  Chris Cornell – Chris Cornell (Deluxe) – (Universal Music):  This set looks S.W.E.E.T.!!  An extensive greatest hits compilation of his  Soundgarden, Audioslave and Solo work among some rare treats as well.  This is another must have in the physical form.  It is on the Christmas list and if I don’t get it, I will immediately buy on Amazon Christmas Day.

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