Music Reviews: Esthero, Matchbox Twenty, Sara Bareilles, etc.

Since I'm about to get in the car for a 6 day trip to KC (and elsewhere - to get my regular checkup with my endocrinologist), I'll have lots of windshield time to review music, so.. I'd best get some of these up and posted. They're accumulating (as is my iTunes bill!)

But before we start.. a brief detour into the odd stuff one can find on the internet:

What

the

heck?

It's a sure sign that soccer is a truly global sport, when it's even being played by other..

species. :)



And with that.. let's get back to the mainstream:

Matchbox Twenty - "Exile on Mainstream": a greatest hits album plus 6 new tracks (essentially a bonus EP) included. I knew these guys were popular, having gotten lots of radio play over the last few years, but had only really paid attention to a couple of their songs. I think I should have been playing closer attention. :) Nice strong pop sound, good hooks, catchy tunes, solid instrumental backing and a decently interesting lead vocal. I like it! Really strong album for the price, too. :) Favorites: I'll Believe You When, How Far We've Come, These Hard Times, If I Fall, Can't Let You Go, Bent, If You're Gone, Bright Lights. Thumbs up!

Sara Bareilles - "Little Voice": Ha. *Hardly* little. :) Great voice. Gravity - a great song with some very thoughtful lyrics (and ones I can understand.) But that's not the only winner on the disc. Love Song is catchy and pop-y with the piano as truly a percussion instrument, setting a strong chordal beat. Also good are Between The Lines, Love on the Rocks, Many the Miles, but really not a bad track on the CD. Thumbs up for Sara B.

Esthero - "Breath From Another": This girl sounds a lot like Emiliana Torrini, or like Sade or Sia. And sort of Jazz/Funk, or.. what is it called? Trip-hop? Down Tempo? Oy! So many genres to keep track of! Too many niches in music now. Leads to mass customization on internet radio, which is cool, but.. who do you pick to listen to? Everybody sounds like someone else in some way. Too many choices.. just put the whole playlist on random shuffle and let 'er go!

Sorry for the rant, there. So.. Esthero.. good in a playlist of similar modern girl singers (which I do have, and play often.) Stirring and soothing at the same time. It's sort of what I think of anyway when it comes to.. oh, never mind. ;) This is a music review. Focus, Bob.

I like best her tracks sung softly with a Funk/Latin feel, like: Anywayz, Country Livin', Half a World Away, Lounge, Superheroes. I don't at all like the title track on this CD - it strays outside the bounds of what I might listen to in mixed company. Another track, Flipper Overture, is only 44 seconds. On the other end of the spectrum is Swallow Me, 15 minutes long, because there's 5 minutes of silence in it waiting for a hidden track to come up that isn't worth the wait. :( A track of hers that isn't on this CD, but is very much worth a download, is Every Day Is A Holiday With You. Nice. :) Anyway, one thumb up for this CD. I'd pick and choose the tracks.

Jem - "Finally Woken": Pretty, pleasant little album, light and easy romantic female vocals over electronic music background. Nothing real stunning, nothing quirky, but all pretty enjoyable to listen to. Some uptempo, some light & pop-y, some slow grooves. All are love songs in some way or other. Another good addition to the "modern girls" playlist. No real standouts, but no bad tracks either. Favorites: Flying High :) , Save Me, Stay Now (mmhmm) , They, Wish I, Falling For You. Thumbs up.

Nick Drake - "Pink Moon": Old, old, old (from my era!) But good. This is really an exception to the rule of staying within the last decade, but this guy played guitar and sang in such a way that he really was ahead of his time. This album from 1972 sounds like it could have been produced this year. Only very occasionally does he sound Dylanesque (From The Morning sounds like Dylan's Don't Think Twice, It's Alright), or like the occasional spare acoustic pieces of Led Zeppelin (Parasite).

But mostly you can hear the kind of chord progressions very common to today's music (when you hear Which Will, think Iron & Wine). I don't remember ever hearing of him back in the day, but it's probably because he sounded like nothing else being played back then. He sounds like today. All good tracks. Favorites: From The Morning, Know, Parasite, Place To Be, Road, Things Behind The Sun, Which Will. Two thumbs up on this surprising vintage album. :)

And now.. to hit the road. Always a bit of an adventure.. with sometimes a surprise or two on the way. :)

Who knows what (or where) it will be this time?