Lots of new music this time around. (I mean.. fairly recent releases, not just new to me.)
R.E.M. - "Accelerate": Everyone says it's a welcome return to form, energetic and driving. But I *liked* the albums they did that weren't so hard-rocking! :(
I thought their best stuff was on Around The Sun, and Automatic For The People, which the critics panned. Huh. Shows how much they know. :) Well, the lead vocal hasn't changed, anyway. They still sound the same in that respect, and that helps. It's really not all *that* hard-driving; maybe 4 songs are. It's kind of moderate pop now, less focused on mood-setting.
This CD happened to be on sale on Amazon for 5 bucks, and I guess it was worth that much. Favorites: Living Well is the Best Revenge, Supernatural Superserious, Hollow Man, Houston (a nice one in 3/4 time), Until the Day is Done (another lilting one in 6/8 time.)
Eagles - "Long Road Out Of Eden": First studio album in.. a loooong time. Still sounds like them, though. Those characteristic tight, sparkling harmonies come through, from the opening track (the acapella "No More Walks in the Wood"), through the 10+ minute title track in the middle, to the final track "Hole in the World." Nice to hear that sound again.
And while the vocals may not soar anymore like they did once on Lyin' Eyes, they're still tight, and the band still has that quasi-country sound, even on mushy ballads like What Do I Do With My Heart (which could have been done better by an R&B artist.) Other favorites: Waiting in the Weeds, No More Cloudy Days, It's Your World Now, Hold On, I Don't Want to Hear Anymore, Do Something (the last three being throwbacks to their early stuff.) Not a great CD... but not bad, either.
Marie' Digby - "Unfold": Not bad for a $1.99 special on Amazon. :) I'm tempted to say "just another young girl singer doing songs well beyond her experience", but.. I'll be kinder. She *sounds* a little older, and capable of handling the material (even though it probably still *is* beyond her experience. You probably have to be at least 25 before you can say you've fully experienced the heartache and the beauty of love. Don't you think?)
This is straight pop, with a little country twang here and there, a'la Leigh Nash. Pretty nice; kinda grows on you. Favorites: Spell, Say It Again, Beauty in Walking Away, Better Off Alone.
Ingrid Michaelson - "Boys and Girls": She's funny. A real character in concert. :) While maybe best known for the Old Navy sweater commercial (featuring The Way That I Am), the whole album is nice. You could say "yeah, another girl singer", etc.. but she does things her own way. You can hear some Feist in the lightness of her voice, some Imogen Heap in the intensity of some of her songs, and a little Fiona Apple in her quirkyness (lots of ukelele...) Still, she's her own girl.
Really a good CD all around, no bad tracks. Favorites: The Way That I Am, Breakable, Die Alone, Glass. Plus, I like a couple from her Slow Rain debut album (I'll See You In My Dreams, Morning Lullabies) and a single from Grey's Anatomy, Keep Breathing.
Greg Laswell - "Through Toledo", "How the Day Sounds" (EP): He opened for Ingrid Michaelson last week. Local act, but pretty solid singer and player. He sounds like everyone you know, kind of. You can hear some Snow Patrol in this guy, and some Chris Martin (Coldplay), and some Keane. Easy to listen to, and at the same time, kind of unremarkable. Favorites: I liked all the tracks from the EP. It's definitely worth the $6. Favorites from TT: Sing Theresa Says, High and Low, Do What I Can, Amazed.
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