Okay. Ringo happens upon a large bloodstoned ring, which will not come off! From London, to Scotland Yard to the Bahamas, Ringo is pursued by the Evil Cult of Kali, for he who wears the Ring, shall be doused in red paint and cut, jolly, with a knife, in sacrifice to the Goddess Kali.
There is so much of the Beatles comedic personality here. You have Ringo pursued by the Cult, a Mad Scientist bent on (Dare We Say It)ruling the world while complaining about British parts in his scientific tools, Paul shrunk into an ashtray and coverd with soda ("ick, I'm all sticky...") and John suggesting Ringo cut his hand off to save the free world. Not to mention George cheating at cards, a channel swimmer emerging in an alpine lake asking directions to the White Cliffs of Dover, and an inept pack of Kali worshippers in a schilling cab equipped with Bond-like accessories.
Did I mention the soundtrack? You WILL stand in front of the telly and sing along with every single song, because each one has comedic scenes, and just because we all know them.
The movie abounds with impromptu humor (mostly from John, oh how we miss him) and sight gags.
This is NOT an easy DVD to find, and it is a must have for any fan or collector, Beatle or otherwise. 1.0 I needed this cd like yesterday and I received it in a timely fashion. Thank you for your great service! 1.0 The whole CD is great!! All 12 songs have a beat to dance to and a melody you can't stop listening to. Britney does it again with Blackout! I give it a 5. 1.0 After the melancholy undertones of her previous brilliant album, Bare, I didn't know what to expect from Annie's latest offering. The fact that the album was called "Songs of Mass Destruction" led me to believe it might be a bit more aggressive and edgy. It is that and a thousand times more. Strong, fragile, angry, determined, inspired, inspiring, heartbreaking, devastated, hopeful, and fearlessly inventive. Overall, it's just an amazing accomplishment from an amazing artist. And it's great to see her rip into a song like she does more than once in this collection with all the conviction and emotional complexity of some of the legendary blues artists, sometimes pounding out over some driving rhythms that feel like a modern day battle cry.Also, it's a less than subtle reminder that in the age of Britney, Linsay, Paris, and the rest of the blah-di-blahs, true art is accomplished with experience, intelligence and determination. Not to mention, that this 52-year-old rock goddess has more power and audacious brilliance in one raised eyebrow than all those 20-something train-wrecks combined. If this is what they consider "over the hill", I can't wait to get there. A friend of mine said it best: "Annie is only reason to own ears. Period." I couldn't agree more. So, thank you, Ms. Lennox, for reminding me why I love music and why it is an important art form. PS. Downloading the album from iTunes has a few added treats, such as live versions of Walking On Broken Glass and Little Bird from the Diva album and audio commentaries for three of the songs from this album, Dark Road, Smithereens and Sing. 1.0 Each song on this cd presents a new color on Annie's vocal palette. The arrangements are amazing and more powerful and brutal than on her previous cds. And her one-of-a-kind voice is phenomenal. Fabulous music! 1.0 I love this CD. These two artists are wonderful together and while the album pairs them on some tracks they are also wonderful solo. My three and four year old sons have been listening to this in the car everywhere we go and they love "Please Read the Letter." I couldn't wait to buy this at the store and I was not disappointed. Every song is great. There are real touches of both of the artists craftmanship. Two thumbs up! 1.0 Kid Rock hyped this album like it was the greatest rock album of all time. I expected it to rock and roll not exploit other songs. This short 11 track album is so redundant it is pathetic. I kept waiting for the fireworks but was disappointed. Take my advice and skip this album. Pick up the preceding self titled album and don't encourage Kid's success, it has obviously went to his head with this effortless garbage of a CD. -1.0 'Bout timeFor eight dollars you really can't go wrong by giving Kid Rock another shot.I have his first two cd's which I really like,I couldn't get into a few of his others but i took a chance at this one.Kid Rock is BACK!! 1.0 this guy's ego is so big it makes texas look like rhode island. he believes he can release anything with his name on it, and the suckers will, again, come out in droves to buy this dreck. luckily, i listened to a friend's copy, thus saving my money for REAL rock and roll albums. bruce springsteen should have retired after nebraska. that way, he could have gone out on top, instead of slowly turning into the sell-out old has-been he is now. bruce, go away and leave rock and roll to the TRUE believers, the ones who NEVER sold out, like lemmy, joan jett, blue cheer and iggy pop. -1.0 Britney has reinvented herself with her new album "Blackout". The style and the tone of the album are totally different from her other albums, which makes Blackout - unique and interesting.Unlike the previous album, "In The Zone" (very promiscuous in styles), Britney's new album is mainly focused on style of music - dance music. And how great it turned out. The music is so professional and atchy, it is obvious that Britney is a huge worlwide pop star, not a beginner.1. Gimme More - very hot song, a huge hit that we all heard. Perfectly sets the tone for all the album. Vocal is hot. Everyone loves the song.2. Piece Of Me - song, that proves that this album is a new style for Britney. totally different and definitely hot, a little bit inspired by Fergie style.3. Radar - fun and hot, really catchy song. Could be a good single.4. Break The Ice - one of my favourite tracks. I've heard it before the album came out and it became my favourite. It's perfect. Her gentle vocal is the best on album (starts from 0:35 of the song), I love that tone of her voice.5. Heaven On Earth - very much like And Then We Kiss from "B In The Mix" - has a techno European style, brutal but hot.6. Get Naked (I Got A Plan) - very much like Nelly Furtado or Justin Timberlake style, very much like Timbaland. It's freaking HOT. Much better than other artists' songs. Sexy.7. Freakshow - very fun and hot song. Kind of like Brave New Girl from "In The Zone" but hip-pop centred.8. Toy Soldier - very hot, her voice is different. The song is outgoing and fun, video would be perfect if she walks down the street and dances.9. Hot As Ice - third and the last song that I have heard before the album. And again - one of my favourites (weird how that happenes, song I've heard before become my favourite). The weird thing is that her vocal is much worse than on the demo. They should have left her clear voice, but the whole album's disadvantage is that her voice is very computerized, no songs like Baby Boy, which is not really good for me. But still it's totally hot and electric.10. Ooh Ooh Baby - what a hot song, what a HOTTTT beginning with this guitar. I love it.11. Perfect Lover - a potential hit, very good and popular hip-hop style, very hot and sexy.12. Why Should I Be Sad - good ending song, familiar bell in the background, very nice and relaxing song.All the songs are hits, aren't they?Potential singles except Gimme More : Piece Of Me (doesn't seem like the best song, but the style is very popular and the song is just electric). Break The Ice - I am 100% positive that this WILL be a single, because it's awesome, perfect formula for a hit, catchy music and the best vocal ever. Toy Soldier - would be a good single. Hot As Ice - I doubt it because her voice and the music is too computerized comparing to the demo but I wish it could be. Perfect Lover - very modern, very cool, great potential. Ooh Ooh Baby could be a hit too, other songs aren't worse and would most likely work. So BLACKOUT is a state of art, it's totally electric and catchy, hot and sexy, joyful and fun.For us, fans, it's sad that there is not much of Britney's personality like in her other albums, everything is kind of computerized and packaged. I mean it's totally a high quality album, but I don't see Britney in some songs. She did not even write anything in the booklet. It is definitely one of her BEST ALBUMS and one of THE BEST ALBUMS OF THE DECADE for sure.I love its urban, European, techno music style. Britney is on FIRE. She is hot and she is the best. Like we had any doubts, right? :)It is a critically acclaimed album and that's what matters. Sales don't matter. Actually, very often critics and people like album but it doesn't sell that much and in other occasions critics hate it, but it sells and it's good. It's all diferent and it all depends on artist. I really hope that it sells but what matters to me is Britney and the fact that she HAS FANS and WE LOVE HER. WOO-HOO. 30th of OCTOBER isa HOLIDAY FOR ME.The photoshoot for the album is one of her best. HOT, SEXY, REVEALING. I just love it. The Confessional shoot, the Dressing Room,The Phone Call picture, The Red Flower Room , The Roses On The Floor Room - everything is hot! I love that blue dress picture - it's the best. Confessions photos are so sexy, I can't stop looking. 1.0 I think all four of those weirdos did a terrifc job with the movie even though they're not actors! In this movie you can tell John is really funny! George shows that he is not shy and serious but he's just as wacky as the others. Somebody said the producers should cut out all of Ringo's parts but if they did there would be no movie! Help is focused on Ringo's sacrficial ring he's wearing! 1.0 While most country stars go forward and reach for mainstream pop records, like Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood went in reverse. Her first disc had more than a few pop elements but this disc starts off with a foot stomper, "Flat on The Floor" and doesn't let up with fiddles, twang and chorus after chorus that will make you want to shout them out of your car windows. To say she has made a solid country disc in the vein of vintage Reba or Dolly is an understatement. Underwood has even learned some new vocal tricks, as if she needed more, "Get Out of This Town," builds from an already assured vocal into a firestorm. Underwood isn't afraid to just go with the vocal and give a stronger reading as well. That was evident in her cover of "I'll Stand By You," which was simply stunning. "Carnival Ride," is void of any weak tracks and this day and age that's a rare finding, some are stronger than others but, Jebus, the girl is giving her all to prove that she's a more than just a pretty face whom sings country, she's trying to prove it's in her blood. And when you hear "You Won't Find This," that brings about that sing songy chorus that Shania Twain loves so much, you'll be a happy camper with your purchase. 1.0 While this album is no "Born to Run," it is still unreal. This album is just plain amazing! Buy it! Seriously...buy it. 1.0 That is until now.My son showed me Paul Potts on Youtube.I could not believe his voice. I loved the shocked looks on the judges faces, especially Simons. I bought his cd last week. Its great. Saw an interview with him, he said that he is still keeping his job at the Carphone Warehouse. He is on leave for 6 months in case this does not pan out.When I heard that I thought WHAT ARE YOU CRAZY? I think Paul Potts is here to stay.My husband and I will be at his concert when he starts his American tour, whenever that will be. 1.0 Carrie Underwood really knocked it out of the park on her sophmore album! This CD is fantastic! She sounds excellent, the songs are great and she should be very proud of this project. There's a nice mix of fun songs (The More Boys I Meet) and deeply moving songs (Just A Dream)."Just A Dream" brought me to tears the first (and every time after) I heard it. "The More Boys I Meet" could be the anthem of every young women out there dating and just makes you laugh! "So Small" should be the anthem we all live our lives by - this song reminds me that the things I take so seriously don't really matter when it comes right down to it. "I Told You So" is a beautiful remake of a great old song!Thank you Carrie for another great collection of songs! 1.0 Wow. This cd really IS Magic. The Boss is back.I heard Radio Nowhere on the radio in the car and thought, that is really good. I think I need to buy that CD. I am really really glad I did.I don't think there's a track on this CD that I don't like. I would definitely recommend this to old and new Springsteen fans. 1.0 If you are a Kid Rock fan you will love this CD. It has less rap and more rock, but is still very good. 1.0 I love Josh Groban.I think he sings everything great,i love all my cds.I have 5 now,and he is all i listen to now and can't wait for more to come,but i would have liked it if he had not had duets on his 'Noel' album and NOT had "I'll Be Home FOR Christmas" broken up with other voices,it was a nice gesture ,but i wish he had also recorded one without them as well.He does not need anyone to sing with him,he does better by himself .I do have to say Charlotte Church was a good choice for "The prayer".I liked it better than the duet with Celine.I will still play Noel,because I just Love Josh and it is still a wonderful cd. 1.0 It may not top Devil Without A Cause,but it is a solid rock effort.It has the trademark Kid Rock bangers and laid back slow ones.Rock N Roll Jesus,Amen,All Summer Long,So Hot and Don't Tell Me U Love Me are the standout tracks. 2 bonus tracks are included on the version I purchased from a local record store,beside the other bonus track included on all copies. Guilty and a "Live" version of, Jackson,Mississippi.Guilty is a real cool rocker which should have been included on the album anyway.If you like the Kid's music and have supported him ,check this one out. It is real good stuff. A solid 4.5 from me. get it now!!!! 1.0 Lovely music; enhances the book a great deal!avid reader & lover of musicals 1.0 I'm a musical fan, especially the really sing-able ones, and this one thoroughly satisfies me. I like these arrangements and having the soundtrack enhanced my enjoyment of the stage production immensely. I heartily endorse this CD. 1.0 Doesn't surprise me people are comparing it to the River. It's in many respects, The River Lite. It has a couple explosive songs like Radio Nowhere and the Devils Arcade and then a handful of songs that are so jingly-jangly it could pass as a Christmas Album. But I'm sure the majority of Bruce fans will find this a treat compared to the over produced Rising and the rootsy band of cover musicians he used for his Seeger tribute.The album jams out in a rushed, explosive sound like his Born in the USA days, but still isn't that strong top to bottom. I literally can't stand his voice on the song "Your own worst enemy." What is that whine he employs? Roy Orbison? No way. There's a couple songs where he seems just totally out of his element vocally and this one illustrates this. He should let his wife sing this one. It doesn't work for him.But since most of his hardcore fans don't really listen to much else, this should satisfy them. It has the same mix of redundant, heard before Clarence riffs and even lets Lofgren almost grab your attention on a couple songs. But not too much so, after all, it's a Springsteen album, folks.No, Bruce is the best kind of Commercial for a population of music fans who snub their nose to most music and limit their purchasing power to only that handful of bands they've been listening to since Born to Run. -1.0 The only magic on this album is the fact that someone made the Boss vanish before our very eyes. Listening to this CD, I couldn't wait for the next track...it had to get better. It didn't. -1.0 The cover art of Foo's ESP&G reminds one of their 1995 self-titled debut: muted background, centered layout, a weapon overwhelming the space. But if you go in hoping for some of the old Foo magic, you'll be sadly disappointed. We've come to accept the fact that the Foo of old is gone, which is surprising considering how little the band seems to evolve anymore. They try new tricks each time out, sure, but it's all in the same framework as ever. Everything is primed for mass consumption. It's arena-friendly in the sort of way that would make bands like Kansas and Foreginer proud. The productions are slick and uncorrupted. There's so little breathing room in each radio-friendly nugget because they're designed with the same sort of affection we would hope for, but not in the way that we would hope for. Even the softest and gentlest ballads sound like little more than very subdued anthems.But if you're going to depend on any band earning major airplay to fill an arena, you might as well go with Foo Fighters. After all, they do it better than almost any of their peers by a long shot, and even while we wish for more, the resulting product is almost always satisfying. Grohl and company are older and wiser now; can we really expect the same sort of energy and aggression as before? But to play it so safe is still a deflating realization. The songs are built to be sung along to, packaged for commercial success, and we swallow each pill without choking. It's very easy to like this album. It's near impossible to be passionate about it.Like most Foo records, this one opens the gates with thrust and gusto as first single "The Pretender" builds up steam and charges full-speed ahead. "Let It Die" comes next, following the patented method of a story of two halves: one slowly building but spare and simple, the other galloping and loud, letting the freak flag of rawk fly. "Erase/Replace" is the standard issue Foo rocker, fun but forgettable and easy going down. They can do appealing acoustic ditties well, too, though. "Stranger Things Have Happened" moves surprisingly quickly for a five-minute plus ballad. "Home" is a pretty piano ballad that recalls Jackson Browne in a good way. The problems come when they want heavy guitars rolling along on creaky and derivative melodies that would feel more at home in the hands of the Goo Goo Dolls. "Long Road to Ruin," "Cheer Up Boys, Your Makeup Is Running," and "Statues" are the prime offenders of these crimes, and they're easily the weakest tracks of an already uneven batch. Even "Summer's End," which has an undeniable folk heart sprinkled with good-ol-boy 70s rock flourishes, is a tale of two cities, both at odds, neither happy to share space. Buffalo Springfield could have made it work; Foo just look lost.That they would try an eclectic collection like this is heartening, though. Their other albums were distinctively marked in niches. Even when early Foo tried to change things up by going the mellow pop route with songs like "Big Me" and "Walking After You," they followed the distinctive patterns of the surrounding material. And In Your Honor had two very divergent styles, but they were separated on opposing sides, each of which were almost TOO "samey" on either end. But if they think they're doing Led Zeppelin's III by loading the disc with nearly as many mid-tempo numbers as zippy hard rockers, they have to figure out how to do the music in between the extremes. Grohl alone with an acoustic guitar and simple but heartfelt lyrics is fine. The whole band playing fast and heavy with slick but fun gate-chargers is quite good as well. Trying to coast along in the middle ground is a tough mission, one that I wonder if Grohl and the boys are capable of succeeding. I wish it were different--Grohl seems an affable and fun guy, he's a hell of a drummer and no slouch on the guitar, and the rest of the band offers solid support and better--but it's tough to think otherwise anymore.Best cuts: "Stranger Things Have Happened," "The Pretender," "Home," "Let It Die," "The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners," "Erase/Replace," "Come Alive" -1.0 This album was released less then 24 hours ago are there are already 150+ reviews on here. Goes to show how popular this women is. The most exotic sounding Britney to date. Very nice tracks and worth the money. 1.0 Very well pleased with this new release. Loved the new and different sounds with the strings. And also a great through back on certain tracks to earlier albums.Quickly shipped to me also, Thanks! 1.0 AWESOME! TREMEMDOUS!, I bought tickets to see the show. My 12 year got this as a gift and now I want a second for myself. We play it on a daily basis. We also bought the book.The best musical in a long time. 1.0 This is a fine cd especially great are the anti-Bush cuts which are amazing and so true. I loved the whole thing. 1.0 Schwartzs' Wicked certainly "defies gravity" from the get go.. from No One Mourns the Wicked to the Finale one is transformed to a magical word that begs the question "Is itOK" to follow your chosen path.. A must for the creative and those who seek to be who they are...MARVELOUS 1.0 Actually, everything's already been said in the other glowing reviews, but it seems I have to write a review myself in order to give John the 5 stars he deserves. I`ve got all the CCR albums and some of John's solo releases, most notably Centerfield, but this album, in my humble opinion, contains some of the finest music he's done since the early 1970s. I must have played it four times straight, which is unusual, though, to be honest, the last time I did that was a few weeks ago when I picked up Bruce Springsteen's new CD, which likewise blew me away. It seems those old rockers won't fade away. "Summer of Love" struck me as being a strangely familiar track, when I realised it's a cross between Byran Adams' "The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You" and Cream's "White Room", but it rocks righteously makes your hairs stand on edge. Check out Gunslinger, Creedence Song and Long Dark Night, too. 1.0 This album takes the longtime Springsteen fan back to basics, at the very least to 1984 (if not farther). It erases the subpar 90s Springsteen catalog in under 50 minutes. How does it do it? With less trickery than you'd think: earnest singing and forthright playing (Max's drums are superior). Not a single song to fast forward. That's why this guy is still the Boss: what other band has stepped up to take the title from him? 1.0 While listening to Revival, I couldnt help to think back to my high school days when CCR ruled the airwaves. John Fogerty has again found the sound that he left behind when Creedence broke up in the early 70's. The guitar riffs, the beat, the tempo, its all there. This is his greatest album since CCR. If you sing along with the radio when a Creedence song comes on, this album is for you. Welcome back to Rock & Roll, John!!!! 1.0 As a die-hard Springsteen fan, I'm torn about this album. The lyrics are as intricate and involving as usual, and we get the typical Springsteen switch-up from fast hard-rocking songs to gut-wrenching quiet songs. But the production is so overdone that it's as if he's singing through a veil, and everything tends to sound too much alike. There are some songs that stick in my head - Radio Nowhere, Long Walk Home, Devil's Arcade - but other songs that reviewers mention (Girls in their Summer Dresses) do nothing for me. If we get a concert album out of the current tour more songs may turn out to be appealing, but if you're looking for a great, consistently enjoyable recent Springsteen album, buy the Dublin Live set. -1.0 I have only heard of Paul Potts recently and believe me I don't live in a box, at least not when it comes to music and books. I saw his audition for British Idol on youtube and was blown away. It gave me chills just listening to him. The fact that he is just your average person with no classical training is what I think draws the masses to his humble nature. Frankly I don't care that other reviewers think that he needs more polishing in his voice. The miracle that he can now be heard around the world is his triumph. 1.0 First I will say that I've been a fan of Britney's music since day 1. When this album first came out, I had to think hard about whether or not to buy it..I like "Gimme More" but thought the clips I heard on YouTube sounded 'rushed'. But about three days after its release, I gave in and bought it cause it was only $9.99 at circuit city. I was surprised by how good it is. It's pretty addicting actually..the key songs are "Gimme More", "Break the Ice"(lashing out at the media), "Radar","Ooh Ooh Baby", and "Hot as Ice". This album definitely is quite a bit different than her others (which is another reason i was contemplating getting it) but still sounds like her at the same time. In my opinion her self titled album "britney" was her best album. This one isn't as good, but it's a cd worth buying or at least listening to. Better than "In the Zone" which had some not so great songs on it. Anyway, my point is it's pretty darn good and if you've been thinking about it...go for it. Chances are you won't be disappointed. 1.0 The CD took FOREVER to arrive and I have no idea why. I called post offices and wrote amazon. Amazon responded well and offered to refund my money. Then the cd arrived. I think that experience of waiting almost 3 weeks took the joy out of the purchase. The music is good but so short. I think 11 songs and they are all quite short. Oh well. Potts is a great singer and I wish him all the best. -1.0 For anyone who has read my reviews before, you know that I don't like to write a lengthy review of each individual song on an album. I prefer to let the listener pick his or her favorites after listening to the album themselves. Especially with Bruce, I think you have to look at each of his releases as an entire piece of work. As a Bruce Tramp for 37 years I know that certain songs which grab me in the first few listenings may very well not be my favorites later on. And, I think alot of us are like that. I'm not knocking the reviewers who choose to review song by song. That's just not my way. So, with that said, I'd like to talk to three different groups of listeners. First, The tried and true Bruce Tramps like myself. I could simply say forget it, go out and buy it, and enjoy! But, it deserves a little more than that. For you folks, this is Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. As Kid Leo from Cleveland said very well back in '75," Welcome to the main event! Pound for pound, round for round, there ain't no finer band around, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band!". There's one thing that there's never any mystery with each and every release this man gives us - it's going to be great. From beginning to end, there are no fillers. This is the deal! Don't waste your brain power by attempting to compare it with any of Bruce's other releases. I hate that! It's a piece of work of it's own, ad people do change with age and maturation. Bruce is no different than any of us in that context. I will simply tell you that with each listening, each song begins to take over your mind sounding better and better as time goes. There seems to be a little of Bruce in this album probably starting with Born To Run all the way through to and including Devils and Dust. I leave The Seeger Sessions out of that comment because that was a whole different piece of genius in itself. Is there any one of us Bruce Tramps that thought back after "Greetings" was released that thought Bruce could have pulled off that? And, he did! With a great band, giving those over hundred year old songs a kick in the butt! Just keep playing "Magic" - you're gonna call it a classic with time.To the Springsteen fans who didn't like it when Bruce gave up The E Street music with releases such as Nebraska, Tom Joad, Devils and Dust, etc. Hey, it's not too late to get back in line with us Bruce Tramps. We've saved you a spot. This man is the single greatest musical artist of our age. He has proven that with so many different types of work. If you didn't particularly care for the albums I mentioned, give them a few more listens. Like most of Bruce's career work, if you listen to a song say 50 times, there will be many times that you will say to yourself, "Gee, I'm getting a whole new meaning out of that phrase than I did before". If you've really gotten off the band wagon, well, so be it.To the people who have never listened to Bruce(you mean there are some of you?), this just might be the album for you to start with. There are alot of little things on this album that Bruce has barely touched on in the past, soundwise. It sounds like a contradiction to say that this is The E Street Band, and then make the statement that I just made. But, with Bruce, the old fans know what I mean. It's kind of like during the Devils and Dust Tour, when Bruce would do an old one like "Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?". Some people in the audience didn't recognize the song until the third or fourth verse. But, that's where some of the genious comes in, and also what keeps Bruce's shows fresh for we fans and the Band itself. He's so spontaneous in everything he does, it's amazing!I would like to mention one song on the album that deserves special mention. That's the one that most everyone is calling "Terry's Song". It's not listed on the album, so when Devils Arcade is over don't turn the player off. You'll be cheating yourself out of an absolute classic. I call it Bruce's eulogy to his long-time compadre and right-hand man, Terry McGovern, who recently passed away. It is just a truly beautiful way of paying tribute to a buddy who must have meant more to Bruce than any one of us ever knew. It brought tears to my eyes, and it may to yours.In closing, I'd like to mention that another of my heroes of a different genre of music, Merle Haggard, years ago, was given the moniker "The Poet Of The Common Man". That moniker could have easily been given to Bruce. Because that is what he is, a poet of the common man. It's been said that when you listen to Merle Haggard, you're listening to his life. The same can be said of Bruce. All the way back from the beginning with "Greetings From Asbury Park". This album, "Magic" is just another chapter. I can't wait to read the next one! Thanks for your time. 1.0 I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much from this album but I decided to get it: THAT WAS THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE!! I LOVE EVERY SONG!! I normally don't like this type of pop/techno but this was FABULOUS!!! I can't wait for her music videos and hopefully America will change and start loving her again. She has done a wonderful job on this album. 1.0 This album is what creativity is all about. An amazing piece of work, it keeps drawing you back for more. Not a bad song in the bunch. A beautiful marriage of two great talents (not discounting the other greats playing on this album), who would have thunk... 1.0 The first review I read about this CD was It's NOT the "The Rising", well it's not supposed to be. The music presented here by the Boss & Crew is new & a well crafted, great CD. Most bands create music first & lyrics to fit, but Bruce writes great lyrics & then surrounds them with first rate music by the worlds most gifted musicians. This CD stands on its own merit as another masterpiece of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. Listeners need to absorb it for what it is, not compare it to anything else the band has recorded. 1.0 If the old timers in Appalachia had been raised on NPR and Starbucks this is what their music would probably have sounded like. The musicianship here is impeccable. The production is meticulous. There is not one note that's offensive or in bad taste. There is also very little life to the performances.I have been an Alison Krauss fan for years and I buy all her cds even though it's been a while since I've actually found any of them to be very interesting. If you go back to some of her earlier recordings, before "When you say nothing at all," there was actually a little grit in her singing voice. Listen to "It's Over" and you'll hear what I mean. At some point, however, she started to sing in a soft, whispery voice that sounds like she's channeling Jackie Kennedy. It's beautiful, but after a while everything begins to sound the same and she sounds less and less like a real human being. This cd is not bad and it will make excellent background music, but these people are way to talented to be settling for that. -1.0 Carrie Underwood has taken many hits because she got her start on a TV Show. How everyone forgets that Patsy Cline, arguably the greatest female country voice of all time, got started the same way. Carrie's second Album Carnival Ride validates what we already knew, that she is on her way to be one of the biggest selling artists in music. Carrie Underwood's talent will undoubtedly carry her on for many years to come. 1.0 Please,"You'll be Comin' Down" is worth the price of admission alone. Osama and George junior can both kiss my a$$. "Radio Nowhere", "Long Walk Home", this is great stuff, & the "hidden track" breaks its own mold. If the sound is muddy, well I blame that 1982 CLASH concert, not Bruce.Thanks! 1.0 Great new CD, Sometimes Born to Run and sometimes The Risin'. Songs have impact. Looking forward to the Arnhemshow '07-11. Why is Soozie not a member of The E-street Band and why is Terry's song missing on my CD? 1.0 With so many beautifully sung songs I am puzzled as to why I don't enjoy this CD more so. No chills for me. And I was looking forward to chills. However - Josh Groban has a unique and gorgeous voice that he can use masterfully and he does so on this CD. "Noel" deserves a place in every CD collection. I'll now share what I think hinders my ability to offer more praise for this CD. Although, as usual, there is much to praise about any CD of Josh Groban's. Perhaps that high expectation is why, like some, I am a bit disappointed in the CD, as a whole. I actually felt depressed after listening to it rather than uplifted and joyful. The individual songs, taken out of the context of an hour long Groban/Foster marathon, are mostly incredibly good and some beautifully fresh in their presentation but all together at one time, a bit much. Very majestic, very dramatic but also a bit overdone with a sense of solemn sameness in many tracks. This CD validates Groban's choice to step away, to a large degree, from Foster when recording his "Awake" CD. Foster knows what he likes to have Groban do, anthem/power ballads, and he has him do it over and over to the detriment of the over all CD experience. I know this CD was recorded at various times throughout Groban's tour so perhaps that contributed to them unwittingly returning to too many Foster inspired arrangements without realizing how much of that had already been added to enough songs on this CD. A few is great, too many is annoying and tiresome.For me, too many songs went on long past when they should have ended. I actually become annoyed with the repeating of phrases over and over as some of the songs fade out too slowly. Especially at the end of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" The woman choir member doing her thing at the end causes me reach for the skip button.Another puzzlement is the removal of the first verse of "O, Come All Ye Faithful" and the first chorus of "What Child is This?" (although I think "What Child is This" is one of the better offerings as is "Little Drummer Boy")My plan is to create my own version of this CD by reordering the songs, leaving some off ("Thankful") and fading some out sooner. 1.0 This is seriously the best thing since sliced bread. It has been in my car Cd player for 6 months. I gives me chills! 1.0 The new project by John Fogerty is simply the best record of 2007! What was the most anticipated album of the year is finally here. If you have read the reviews from music critics and other reviewers there is really nothing I can add that is any different. After listening to "Revival" over and over today (at least 12 times) I can strongly recommend the purchase of this CD.John Fogerty / Creedence Clearwater Revival are the ultimate American Jukebox. Every track is superb on this project! However, for me the song "Summer of Love" is my favorite as it recalls that very special summer of 1967. With sounds of Cream and Jimi Hendrix - this track ROCKS!!! It is worth buying the CD for that song alone.Thank you John Fogerty for delivering an astounding musical journey on "Revival". And for all those CCR gems that will last forever!!!! 1.0 What a great gift for anyone who likes musicals. This Christmas gift was well received by the person getting the gift, and me. Shipping was only a matter of days. Thanks. 1.0 I play it over and over and it's simply magical listening to a voice that can make you cry and give you goosebumps on the same album. Beautiful man. Beautiful voice.The most beautiful rendition of "Everybody Hurts" ever recorded.Lorene RennSan Jose, CA 1.0 WOW!! THATS ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW!! THIS IS AMAZING! THIS NOW ONE OF MY FAVORITE CD. I HAVE IT ON MY COMPUTER, IPOD, MOBILE PHONE AND JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE ELSE I COULD POSSIBLY HAVE IT!!...IT GIVES ME GOOSEBUMPS EVERY TIME I LISTEN THIS CD!! MY FAVORITE TRACKS ARE:DEFYING GRAVITY - THIS IS THE SONG FROM THE END OF ACT ONE AND THIS IS TRUELY AN AMAZING MOMENT IN THE CD... IDINA MENZEL'S VOCALS ARE JUST FLAWLESS AND THE MUSIC IS AMAZING, WATCH OUT FOR THE CLIMAX OF THE SONG AND WHEN YOU DO LISTEN HAVE A TISSUE READY BECAUSE IT IS TOUCHING. THE WIZARD AND I - NOW THIS SONG IS ABOUT ELPHABA MEETING THE WIZARD AND HER EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN SHE DOES. AGAIN IDINA MENZEL IS FLAWLESS.POPULAR - NOW THIS SONG HAS GIVEN ME A WHOLE NEW PROSPECT OF GLINDA, I USED TO THINK SHE WAS NICE AND CARING BUT AFTER THIS SONG I FOUND OUT SHE IS SELFISH, VAIN AND SOOO BITCHY!! BUT THE VOCALS FROM KRISTIN CHENOWETH ARE GREAT AND AGAIN, ONCE YOU KNOW THE WORDS YOU WILL BE SINGING ALONG!ONE FINE DAY - THIS SONG IS ABOUT SPENDING TIME IN THE EMERALD CITY... AND I WANNA GO THERE SOOOO BADLY!!! AGAIN ANOTHER SING ALONG!!I HAVE EXPLAINED HOW I PERCEIVED WHAT THE SONGS ARE ABOUT AND I HAVE ONLY TALKED ABOUT A FEW SONGS BUT BELIEVE ME THE ALBUM IS FANTASTIC. IF YOU LIKE, LOVE OR ARE NEW TO WICKED GET THIS NOW YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED. I MYSELF HAVE NOT SEEN THE SHOW YET AND ALREADY I AM OBSESSED! HOPEFULLY YOU WILL TOO GET BITTEN BY THE WICKED BUG AND HELP IT TO GO ON FOR YEARS AND YEARS TO COME! 1.0 So, the album is terrific, the best Springsteen has done since the Rising, but the packaging is horrific. I only took the CD out once, and already it is scratched beyond repair. The song Gypsy Biker skips to the point of sticking. I don't understand the shear incompentency of people who design these cases: you can cut down on materials and cost is ways that don't ruin the CD. Look at David Glimour's On an Island, which uses a little nub of foam, or the last few releases by Tom Waits on the Anti- lable: even his newest, Orphans, which uses the same cardboard squeeze-and-release style as Magic, at leaves enough room for the packaging to open enough to slide the disc out without mauling the thing. So, thanks to iTunes, I was able to recover Magic, but there is still a bust of static in the middle of Gypsy Biker....download the album, don't waste the money supporting Columbia's poor choices. (I had to do the same thing with Springsteen's Seger Secessions) -1.0 I know you want to talk about her pantyless partying, or her custody case.However, I suggest you do for this LP what you do to most of the movies, music and sports you enjoy.....do not too closely at the artist/player.Take it for what it is....mature sexy innovative dance album.Blackout will have you dancing from song one all the way through to number 12. 1.0 The album is definitely a natural progression of what the band did with "In Your Honor," this time fusing delicate acoustic with rowdy electric within most of the songs, with satisfying results. Still, most of the songs here don't follow the traditional pop verse-chorus structure, and as such aren't immediately memorable. But once you get an idea of how each song unfolds, it can be a rewarding listen. While it's easily more solid throughout than the longer "Honor," there isn't quite a "Best of You" here. Some songs full of potential for greatness are let down by a rather bland chorus, and repetition of lyrics is another problem in places. Even some of the more consistent tunes are nearly spoiled by outros that don't quite seem to end things on a high note."The Pretender" sports the standard-issue aggressive Foo chorus, but the delayed gratification makes it better, thanks to a great 90-second build-up. "Let It Die" isn't the first or last song here that goes quiet-to-loud, but the start-and-stop path along the way makes this one stand out. Unfortunately, Dave's primal screams seem a bit forced at the end here, as the music doesn't quite match the ferocity of the vocals. "Erase/Replace" is a heavier, sober, inconsistent number."Long Road to Ruin" is an addictive pop-rock number that's fairly straightforward, but a lot of fun. A nice change of pace made even better by one of the band's best guitar solos. One of those Foo songs that makes you glad to be alive. "Cheer Up Boys" is another uptempo rocker that lightens things up after another pair of slower, disappointing songs in "Come Alive" and "Stranger Things Have Happened." "Summer's End" is a laid-back, bouncy sing-along that shows off the diversity of the band's sound (think "Good Day Sunshine"), and another great guitar solo. But it'll probably be a puzzler for the more old-fashioned Foo fan. The instrumental "Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners," while pleasant, isn't quite as adventurous as it could've been."Statues" is part 1 of an excellent 1-2 climax, and possibly the best track here: sweeping, evocative, and moving. The band pulls out all the stops here with an orchestral background, accordion, two delicate guitar solos, and a piano utilized so well it makes you wish they'd use it more often. "But Honestly" follows it up with the final, and most cathartic, use of the album's acoustic-to-electric motif. Great interplay on vocals from both Dave and Taylor, followed by fun, out-of-left-field guitars and drums to finish things out."Home" is a simple, somber epilogue, heavy on piano but also with some drums and strings in the second half (though guitars would be a welcome addition). The lyrics are rather straightforward, and perhaps a bit too reminiscent of Lennon's "In My Life." 1.0 A truly satisfying album if you're a Springsteen fan. If you're not, it will grow on you. This is the album that Springsteen fans have been waiting for and has been so long overdue in his familiar rock n' roll style. Songs that stand out for me are "Livin' In the Future", "Your Own Worst Enemy", "Gypsy Biker", "Last To Die", "You'll Be "Comin' Down", "Long Walk Home" and "Girls in Their Summer Clothes". This compilation will stand the test of time, will be great to see him do live in years to come and fit comfortably side by side with his classics. Thank you Mr. Springsteen! 1.0 Like the book and the play, the Wicked soundtrack is mystical and magical. The cast is amazing and Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth are enchanting. I recommend the soundtrack to anyone and everyone who loves a great musical fantasy. This is one soundtrack that truly sends you back to OZ. I never liked a whole album of music before Wicked. It is one CD I completely love. 1.0 I thought it was my imagination, but when I asked my sister who is a big JG fan and loves Christmas music...we both agreed that this one was a little bit of a disappointment for similar reasons! We did not get the feel of Christmas here. Similar to other major superstars like Barbara Striesand who's 2nd Christmas offering was not as great as her first.Melissa Manchester's re-issue this year of Joy is STILL great...check it out!I have the DVD edition of this product in which he says that he wanted to make a classic or timeless recording. I would agree with his idea, but he does not convey that in this recording. Surprisingly he uses men, women and children blogging about Iraq during his rendition of I'll Be Home For Christmas. I'm not saying that I do not like this song, because it is a great idea, but it should have been a single instead of part of this project. In time, it will sound as dated as Kenny G's Auld Lang Syne Millennium Mix. I like the way he does Little Drummer Boy and I think is probably the best track. I also like his duets with Brian McKnight Angels We Have Heard On High and Faith Hill dueting on The First Noel. Ave Maria is done well, but I am tired of it on every Christmas CD, it's two different versions and at every wedding and funeral I go to!I am not crazy about Panis Angelicus which is also done on Il Diva's Christmas CD. I know this most people may not agree with me about this review. I would have given it more stars if it had included his stunning version of O Holy Night and his original classic Believe (from Polar Express) and the live version of I'll Be Home For Christmas available on I Tunes. -1.0 Kid Rock's style of trying to be someone he isn't is ever more prevalent on this record. There are a few licks that remind you ever great classic rock bands, but all the too few, which in a way works in his favor. Even the cover clearly rips (I'm sure he didn't intend for it to be taken as a copy of, but a tribute) AC/DC. The writing on this record is as terrible as before, and all the guitar, drum, rap mashing is still tiresome. This isn't rock. This isn't hip-hop. It's someone trying to be better than he is. Next time, Kid Rock needs to write his own lyrics, his own chords and riffs, and be the real Kid Rock and show what really goes on inside his mind, and not the minds of producers. -1.0 Lets face it folks. Bruce Springsteen's last efforts haven't been very good. Let's start back in the late 80's, with Tunnel of Love. Lame. Human Touch and Lucky Town. Boring. The Ghost of Tom Joad was a record with an acoustic guitar and a mumbling man. Devils and Dust wasn't all that impressive either, but THIS. THIS is magical.Springsteen hasn't sounded this good since 1984/5. Every cut is solid, and will have you wondering why he ever decided to split with the E Street Band. It will leave you satisfied. Buy it, now. 1.0 When I started listening to the CD, it started with her single Gimme More. I never really liked the song but it grew on me after a while. I figured that would be the best song on the CD and then downhill from there. Then the next song was good...and then the next...When I got to the song "Toy Soldiers" I was blown away. I looooove that song. Another surprise came at the last song, so unexpectedly revealing about Kevin and moving on with her life. This CD is really good. 1.0 I agree that "Let It Die" is an amazing song and definitely my favorite from the cd.Overall I really like the first 5 songs, and it's a solid comeback for me from In Your Honor which I was dissapointed in. In ranking it with other Foo Fighter CDS I'd have to say its probably my 3rd or 4th favorite with "One By One" being number one on my list. 1.0 Wonderful CD that reminds us of the excellent stage production we saw recently. Some of the lyrics that the chorus sang were a little hard to understand in the live performance, but could be read in the CD notes and appreciated. 1.0 It has no head banging music which is fine no - one has to head bang 24/7. This music is haunting and sexey! 1.0 Josh has the perfect voice for these songs. He has set the bar very high for all Christmas music this year. I know this cd will be played a lot this season. A few of the songs are not our traditional (everyday) Christmas songs, but they are great, as well.You WILL enjoy this cd!!! 1.0 The CD is absolutely beautiful. I have listened to it so many times already that I am going to have it worn out before Christmas even gets here. This is just another one of his wonderful pieces of art. 1.0 I am very much a Led Head, but my tastes are eclectic enough to include Allison Krauss. I bought this more out of curiosity than any other reason, but it delivers MUCH MORE than I expected.Overall, I think that Allison Krauss, Robert Plant and T Bone Burnett have achieved as close to perfection on one CD as is humanly possible.The voices - how to describe them? There are duets, harmonies and unique amalgams of two voices into one -- one time with Robert's voice in the foreground, and the next time with Allison's voice in the foreground. How do they do it?Also, I really appreciate good production, as it just brings me closer to the music. The production perfectly complements the voices and instruments.I have only one caveat for listening to this CD -- It needs to be played on a very good, full-range stereo system. On my in-ceiling speakers, the CD is merely interesting. On my $5K stereo, golden.Buy it, find a quiet time, put it on a good system and prepare to be carried away to someplace special. 1.0 Blackout is Britneys best album to date. Its just so amazing. Every single song is capable of being released as a single. No need to use the skip button for this album, your gonna have to use the repeat button allot though cuz every single track is so hotttt!!! This album is so energetic and electrifying. Say what u want about her personal life but when it comes to her music, you cant say much but that its amazing. This album is sure to be #1! 1.0 Absolutely awesome CD. I spent hours listening to it when it arrived and each time heard more wonderful aspects of each song. Some brought tears to my eyes and some took my breath away. Truly an amazing artist! 1.0 I surprised myself that I bought this album. But after the positive reviews from music critics, I was curious. This album is fun to listen too. It seems classic Britney. Lots of mixing and techno voice work. I have a feeling if Britney actually performed one of these songs live and did not lip synch, she would not sound good. With enough money and the right people and equipment, I think anyone with any kind of voice could sound good. Look at Paris Hilton! 1.0 It's become apparent that as Bruce Springsteen gets older, that he seems to mix his output between folk records, live albums, and the occasional E Street release. The E Street releases are the rarer of the batch, with only three having been released since 1984. I seem to like these the best. After progressively slower and more boring musical output by Springsteen, I had burnt out on him completely for awhile; stopping altogether until 2002's excellent The Rising. I was hoping The Rising was a permanent return to form, but alas it wasn't - as he went back and did another folk album, a live album, another live album, and an album of covers. Yawn. So when I heard about Magic, my first thought was it something weird, or a "real" album - an E Street album. When I heard it was an E Street album, I was quite happy about that.I first heard the single in late August 2007 when it was made available for free via iTunes. The first single (Radio Nowhere) was a free download, which I'll always take advantage of. It's quite anthemic in it's sound - something that would have fit well on the Born in the USA album. Lyrically it reminds me of the Tom Petty album "The Last DJ". Anyway, fantastic track. So I pre-ordered the album straight away. When I got it, I have to admit it initially bored me. It wasn't as immediately catchy as The Rising was. But given it was E Street, I gave it a fair shake, and continued to listen. The day it was actually released (Tue the 2nd), it clicked with me (I got it early via one of my record label contacts). Can't tell you why, it's one of those "OK, I get it now" moments, which kind of makes me wonder what the heck I was thinking the first few times I listened to it.Radio Nowhere is by far the most radio friendly (ha) song on the album, so there isn't another one of those, but there's some really nice melodies on this. Some of my favorite tracks are Long Walk Home, Last to Die, and Devil's Arcade. Living in the Future has a sax hook that is seriously old school Springsteen. I'll Work for your Love also has an old school Springsteen feel to it I liked.To sum up, for someone who had just graduated High School when Born in the USA came out, this album 23 years later makes me feel like I'm back then - this doesn't feel like his The Ghost of Tom Joad style of stuff (which I can't stand). Get it. 1.0 I find this album to be sublime in every way. its such a pleasure to hear R.P.'s voice in this context. really took me by surprise. A.K. is wonderful on all counts (no surprise).the sonics don't suck imo. i agree that it sounds pretty natural. there is some great playing on this thang, and i love the set of songs. plant moves me more here than he has since early zep. the entire thing sounds totally uncontrived to me - down to the smiles in the photographs. one of my favorite releases of the year. 1.0 The Beatles accomplished so much - good at music , good at recording and capturing their magic , good at transferring their personalities and appeal onto film . HELP ! is meant to be fun and it has some slapstick elements mostly due to Ringo's abilities as a straight man .He was always the most honest one and he holds the film together . If anyone feels he didn't do as much as the others , then this film is the evidence to the contrary . The Beatles' humour style incorporates elements of the Goons and Peter Sellers , who was a friend of theirs .Enjoy this silly film and marvel at the best of the songs in it . 1.0 And I have never heard Clark Gable sing Lennon and McCartney! I guess you really had to be there to really enjoy this movie. There are few things that preserve the past like film and this one certainly does preserve the flavor of the times. This film does not make a great political statement...its just a lot of fun. You can argue movie titles, it was originally Eight Arms to Hold You, I have the first release of the 45 from Help and the lable on the record reads Eight Arms to Hold You, refering obviously to four Beatles times two arms or maybe the goddess of the religeous faithful of the movie. Watch this movie with someone who was there they can try to explain the feeling of the times. You can criticize the plot or the lack there of, but this is not your Oscar winning Gone with the Wind...its just a lot of fun...so enjoy! 1.0 I may have a unique perspective about this release because I have never heard any of Robert Plant's CDs and I have never listened to an Alison Krause CD. But this pairing intrigued me, and the clip of Rich Woman I heard somewhere sounded like something I'd like and prompted me to purchase the CD.It's definitely laid back for the most part, but the slower songs aren't dull at all. T-Bone Burnett's production keeps things interesting. The highlight for me is the version of Fortune Teller. Recommended. 1.0 1965's "Help", 42 years on, has a refreshing air of innocent fun about it, along with some excellent music and a silly plot involving the Beatles with a mystical but murderous Eastern Cult.It hardly seems possible that John, Paul, George, and Ringo were ever this young; "Help" captures them as their collective fame had just begun to take hold, but before it devoured them altogether. The storyline involves a huge ring that Ringo has been given by a young girl. Unfortunately, the ring is a key prop in an Eastern Cult that periodically sacrifices people. The Cult, led by Leo McKern in a perfectly hilarious role, is mad to get the ring back and pursues our four young heroes from London to Salisbury Plain to Switzerland to a finale in the Bahamas. The Cult's exotic plots to get the ring back generate a nice mixture of suspense and madcap chaos, framing a series of pre-MTV music videos featuring such hits as "Help", "You're Going To Lose That Girl" and "Ticket To Ride." Along the way, there are lots of sight gags and lots more banter among the Beatles themselves. The humor may be slightly dated and very British, but holds up well.This movie is a priceless bit of collective memory for the baby boomers who remember the Beatles phenomenon as a current event. 1.0 Britney is something else.... the terrible VMA performance, head shaving, children, etc. i almost gave up on her..... at the end of the day it is if she delivers in the music... and she does!!!!!im sorry i kno i might not get alot of cheers...... BLACKOUT is by far her best effort... very very grown up. with the help of Danjahands (protege of Timbaland) pharrell williams and the backing vocals of keri hilson (of timbalands "the way i are") she came out with the hottest club LP madonna wish she had! hands down my favourite track is 'hot as ice'.... she shows sass & class... crazy track heavy rotation in my ride....my other favourite track is 'radar'... at first i thought she said operator.... LOL!!!! great dance track....other bangers: 'gimme more' (without the performance), 'why should i be sad' with pharrell, 'piece of me', & "heaven on earth"... honestly i didnt hear a track that i didnt like... she came with it... and im surprised she had the time to do this LP at all....i hope nobody gave up on britney and give her one more shot... especially her fans that gave up... i kno i was almost one of them but at the end of the day she was about the music and she does deliver....5++++ stars out of 5: way to get the haters back BRIT!!!!!! 1.0 Here's my opinion on these songs: 1. No One Mourns the Wicked - though Kristen Chenoweth is credited with this one, the entire ensemble makes it strong. Catchy. 2. Dear Old Shiz - though vocally strong, it's kind of boring. If you listen to the lyrics, they're funny. 3. The Wizard and I - easily one of the best songs on the album. Also funny. 4. What Is This Feeling? - often overlooked, but excellent. Again, the ensemble completes the song led by two excellent leads. 5. Something Bad - means a lot. Brings out a lot of the politicalness of Wicked the book. 6. Dancing Through Life - fun, has a great mood. Almost all of the leads perform in this one. And they are great. 7. Popular - this is the first song I heard before I saw the show. It's so cute. And it is Galinda's personality (that's not a typo). Chenoweth is so strong. 8. I'm Not That Girl - it makes you feel for Elphaba. Uses quite a range. 9. One Short Day - extremely catchy. Chenoweth, Menzel, and ensemble really perform. 10. A Sentimental Man - the Wizard is one talented guy. 11. Defying Gravity - IF YOU ARE GOING TO LISTEN TO ONE SONG FROM THIS MUSICAL, THEN THIS IS IT. 'Nuff said. Idina Menzel, I bow down to you. The curtain falls on Act I with everyone smiling and looking to their friends saying, "Wow!"12. Thank Goodness - Chenoweth leads the ensemble again in this big Act II opener. 13. Wonderful - cute. Again, the Wizard sings this catchy tune. 14. I'm Not That Girl (Reprise) - brings out the heartbreak in the story. 15. As Long As You're Mine - stong. Powerful. Romantic. 16. No Good Deed - such an amazing solo. And I love the language of the Grimmerie. 17. March of the Witch Hunter - important to the plot and fun. Ties the Wizard of Oz story up. 18. For Good - If you've seen the show, you remember this one. It made everyone I know cry. And I can relate to it. 19. Finale (Wicked) - I was still drying my tears during this one. But it ends the story on one amazing high note (literally and figuratively). I'm obsessed, I know. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ALBUM. 1.0 I just got this CD and I love it!!! A star may have died with Luciano Pavarotti but another one was certainly born with Paul Potts! 1.0 You'd have to be a real die hard fan of Fogerty to enjoy this one. Once upon a time, Rolling Stone named Fogerty as one of the top 50 guitarists. He doesn't give any reason to support that claim here, mostly just rhythm guitar. The vapid solo riffs on each song are formulaic. The monotonous and sometimes incongruous lyrics don't add much either.It's not all terrible; Creedence Song is an ok track just right for your local open mic night band. It starts off sounding a bit like Suzy Q, which is common in a lot of the songs. Fogerty has taken a lot of old stuff, and reworked it. Unfortunately, he's getting a little old to enhance his (or others) work. But, this will ensure old fans are comfortable with it, and in turn, will shell out for the next album. -1.0 A self-named "Led Head" friend of mine told me about this CD. His thoughts were that the world as we knew it was coming to end when Robert Plant joined up with a 'country musician'. Having somewhat more eclectic tastes--I didn't think so. What a treat to open the CD and hear "Rich Woman" on Halloween. A.D.D's headliner review gives the best description of the Southern Gothic 'feel'. Another particularly eerie song is "Fortune Teller," where Plant sings the tale of a young man who goes to a fortune teller and discovers that he will fall in love with the first woman he sees--which turns out to be the Fortune Teller herself--now he's happy as can be and he gets his fortune told for free. (Yup, corny as KS--but the sound is very cool!) For the most part, the music will probably suit Alison Krauss fans more than Plant's, but Plant's fans need to listen--just to hear how strong the man can be on soft music. The best of any profession are the people who raise the bar for the rest. The test of a great collaborative work is -- is the whole better than the sum of its parts? Plant, Krauss, and Burnett started out at the top of their respective forms, but this CD is truly a masterwork among their individual collections, too. "Raising Sand" is going to open the door for a long more mind-bending work. 1.0 This reunion of The Boss and the E Street Band is exceptional. I played it over and over when I got it. This CD is an example of a great rock and roll band at the top of their game. 1.0 I love Kid Rock. But I was disappointed when I heard this new album was not going to have much rap. (I don't even really like rap, just his). I must say I love this album. I hope he will do another rap album, but he better not stop making albums like this either. I love every song. I usually dislike songs with samplings from other artist, but "all summer long" is the one the song I keep going back to. It is so much fun. Such a happy song. All the songs are great. Well worth the wait. 1.0 I have enjoyed Carrie since her days on American Idol. I loved her first CD and was a little nervous of the 'sophmore slump' with the second album. Well I need not have worried because I absolutely loved it!!!!!! Maybe it is the vet in me but I especially loved 'The more Boys I meet' (The more I love my Dog!!!) I am having a hard time finding a song I don't like and skip through, it just hasn't happened yet. I am a big country fan and glad to see that she has gone more country and less pop this time round - it suits her. Other songs I enjoyed are 'Get out of this town' and 'Crazy Dreams' -- but as I say I have a hard time writing anything bad about this album. So way to go Carrie - can't wait for the next one! How about a Christmas album now!! 1.0 Great new songs, we have waited so long for something new from Matchbox. They have met our expectations. 1.0 DRONING , BORING, POORLY MIXED GARBAGE THAT IS MEANT TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK USING THE E STREET BAND'S NAME (SINCE HE HASN'T BEEN SUCCESSFUL ON HIS OWN IN YEARS). MAGIC? HARDLY......TRAGIC IS A MORE APT TITLE. -1.0 "Magic" is not on par with "Born to Run," "Darkness on the Edge of Town," or "The River," but it ranks with "Born in the U.S.A." and easily surpasses Springsteen's other post-1980s albums. 1.0 After years of not making a record, britney delivers again! this cd is awesomeeeeee! i cant believe how good it is, excellent music 1.0 Raising Sand is a wonderful collaboration between two disparate singers that sounds similar to a beached whale in it's death throes. Each song is achingly beautiful and tragic, yet bloated in a nourishing and mystical way like a blocked artery attempting to supply the heart with a diminished amount of blood plasma. That said, I highly recommend this CD to people searching for a mutating musical identity to admire and appreciate in a cynical manner. 1.0 Even if you hate Britney Spears, you will love this album!! There's not one bad track on it. My favorite tracks are Gimmie More, Piece of Me, OOh OOh Baby, Radar and Heaven on earth!! 1.0 IF YOU LIKE CREEDENCE, THEN YOU WILL LOVE THIS CD. FROM SONG #1 "DON'T YOU WISH IT WERE TRUE" TO # 12 "LONGSHOT" THIS IS A WINNER.I PLAY IT ALL DAY LONG AND NEVER GET TIRED OF IT. I PLAY IT IN THE OFFICE AND 3 OTHERS THAT SIT AROUND ME WENT OUT AND BOUGHT IT.I SENT A COPY TO MY FRIEND JANET IN MAINE AND SHE PLAYED "DON'T YOU WISH IT WERE TRUE", 10 TIMES IN A ROW.A MUST HAVE CD 1.0 Great to hear the E Street Band backin full swing! As much as I have enjoyed his "solo" work (Tunnel of Love, Devils, Seeger's Sessions) there is still nothing like E Street Band. Too bad this didn;t come out during the summer as tunes like "Girls..." and "Living in the Future" would have been perfect tunes for walking on the Boardwalk.I don't understand so many of the reviews that complain about the "bad" sound. Yes, it's dense but I think that's part of it's strengths.Haven't had the chance to see him on tour yet, but from what a couple of friends tell me who have gone, the Magic songs blend in really well and it looks like a couple (Long Walk Home, Living,,,,) are becoming new trademark tunes..For me, the big test is how a Bruce CD sounds in the car, driving at night. This one aces the test! 1.0 A lot of people are saying this is their best album since There's Nothing Left to Lose. Fair enough. But I've only given this album three listens and I've giving TNLTL hundreds. I remember the first time I heard that album and being a bit disappointed that it wasn't Colour and the Shape 2. This album sounds good. The rock songs sound more "classic rock" or as a friend of mine describes the Foos, "straight ahead rock n' roll." A couple of the softer songs feature a lot of the band that took part in the acoustic tour, which I was a big fan of. I pre-ordered the iTunes version which came with a couple bonus tracks and supposedly will give me access to Foo tour pre-order.Here's a Foos thing: With the exception of TCatS, I would have rated each album one star lower prior to seeing them perform it live. They put on an amazing show. Here's hoping that continues for many more albums and tours. 1.0 Mr. Potts moved Simon,,, a dream come true,,, beautiful and touching... go to You TUbe and see the beginning,,a gift for your life.....enjoy....an opera fan... 1.0 I first discovered Paul in a YouTube link, and became mesmerized. I've never cared for opera, but this guy is so "common" and "everyman" that his appeal is unavoidable. For Simon Cowell to speak so positively (which he seldom does) about an artist said it all for me. Paul is not professionally trained, but he sings with emotion, commitment, and integrity. A perfect voice? No, but a very good one that will only get better with time. I still don't care for opera, but I have a new respect for it; have also "discovered" Pavarotti for myself, and the Three Tenors. In summary, he is a very bright talent who will only get better. And, even if he doesn't, he's brought attention to an art-form that doesn't often get attention from those outside the operatic afficionados. 1.0 This is wonderful listening. Even more, it's truly significant. That's in part because of the reaction _ I don't how many times in the last few months I've read about what seems to "critics'' and others to be a truly strange pairing. Something like: "You'd never expect two singers so far apart to team up, but it seems to work.'' That's nonsense (except the part about it working _ it doesn't "seem,'' it's real.) That's because the "critics'' and others put music in boxes and can't understand a pairing of "bluegrass,'' (the quotes are intentional) and heavy metal. This is Americana, but Americana as interpreted by Plant, Krauss and T-Bone Burnett that transcends category in a way that few albums do. Look on top. How many different categories does it rank No. 1. _ Rock, pop, folk, international. That's what music should be but too often isn't because the folks who run record companies and radio stations want to put music in the narrowest possible category.It's also a breakthrough for all three artists, including Burnett, but especially Krauss, who in her last few albums has boxed herself in with very nice listenable material that's too often predictable. A couple of the albums won Grammys(she has 20)and they're incredibly well produced and performed, but after a while one Robert Lee Castleman song turns into another and the effect is underwhelming.On this one, she uses all her talents, even, perhaps even as the excellent producer she is _ Burnett clearly took her advice and Plant's on some of the songs. Her country/bluegrass fiddle turns into gypsy violin on "Sister Rosetta,'' producing a haunting effect that's rarely heard in this kind of music.Beyond that, I've never heard an album where the voices blend so well that it's hard to tell where one stops and the other picks up _ Tom Waits' "Trampled Rose'' is the exemplar of that and the most fascinating and haunting song on the album.But it's almost all wonderful and it ends with what sounds very much like a little game being played by Burnett and Krauss in particular. The last number begins with Mike Seeger on autoharp leading into a Doc Watson gospel tune. Seeger discovered Elizabeth Cotten, who was his family's housekepper, and he was one of the pioneers who convinced record labels to record roots artists, Watson among them. It's also the most Krauss-like _ it's closest to what she does, right down to using a gospel number to close her albums (and her shows.)But most of this is totally new territory for both artists. Maybe Krauss should have gone there a decade ago or maybe the timing is perfect. It's one of the few albums _ Luncinda Williams' "Essence'' is another _ that can get away with slow tempos and minor keys on two-thirds of the songs and not sound repetitious or boring. Again, it's most important because it defies category. Other artists are trying _ Ben Harper and Norah Jones, with whom Krauss guested on a Bonnie Raitt show/CD/DVD are mingling pop, rock, country, gospel and reggae (in Harper's case.) The more the younger generation goes beyong genre and into "just music,'' the better off we'll all be. (Uh, no, Plant, at 59, isn't exactly the younger generation, but he's been looking for new frontiers for a decade or more.) He's also a Brit and Brits tend to understand American music better than most Americans. In any case, people like Mark Knopfler, Steve Winwood, Van Morrison and even Jagger/Richard stay away from boxes. (And, by the way, I just heard Krauss do a wonderful version of Winwood/Traffic's "I Can't Find My Way Home'' on XM) It was issued three years ago as part of a TV Soundtrack. So yes, she's known for a long time that there's a big wide world of music out there. This landmark album makes that point even more strongly. 1.0 Perhaps Britney was simply lowering expectations with her shenanigans over the past year, because this album is by far her best, and it is almost as if she wanted to catch everyone off guard. The entire album has an electronic vibe, moreso than hip-hop (thankfully, since hip-hop is dead), but the problem with all electronic albums (like Goldfrapp for example) is that even if the vocals, songwriting, and production are all good, the album can sound like the same song playing for 45 minutes. With this disc, this is only the case some of the time. There are three tracks (Heaven on Earth, Toy Soldier, Radar) that stand out as exceptional, but only one bad track is on the record, the dreadful "Get Naked I Got A Plan" with horrible background vocals that sound like Timbaland doing an Ozzy impersonation. There are no ballads on the disc, which is a shame because on her "Toxic" album, the best two tracks (Everytime and Shadow) were ballads. And twelve tracks is a little short for a full-length album that took years to record. On her next record, she should do a ballad and work with will i.am rather than Danja and Keri Hilson. Reason being that despite how good this record is - and it is darn good - the music will sound very outdated before long. Madonna couldn't have done it better in terms of picking better songs, but Britney needs to do an album like Madonna's "Like A Prayer" that will stand the test of time. Her fans from a near decade ago are clubbing age now and I understand why she made a 100% electro-dance record, but the fate of her big "comeback" will probably lie in a ballad similar to the ones on the "Toxic" album. 1.0 I have NO experience with classical music, nor do I wish to. It sure is not my favorite music. My ONLY exposure has been to watch "Moonstruck" 25+ times....However, when I saw Paul on TV and heard him sing, I was completely blown away. I don't know what it is about him or the way he sings that is so captivating, but I am a fan of his now forever!!! I just can't get enough! Who would of thunk it????? A million thumbs up!! 1.0 You would think it would be hard to out do a six time platinum debut such as Some Hearts, but leave it to Carrie Underwood to outdo herself once again. Carnival Ride has more of a country sound, which for us country fans is a good thing. It also showcases her growth as a singer. This album has alot of songs that shows Carrie's POWERHOUSE voice. Mark Bright returned to produce this album. Which also proves that the two make an inseperatable team. The first song is called FLAT ON THE FLOOR and it will get you on the dance floor stomping your feet and clapping your hands, it's a rock-country song. Then we have the heartwarming All American Girl. So Small of course is a great song and earns the third track. Just A Dream is a beautiful song yet sad. It will hit home for any military wife who has lost their husband. Get out of this town and Crazy Dreams are both up tempo but not too fast and they are both very catchy. I KNOW YOU WON'T is a beautiful ballad about a girl who feels like she's in second place to something else. Last name is a great song, kinda has a before he cheats kinda vibe only no cheating it's about a girl who has too much to drink and goes out and does things she would never do sober. You Won't Find This is another great song. I told you so is a remake of the same song by Randy Travis. She doesn't disappoint with the final three songs either. The More Boys I meet is a true and kinda funny song. Twisted is more pop but it's the ONLY pop song. Finally Wheel of the world inspired the title Carnival Ride. The entire cd is wonderful and it will get a lot of air play in my cd player. Trust me if you thought she couldn't get any better you need to listen to this album she did it again folks, prepare for more chart breaking singles, and more world breaking things from her. I think faith hill will still be jealous of her but hey this girl is here to stay and isn't GOING ANYWHERE. 1.0 Even though I have yet to see the play, I am entralled by the music. The voices are incredible and in particular the tracks, For Good and I'm Not That Girl are stellar in the vocal range of the performers!Tickets are hard to get to the Broadway show, so listening to the music is a vicarious enjoyment! 1.0 Paul Potts was a surprise on Utube--and I believe that his CD lives up to expectations. 1.0 need to hear some more..........it's been imported in my iTunes, along with over 14,200 other songs....... -1.0 After hearing "O Holy Night" and "I'll be Home for Christmas" last year, I was disappointed that he didn't have a Christmas album out. So naturally when I saw "NOEL" had been released, I had to purchase it.As always, Josh is spectacular. But being a bit old fashioned I had hoped the music would be straight forward traditional, like his "O Holy Night" and the original "I'll be Home for Christmas". Josh has such a strong, clear, beautiful voice that can carry with little background accompaniment. But instead of emphasizing the beauty of this man's voice, many of the arrangements have him competing with the overly loud instrumental/chorus accompaniments.I would have much rather had "O Holy Night" on this CD than "The First Noel" duet with Faith Hill. As a stand alone artist Faith Hill is okay. But to pair her with Josh was a mistake. Next to him she sounds like a coyote howling in the background and is only another noisy distraction.Overall - I still have to give this five stars because it is a beautiful CD that I will listen to over and over again (yep...8 times already). I hope he puts out another one next year...but finds someone other than David Foster to arrange and produce it. 1.0 I rated this CD 5 stars because I could never give Josh anything less then 100 as I just love him, his voice and the songs on this CD! My only hang up is why did they have to have Brian Mcknight and Faith Hill sing with him? I was so shocked to hear Brian Mcknight's voice next to Josh's that I skipped the song! And Faith Hill sounds like a dying cat next to Josh's pristine voice. (At least that was my initial thought) I'm not bashing Faith as I own and love one of her CDs. Just please... Not next to Josh... I wish the producers wouldn't try to give these "trying to relive the glory days" artists new life by lumping them with someone at the peak of his career. 1.0 I love Annie Lenox, but was dissappointed in her latest CD. It just didn't seem as creative or unique as her other CD's. I was expecting something as great, or even greater than her last CD Bare. Thought this CD was just OK. Nothing special or different. Sorry Annie. I love you dearly, but this CD isn't up to your usual creative artistry. -1.0 While most older rockers release mediocre albums that get praise from hardcore listeners, Bruce keeps releasing great work. Radio nowhere is as fun and catchy as anything he's released, the rest of the album shows a writer enjoying music, as well as working to make listeners and fans like it as well. A great listen, and easily up to his best work. 1.0 Carnival Ride I like Carrie Underwood so much I bought two of her album Carnival Rode, one for the car, and one for the house. Oh, and I bought one for my Sister in Nashville.Highly recommended for Carrie fans.Gunner October,2007 1.0 Ok, I've bought every single cd of his since day one, loved the first and second was decent but "Noel" is such disappointment, he is very unoriginal, all the songs have same voice, starting off slowly, crescendo style to the climax and slow finish, his voice is unchallenged and nothing new in it. And its nowhere near Chrismas, is he the first to release a xmas cd?? I don't know how else to say it but he has become extremely boring and predictable, ubelieveably dissapointing. I've purchased literally thousands of CDs but this will be Josh's last. -1.0 When I heard about this album I was very excited about the possibilities of collaboration between Allison Krauss and Robert Plant. Allison Krauss has one of the most beautiful and haunting voices around and I have especially enjoyed the duets in her previous albums. Meanwhile, in the world of psychedelic rock, Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin offer a powerful and striking uniqueness. Based on all this, I was expecting something very special, if not some fireworks, from Raising Sand.Although, the album has some very good, and at times excellent music, I am somewhat disappointed. Krauss and Plant seem to be playing alongside each other, not as a team. When they sang together, it was in harmony, which was very subdued and dull to me. Think of mixing bright colors together and getting gray. There was none of the crisp female/male counterpoint exhibited in Allison Krauss' duets on prior albums. The first few times through the album, when either Krauss or Plant started to sing, I expected the other to come in separately and distinctly, but that never happened and I feel frustrated. The preceding criticism does not mean that this is a bad album. Technically, the instrumentals are beautiful and Allison's magnificent voice comes through many times. The best song is "Sister Rosetta Goes before Us" in which Krauss sings a mystical tune that could have been on a Led Zeppelin album. The accompanying music to this song brings a haunting effect that stays in my mind and will soon be on my IPOD. Unfortunately, nothing Plant does can come close to matching this level. Although I respect Plant very much, I feel that Krauss could have done better in choosing a music partner for a departure from her usual styles. Of course, this is just my opinion and the strengths of the album convince me to give it a weak four stars. I realize that many will dispute this review, but also know that different perspectives are what make the world interesting. 1.0 Let me preface my review with the statement that I like Paul Potts. He has a wonderful instrument, albeit in need of some further training. However, it is strong and clear and that overcomes many technical shortcomings.However, my lower grading is because of the nature of the album itself.First, it is extremely obvious that this CD was produced as a "strike while the iron is hot" response to Mr. Potts' amazing impact on the listening public. Technically, it is a mishmash of poor mixing, overly loud orchestration and arrangements that sound like the vocal and orchestral arrangers weren't even in the same town, much less same room. It appears that their marching orders were to get the CD out there on the streets, quick, before the public forgets him.Second, the power in Mr. Potts' voice is his tour de force. With the skimpy recording techniques used and lack of response tuning, they have taken most of his best completely out, to the extent that he sounds thin in many places.Third; I must assign to whomever picked the music: I can recall Paul, almost timidly, announcing that he was there "to sing opera" in response to Judge Amanda's question. Then, Paul, why not do it? Aside from Nessun Dorma, played on every PC from here to Katmandu, there was not another aria on the album! The other music, although lovely, was what one normally finds as the; "Look, I can sing pop, too!" on operatic sampler albums. One, maybe two, numbers, though, not the entire CD! Was he trying to channel Il Divo and Josh Groban, or actually trying to sing opera?Hopefully, Mr. Potts is not a flash in the pan, but will continue his studies and exercise his naturally lovely voice on opera stages and in recording studios for years to come. But, when presented with a chance like this, I do not think the producers of the CD gave him the vehicle he deserves. -1.0 Question...Can anybody explain why the 2007 release of Help was dropped? Why is this 1995 version offered in place of the new release? Could it be that Capital is promoting the Deluxe Edition so that buyers will have to pluck down an additional $80.00 so they can get the posters and other trinkets that make it a so-called "collectible"? 1.0 I don't understand why everyone is calling this "Britney's best album." Yes, she sings it, but that's pretty much the only involvement she has with it. Yes, the songs are catchy and fun, but Brit didn't write any of the songs, and had nothing to do with the music, so why should I give her any credit? ANYONE with a decent voice could have sang these songs. -1.0 This was one of the best Christmas CD's I have heard in a long time. Great arrangements of old favorites. 1.0 I pre-ordered two of these CD's in early October,they never came in. Amazon wouldn't do a replacement order for my own good(they were sure it would come in and didn't want to inconvenience ME with having to return the duplicate. Still don't have it. They keep their profits nice and high with customer service like this.Noel -1.0 I've never owned any album by Britney Spears, and had downloaded the odd track I liked in the past; "Toxic" and "Slave 4 u", and things would have stayed pretty much that way, if I hadn't read rave reviews from critics whose opinion I respect. I decided to give it a try, and surprise, I quite like it.Yes, it may be largely down to the assembled team of super producers, and their studio trickery (it features quite a bit of vocoder and vocal distortion), rather than Ms Spears' vocal prowess, but the result is rather pleasant, and guaranteed to get your feet moving.Opening is the smash hit single "Gimme more", a bouncy synth driven song with a technoi-ish sound in the chorus, and those famous opening words, "It's Britney b***". It is so catchy, I keep listening to it over and over.Other standouts are "Ooh ooh baby" (nice guitars) which is vaguely remniscent of "Toxic", the quirky Pharrell penned/produced "Why should I be sad", which is the closest thing to a ballad, "Get naked (I got a plan)", and the brilliant eurodisco stomper "Heaven on earth" which would make Giorgo Moroder smile.Some of the lyrics attempt to touch on parts on her life; "Piece of me" deals with the media obsession with her, "I'm Mrs. Lifestyles of the rich and famous / You want a piece of me / I'm Mrs. Oh my God that Britney's Shameless / You want a piece of me / I'm Mrs. Extra! Extra! this just in / You want a piece of me", while on the skeletal marching groove of the Gwen Stefani-ish "Toy soldiers" she seems to diss her ex, stating that "This time she needs a real soldier, and she's sick and tired of toy soldiers".If she keeps releasing music this good, she just might succeed in blacking out all the negative press! A fun record which succeeds. Should easily be Britney's 5th #1 album. 1.0 Count me a NEW FAN ! Annie Lennox has always been on the edge of my listening taste , but I decided to check this new album out and I am so glad I did !! I am sooo.. Impressed by the writing, the incredible vocals, the mix and production. I see Glen Ballard has a hand in this and It sure didn't hurt ! Every song a gem.. One of the best ( if not the best ! ) albums I have purchased and listened to ( again and again ) this year ! DO BUY THIS ONE !! A new fan..... 1.0 For all those that are bashing this CD, you have to remember that Rob and his pals decided not to release a new CD for a while so they could get ahead in other aspects of life. (Rob wanted to spend some more time with his wife among other things and reasons). But before you complain too much again, remember that during the wait, Rob Thomas released his album SOMETHING TO BE as well as performed for MEET THE ROBINSONS and was seen on several reviews etc.No, there is no good reason to complain. Every person has a right to get away for a little while and do something a little different. So if you are complaining about the artists and not the songs(specifically) go jump off a lake, because the artists have a right to live a life THEY want, not the life you want them to live. 1.0 This is a wonderful CD by Bruce Springsteen, with the welcome and accomplished backing by the E Street Band. He has not worked with this group so much over the past two decades. But the partnership here richly pays off in this latest work by Springsteen. There is a sensibility to this album that hearkens back to earlier classics, such as "Born to Run" and "Born in the USA" and Darkness on the Edge of Town."A few cuts illustrate the tonality of this work.The CD begins with a classic up tempo rocker, "Radio Nowhere," that one will easily remember after having listened to it. The E Street Band does great work here. The guitar work, for instance, is terrific (the band features the following on guitar, Springsteen, of course, the redoubtable Stevie Van Zandt, and the talented Nils Lofgren). A couple lines say it all:"This radio nowhereIs there anybody alive out there?. . . .I just want to hear some rhythm. . . .I want a thousand guitarsI want pounding drums"Another interesting cut is "Livin' in the Future," which has its predecessors on other CDs from his period with the E Street Band. The E Street Band here does its work in its own inimitable style. Clemons sax work is as advertised. Some of the suggestive and evocative lines:"A letter come blowin' in on an ill windSomethin' `bout me and you Never seein' one another again.. . . .Don't worry darlin',Now baby don't you fretWe're livin' in the future andNone of this has happened yet.""Girls in Their Summer Clothes" is a bittersweet song. Some gloom here: "And tonight I'm gonna burn this town down," "Things been a little tight, but I know they're gonna turn my way" [a negative thought, but then an optimistic note, a telling recurring theme in Springsteen's corpus], and "Love's a fool's dance." There is some great imagery about a diner.Then, "Magic." There are interesting images of magic, with some modest sense of foreboding. This is a soft, almost hypnotic, tune."Long Walk Home." This begins with a plaintive note:"Last night I stood at your doorstepTrying to figure out what went wrong."This is another song about a home town, evoking recollections of earlier of his songs on the same theme. Once more, vivid images of his home town abound. There is a gritty realism to the lyrics, reinforced by the music itself. Great work by the E Street Band, with special mention for the sax and guitar playing.And, then, as sometimes happens in CDs these days--an untitled song not listed on the "liner notes." There are interesting references to art works, engineering feats, and someone who "broke the mold." This is more akin to his recent acoustic and folk CDs. An interesting piece.So, how to rate this work? If you like the Springsteen of the glory days of his alliance with the E Street Band, you'll enjoy this CD. It works very well and is a good addition to his oeuvre. 1.0 When I saw the first song was "Silent Night," I must admit I thought, "Well, Josh has a very nice voice but `Silent Night' is pretty much the same whoever sings it." Well! I was so very wrong. I've never heard an interpretation as emotionally impacting as Josh Groban's rendition. It literally moved me to tears. Wonderful ... amazing.As I listened to the rest of the songs on "Noel," I found each one to be surprisingly "new" in his performance. He brought life to "The Little Drummer Boy" that I had never heard in this song. And "I'll be Home for Christmas?" Oh my. With the tracks of our troops commenting to friends and families back home, I was actually sobbing. What an amazing gift he has, not only have a voice that lingers in my mind but such sincerity and drama in each performance. He truly seems to "feel" the lyrics. Josh Groban is a miraculous talent.Before I had finished listening, I decided to send "Noel" out instead of Christmas cards this year. I want all of my family and friends to have this CD.My husband doesn't listen to much music either, but I had him sit alone at my computer and listen to "Noel." When I heard it finishing and came back to the room, he was wiping away tears as well. Oh my goodness, what a wonderful thing Josh Groban has done. 1.0 I love this CD and my Friends and My Family love it too. That's all I have to say 1.0 First off the tracks are up beat and catchy! Yeah For Brit! But Where is the slow songs...? Missing! Is it cuz she cant sing high notes so she chooses song that show case no vocal ability or is it that she was to wrapped up in her life to actually notice there was no slow songs...She shows no growth as a Performer (Not Artist) on this album from the last. in fact since the CD "Britney" she has the same sound and same subjects. It rather boring after awhile. Artist in her Peer Group like Christina Aguilera and Beyonce have evolved both of there sounds. Christina has a Blue old school R&B Feel and Beyonce has created a sound of her own. Also, They both co write every track on their albums. Britney still lacks the Artist quality with only co writing part of the songs and still no vocals. Strange that she based her career off stage performance and as shown at the VMAS she can't do that anymore. What's Left but a over the top pop album that has the appeal of a sophomore CD Sound. Grow up Brit become an artist no a hopeless performer who still lip-syncs all her shows. Bottom line, if you like her Cds Of the past get the Album, if your expecting a more Mature Brit your be disappointed. Just a quick question, Does it seem to anyone else that from her performance at the VMAS, blowing off big named producers like Timbo and Justin, and Neyo, to The Cds Album Art to the Video for "Gimme More" to the Album itself... that Brit is putting little to no effort to this sorry project? Her fans now are living in the past. She is not the same Britney from three years ago. Let it Go! -1.0 I'm one of those die-hard Annie Lennox fans that has bought every solo and Eurythmics CD (or cassette) released since I first laid ears on "Sweet Dreams" at the age of 13 -- until "Bare" and now "Songs of Mass Destruction" came out. Don't get me wrong -- she still has the most beautiful voice I have ever heard but her last two albums have fallen flat for me. I understand that artists change with time and, as a result, so does their work but that doesn't mean they always change for the better. I don't think Annie has lost her passion as I can still sense that in her music. She just doesn't convey it as well as she used to. Annie's voice is so ethereal -- so above the rest of us mere mortals -- that to mix it with what can best be described as a more mainstream sound is to diminish it. That's how this CD feels to me. It seems like Annie is no longer experimenting or pushing musical boundaries any more. I admit I do like her best as the cold, distant Ice Queen (something Dave Stewart exploited quite well) but I guess that's because said persona suits her sound best: Untouchable. Looking at my iTunes ratings today, one can see how a lifetime of listening to Ms Lennox has evolved for me. Most of her commercial hits ("Here Comes the Rain Again," "Why" and "No More 'I Love You's'" being exceptions) rate three stars or lower while obscure songs like, "Jennifer," "Aqua" and "Savage" endure with five stars, still haunting me to this day. Annie Lennox is at her best when she's subtle -- insidiously slipping through your personal defenses with her siren melodies until, before you realize it, she has pierced straight through your soul. Unfortunately, "Mass Destruction", while technically sound, well produced and well performed, has all the subtlety of a sledge hammer by comparison. I want her to taunt, tease and tantalize yet remain painfully aloof. I say bring back the Diva, Annie. Nobody hurt oh-so-good as she did. -1.0 I too was anxiously awaiting release of this album. I was worried that it was gonna be too Zepplinesque, despite the fact that I was a serious Zeppelin fan in the 70's. Between that and loving Alison Krauss I had to get this album. Having come back to my folk roots where I originally started and then morphing into country and bluegrass, I had hoped that this would be more mellow and accoustic than rock and roll and wasn't sure where the blend of these two voices would meet. It is mellow and beautiful, and in several songs, I love Plant's "hints" of his signature scream that he does so well. In an accoustic setting, Plant's perfect voice stands out more, and the two voices blend like a chorus of angels. Besides the curiousity of what these 2 icons of different genres would create together, I was also drawn to this album for "Killin" the Blues", written by my good friend Rowland Salley. I loved this song from way back, when Roly was the only one that sang it. Now many have recorded it. It is a fantastic song and was always one of my favorites. I think it is one of the best songs on the album along with "Your Long Journey". There are many other great tunes on this disc and the harmonies are impeccable. Someone else mentioned that they were bothered by the song where Alison sings in the male vernacular. The song is great and very Alison Krauss style, but I also wish she would have sung it true to her gender. Regardless, I still love that song, love the album and am glad to have it in my collection. The album grows on me the more I hear it, but I liked it from the first listen. 1.0 What an amazing collaborative effort...and not just Krause and Plant who are amazing togethere but T Bone Burnett and the entire ensemble...less is really more...the melodies are 'haunting' and the arrangements are incredible. The voices 'blend' and we are talking about MORE than a mere "duet" album here. Well-done. 1.0 at first i thought it was slow and should have been called "HonkyTonk Jesus", but after listening to the cd in its entirety this is truly an amazing record. it sounds so classic but produced very very modern, nobody can do it like the kid! stand out tracks 1.roll on 2.sugar 3.dont tell me you love me 1.0 Carrie Underwood does it again. She proves she's no fluke. This is a must-have album! 1.0 Springsteen's Crystal clear voice is filled with emotion and feeling. The songs are well chosen. The music is really terrific. I love this CD. It's some great music that gets you in all sorts of moods. On some of the tracks you'll notice that the guitar and other instruments sort of drown out his voice. And a few songs seem to be in the same range and that makes him sound a bit monotone. His anti-war views are prominent on his new album. This may or may not be off setting to some. Most of the tracks are great. His voice has a richness that you have to love. It's a voice that's lived. 1.0 I am by no means a die-hard Bruce fan, and in fact only started to listen to him with any focus a year after Born to Run came out - I was initially repelled by the cover-of-Time, "the next Dylan" kind of baloney that was heaped on him at the time. But as the years went by, I acquired more and more appreciation for his passion and what I came to finally accept is his true persona, a man who is struggling to find meaning in a world that is unpredictable, unfair, and often brutal but who manages to find enough beauty to stave off despair and continue the search.Having said that, I bought this album a week ago and have been playing it at least once a day all the way through, and I think this is a classic. The comments I've read here about the abysmal production completely baffle me - and I didn't even buy the commercial CD, I downloaded it from iTunes and burned my own copy. I think the production does a fantastic job of highlighting the melodies, which are consistently beautiful and interesting, track to track. Bruce's voice has never sounded better, and the lyrics are just opaque enough to lend some mystery and bite to the proceedings. My only quibble is that, without the printed lyric sheets, some of the words are hard to make out, and listeners trying to decipher them on their own may miss some of the more intriguing content.I've been listening to music fervently and closely since I was nine years old, and one of the somewhat perverse pleasures I've experienced over time has been the satisfaction of seeing trivial, contrived, and pretentious recordings and performers fade away as their "sell-by" date comes and goes. And conversely, I love that teenagers are still buying Hendrix albums (not to mention Led Zeppelin and Creedence). This recording will be bought and listened to for years to come, too. 1.0 I have been waiting a long time for Josh Groban to make a Christmas Cd and he did not disappoint. It is absolutely, beautifully done and I have already listened to it many times. It will surely become a classic. I have recommended it to all my friends! 1.0 This is a so-so album. I don't think they've put out a great album since "There is nothing left to Lose", although "One By One" has some incredible moments. Each of their first three albums had songs that were individually original and unique. "One by One", although enjoyable, gave me the feeling they were slipping just a bit, and then "In Your Honor" came out, and the first disc of heavy songs all sounded the same. Buried lyrics, searing guitar riffs, and repetitive choruses. Nothing stood out. It seemed like "Butter spread upon too much bread" (quoting J.R.R. Tolkien). I feel the same way about many of the songs on this new album; the rocking songs just kind of sit there and do nothing. Plus they are mixing the acoustical side B of "In your Honor" with the second half of this album, and it leaves an imperfect, unbalanced effort between fast and slow. "Summer's End" is my favorite track, for it at least has a groove, an in-between, which lacks on other songs that don't have anything to sick your teeth into. Speaking of sinking teeth, Dave lacks the hunger he used to have. It all sounds much too comfortable. Standard rock, at best. Side of fries. Check, please. -1.0 Trick or treat with Britney Spears! Britney pops up just in time for Halloween with "Blackout," not only is this her first studio CD in 4 years but it's also one of her very best yet! Her voice sounds perfect on all of the tracks; much more mature and grown-up than on prior CD's. The lyrics are strong because on this record Britney has a lot more to say. She's not the girl next-door anymore. No, this Britney is strong and in control and doesn't need any man to tell her what to do! Besides the lead single, Gimme More, I also love "Peace of Me" and "Hot As Ice" because she sounds so amazing on these tracks. Admit it you know you like her. Or, just like everyone else you're fascinated with her and can't get enough of Britney. There's something about Britney that manages to constantly draw people to her. It's like Britney is a satellite that transfers light to millions of people all over the world through her musical energy! 1.0 function fp_resizePlayerSpace(nsPrefix,w,h){try {var ifrm = parent.document.getElementById(nsPrefix + "movieFrameID");if (ifrm) {var h2 = h + 35;ifrm.style.height = h2;}} catch(err) {}if (h > 0) {document.getElementById(nsPrefix + "clipDiv").style.height=h;document.getElementById(nsPrefix + "videoPlaceholder").style.height=h;}else {document.getElementById(nsPrefix + "clipDiv").style.height="";document.getElementById(nsPrefix + "videoPlaceholder").style.height="";}}function fp_rewriteDiv(nsPrefix,divName,html){document.getElementById(nsPrefix + divName).innerHTML=html;}function embeddingPopup(nsPrefix){alert("placeholder function for embedding code");}-->function cv_15717261embeddingPopup(){alert("Embedding code will be displayed here.");}-->var cv_15717261textString = '
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Also, this version has zippo extras. A Hard Days' Night has some nice bonus features, so surely the next Help! DVD will, as well.
Hold off 'till we get the good version! Just dust off your old copy of Help! on VHS, 'cos this version literally is no better. -1.0 All of Iron and Wines albums so far have been stripped bare and the songs have been as vulnerable as they have been naked. With the Shepherd's Dog Sam Beam doesn't just add an extra instrument here and there, he adds a multitude of instruments on almost every track. While this works wonders on some songs, "Lovesong of the Buzzard, Innocent Bones, Boy with A Coin," it is also distracting in some instances,(Wolves). By the end of "wolves" I had almost forgotten what the song sounded like because he does some experimental instrumentation that goes on too long and doesn't add much to the song, in fact it's a little distracting.With that being said, The Shepherd's Dog is still better than almost everything else released this year.Stand out track: Flightless Bird, American Mouth -(sounds like Tenderfoot) -1.0 The Beatles were always fun to watch on TV and in A Hard Days Night. But, HELP was really not mean't for the Beatles. They were too sophisticated for this. They were really not a bubble gum group. The Beatles are always fun to watch and the songs were always great. But, Brian Epstein should had another film made for them. It should stayed Eight Arms to Hold You and have been an extension of Hard Days Night showing the Beatles in real life film footage, traveling, talking, and best of all have them at real live concerts with surround stereo sound. They were playing in stadiums at that time, they should have put the Shea stadium concert on it. Anyway, I know John hated making HELP and I don't blame him. He was an artist, not teeny bopper sex symbol. This film must have degraded him. I believe this was what made him hate being a Beatle and made him break away years later. Epstein should have used his head on this one. HELP was an enormous success, but it did more harm to the Beatles than good. -1.0 First of all, Kid Rock lost when I heard the longest intro I have ever heard to a rock song followed by the first line "shes got the body of a devil and she smells like sexaaa". 2nd of all listening to the trashy over the top hook made me laugh because I know he is trying desperately to make a comeback. 3rd of all his video to the song is hillarious. It starts with a car rolling down the street and guys fighting out of nowhere. Then his car rolls up in slow motion and he gets out in slow mo with smoke coming out his mouth, lol. Then the camera zooms in on him flicking his cigar, lmao. And when the first strum of the guitar comes fireworks and lights come on behind him, funny stuff. But what topped it off, he named his album Rock n roll jesus with a song like that. Only in times like these would an album like that hit number 1 on billboard. -1.0 The music in this CD is lovely and beautifully played. Too bad all of the vocals are monotonous and tiresome. If the singer had stayed home, the artistry of the band would make this a good CD. As it is, it's annoying. Fortunately, the more you listen to it, the funnier the droning singer gets. I doubt that was the intent. Save your money. Buy something else that won't make you clench your teeth. -1.0 Some songs have a good beat, some trailer park rock.Hope Warren Zevon gets royalites for his use of his song. Overall it's ok....... -1.0 ive been a foo fighters fan since day one, so i know what it is i like about this band and i must say that all of those things are lost with this cd. there are a few songs i enjoy but i dont see them being mainstays in my cd player where as the 1st 3 foo fighters records are or even 'in your honor' disk 1. -1.0 After watching this movie I am now convinced...Ringo Starr is an absolutely terrible actor. His bad acting ruined this movie for me. In the original version of Help, Mr. Starr had a cow in his room so he could drink warm milk. I'm glad they edited out that scene because it was not even remotely funny.
Apart from Mr. Starr's acting, George Harrison delivers a tremendous performance. I think it's hilarious when George Harrison is skiing with a top hat on his head.
Also, the title track is superb.
If the producers can edit out all of the scenes with Ringo Starr, this will by a 5-star movie. -1.0 To begin with I am a huge matchbox fan. I tend to like more of the songs that do not make the radio. There are 17 songs on the new album which is great but most of the new songs......I was a little disappointed. Honestly matchbox could record Mary had a little lamb and I would probably buy it because they have such a unique sound and so lyrically strong. It is possible that after 5 years and many great albums including Tabitha's Secret, my expectations were just too high. If you are a matchbox fan you will buy the CD anyway, if this is your first matchbox experience, I would go with Yourself or Someone like you.Yourself or Someone Like You. Even though it is not my favorite matchbox, it is still better than most of the other music out there today -1.0 If you are an old Matchbox Twenty fan, then you should be mad that there are only six new songs here. But, they are good songs, so you probably should buy it anyway.If you are a new Matchbox Twenty fan, then disc 2, the best of disc, is a great place to start.If you don't like Matchbox Twenty, then why are you even reading this? Don't you have work to do? Don't you have better things to do than sit around reading reviews of bands you don't like? -1.0 I am a very long time Bruce Springsteen fan and enjoy most everything Bruce puts on the table for us to enjoy. I bought this cd the day it came out. I'm enjoying the music, although the recording quality sounds pretty flat on my high quality audio system. Then there is the package - pure garbage. I had to return the first cd since it was scratched and skipped on track 5. I expect the scratch occurred getting the cd into the package at the factory - or out of the package with my fingers. Here's a message to Columbia/Sony - if you want to sell cd's - give us quality recordings of interesting music in quality packaging designed to protect the cd. This release is only 1 out of 3 at best. It's a shame to see Bruce's musical offerings recorded poorly - and packaged pitifully. I would not recommend this release to anyone who cares about quality. -1.0 first off, i wanna start out by sayin that i used to be a pretty big fan of this girl (or woman). so i am not biased.altho i didn't buy the album (why would i?), i listened to it enough times to come up w/ a general idea of what this album is really like. this is my conclusion -- it is cheap and extremely superficial to the point where it's hard to stand. my question is, WHY is she still in this industry making trashy music? first, she CANNOT sing (i think no one can say 'objection' to this one). second, she seriously needs to concentrate more on the priorities of her life. i don't think she realizes that she's got children of her own now! why torture people's eardrums? bottom line is that she just can't sing (why lipsych if u can?). the way she is now just disgusts me -- it's repulsive.this album -- well... just means that her flagrant name has brought her fame. it has no talent and no meaning. Jive just wants to use her now notorious brand name to make some money...if ur definition of bad music is something that is very studio synthesized, fake, oversexed, and plain under-educated, DON'T GET THIS CD. it is not worth a penny. as if polluting the radio air waves of today's society is not enough. -1.0 WARNING! I'm one of "those people" that believe that the Super Bowl must be fixed because there's just way too much money at stake.Given this, I believe Britney's 2007 addiction, rehab, head shaving, child custody battling, MTV VMA breathless and intoxicated performance were all put in play by a PR manager that truly understands the maxim "there's no such thing as bad publicity". Let's face it, Anna Nicole Smith's massive value in pop culture land was premised on exactly this type of behavior, and she wasn't hawking an album. Need more proof? How about Paris and her CD?Nuff said about dat. The album is interesting as it tries top establish an asynchronous dialogue between Britney, you and the papparazi. The songs are decently produced and heavily remixed.My prediction is that #5 (Heaven...) will play well in the clubs and will become the hitter after a few weeks of play. It's got a good mix of Kylie Minogue dance beat and great backgrounds.Love her or hate her, she's going to pull down $10M from this easy. How you doin? -1.0 Yes, some "Magic" can be found on this cd but unfortunately that famous E-Street Band sound has been turned into a wall of mush. Bruce's vocals at times seem to be uninspired and somewhat forced and I wish it weren't so because I am a decades long Jersey fan. This cd is worth hearing but I'll be playing "The River" when I need my E-Street fix. -1.0 I'll have to use Faith Hill's line "What"? This is not what's expected from the CMA Female Vocalist of the Year. (she got lucky) Carrie could have really been creative the second time around utilizing all types of very good song writers (ie. Patty Griffin). These songs are NOT that good. The production of this album is different; it's not as polished as the first one. Her voice does sound strained; at times she's screaming not singing but the songs are awlful. Don't get me wrong I LOVED the first CD and was actually shocked it sounded that good and the songs were 1st rate. These are NOT. I vote for Leann Rimes or Mandy Barnett. She'll never compare to those two. Change direction Carrie on the next CD or you've lost a fan. -1.0 Aside from the sometimes cryptic/sometimes in your face war commentary, this album is basically nothing more than comfort food- nothing ventured, nothing gained. The thing about comfort food: sure, we all want chicken fingers sometimes and we can sit at a low-end hole like TGIFridays and find them delicious for a minute- but then we look around and see the union workers, middle management office crap and their nowhere women who don't mind being referred to as baby or darlin' in a Bruce song because all they have ever learned of is relationship and family- yes, the same barren babes that will listen to "I'll Work for Your Love" and find it anthemic. THESE are the people who the comfort food was made for, not you! Get out of the restaurant! Hurry or you will become one of them. Bruce sounding 35 again? maybe- but he certainly can't write those old lyrics again without resorting to his own cliches. I'll bet this will sell quite well, more than the superior Devils and Dust for sure, becasue that record was uncomfortable- those same acid washed jean wearing women can't bear to hear a song about their hero in a hotel room with a hooker, can they? Also they can't support or condemn a war beyond their own everyday cliches like "support our troops" blah blah blah. Bruce needs to resume writing for the educated not the downtrodden. Nothing on here is "Lost in the Flood". -1.0 With their sixth studio album, think both discs of "In Your Honor" mashed into one 12 song disc and you have "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace" (ESPG). Gil Norton, who helped the Foos make their finest work "The Colour And The Shape", unfortunately does not work his magic a second time out. That's not to say that there are no good songs here. There are some memorable alt.rock songs like the first single "The Pretender", but also "Erase/Replace", "Long Road To Ruin" and "Cheer Up, Boys (Your Make Up Is Running)". There are some partially acoustic numbers that work fairly well like "Stranger Things Have Happened", the instrumental "Ballad Of The Beaconsfield Miners", "Statues" and "Home".In general, "ESPG" felt tired to me. Not as good as their earlier work, even the first disc of "In Your Honor". The trouble is I am biased in favor of the Foos. I like all six of their albums, it's just that Dave and company didn't really stretch themselves this time. They played it safe, right down to obtaining their former hit producer Gil Norton. Three and a half stars is my vote. The band really needs to try something different next time. Surprise us. -1.0 When I saw the inital performance of Paul Potts on television, I was so impressed that bought this CD...to be honest, I'm a bit disappointed. Overall, while his voice is impressive, it's not as polished an instrument as I'd hoped to hear. His personal story is compelling and he's very 'down to earth.' He will definitely be launched now on his career -- not sure that he's going to be 'top tier.' Perhaps it's a mistake for him to be singing pieces closely associated with Luciano Pavarotti - whose recent death had tv/radio stations playing his best-known pieces...the inevitable comparison shows that Potts is not at LP's level. -1.0 I hate to say it, but this is Britney's WORST album. The lyrics are horrible, with no significant messages at all. I've heard several of her other albums, and they had great lyrics and musical notation. The beats are off and the songs don't flow AT ALL. It's very possible that the producer and Britney were both on nerve medication, which distorted their perception of what IS good. I bought this because so many people were giving rave reviews, even on Rolling Stones. I'm sick. I paid $15 for this piece of plastic. The only good thing out of that CD was the sample of her new fragrance. I already sold the CD on e-bay. DON'T BUY IT!! -1.0 This is not a bad CD for what it's supposed to be, and that is a bunch of good beats with over processed vocals. But this shouldn't surprise anyone because every album she's put out has used catchy beats with subpar vocals. On this album she does what she's good at which is pretty much give the people who buy her music what they really want. "Gimme" is a good example and so are songs like "Piece of Me", "Hot as Ice", and even the forgettable "Heaven on Earth". I wouldn't call this a comeback CD because it doesn't seem as if she is doing anything different than she did before. But I have to say most of the songs are dance worthy and the hooks, while not the best lyrics ever written, are still catchy and you'll find yourself singing along. The beats also help too. Lastly, I rate this 3 stars because most of the tracks don't explore new territory but are still fun to move to. -1.0 I love the new songs, so I'm not going to spend time going over them one by one. My beef is with the production of the CD. How is it possible for EVERY instrument to be playing at exactly the same level throughout every song, throughout the entire CD? The music is SO compressed that at times I can barely hear the vocals. There's an organ in there somewhere- I thought I heard it. Guitar solos... I hear something, but I can't make out the riff. Sax, snare, bass-- all sounding as if they're being played through a funnell. Was this mixed for AM Radio??I know there has been chatter about CD's being issued too hot, too loud, but this is ridiculous. And I don't care if it's Springsteen's "signature" sound - this CD goes over the line. As great as the songs are, its painful to listen to them. How bout a 5.1 mix to open it up? It would be great to hear the drums and bass and organ and guitar and vocals--- instead of just drumsbassorganguitarvocals ! -1.0 Some Hearts is one of the best albums I ever did listen to. I just never grow tired of it and when I take a short journey in my car I always wish it could've been longer since I don't get to hear most of the tracks.So anyway back to Carnival Ride. Ok so lame title! That out of the way. So Small could easily have been named "So BLAND". Some nice enough tunes on here for sure but thats half the problem with the new disk. I don't want nice, I want awesome. Where's Jesus Take The Wheel? Where's Lessons Learned? Where's Night Before (Life Goes On) and I can go on and on...That said Carrie is still a beautiful woman. -1.0 Britney Britney Britney..Why can't you just make good music?This is ten times worse than her previous efforts, and it's sad to say this album has no standouts.When one of the best songs is "Gimme More," a very mediocre pop song, you know something is wrong.1 star Britney, you'll need to do more to get back to your long gone status. -1.0 The first seven songs are overproduced with the E-Street Band sounding manic. These songs lack decent melodies and contain tepid and poorly rhyming lyrics (Springsteen is no poet). The eighth song "Magic" is a great song in every respect, one worthy of the Springsteen legend. The one that follows, "Last to Die" is a powerful anti war statment on Iraq. "Long Walk Home" which follows is flawed with awkward lines and comes nowhere close to "My Home Town" on his greatest album, "Born in the USA". "Devil's Arcade" has a slightly off putting melody and vocal but is lyrically interesting. My CD has a bonus track "When They Broke the Mold" and nice folk sounding song about the death of a friend. I would put five other Springsteen albums above this one. -1.0 I was so looking foward to this album. I am a huge fan of the Eurythmics and i absulutely adored Annie's previous solo albums. But this album soooo disappointed me! I found it totally dull and depressing. I especiaaly loved Annie's upbeat songs with the Eurythmics and on Diva. But on this album there was nothing! I'll wait patiently for her next album! -1.0 I'm sorry, but I just can't get behind this release. I like a lot of the Springsteen's work, but this is beyond me. The people complaining about the mixing job and the overproduction are correct. It seems like the Boss and band are just adapting to new age production techniques that are just not necessary. The lead off single is "Radio Nowhere" which is a terribly generic sounding rock song that sounds like it could have been done by Green Day (or some band like them). This is not what I was expecting from the BOSS. Also over the years Bruce seemed to develop this problem with singing through his teeth or mumbling. I can't get the words to well half the time which is a shame as he has wrote some amazing lyrics in the past. This problem is more evident on the rocker songs. If I had to pick the "best" couple songs I'd say "Livin' In the Future" and "Magic" (Which reminded me a bit of "I'm on Fire"). Even with those songs the overproduction is evident. I really don't see this release holding up to many repeat listens before going back in the drawer. Sorry. -1.0 The music is ok. Probably better if I had seen the show. I got it in good time. -1.0 I'm a lifelong fan of Bruce and was really looking forward to this new rock offering. Some of the early buzz suggested a "return to form". I wish I hadn't bothered! With the exception of a couple of outstanding tracks, the rest of the album sounds awful with terrible production. Brendan O'Brien's wall of sound just doesn't cut it. I expected a much more raw and gritty sound to go with the songwriting. The first four or five tracks all seem to sound the same. It's like hearing the band playing through a wall. It gets a little better after that, but again the over-produced sound makes the listening experience rather disappointing. Can't wait for the remastered release of Darkness on the Edge of Town! -1.0 All of these songs sound very similar and it's almost like they made Some Hearts part 2. Would enjoy a more country feel. -1.0 I was anxiously awaiting this CD. I think that Bruce is one of the greatest songsmiths in the business today. But, this (IMHO) has to be one of the muddiest sounding albums in recent memory. I can't understand the vocals (sure I could read the libretto however that's somewhat difficult while driving) and the instruments of this phenomenal group of seasoned musicians are indistinctly mashed together. It's almost unlistenable and somewhat frustrating as I ask myself why anyone who can certainly afford the best would put this out as is. My disappointment is not with the content but with the presentation that clouds what should be an exciting release. -1.0 I heard that this album was horrible, I listened and they were right. Did even sing? I know she can't, but I don't even hear anything but computers against completely bland tunes. Avoid at all costs. -1.0 Kid rock should have quit after "Cocky". I keep thinking his albums have to get better....but they don't. The last 2 have had no more than 2 hits on them. You can either blame it on him or the recordning industry. Nice, fancy promitions get you to buy a crappy album. The best song "So hott" is nothing like any other song on the album. -1.0 I have just received my much anticipated copy of Raising sand. I listened carefully to each song; read many of the positive and negitive reviews and then listened again. I really love what allison has done with union station ( saw them in concert this summer in Kansas City ) and have a half dozen of their albums. Robert Plant; of course, is an Icon in Rock music and a review of his past work is not nessasary. Together; they are JUST AWFUL !!! The songs are not even close to a match for their voices or any style. Did some one flip a coin ? This is the worse album I have purchased this year ! I really wanted to be surprised and like this ! I was SURPRISED ! What a incredible waste of talent... 1 star is a reach ! -1.0 Dear Mr. Bruce Springsteen,Although this release is full of great material please remaster this album. The sound quality appears as if something produced during the 50's. The "wall of sound" without any separation is just exhausting after a while. I'm sure you and the E Street Band can't be pleased.Sincerely,A dedicated fan -1.0 I love me some Fogerty but the "I hate Bush" whiny stuff ruined it for me...... oh well -1.0 Everything by Annie lennox is a disappointment after her "Medusa" album years ago. She perfectly nailed all the material on that CD. Except for the first song,this entire CD is drab, boring drivel...at least for my taste. Nothing on here showcases her incredible vocal talents. I should have been suspicious when most CD websites only provided a sample listen of the first song. PASS THIS ONE UP!!! -1.0 Let me first give a brief history of my fascination with Carrie. The night I watched her sing "Alone" on American Idol, I was in love. I knew she'd win and was excited about the album she'd make. Skip ahead a few months to her album's release. I was saddened when I found out it was country and decided not to buy it. Skip ahead another few months; my mom had the album and I listened to some of the songs... fell in love all over again. I bought the album and loved 80% of the songs on it. Such passion and feeling, and not as country as I expected. "Starts With Goodbye" was my favorite song. At that point I thought that if this was the music niche she'd take part in, I could definitely handle it. Country-Pop and ballad heavy kinda. So I anticipated this musical style with her second album, after listening to "So Small" extensively; well I was sorely disappointed when I found out she is now more country than ever. The weird southern country singer accent that didn't exist in most of the first album, found its way in this entire album and, at times, it is just too much to take. Expect her next album to have banjos and washboards. -1.0 I did not like most of the lyrics or sound. There were only 3 songs that I would put on my ipod and I'll probably skip them most of the time. -1.0 I couldn't agree more with the last couple of reviews. When I listened to this cd the first time in my car I had to play it at home right away because I wasn't sure if it was my lousy car speakers or the music itself. From a sheer sound quality, the word muddy is a perfect fit, and from a musical quality, it seems really forced, both in lyrics and instrumentally. Many times too, it seems like they all thought they needed to be playing at the same time, which again, gave the overall sound a muddy quality. I am a huge Bruce fan and am very disappointed in this release. Do yourself a favor and listed to someone elses disc before you go spend your hard earned money on it. -1.0 This was a great idea gone terribly wrong. The writing is some of the worst I have ever heard. There is no coherent vision for the album, so it ends up be a confused mess. It almost seems like there was no producer, just someone keeping score on how the music aligns with the singer's strengths and who get showcased on each song. I'm sure the score was even, but the album is just a mess. -1.0 I really have liked JF's albums over the years, but this one I can not stand ... I know I am going to get slammed with unhelpful reviews, but I am just being honest about this album. There was not one single song on this whole album that stood out for me or was a memorable tune. The music was sounding ok, but then grew stale like i'd heard it a 1000 times before already, and the lyrics, i just found nothing special with that JF touch to them. In my honest opinion this is an entire filler album, nothings sticks out, nothing is memorable, nothing was special, no lyrics stood out, especially with the title making it sound like it was going to be a CCR kind of album... I was honestly falling asleep halfway into this album, i had to keep skipping tracks cause they where so boring.No one can convince me any of these songs found here would be considered a greatest hit of JF's. -1.0 Like I've said on my last Review - Sure, Brit has officially lost it: Her Marriage, ended in Divorce, her children may or may not grow up with a Mommy and she shaved her Head.But I Digress; that's Her personal life, and when Reviewing, that Information should *Always* be on the back burner.But this CD if full of Dance-Pop Filler, that No One should want to Listen to. Why, People still buy her music is beyond me!!Is this the worst CD that I've heard all Year?? No, not yet. But it's close. I haven't been a fan of hers really since Toxic and Every time. If it wasn't for the Toxic video, I would have ignored her Senior effort, altogether.She can still out-Dance me any day. But I'd rather have a Celebrity who was the Perfect Bombshell - Blond, at least 5'8, a decent personality, makes for a pleasant singer-songwriter, can Truly Appreciate their Fans that made them what They are today, and a decent Entertainer on a Whole.I Will post Standouts in a Sec. The only one that Grabbed me at first Listen, was the lead Single, Gimme More...Out-of-Sight Tracks:Gimme MoreRadarAnd if for Some Strange Reason, this CD seriously Grows on Me, I'll Be Like, "WTF??", but then I'd Be more than Excited, to up the rating.2.5 stars. -1.0 Let's start with the very strong positive: Girls In Their Summer Clothes is one of Bruce Springsteen's best songs ever. My God, the intense longing for the past that it evokes is absolutely palpable. The song is so wistful, so emotionally powerful, it makes you smile and gives you chills of sadness at the same time. Great lyrics, great music, great instrumentation. And the only tune on the album for which the Phil Spector "Wall of Sound" technique is appropriate; after all, Bruce and the band sound like they're channeling the Crystals. (And that's a good thing; no, make that, it's a GREAT thing.) Remarkable.Other than that, there are some songs that are pretty good, songs that most performers would be happy to have written. But, based on past recordings, and based on the kinds of emotional claims he makes, and based on the ambitions for himself that he states...heck, just based on the title of this disc, calling it Magic...Bruce just has to be held to a higher standard. Sorry.Wealth, fame, downright admiration: Bruce Springsteen has earned it all. But if he's going to make as audacious a claim as, "I'll Prove It All Night for your love," He's got to keep on earning it. And that has got to be mighty difficult.It's painful to hear Bruce Springsteen quoting a John Kerry speech as a lyric. Nothing against Kerry, or what he (and apparently Bruce himself) stand for (or against), but let's face it: It's not just unoriginal. It's a cliche. For an artist as formidable as Springsteen, that's just...I don't know...disappointing. Doesn't Bruce have any insights of his own?And referring to the Holy Family as "Jesus, Mary and Joe" is just...cornball.My advice is: Get the record, check it out just to see what one of the great artists is up to. You'll find some worthy songs throughout, maybe even a personal fave. Then put on Girls In Their Summer Clothes and hit "repeat." -1.0 I wanted to give this CD 5 stars. The music is excellent. John's writing skills are at the top of his game except for, Long Dark Night and I Can't Take it Anymore.Nothing is more irritating than artists attempting to sound intelligent discussing geopolitics. Now I don't mind commentary and exposition but when performers start blabbering their opinions about geopolitics, they most of the time come off looking quiite stupid.Such is the case with John Fogerty here. Leave the Iraq war out of it. You sing about beating that dead dog of "staying the course". Well John, practice what you preach and quit beating the same o George Bush bashing thing that any simple minded fool can do. I got sick of the whole Clinton bashing thing in the nineties as well. I'm just sick of todays performers taking the easy road of misinformed simple belly aching about individuals when many of us just want to here good solid musical performances with well written material that shows talent.My favorite quote regarding the Dixie Chicks,"Shut up and Sing" applies here.Other than those two boring and irritatingly stupid songs, the album is a 5 stars in my view. -1.0 I read many reviews about the terrible mix, and thought to myself that they are probably audiophiles. I purchased the album, and honestly if I haven't read the other reviews I would have thought that I received a defective CD. I mean, I own remastered recordings from the 50's that sound better, and I am not kidding either. The whole thing sounds like it was recorded in a tunnel or just on really cheap equipment. On most songs Springsteen is unintelligible. All the instruments play one on top of the others with a computer-like cheap sound. You find yourself playing with the volume button, more treble, less bass, whatever.... Nothing helps, this thing just sounds BAD. Now, I am a huge Springsteen fan, and I just cannot understand how nobody around The Boss had the guts to tell him to just not release Magic as is, and take the time to remix it. Bottom line, if it was just a no-name artist and/or a mediocre album who would really care, but this is Springsteen, and Magic is a great album. Unfortunately, the Production simply ruined the album and made it hard to enjoy -1.0 Could have been SO MUCH MORE!!!!! I downloaded 16 songs that didn't make it on the final cut of the album and in my opinion a lot of those tracks were better then what ended up on the final product. So on my iPod i have 28 songs for the Black Out album. This really could have been a GREAT ALBUM. Despite her personal life she could have channeled some great creative depressing energy into awesome POP music. I was actually in shock that she only co-wrote 1 song while the others were all heavily produced by big name producers. Though she has abandoned Max Martin and moved on she did work a lot with a specific producer from Sweden on this album who i believe she worked with back in her early days. Anyway that producer churned out the tracks Piece of Me, Radar, and Freak show. The song writers drew from her own life experiences and incorporated some of Britney's private life into the lyrics of the songs. When I heard the words in the song and knew it was about her Kevin I looked in the CD booklet and she didn't even write the song. To be honest i was very disappointed in this album. I haven't found 1 track besides Gimme More that has that HOOK to reel you in. And Gimme More had to grow on me it wasn't after the 1st listen that i was hooked. The commercial that promotes this album talks about the HOT new single "Piece of Me" and I just don't get that song, it doesn't do anything for me. This is sorta of a new sound for her, its very electronic, very mechanic and machine like and lacks any sort of feeling. It's all been done before by other artists who aren't so commercial unfortunately Britney will get all the kudos for it as if she invented the sound and in actuality she didn't but she's mainstream. I am sure this will out sell Christina's album but i was just expecting something else and unfortunately that wasn't delivered with Black Out. Here's hoping the new one will be better and she will finally work with Timbaland so he can REVAMP in her image the way he did Nelly Furtado. -1.0 I've been a huge fan from the beginning but this album does not impress me at all. With all the pre-release hype I had high hopes. Its just echoes of Tunnnel of Love and Lucky Town. Even the album photos were mundane. -1.0 This has some good stuff on it, Radio Nowhere, Living in the Future, Long Walk Home, Girls in their Summer Clothes, but a lot of just OK songs. It does not have a bad song on it, but not a true classic song either. The bonus track, Terry's song is good and different. Compared to Live in Dublin though, this one does not stack up. THAT is a MASTERPIECE. -1.0 I should have read the description better. I didnt realize that they were too lazy to do a whole album. It was like"We dont feel like doing anymore songs what should we do?" Stick in a greatest hits disc and call it a day.I already have the other songs why do I need to pay to get them again. -1.0 Much has been made of this "odd couple" pairing, but it's not all that surprising when one considers the gradual mellowing of Robert Plant's work. Moreover, he has dabbled in folk and country even as far back as his Led Zeppelin days. (Remember his duet with Fairport Convention's Sandy Denny on "Battle of Evermore"?) So his weathered tenor is actually a fine fit with Alison Krauss' Appalachian soprano. It's a successful collaboration, yet I can't help but compare it with Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris' excellent 2006 duet album, "All the Roadrunning", and unfortunately, to me "Raising Sand" comes up a little short. Whereas the Knopfler/Harris coupling was bright, slick and mostly upbeat, the Plant/Krauss team seems mostly more subdued, and there's only the rare spark of musical energy throughout the album. "Gone Gone Gone" is about as lively as they get, and it's a winner, a fun and rocking tune which was the advance single for this CD. Plant stands out on the cover of the rock-n'-roll chestnut "Fortune Teller", too, but other than those two tracks, things are often just a little too mellow. Not that there's anything really wrong with that, but I just expected a little more rockin', or at least a little more s**t-kicking bluegrass, from this pair. -1.0 When did media attention start to equal actual talent? Because if that's how we measure talent these day then yes, Britney Spears, as well as Justin Timberlake for example, are probably the most talented people around. What solid production can do for an album is shown here. I'm not saying that it's a bad album but that it's definitely not Britney's talent that shines here but that of the producers. -1.0 Bruce is an amazing legend, and that will never be taken away from him.This album is mind-bogglingly lackluster, even when he tries to be wise and passionate. *Every* track gives the listener the sense that he really didn't want to roll out of bed to make it to the studio.I'm a little bit stunned, because he is the greatest, and I was expecting some "age" to show on this effort, but not an utter lack of committment.And he had to go ahead and call this album "Magic."Aye-yi-yi. It could use some magic. (But I still think he's the best "live" performer on the globe).What were you thinking, Boss? -1.0 As a fan of Broadway shows, the music to Wicked is a bit disappointing. While I thinking "Loathing" is a masterpiece and Menzel does an amazing job on "Devying Gravity", the rest of the CD is rather ho-hum. Everyone in my family skips the two songs by the wizard (booooorrrring!!!!!). If you've not seen the show, the CD does not give you many clues into the storyline. If you were fortunate enough to see the show with the original cast, it's a great memory of their vocal abilities. Of all the Broadway CDs in our house (almost 50), this one gets played the least. -1.0 And in the case of the marvelously talented vocalists Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, both the effort and the result is "NOT MUCH."Have you ever noticed how tight a band sounds after they've been on the road for a few months, polishing their performance and getting live crowd feedback? Well, as the promo video for this album made clear, Plant and Krauss both set aside a few days in their busy schedules to knock off this album, before parting ways again. The music was chosen by someone else (T-Bone Burnett), and they may have had a chance to rehearse it a couple of times before laying down the tracks in the studio (probably separately, I suspect). Despite the superb credentials of the backing musicians, the fact that this is not and never will be a unified group is all too evident.Everything about "Raising Sand" screams "artificial." It's a lightweight confection, concocted in the studio. But fancy engineering can't disguise the fact that neither Krauss nor Plant were really into the music, or even that familiar with it. Their expertise allowed them to fake their way through passably, but the absence of passion and live performance experience with it cannot be disguised.Take a pass on "Raising Sand." Albums like this are the reason why CD sales are crumbling. Somebody is exploiting us here to raise some quick bucks by trading on famous names. -1.0 The story behind Paul Potts is remarkable. He has a wonderful singing voice and you can't help but like his humbleness. I'm truly glad the world found Paul.The song mix on this CD is a little weird. It starts with opera, and then there is a rendition of My Way in Italian (I think), followed by Christmas songs. Hmm.Don't get me wrong, Paul Potts sings them all very nicely - it's just a bit of a strange mix. -1.0 First of all, it seems pretty lazy to only write a few new songs and cram the rest of the album with old songs. They couldn't come up with enough new material for a new album? please.The title of the album strikes me as ironic. The new songs seem to be more mainstream than alot of their older material.I still like the songs, but the band seems to have lost its drive to be creative and not adhere to mainstream sounds. That's one of the reasons I love them so much, but this album disappointed me. -1.0 Finally the new Rock album is out, and I managed to hear it by downloading a copy before it was released, but i can tell you straight off the album was good enough for me to go and buy an official copy of it when it was released.I'm a hard rock fan, and I was hoping Kid would keep it rocking like he has on the last few albums. I was not disappointed at all with the first few tracks.. From Devil Without a Cause to "Rock N Roll Jesus" seems like a weird name, I was wondering about what this would sound like when I heard the name of this as the title of the album, and well, I like it, it has a kind of blues/funk/gospal feel with rock n roll written all over it. Some lyrics i thought where weird at first, but on the second listen this one started to grow on me and has become an overnight favorite."So Hot" - Just about every album KR has come out with, there is a song that I just love from the second it starts. This hard rocking dirty guitar driven song just rocks and f'n rolls. Hearing the opening riff had me moving to the beat and the opening line "you got a body like the devil and you smell like sex" put my mind to rest that Kid Rock had taken a direction into the religious world and the chorus is just so simple, but brilliant, "i dont wanna be your lover, i just wanna BLEEP you like i'm never gonna see you again" this is a song that is going to be a favorite of mine "forever""sugar" like So Hot, this one I liked straight away, with that trademark sound of Kids where it kicks off sounding like a ballad or acoustic number, then the loud drums and guitars kick in Kids awesome Rock vocals... instant favorite for me!So those songs stick out as favorites for me, and this is why i only rate this album 3 songs... "Amen" just does not seem right, I don't know, maybe someone can feel this, but it seems to me it's a filler song, nothing special about the lyrics to me."All Summer Long" combines a couple of familiar riffs, mostly sweet home Alabama, it's a decent song, but not quite catchy enough to keep me listening and expect that it would become part of the live set too often. "Roll On" my first thoughts was "is this the M.A.S.H theme?" I do kind of like this song, but i think it grow on me better after a few more listens, but i do find myself skipping this track a few times, it's a good song, but more of a "have to be in the mood" sort of beat. I just feel this song could have been a bit better with some more time put into it."New Orleans" this is a country song that kind of lags at the start till it gets to the end and speeds up and sounds like the Blues Brothers are doing a country number into rock. I didn't expect to hear a voice like this on the album... something about the song is cool, but also not something you'd crank up in the car or play to loud. The rest of the songs I can't even remember what they where... all i remember is the line "half your age and twice as pretty" or something... maybe I should review this album after I have listened to it a few more times and really seen if anything sticks out more, but so far this is what I've got after having it for about a week.Overall, it's kind of like his last album (self titled) it had it's good songs, it had it's ok songs, it had it's fillers. I would not rate it as good as Cocky where i liked just about every track on it, but this album definitely comes with some killer songs on it that I will never stop listening to. -1.0 I've always bought Britney Spears new albums, even though the type of music she makes is usually not the type of music I listen to on a regular basis. I guess I just have an interest in her because we are both from Louisiana. Also her music is usually fun to listen to. Surprisingly, I think this album is one of her best even during the midst of the dramatic hoopla her life has become as of late. The songs are catchy, the lyrics are okay and somewhat gutsy, and the music is upbeat and great for playing in the club or etc. Still, I find some of the songs to be overly produced and lacking any actual music or singing. On a few it just sounds as if someone is making odd noises and Britney is grunting around (Example: "Get Naked"), so, yeah, not all that wonderful at all times. But the songs "Piece of Me," "Radar," "Freakshow," "Hot as Ice" (my favorite), and "Ooh Ooh Baby" are great and catchy songs. -1.0 While you can't really go wrong on a greatest hits compilation, I really didn't enjoy the six-song EP. Some of the songs start out great, but end up being very (as in too) repetitive. I listened to the EP twice and then put it away. None of the songs are memorable, none of them are worth listening to more than twice. None of them are really catchy like the old MB20 songs. I thought Matchbox Twenty would be putting out more new music in this CD--maybe it's better they didn't, if this is what it's like. I should have just downloaded the greatest hits I like and skipped purchasing this CD set. -1.0 First things first.. There's no need for them to release a Greatest Hits.. obviously the record label wants more money out of people... Secondsly ia that it sounds rushed to me and seems like it's missing something or someone.. it doesn't sound legit. -1.0 I must have missed it in the linear notes, but where is the songwriting co-credit to George Soros for "Long Dark Night" and "I Can't Take It No More?" -- two fringe Left inspired hate songs that have no lyrical creativity like say a "Fortunate Son" or a "Deja Vu All Over Again." I was hoping to hear the song "Can't Get Nothin' Done" about John's Democratic Party-led Congress with that approval rating of 11 percent. That must be in the soon to be released deluxe edition of "Revival." Politics aside now. Musically, there's really nothing here to get excited about ... we've all heard it before ... "Summer of Love" is a slightly more uptempo version of "In The Garden" from 2004's "Deja Vu"; we hear much of the same lyrical echos and guitar play in these songs as we do in the absolutely wonderful "Blue Moon Swamp" (5 stars!) and the brighter, more bouyant "Deja Vu." Songs to download: "Don't You Wish It Was True" (John's "Imagine"); "Gunslinger" (a more creative slap at George W.; John "Imagine's" Hillary wearing six-shooters); "Creedence Song"; "Broken Down Cowboy" (best song); "River is Waiting" (a little reggae inspired); and "Natural Thing" (which sounds a lot like "Rambunctious Boy").For John's sake, I hope his guy or gal "gunslinger" gets into the White House. That way as Fogerty fans, we might have a better chance of getting an inspired, positive offering such as "Blue Moon Swamp II." -1.0 Its been 5 years since Matchbox Twenty has released an album and they put out a greatest hits CD. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think three albums and an EP warrants a "best of" CD. What's really frustrating is that the group recorded 6 new songs for the collection. With just 4 or 5 more songs, they would have completed an album of all original material instead of a pointless greatest hits CD. If you're a fan, then you already have their three albums, so the only reason to buy Exile on Mainstream is for the 6 new songs which you'll have to pay $15 for. If you're a newcomer to the group, I still wouldn't recommend buying it. You're better off starting with "Yourself or Someone Like You" or "Tabitha's Secret," the "lost" Matchbox Twenty album available on Amazon. -1.0 Thanks for ruining the new Springsteen record for me Brendan O'Brien. Could you have possibly mixed more tracks into one frequency? Ladies and gentlemen, if you've ever wondered what the E Street band sounded like in a tiny tin box, this is your big chance. Everything is so compressed from the start that by the time it gets to MP3 size it's tough to tell if you're listening to one guitar or 30. The drums sound like they're in another room, the vocals are all but buried half the time and for a band with so many unique personalities, none of them even stand a chance. Nothing is featured ever, it's a muddy mess. I've heard new major label records from baby bands get the brutal radio treatment from O'Brien, but did Bruce really need it at this point in the game? The only song sparred is Terry's Song, but at that point it's too late. Your ears are fried.The hardest part, for me at least, is the general feeling like this is Bruce's strongest collection of songs in a long time, and I can't enjoy them like I would have otherwise. Here's hoping we get a live record from the tour and Rick Rubin is on board for the next one. -1.0 I really enjoyed this album. Paul has a truly beautiful voice. I'ts nice to sit down,put your feet up and enjoy the music. -1.0 These are two supremely talented musicians and they give solid performances on this album, but somehow none of the songs are compelling. The music is much more sedate than that of Union Station or other bluegrass, and it lacks the edge and passion you would expect from Robert Plant singing the blues. I admit that my expectations were very high, but even so, this is essentially an album of pleasant background music. -1.0 This album conjures up some overwrought moments. To boot, her voice is starting to travel somewhere very strange. What used to be magical and emotional has turned into caterwauling. The title is overstated and promises way more than what is delivered. I ADORE Annie Lennox, so this is extremely hard for me to swallow. -1.0 I realize you will never personally read this. You undoubtedly now employ a legion of sycophants to perform such tasks for you. Not so long ago, you were without doubt the most fastidious rock 'n roll performer around. And your millions of adoring fans loved you for it. Whether it was a recording session, a concert, a warm up gig in Asbury Park, you were meticulous in your preparation and presentation. Now comes Magic, your latest CD release. My, how times have changed. I must say, I cannot have been listening to the same CD others have reviewed here and awarded 4 or 5 stars. Maybe the CD I bought was defective. But probably not, because others have noted the same deficincies I did. Notably the sound quality. Half the songs are nearly unintelligible. It sounds as though all instrument tracks and vocals were recorded simultaneously on a cheap cassette recorder you bought at the flea market. What's that about? How could you ever allow such a travesty to reach the market? I read the lyrics in the booklet that accompanied the CD and it appeared you had lots of interesting things to say (as usual). The problem is, there is no way I could (or anybody else could) possibly decipher your words on half the recordings. The sound quality on your earliest recordings was vastly superior to this latest effort. Phil Spector had his "wall of sound." I guess we can call this your "sinkhole of sound." I literally checked all the connections on my CD player, amp, and speakers to see why the sound was so bad. Then Magic played, and it sounded fine. So I guess someone intentionally produced your music in this manner. Why?!?!? Is this some kind of a cruel joke? Did you aim to turn out as poor a product as possible, and see if you could still make $10 million off of it? Is this some jab at Sony over some contractural issue?I realize you have had your problems in the past with the legal and business side of the music industry. In the CD credits you list more lawyers and business people than musicians! Is that what this is about? Has it just become all about the Benjamins? Well, if that's anywhere near the truth, you've lost the edge, buddy. If that's what's going on, you need to hang it up, and pass the baton on to somebody else. I grew up a couple towns away from you. We're the same age, and lived through many of the same things. When you sang about Keasby and Highway 9, I was right there with you. I followed your career with interest since the early '70s. My cousin and I even met you, and had a beer with you in a little bar in Asbury Park way back when. You have certainly earned every success you enjoy, and I wish you many more. But don't let this latest CD be the final chapter in your storied career. Fix this horrible recording. Insist it be re-engineered in accordance with current state of the art standards. Your work deserves nothing less. Let your fans trade their current CDs for a properly recorded version of your music. But please,..., don't allow this CD to stand as is and become part of your legacy. Unless it has become just about the Benjamins. That will be too bad. And a big loss to lots of fans. But we'll get over it. But I don't think that's how you want to go out. Well, best wishes to you and yours. Read back through some of your old lyrics and listen to some of your old recordings, and see which way you're gonna go with this. I hope you'll do the right thing. --A Big Fan -1.0 2 disc CD set - mainly a 'best of' (CD 2) - the new material is not all that great, and certainly not plentiful (couple of new songs on CD 1). Bottomline, a very lame attempt to sell more records with some mediocre new material by a band that has proven to certainly be capable of much better stuff (based on their past material, which is awesome at best). Hope they'll get their act together (pls, no more Rob Thomas ego/solo projects) and put out better material moving forward. -1.0 Don't call it a comeback. Call it a cash-in. Call it expected. Call it absurd. Just don't call it a comeback. When Britney first arrived on the scene nearly a decade ago, she had two main audiences: the prepubescent girl and the creepy old guy. But now Britney's much too raunchy for the younger audience and she's already given the old guys more than a glimpse of pretty much everything imaginable. Those who were fans have largely grown up or grown out of her. So you have to ask yourself, why does this album even exist? "Blackout" is the kind of album that exists for two purposes; to line the wallets of record executives and to boost the ego of Ms. Spears. The point of this album is not to give fans of Britney some new material, but to capitalize on the recent explosion of Britney in the tabloids and celebrity news media. Anyone who can't see that is probably the type of person that would buy this garbage."It's Britney, B****!" That's how she chooses to start the album, and my immediate response is, "I wish it wasn't." "Gimme More" has been a pretty big success for Britney, getting her the highest on the charts that she's been since "Hit Me Baby, One More Time" believe it or not. For what it's worth, it is the strongest song on "Blackout" and probably the only one that should actually exist. The production here is great, as it is through most of the album. Unfortunately for Britney, however, is the fact that the coolest part of the song are the pitch-shifted "mores" that follow her redundant "Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimmes."Despite the production being through the roof, it's also the album's biggest flaw. Britney's voice (which has never been her strong point) doesn't even sound like itself half the time. Every trick that you could possibly come up with to disguise the fact that Britney can't carry a tune is employed here in the hopes that we won't actually notice. According to one critic, "In terms of studio trickery, Paris Hilton's album was practically 'unplugged' compared to this." Never is this more evident than on the song "Radar" where Britney sounds more like a robot than a human being. It's absolutely ridiculous!Also ridiculous is Britney's insistence that she's still America's sweet, little seductress rather than America's punchline. She spends the majority of the album trying to sound sexy and convince us that she's so with such lines as: "If I get on top, you're gonna lose your mind," "Coming back looking delicious, yes I know they wanna kiss me," "I'm just a girl with the ability to drive a man crazy, Make him call me "mama," make him my new baby" "I can feel you on my lips, I can feel you deep inside," or my personal favorite, "Baby I'm just hot for taking, don't you wanna see my body naked?" (Chances are, he probably already has Brit Brit). All this stuff might have been sexy 4 or 5 years ago, but after seeing Britney in every bad scenario possible, these lyrics are a joke! Every time I start to think that she sounds sexy, I have an image of a coked-out bald woman beating the hell out of a car with an umbrella, or a mentally unstable girl who can't keep her kids in her custody for more than a few hours and whose idea of a comeback is casually walking around on a stage lip-syncing in underwear on national television. Granted, Britney doesn't do much on this album besides provide vocals (she's only credited on two songs for co-writing), but you'd think someone who's been in the business as long as she has would have the good sense to know that the majority of the lyrics on "Blackout" are laughable. At one point, Britney's singing "I fall off the edge of my mind..." over and over again. What the hell does this even mean? Does anyone know?In the end, "Blackout" is a misguided, rushed, and ultimately botched attempt at a comeback from an artist that desperately need to take her time making an album that wouldn't be added to her growing list of bad decisions. After all her time in the spotlight, what I wanted to hear most from Britney was something real, something personal that goes deeper than the stupid and overused "bump 'n' grind" lyrics that fill this album. "Blackout" just screams of a rushed job and in the ends, it fails as anything other than a mindless collection of songs with maybe one or two songs that you could dance to in a club. The production is incredible, and if they ever release an instrumental version of "Blackout," I might recommend it to someone. But as it stands, "Blackout" is nothing more than a blip on my radar that I'll forget about tomorrow. And for those who may think I've devoted too much time dwelling on Britney's personal life, take a moment to realize that this album exists for the sole pupose on capitalizing on her escapades, and maybe you'll be able to forgive me. If the RIAA wonders why people download music illegally these days, look no further than this album. The American public is smart, and we know what good music sounds like. This ain't it! "Blackout" is a collection of mediocre songs, shoveled onto a CD in the hopes of making a quick buck on the tabloid adventures of Britney Spears. No more, no less.Recommended for the mindless, and anyone who wants to give Britney the resources needed to continue her depraved lifestyle.Key Tracks:1. "Gimme More"2. "Hot as Ice"3 out of 10 Stars -1.0 I love A.K. and R.P. but this album is awful, I hate it. I sold it the very next day after I bought it. -1.0 (Note: This is a reposted, expanded version of my original review that includes second-day impressions of Songs of Mass Destruction . . .)I've been in awe of La Lennox for more than two decades and have followed the gorgeous unfolding of her career in real time. Against all odds, she's been perfection--whether with Mr. Stewart or solo. Rationally, I knew she'd eventually miss the mark, but I suppose I envisioned an Annie Lennox collection with a few ragged spots; diminished or flickering perfection if you will. What I wasn't prepared for was Songs of Mass Destruction--Annie's Big, Dumb, In-Your-Face American Album. I'm staggered and, frankly, still trying to wrap my head around the claustrophobic production and multi-tracked self-indulgence. Imagine Ann Wilson being produced by Jim Steinman. The voice remains amazing--but in this case, it's like jaw-dropping John Coltrane solos mashed-up with Bat Out of Hell tracks. Yikes. Perhaps Songs of Mass Destruction will sell truck loads, proving me out-of-step with the majority of her admirers. But paradoxically, one of the main reasons I listen to Annie Lennox is because I never willingly listen to discs like this one. Which probably accounts for this queasy feeling that creative directors at major ad agencies with American car accounts are sitting up and taking notice of these songs: Big, over-the-top soundtracks for Escalades hissing down rain-slicked streets. One of the consequences of production that pushes Lennox two inches off the tip of your nose is that the songs themselves are foregrounded as never before--the only possible use of this collection is for Undivided Listening. Doubtless, that was the intent; I can't imagine anyone reading the Sunday New York Times with Mass Destruction playing in the background. But now that Annie has our complete attention--what's being offered?Overall (and of a piece with the aggressive production), it's a painfully obvious collection--47 brick-through-plate-glass-window minutes of grave sincerity and no nuance whatsoever. It's a succession of Big Moments with Big Labels: Art, Politics, Womankind (her term, not mine), Global Problems, et. al. Not forgetting, of course, that Big Title itself: Songs of Mass Destruction. Someone needs to explain this to me. The infamous "weapons of mass destruction" were never found--and that means exactly what for this set of songs? That they're similarly illusory? That, like the namesake weapons, the songs are an excuse for (intellectual) aggression? Unfortunately it smacks of grand gesture--a title chosen simply because it sounded Political, Important and Smart in a Sunday-morning-pundit way.Not surprisingly, then, the songs' biggest collective problem is their sanctimony. Though Lennox has been headed this way for a while, with Mass Destruction, she's joined the twee, sloganeering ranks of Bono and Sting. The Entertainment Tonight substitution of celebrity for expertise is on display here. One of the dodgy arguments seems to be `I have one of the great singing voices of the past 100 years and I've made very popular synth-pop--so listen to me about Feminism.' But I wonder if the logic works the other way? Based on her impeccable credentials, would we equally humor Gloria Steinem if she said `Hey, I'm a guiding light of Feminism--so listen to my new synth-pop release.' I'm thinking probably not . . . I guess I can't shake an annoying tendency to see distinct and important differences between a pop album and a lecture series. I'm not saying that pop can't be bludgeoned into the form of a lecture; unfortunately, it happens all the time. But be honest--when was the last sunny Saturday morning where you woke up, slotted "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" and just cranked that sucker up? Yeah--me neither. It's the same reason "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is notably absent from practically every iPod playlist in the world. Pop, meet Lecture Series--Lecture Series, meet Pop.And natch, all this High Seriousness comes with its own equivalent of a PowerPoint presentation: Apparently the deluxe edition of Mass Destruction features track-by-track Lennox Commentary. The mind reels at the need for an adjunct explanation of "I've seen too much/I know too much/I hurt too much." Might I gently suggest that this is not really the same as Ingmar Bergman clearing up an obscure point on a DVD edition of The Seventh Seal? I'm just saying. Looking back, however, this approach was anticipated by Annie's back-of-jewel-case Cliff Notes that carefully explained the Approved Interpretation of Bare's cover image.Ultimately, Mass Destruction is forcing me to re-examine Lennox's body of work. Essentially, she's been in two long-term artistic collaborations her entire career--Stewart and then Lipson. Has she always been this irritatingly obvious and humorless? Did Stewart and Lipson somehow manage to counterbalance these tendencies? Maybe the big mistake has been hunkering down with Glen Ballard--who's never met a rock anthem he didn't like. Here he functions as an enabler of Annoying Annie, rather than acting as a collaborator.I'll be very interested to see how this recording fares. It seems to fall between a lot of cracks: Too much mainstream California Angst for founding members of her fan base, not rocking enough for the crowd that once bought Heart albums. Too nominally smart for the Middle America and yet too naive for someone like me. From my vantage, Pet Shop Boys' Fundamental is precisely the collection that this release desperately wants to be. That I'm happy to trade Neil Tennant's dusty vocals for the transcendent high notes of La Lennox is evidence that content really is still king--even in pop.Personal to Ms Lennox--Presumably, you still have Stephen Lipson's number in your speed-dial. Please keep it there, and next time, for god's sake, make that call. If you need me, I'll be getting the taste of this thing out my mouth with repeated plays of Bare . . .UPDATE (10-09-07): Songs of Mass Destruction entered UK album charts at #7--the lowest entry for a Lennox solo release to date. "Dark Road" entered the UK singles charts at #58, making it the first solo Lennox single to miss entering the British Top Forty.UPDATE (10-21-07): In Lennox's second week on the UK album charts, Songs of Mass Destruction dropped 11 places to #18. On the US Billboard Top 200 Chart, Songs of Mass Destruction also fell 11 places; from its Week 1 entry at #9 to a Week 2 spot at #21.UPDATE (10-26-07): In its third week on the UK charts, Songs of Mass Destruction falls 21 places to #39. On the US Billboard Top 200 Chart, Songs of Mass Destruction falls 7 places in its third week to #28.UPDATE (11-02-07): Lennox's fourth week on the UK charts shows Songs of Mass Destruction falling an additional 18 slots to #67. On the US Billboard Top 200 Chart, Songs of Mass Destruction falls 15 more slots to #43. -1.0 Ironically, in 1974 after seeing a testosterone powered twenty-five year-old Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen at the Harvard Square Theater, music critic Jon Landau wrote, "I saw rock and roll's future and its name is Bruce Springsteen." Ironic because here, 43 years later, Bruce seems determined to stake a new claim as rock and roll's future with a little Springsteen "Magic." Starting with an opening salvo rant of "...this is radio nowhere," Bruce joins the rest of us fellow AARP members in questioning whether the future of rock and roll includes "rythym." With a wink to Roger Water's Radio KAOS, Bruce speaks from the third "person" silicon view of a satellite searching the radio air waves for "...is anyone alive out there?" Perhaps something our frustrated silicon friend was wondering about Bruce's music for the last few years too?A quick check of the Billboard Hot 100 answers the question; for "Magic" the answer is unfortunately, "no." Nearly 4 weeks after it's release, the re-union of the E-Street Band finds itself non-existent in the top 100 song chart behind the likes of Soulja Boy, Carrie Underwood, and Jay-Z. Fortunately for Columbia and Sony's pocketbook, "Magic" sits atop the Album charts, but a look at the real test of radio air play shows even forgettable pop trivia like Britney Spears' "Gimme More" making a more substantial claim to the future. So, no, Bruce, there is nobody out there, but I think you really already knew that didn't you?For the most part "Magic" delivers an enjoyable album experience, although producer Brendan O'Brien's "wall of sound" layered-track approach requires a chorus backing vocal approach to Bruce's singing that many will find unpleasant. Fortunately, the inevitable live album will bring us back the gravely rock voice we love. Lyrically and musically "Magic" is more similar to "Tunnel of Love" than "Born in the USA" showing a maturity in Bruce's song-writing (although not musically) and not surprisingly he chooses not to take "Genesis's" approach to reunion by rehashing their hits rather than pushing into new territory. "Livin' in the Future" is Bruce's way of telling us that he isn't going to look back because "...none of this happened yet." Instead he's going into the future even if he has to go there alone. "Girls In Their Summer Clothes" 20 years ago probably would have been a certifiable gold single, it will stick in your mind after only a couple of plays, but in today's market it will probably never get past the adult contemporary top 50. In the course of the second half of the album, Bruce slips away from his planned E-street pop effort and into a personal introspective, and clearly religious perspective. If the message in the cover photo wasn't blatant enough, in "I'll Work For Your Love," "Long Walk Home," and "Devil's Arcade" Bruce returns to his Catholic school upbringing and finds that it's where his heart has been all along. (Something his Hollywood contemporaries would now doubt scorn). In what appears (to me) to be an homage to Mother Theresa in "I'll Work For Your Love," Bruce, in a rather forced iambic lyrical meter, echoes the life's work of Mother by stating that I'll work for what others "...want for free," (I.E.: God's love). A classic Catholic theology resurfaces in the second half of the album for Bruce, as it does to many of us, as we approach, our "Long Walk Home." Finally, it would be remiss not to address Bruce's John Kerry Vietnam inspired who'll be "The Last To Die" for a "mistake". As a firm supporter of the War, you'd think I might find Bruce's latest foray into politics unappealing, but that's not the case here. He is certainly entitled to his opinion, and his way of expressing it is respectful, albeit accompanied by the kind of naiveté that surrounds celebrities in America these days. (Basically they think that because they have a microphone they also have something to say). Coincidently the beautiful requiem to long time assistant Terry Magovern who passed away in July, which appears as the hidden track; "When They Built You Brother" (they broke the mold) stands in contrast to Bruce's anti-war rhetoric. Perhaps if Terry, a former navy seal, were still here he could have told his friend Bruce that no soldier ever died for a "mistake," he dies to defend his brothers-in-arms. Bruce, a soldier doesn't go to war to support a political party, he goes, and sometimes doesn't come home, for his country and his brothers, which can never be a "mistake."By the end of "Magic," you'll know that this wasn't a reunion album it's a farewell. Going out on his own terms, Bruce recognizes that the future doesn't include him, or Terry, or Theresa, or us. For those waiting for a return to the "Glory Days," it's going to be a disappointment, but for those who have been listening carefully all along, we always knew that going back was never going to be an option for Bruce Springsteen. Bruce will always be "Livin' In The Future" because it's where he has always lived, even if the pop future is to be left to Britney and Soulja. Bruce knew that. (You don't sell $100 a seat tickets to teenagers you know.) But for those of us with our AARP discount who can afford a hundred bucks plus for obstructed view seating we'll be there with him for the "Long Walk Home" because, like your friend Terry, when they built you Bruce, they broke the mold. -1.0 I listened to the album on MSN the other day (and sat through the entire thing without fast-forwarding) and I gotta say ~ It's an album of heavily-processed 'TALKING' (..must have missed the singing bit) over a number of very similar 'boop/bleep beats'. The whole thing. That's it. To each their own I guess.. But I personally found the whole thing silly and boring. Not even worth an 'illegal download'.. let alone actually paying something. (May as well throw my money in a dog's mouth if I was going to do stuff like that..) If this is supposed to be her 'Best Yet!' (an often used phrase here) ..I'd really hate to experience what the 'less than best' involved.Really people, If this is all it takes to entertain you these days?.. I recommend getting yourself a few electronic gizmos and a digi recorder. That ought to REALLY give you a blast ..and you might very well make a few BETTER albums than this one along the way. -1.0 Five years ago, who would have thought that la Spears would turn out to be the mess that she is today? With her freakish antics with K-Fed, her children, her hair and the press, this frequent and habitual user of drugs needed one helluva album to redeem her career. She doesn't pull through, unfortunately. The final result is a mess of an album ("Blackout," how appropriate is that???) with no continuity or originality whatsoever. She's become the Michael Jackson of her generation--a bright and shining star that fizzled out much too soon. -1.0 Bruce, I love ya but after listening to the first four tracks of Magic my response is a resounding "What he say?". The sound was so muffled I could not make out the lyrics. I thought I had purchased a bad bootleg. Target can keep my $14 just promise me to remix it. Fast. I have a 1978 Un-Concert on cassette that has better sound definition. I know there is a great album in there somewhere. Please remaster. This CD could have been your best since Tunnel of Love. -1.0 The Sample Bytes on the Webpage sounded Great.When I received the CD, I was very disappointed. He sounded Like an amateur...There was no depth or substance in his voice.Maybe it was the choice of songs......Most of the songs were recorded by another English Artist (Russell Watson)and Mr. Potts cannot compareto the feelings Mr. Watson puts in his version of the songs.....Take "Caruso" and "Nella Fantasia" Mr. Potts sounded as I said like an amateur and had no training....I wouldn't recommend this CD to anyone..... -1.0 Despite being a ratings juggernaut, American Idol has failed to launch that many careers after the karaokers have to start singing there own music. In six seasons only Kelly Clarkson has been able to produce two hit albums.Hoping to join her in the former karaoker two hit club is Carrie Underwood, whose first album Some Hearts recently overtook Clarkson's Breakaway as the highest selling post-karaoke album ever. And considering CMT recently devoted six straight hours of playing her new video for So Small, a second hit album is on the way.Where the first album seemed to alternate between country and pop songs, the follow up Carnival Ride is a strictly honky-tonk affair. That is not a good thing because that means some of the country songs that you listen to and feel your IQ drop sneak onto the album in the form of filler. This no more evident than on The More Men I Meet where Carrie pontificates why the only male for her is one walks on all four and waves his tail. The worst of all though is when Carrie gets back to her karaoke roots with a cover of I Told You So by Randy Travis which would have been best left on the cutting room floor.Then some of the better songs are just rehashes from the first album. So Small could have been called Jesus Take the Wheel part II with its religious themes. And if So Small is a sequel, then Last Name might very well be a prequel to Before He Cheats telling a tale of how the two met before the dude began to stray. But the problem with that Before He Cheats without the woman scorned angle just isn't as entertaining with silly lines like, "It started out , `hey cutie where ya from?' and turned into `oh no what have I've done?'" Maybe you should go back to singing Shania Karaoke.That is not to say the album is completely lost, Carnival Ride starts off with banjo heavy Flat on the Floor, a ballroom brawler that is good as the Dixie Chicks at their angriest which includes the Led Zeppelin like, "Baby, baby, baby" line. Then there is the emotional roller coaster of Just a Dream seen through the eyes of a military wife at her husband's funeral. And the powerful I Know You Won't is the leading candidate of songs that the next batch of karaoker will fight over during Carrie Underwood night.The highlight of the album though is the album closer Wheel of the World which not surprisingly is the least country song on the album. The song is a better written, lyrically and musically, version of So Small. Hopefully this is the direction Underwood takes for the third album or her third album may crash and burn like Clarkson's recent release. -1.0 Annie Lennox is a fantastic performer, probably the best female performer from the 80s! This CD has way too many slow slongs and not enough electro-pop. I gave a song by song review on the discussion board. Because I am a huge Annie Lennox fan I gave the songs way better scores, but to the casual listener he or she might be bored with this cd. -1.0 So I've listened to the tracks on this CD and I was thoroughly unimpressed. They all sounded exactly the same. There was no tempo variances, no drum or other instrument variances. It sounded like the same track repeated over and over. It was just awful and boring beyond belief. Yuck. -1.0 I give Dave Grohl heaps of credit. The man who once played drums behind the greatest songwriter of a generation set his sights on greater ambitions and emerged victorious atop the modern rock pantheon. Album releases are always consistent: the content within never fails to sell the notion of the redemptive powers of rock and roll. Yet for all of his songwriting chops, I feared this new Foo Fighters album might exhibit Grohl as his own worst enemy, a man who, in a recent interview (I believe it was Spin), conceded that his comfort zone had always resided near heavy melodic rock. "Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace" is not short on the gratuitous melodic rockers, but it does demonstrate a more varied and vulnerable approach to the Foo formula in a manner far less contrived than 2005's "In Your Honor." Four out of the first five tracks are classic howlers, with Grohl purging his emotions through snarled vocals amidst a backdrop of thunderous drumming and crushing distortion. See "Let It Die" or "Erase/Replace" to get a picture. Exploring more subdued textures and atmospheres, the Foos give us tracks like "Stranger Things Have Happened" "The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners," the latter of which features the deft guitar work of Kaki King. Closing things out on a highly introspective note, we are given the song "Home." Allegedly a songwriting milestone for Grohl, the tune is also the most likely musical connection to the album title. After 12 years of pursuing the "if it ain't broke..." formula, it's a refreshing to see America's most reliable rock and roll outfit pushing themselves, even if just a little bit. Studio release #7 should be spectacular. -1.0 There's no denying her truly impressive singing voice and she has a great stage presence performing live. But it has to said this is a CD of mostly slow-beat tracks about fairly dark, depressing themes. Not a bad CD at all, but I'm not often in a mood to hear these sorts of tracks. Where is the ironic humor many of us loved from her music from the 80's? -1.0 I have never liked this girl's voice. She is a screamer. The girl has no idea how to make a subtle statement. I know that Martina and Yearwood both have that screaming ability, but it works for them. They seem to have better control of their voice. Underwood's voice sounds tired, and she just never quite hits those notes. I find myself straining along with her when I hear her try to hit that high note. On several numbers she shows possibility, but always overkills the song with too much screaming, and the production on this album is contemporary country ad nauseam. -1.0 Pleased that Potts won the contest, the CD was disappointing. Not ready for prime time. I blame the CD creator for poor music selections for Potts debut album. -1.0 The new album from John "Clearwater" Fogerty isn't all that bad, but it's not that good either. The hype surrounding this Creedence like album really sucked me in, but when all is said and done, there might have been enough good material here to release a four song EP but not a whole album. I really wish Fogerty would make up with his old CCR buddies, because this backing band on "Revival" does not do him justice, unlike the guys that once backed him between 1968-1972. If you must get this album prepare for a Rutles like tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival, but failing to be as entertaining this time around. -1.0 At face value, 'Raising Sand' could be one of the more unusual pairings in recent musical history. Not as odd as say, Tom Waits & Crystal Gayle (seriously - you must pick up 'One from the Heart' soundtrack!). This is more along the lines of Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris.Like the latter grouping, Plant & Krauss don't really perform that many duets. Sometimes I swear they don't even appear on each others songs. To be fair - there is nothing on the external (or internal for that matter) packaging that says they do - it is just implied.When they do perform duets (or at least harmonize more), it usually works. I really enjoy "Rich Woman", "Please Read the Letter" and "Gone Gone Gone". It would have been nice to see more of it.There are duet missteps: "Killing the Blues" for instance. It seems Alison & Robert have drained the entire life out of this cover. If you want to hear a good take on it - check out Shawn Colvin's version from her 'Cover Girl' disk from 15 years back or so. I cannot say I have ever been a big fan of Robert Plant. I was the odd man out in high school - preferring Nick Lowe or the Clash to Led Zeppelin. Plant doesn't seem to stretch that much on this outing - but what do I know when it comes to this. He's had a few different lives since Zeppelin, so did not start out as reigned in.Krauss however finally gets to break free from the Union Station mold which has grown a little stagnant as of late. Technically the band is great, but are caught in a formulatic rut. "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us" has influences of Greek music and she take the masculine lead on Mike Campbell's (from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) "Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson".But the most mesmerizing and possibly annoying thing about the record are actually one in the same - Krauss' take on Waits' "Trampled Rose". I cannot quite explain it, but the continuous climb to and fall from the high note is a major focal point of interest to me.For good or bad, she's slightly out of her element and I find it welcoming. She stretches her boundaries and that can only help her work with Union Station down the line.Overall, I say it is an ok disk, but nothing more than that. I will not go as far as to say it is a wasted opportunity but perhaps a missed one - as there was much more they could have done with it. When their voices do blend, it proves to be an interesting dynamic. -1.0 The sound of this CD makes my ears bleed. How can anyone with taste actually think this is "the greatest "? Led Zepplin tickets for the London gig are sold out, because they are "Led Zepplin" not because Robert Plant can sing anything with anyone. As for Alison Krauss,what is she thinking?!Who ever talked these two singers into this hype must be able to sell the idea of a freezer to an eskimo because , as wonderful as these two are on their own, together they sound like a "Sesame Street" kids musical. UGH -1.0 I listened to this CD to appease my brother. I want to UN listen to this CD and erase it from my mind. She has no voice and can't seem to find the right note with a million dollar production team. God help us. -1.0 its a pretty bad album. i couldnt get through the album without skipping tracks. the beats were pretty bad for the most part. gimmie more is probably the best song on their. we will see how long people listen to this before they realise it isnt good. -1.0 Bubble gum pop gone stale.Most tracks have Britney's voice morphed (which might be a good thing) so it doesn't even sound like her half the time.There really are a couple of good, quality tracks on 'Blackout', but most of the CD is just a bunch of throw away garbage.I think it's time for a more mature sounding Britney, because I certainly feel that she has the talent to make something special. -1.0 i purchased the cd awake with is outstanding! i thought his christmas cd would have been as good if not better, but it was an extreme disappointment. not josh groban quality at all. i agree the song with the soldiers was the only song i enjoyed. come on josh you're great! make a real christmas cd -1.0 Damn son, listen to that rock & roll!. Radio Nowhere, that's the Boss bitching about how crappy radio is...or is it a veiled reference to bigger issues? Ya never know with the Boss these days. Damn, that song sounds just like the one on Born To Run...hey the sax solo sounds the same too! You have to listen real careful because that Pearl Jam producer mixes the E-Streeters way in the back, especially those troublsome drums...never did like how old Max's drums rolled like thunder on those early records...I kind of like them all muffled and such. Hey, that song has a damn harpsichord on it...sounds like that old Pretty Ballerina song by the Left or Right Banke or something. That one sounds like the Boss channeled some Brian Wilson or something...those girls in their summer clothes...wait isn't Brucey like pushing 60? Creepy. Hey, I think these songs are talking about the war...yup that war over in the Mid East has gone south...I wasn't sure though until the Boss told me so using those metaphors and all. I'm glad he's back playin' that pure rock again, yeah, I know there's some fiddles on this record too, but Brendan makes 'em sound so grundgy don't he? Hey, there's a hidden track here...and it's all heartfelt and honest...and well, touching too...why the hell did he have to ruin a perfectly good drive through nostalgiaville with such emotion? Run out an get this one quick fellers before the Boss starts channeling Woody or Bobby again and poor Max is back pounding the skins on late night. -1.0 I have admired Ms. Lennox from her days with Eurythmics and throughout her solo career. Yet it seems that her efforts in this and her previous album have lost some of the initial steam that made her first two solo productions so powerful.I couldn't help but feel a "deja vu" type feel when I listened through the album the first time... and the second one... and every single time. It reminded me too much of classic Annie, which could be a good thing. But artists of her stature (I am thinking of Peter Gabriel when I say this) need to find ways to reinvent themselves to escape the risk of becoming classics.As much as I love Annie Lennox, I didn't find in this album what I was hoping for. -1.0 I was just listening to the sounds clips and POSITIVELY identified "All Summer Long" exact as the same melody as "Werewolves of London", lol! No joke - listen to the piano. Has anyone else picked up on this? -1.0 I was expecting more from this CD. I had heard the one song "Dont you wish it was True" on the radio, and hoped for more of that sound. But no, and that is the only song I enjoyed on the CD. Therefore, I will be selling it on Amazon............ -1.0 After waiting a long time for new tunes from this performer, we are greatly disappointed with the CD. Only two or three songs are worthy of the old sound. The lyrics to the political songs are unpleasant, uninteresting and uninformed. The two tracts in particular, "Long Dark Night", a cheap attempt at a political satire, shows no musical talent. "I Can't Take It No More" is what we felt after hearing the first verse. The only good song is "Don't You Wish It Were True." If we had heard the entire CD first, we would not have bought it at all. Sorry, John. -1.0 First: I'm not a fan, but given the hype surrounding the release of this CD, I had to listen to it and give it an honest chance. I thought...MAYBE, she'll reinvent herself. Other artists before her have done the same - after a scandal, they'll turn around and release something that no one expects, something that truly showcases their talent, and blow everyone away.Not so in this case: Britney is simply a pawn in the game, and the game is "Britney". Any "artist" that takes her or himself too seriously runs the risk of parody, and the 2nd song on this disc, "Piece of Me" proves that point in spades. "I'm miss lifestyles of the rich and famousI'm miss Oh my God that Britney's shameless.....get in line with the paparazzi that's flippin' me off"...When an artist's personal life is under the microscope, it can be written about in ways that can astound. "Layla" by Eric Clapton - about his affair with his best friend George Harrison's wife - yet, he doesn't feel the need to namedrop himself.The whole album "Rumors" by Fleetwood Mac - about the 2 divorces going on in the band, the affairs, the drugs, all the problems they were going through - yet again, no names were called out.Simply singing about onesself in the first person is uninspired, and a sign that they take themselves WAY too seriously.That being said, both the lyrics and music on this CD feels like a step backwards. The other lyrics reek with the banality of today's brand of pop: cheap, easy couplets thrown together with no sense of direction. (Note: using the word "motherfu**er" today doesn't shock, doesn't offend - if anything, it sounds like one is trying TOO hard to shock & offend.)Songs about partying, sex, and of course, "no one understands me". Same old same old. The music, while being very, very well produced, is repetitive (not in a good way, mind you) and bland. Cookie cutter beats and uninspired solos exactly where they are expected.I truly wish Ms. Spears had done something off-the-wall - something like a slower release (Norah Jones or Fiona Apple, for example) - that would have blown minds...but I realize that she would alienate the masses of sheep that buy this sort of product - we can't have that, can we? Not lucrative enough. Forget respect, this product is about the $$$, and don't let anyone tell you different. I think Britney has a decent voice, and that she does indeed have talent - but it's certainly not put to use here. The result is a muddledaffair, void of any true creativity, and reeking of banality.The first star is for effort, and for the single, "Gimmie More". It's not half bad for a dance track, but the track itself has no real sustenance. Maybe that's not what the producers were going for, but at this stage in her career, it's make or break. The second star is for the one really good song here, "Hot as Ice". It a good dance track with a very catchy melody, but it reminds me of Parliment meets Cameo (and that's not a bad thing). If the rest of the electropop on this CD was of the caliber of this track, it would have been a more successful venture. Sadly, this is the sole true stand-out. Sure, this CD will sell like hotcakes for a week or two, then it will drop off the charts, and be forgotten. Knowing this is probably her last #1 is the fault of both her producers and herself...she had the chance for the comeback, and with "Blackout", she blew it. -1.0 Unfortunately for the current future of mankind, we humans (and particularly, we Americans) find ourselves in a particularly regressive state. We would rather watch a plethora of reality shows than CNN, we want superficial movies with talentless-to-only-somewhat-talented actors and actresses, we seem to find it perfectly acceptable that athletes and glossy Hollywood types get paid millions per year while teachers and scientists are often struggling to get by, and we mindlessly accept pretty-packaged musical atrocities as art. Whomever first described the musical fare in the vein of Britney Spears as "sugary" was absolutely correct. To the passive listener, Britney's music tastes good going down, but is ultimately not only of no value to the body, it is actually harmful.From her first album until now, Britney has been the poster child for all the popular music cash cows that the greedy record executives anxiously sign to their labels. The philosophy is simple: make as much money possible by any means necessary. To do this, songwriters and producers are brought in to provide serious support to the usually barely-talented (if at all) "artist". The most financially-rewarding demographic has demonstrated in their buying habits that they don't want lyrics that make them have to think, they like sexual content (whether explicit or implicit), and they like catchy melodies and harmonies. Thus, the artist doesn't need to have even decent vocal ability. What is commonly referred to as "auto-tune" will make sure no off-puttingly wrong notes are hit, songwriters will write tepid lyrics (usually representative of immature modes of thinking), and producers will create the vocal melodies and accompaniment (or what is simply referred to as "beats" in the popular culture) that are easy to remember (and, oftentimes, easy to dance to). All of this serves to hook the *passive* listener on the music, which can result in any combination of album, ticket, perfume/cologne, toy, and clothing line sales.Most music reviewers are proving that they really have no authority to be ranking albums, as they seem to be unable to tell just how terrible Britney's music is. I have already seen some far too optimistic reviews given to this album by critics, while the few truly artistically-impressive albums coming out are getting reviews that are just blatantly insulting when compared to those of "artists" like Britney. What seems to be impressing the critics is the production on the album. Sadly, the production is often credited to the performer when it should really be credited to the producers. Britney has certainly acquired an astonishing amount of money by now, and she brought in "it" producers who be able to carry her album for her. However, despite the constant criticism of her terrible vocal abilities (and probably terrible aural skills, although we can't be sure of that, since she continues to lip synch in her performances), Britney has demonstrated her infamous ignorance yet again and has STILL hasn't pursued serious vocal training to improve the quality of her singing. On top of that, her lyrics are still terribly lacking in creativity, uninspiring, and simply immature (and sadly, she had to pay people to write them for her because hers would be even worse).Based on the other new releases for this week that I have seen, as well as the ridiculous amount of news coverage this album is getting (due to Britney's other parts of her life that she is also insanely ineffective at managing), I expect this album to debut at #1 on the Billboard album sales chart next week. However, that doesn't mean that my message will have been for nothing if I can convince even one person who is thinking about buying this album from doing so. We human beings are supposed to be progressive thinkers, as we are the most cognitively-advanced creatures on this planet. Music is art, and we deserve better than this as our art. We deserve for high-quality music to once again be the "popular music" of our culture. We have the power to decide what the record labels feed us, and one way to do that is to refuse to give them our money when they try to feed us this "sugary" music. We have to regain control. -1.0 I've been a Fogerty fan for over 35 years...so it pains me to say that this CD is just plain disappointing. There are a couple of catchy tunes...but those get lost amidst the anti-conservative vitriolic lyrics in several of the tunes. Subtle questioning of the status quo which leaves much to the listener's imagination is O.K....even expected by an anti-establishment guy like Fogerty. But flat out using the President and Vice-President's names in hate filled tunes is just unacceptable. Sorry John...but I think you need to get back to singing about the swamps and bayous.....'cause that's what the majority of us like. As a consumer...if you're a far left leaning type with an ear for bluesy, grass-roots type rock, then check this album out. If you are anywhere to the right of being a far left extremist....pass on this one because the music isn't enough to overcome the rhetoric! -1.0 Actually, I'd give it no stars. But Amazon is too charitable. Couldn't the house have fallen on the Wicked Witch in the first scene. "Wicked" is disappointing. It's as if the pyrotechnics, a la "Starlight Express," can make up for the lack of songwriting and original score. It's derivative. It's laughable in non-comedic sense. Its an incredible money machine for some reason. At least I feel for the actors who deserve the continuing paychecks. But I need a few magic monkies to fly in and pickup some of the teenies in the audience who always manage to use their cells they are so bored. Wave your magic wand! Make it all disappear. "Mommie, Mommie, rescue me." "Sorry, babe, Glendora told you to turn off your cells!." -1.0 a very bad album there is no rock on this flop at all kid pebble really shines through on this disaster. Tommy lee hit him harder than any track on this flop. I WOULD LIKE MY MONEY BACK -1.0 I'm one of those people who loved Matchbox Twenty, and when Rob Thomas broke off to do solo-pop, I just couldn't listen to him anymore. Thus, I was quite excited for a new Matchbox album...six new tracks is more than enough to make me happy, provided they are solid songs. Unfortunately, the only one that approaches the standards set for themselves years ago is "These Hard Times". The new songs are too poppy, with too much focus on the not-so-worthy hooks. The musical depth and solid song structuring is just not there anymore. Even the old "pop" singles had so much going for them that is missing from the new songs. The new work is missing it's blues influence, the great guitar drives, vocal emotion...I could go on.That's not to say it's a disaster...Rob Thomas can still sing, and he can still write songs. The new stuff isn't bad, it just doesn't live up; it feels too influenced by his transfer over to the pop world. I would say that if you like Rob Thomas and his solo work, you will like Matchbox Twenty's new release. If you are like me, and you stopped paying attention to Rob once he left Matchbox...then the release is likely to disappoint. -1.0 Other review, and national review I read are correct - dump this producer - sounds like it was recorded through a pillow-case. Listen to Darkness, Born to Run, The River albums - distinct instruments, each enjoyable and identifiable,........then listen to this!! The entire musical production sounds completely indistinct and mushed together. Where's the saxophone? Even the vocals are muffled and muted. Too bad - just not enjoyable. Listen to the first 15 seconds of any of these songs - Badlands, Something in the Night, The Promised Land, Darkness, 10th Avenue Freeze-out, Jungleland, The Price You Pay, Fade Away, The River, ..... gosh, I could go on and on - the sax, the harmonica, Bruce's voice, the bass drum,.....Where's the soul wrenching moan of Something in the Night? The emotional reasonance of She's the One? What the heck happened here? Recordings from 20 and 30 years ago sound clearer and more distinct. I guess I'll keep listening to the classics on my MP3 player. This was very disappointing - fire the producer - get rid of the pillow cases - bring back the clarity and instrumental distinctiveness. -1.0 It's been five years since "More Than You Think You Are" and this is what we get? Very disappointing. I didn't realize this release was a greatest hits effort until I got to Best Buy to pick it up. Very disheartening to only see six new tunes - which I find average at best. These new songs sound more like Rob Thomas solo tunes than MB20 anthems. I thought the band hit their stride after MTYTYA. That was their most complete and mature body of work. I was expecting them to build on that. Not rush six new songs to complete some greatest hits package. And as for the greatest hits... not a fan. No offense, but I never need to hear "Push" or "3AM" again. Overplayed and killed by radio. All they did here was regurgitate the songs radio killed. A greatest hits album should include what truly were some of the band's better songs. Not what the A&R idiots told them to release. Where's "Downfall" or "Hand Me Down" of the last CD? What about "Rest Stop" or "The Burn"? How about some more classic live tunes, acoustic versions of songs, B-sides or cover tunes? To date, I still don't have a quality version of MB20's rendition of "Time After Time". Those who buy the CD, score from Best Buy for the two bonus live tracks "Remedy" by the Black Crowes and "Modern Love" by David Bowie. Those two covers almost make the CD worth the $12 I plunked down. Almost.Here's hoping that the six new tunes grow on me, but initially they lack the same oomph as when I heard "Disease", "Bent" or "Long Day" for the first time - the respective first singles off all three studio releases.MB20 is one of the better bands of the 90s and this compilation doesn't do them justice. I have a better 'greatest hits' playlist on my iPod. -1.0 T Bone, Plant & Krauss are excellent as usual, but it's not anybody's best work and the album doesn't flex each others strengths. Instead it challenges the artists to step outside their comfort zone to develop something new. The music is complimentary of both vocalists, and together they create a splendid canvas of sound. What isn't so great is the recording. Poor sound engineering ruins this album. If you're listening with a cheep sound system, you may never hear the plethora of issues. For the rest of us, we must chalk it up as yet another failure of the media industry to produce quality music. It's a shame so many people worked so hard to create a masterpiece that only excels in concept, not reality. The reality is that the poor quality of engineering is too annoying to ignore and killed what could have been a classic album. -1.0 This album is not as good as the last one. Maybe three good songs this time, others get old fast. I would save your money and only download the good songs. Not a kid friendly album. -1.0 I have been a hard core Foo fan since the beginning and I have to say that this album was a disappointment. I was looking forward to some non-skin and bones stuff, but it seems that Dave wants to be a singer and not so much a rocker. I would buy it again and it has some hard rockin tracks, but be prepared for the married with children Grohl sound too. -1.0 I just skimmed through this album the other night, borrowed it from my friend.The first thing I wondered is how many of these guitar riffs are complete rip-offs from rock classics?I noted at least 3 songs where the main guitar riff sounds like a slightly altered version of an old rock song. Other than that, this album has a pasteurized corporate sound to it. Kid Rocks adolescent boasting and posturing gets tiresome. The songs that are non ripoffs are the weaker ones on the album, showing the amount of creativity, originality, and talent put into this album- not much.The only thing I will give Kid Crock credit for is he tends to put on a good live show, but that cant cover for mediocre(at best), uninspired music. It's a sad reflection on our culture when throwaway albums like this are lauded as being excellent. -1.0 I've always really liked Annie Lennox, despite thinking she's consistently hit-or-miss (except for the excellent "Diva"). But she's outdone herself this time; this is an over-produced, unimpressive collection that sounds like a recycling of the worst songs of her career. There are a few decent tracks, but nothing new or exciting, and most of the songs are boring at best. And at their worst...well, the chorus of "Ghosts In My Machine" might be the most gratingly awful thing I've heard in music all year. And Annie's usual vocal exercise, while expected, is taken to such heights here that it becomes charicature: "Woo!" and "Yeah Yeah!" abound throughout the whole album. (And she's even added a new classic to her repertoire: "Brrrrrr bop!") I've been listening to this album, trying to get it to grow on me, but when it comes time to spring-clean the old iPod, this album will be the first to go. Sorry Annie...I'm a fan, believe it or not, but it might be time to hang up your funky hat and call it a day. -1.0 I agree with others about the sound quality here. It's like Bruce went for some sort of retro "Wall of Sound", only louder. Whatever, the great band sounds like a mess. As for the songs, I'd say this is a pretty unremarkable album. I can't think of one on here that I'll be screaming for him to sing when I see him live in a couple of weeks. And in a couple years, I won't remember any of them. There's nothing fresh about the music or the lyrics. Mabe Girls in Summer Clothes and Radio Nowhere, but that's a reach. None will make a "Best of" list. -1.0 I was excited when I heard this 2 disc set was coming out initially. I knew there would only be 6 new songs. I accepted that. I knew it would be packaged with a greatest hits disc. I accepted that as well. Then when I saw what was on the greatest his disc, It was my first bout with disappointment. All of the "have to" songs are there. I understand that. But there are so many other songs that should have been included. At least 4 or 5 more songs. But that's no biggie. I have all the other albums anyway. So I got by that. I heard the first single "How Far We've Come". I thought it was "ok". So I figured to myself that the other 5 would be even better. I couldn't have been more wrong. I couldn't help but feel that Rob Thomas and company are holding back. These songs don't really sound like the MB20 I have grown to love over the years. Yeah, bands need to try something different sometimes. But it didn't work in this case in my eyes. I couldn't help but get the feeling that these songs were written in like, a week or something. Like the guys were holding back and putting something out simply because they knew the name would sell. Seems like Rob may be trying to turn Matchbox 20 into something new...while turning his solo stuff into what Matchbox 20 used to be since a lot of it sounded like Matchbox stuff. I hope this isn't the last we hear of the guys from Matchbox 20. This would be such a disappointing way to go out. -1.0 The voice I love is there. The phrasing still moves me. The material is tiresome.Stephen King throws some stinkers between great works. These are stories that must be told before we get to the good stuff. Ms. Lennox does the same thing on this album. Perhaps she works these through her system before delivering a gem. -1.0 I really enjoyed Carrie's first album, though I'm more a pop fan than country. "Before He Cheats" was hot, and I could listen to "Wasted" over and over. I even liked "Jesus Take the Wheel" even though I don't like country ballads. And that's my main problem with this album. NINE of the thirteen tracks on this album were ballads. And they were boring, cliche ballads at that. Carrie has a clear, beautiful voice that shines on fast and mid-tempo tracks. Unfortunately, there is only one truly fast song on this, "Flat on the Floor." There are couple of other okay songs, but nothing worth listening to repeatedly.I read an interview where she said she was miffed that people didn't consider the first album country. I can only guess she wanted everyone to be positive this one was country, and did her best to out-Twang "Some Hearts." I think she shot herself in the foot doing so - you can still be true to country and have cross-over appeal. Look at Martina McBride, Shania Twain or even Reba - no one doubts they are country, but they still attract non-country fans to their music. Fans of traditional country will probably love this album; I recommend anyone else give it a listen first. I wish I had listened to this it before buying. I'll never buy another of her albums without doing so. -1.0 sorry, I can get excited over this CD, some good songs but more Plant than Krauss. Borrow it since it will never be found on the radio. -1.0 I agree with the review that says this album is disappointing. Carrie has learned some new vocal tricks which is excellent, but some are repeated. For example, she goes into the high-pitched almost falsetto voice a lot on this album. It's a nice trick but overused. A few of the songs are good, but I felt like I was wondering what the 2nd hit will be... none of the songs are stunning. So Small is a great song. Flat on the Floor is pretty good as well and I Know You Won't is interesting. But a song with a lyric like "the more boys I meet, the more I like my dog" is just childish. Also, the 'Last Name' song seems to want to play off of Before He Cheats, but it's just lame. The lyrics are overly trite on this album. It's worth a listen and I'll probably put it on my iPod, but it's not spectacular. It doesn't stand out. -1.0 Is it me, or does anyone remember when Broadway musicals used to actually have songs in them? You know, the kind you walked out of the theater singing? After seeing the film version of Phantom of the Opera and seeing this show last night at the Pantages, I seriously wonder if any Broadway writers remember how to write a song. Where are the "Maria"s? The "When you're a jet"s? The "Sound of Music"s? Nowadays they just crank out verbose, meandering showcase numbers for the leads to just belt away...and nothing more. I'd give my right nut for another Grease, another Tommy, another Rocky Horror Show, Hair, Camelot or man of La Mancha. I know people want to see a musical about the Wicked Witch of the West - I did - but let's call a spade a spade and admit these songs go nowhere (and trust me, I know of what I'm talking about, being a songwriter and musician for many years). Neat premise. No songs. -1.0 I work as an intern at Jive records and she came in for a few days, they recorded/dubbed her voice and that was it. The sound, the beats, everything was done out of her hands. To me that's where the music is at, in the beats a composition of the songs. Right? Britney is a name, and her name sells. I heard someone say that there. I believe it's true too. Reguardless if this album is good or bad it will sell either way. Everyone who made this record or promotes it will make money. It's a win, win situation. It's a shame that this happens in a world where real artists have to work for what they get and appreciate it. I do like the business for the most part though. Good with the bad. -1.0 I love them both. But this collaboration is an example of why 10 brilliantly talented musicians in a room, without a coherent vision for the album, doth not a good album make.The band is basically a jug band. They play with a loose "boys from the hills" flavor." They play great, but the songs simply don't go together. You've got hints of bluegrass, hints of Led Zeppelin, hints of Tommy James and The Shondells, Buddy Holly, ... in fact, there are hints of a lot of influences in there.But this makes the collection come off sounding too much like a random bunch of nothing. The recording quality is the pits. The bass and the kick drum are way too heavy in the mix, to the point that they cloud up everything. Krauss (on all the other albums I have of hers) is usually close-miked with a beautiful Neumann capsule unit that gives her the beautiful sound of expensive crystal and fresh air. Here, she is simply reduced to midrange mud.Robert Plant sounds like his heart really isn't in ANY of these songs. He sounds like he's "happily going along because he's got nothing better to do" when he harmonizes. When he is the lead, he sounds like he'd rather be singing something else. Great voice, expert mechanical skill, but no soul.Krauss's previous effort included one duet with John Waite (a remake of his "Missing You"). That song was radically different from everything else on that album, but it was only one song. It's okay to have an "out there" track in the mix, and it was beautifully done. But this album is just one random redirection after another. And none of them are very good songs. One wonders where they even came up with this lackluster set list.If you were waiting for an explosion from the fusion of the great Led Zeppelin singer and the greatest female vocalist on the planet, you'll be disappointed.It's amazing. They sing great. The band plays great. The album stinks. -1.0 Die hard fans of the Beathes will be the ones interested on this movie. But most Beatles fans never find out anything wrong with their work. Well, if we are honest, we will notice that Lennon's music sometimes sucks (Revolution #9) and that most of their records are not perfect (come on, you hate those experiments by George with Indian music).
In other words, when the Beatles are good, they are excellent (95% of the time), but when they are bad, it is ugly (5%).
I think Help!' falls in the five percent. The movie is about cult members and scientists trying to get a ring out of Ringo's finger. You think this will go for about 10 minutes, but too late you find out that's all what the movie is about.
I give three stars to the movie only because of the music. However, the songs are pushed within the film, as they are not related to the plot. At one moment, they are playing with snow while singing Ticket to Ride. This comes out of nowhere.
Anyway, the movie is not good, but it is an opportunity to see the Beatles, together, and in witty behavior. Now, that is something that a fan will appreciate, even in a stupid movie as this one. -1.0 As a huge Springsteen fan, I've been very excited to hear "Magic", especially considering the great advance buzz the CD has received in the press. Reviews have called it a return to the glory days, and I've heard several comparisons to "The River".Sorry, but not even close. Anyone comparing this to "The River" needs to go back and re-listen to tracks like "The Ties That Bind", "Jackson Cage", and "Two Hearts". Those were propulsive rock tracks that swept up the listener in the amazing energy of Bruce and the band . Sadly, there's nothing on this new CD that lives up to those tracks. "Long Walk Home" probably comes the closest. It's a moving and slowly-building anthem with a memorable chorus and some lovely lyrics (it reminds me a little of "Land and Hope and Dreams", although lyrically LOHAD is a much better song). The rest of the songs are mainly mediocre pop songs that could be outtakes from "Human Touch". I think he's going for a sort of Beach-Boys-meets-the-Jersey-Shore sound that doesn't really work in my opinion. A song like "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" definitely has a "Pet Sounds" feel to it. And while it's a catchy pop song, it's certainly no great addition to the Springsteen catalog.I am still glad to see this new release, as anything that gets Bruce and the band back out on tour is ok by me. But I would not call "Magic" a triumph or a return to the rockin glory days of the E Street Band. Bruce is older, and mellower, and perhaps the band is too. -1.0 I'm pretty surprised by the amount of support and kudos that were given to this album. Is it safe to assume that most were written by hard-core Britney fans? A while ago I received a copy of this album. Obviously I was curious to see what the quality of the album would be like, esp. with the drama surrounding her personal life. It doesn't seem like a person in such a distressed mental state could possibly produce a decent album. Well, my instincts proved correct, I feel this album is a complete pile. This album is SO heavily produced, even more so than her previous albums. Britney's vocals are basically non-existent. We all know that she doesn't have singing abilities but at least on previous efforts, she had ballads to showcase her "vocal abilities". On Blackout, her voice is completely synthesized on practically every track. It reminds of me of Zapp and Roger songs from back in the day. Her lyrics are lame and very elementary. "I'm Miss Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"? As I continued to listen to the album, I felt is was such poor quality that I found myself tuning out and ignoring it all together. The songs all had similar tunes and seemed to have the same style. It's as if you're listening to the same song over and over. In all honesty, I'm not a big Britney fan. However, I've admittedly enjoyed some of her songs and feel that my opinion isn't biased. If Britney had taken this album a little more seriously, it could have been a big comeback for her. Instead, it leaves little to be desired and re-iterates her sagging reputation as a train wreck. It may debut at #1 but it'll hardly reach the same success she's accustomed to. -1.0 I downloaded this album within the first hour it became available-- that's how much I had been looking forward to this. I couldn't wait for it to come out. I have been a fan of Robert Plant since grade school and a fan of Alison Krauss for the past several years. When I first heard of this collaborative effort, I was very excited. That said, this album just isn't groundbreaking and isn't innovative and isn't as remarkable as it truly could have been. It misses the mark. It's good and it is enjoyable, but it isn't wonderful.The first couple of times I listened, I was busy doing other things and I was left with the impression that it was an Alison Krauss record in which Robert Plant sung back-up. That's how un-new it is. Obviously, I felt obliged to listen again, and I realized that Plant did more on here than I originally thought, but, still-- this is all Alison Krauss' STYLE. Robert Plant is doing country and Americana music and much of his music from Led Zeppelin through his solo efforts have integrated much of this before. He's bringing nothing new to this table. And, when he tries to bring his authentic Plant vocalizations-- improvising a bit at the end of a couple of songs, it just doesn't work too well. His voice is as strong as it ever was, but when he does that Zeppelin-esque improvisation, it seems to be sorely out of place. Additionally, the strong Plant stuff here is very reminiscent of the Honeydrippers. Robert Plant sounds great on every song here (save for aforementioned Zeppelin-esque vocalizations that would have sounded wonderful elsewhere) as does Krauss. However, Krauss is doing her thing here. . . this is her element. I don't hear anything NEW here, that she hasn't done before-- you won't find her "rocking" here and you won't find anything as perfect as _Battle of Evermore_-- which would have been great with Alison Krauss singing along-- imagine her doing Sandy Denny's part!That's actually what I was hoping from this album. I was hoping we'd see some unbelievable duets here. Something like Battle of Evermore. And, it could have been that good, but it's just not. Their straight duets are Alison Krauss with Robert Plant singing harmony/backup. On those songs, one wouldn't even KNOW it's Robert Plant. . . his participation doesn't shine through. They're GOOD songs, but they are definitely songs that cause Krauss to shine, not Plant.On Plant's efforts where he sings lead or solo, I don't even really hear Krauss at all. His songs are good, too, but they are not phenomenal. On a side note, here's one more thing that bothered me (not too much, just a little). Some of these songs are written from a man's point of view and Alison sings lead. I always find that a bit disconcerting. Why can't she change the lyric to "her" instead of "him" or "he" instead of "she"? It's not that big a deal, and it's definitely more common to hear this in country artists, but I wonder what the motivation is when one makes that choice?I wanted to add this: I also purchased Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris' CD, All the Roadrunning, when that first came out. And, although many of you might absolutely LOVE Emmylou Harris, I never did. I never really liked her voice. I have heard people singing her praises for years and years, but I never liked it as much as the other folk singers of her generation. However, that's a wonderful CD! The collaborative efforts of Knopfler and Harris ARE what this CD should have been. That CD IS much more innovative than this CD. I have always loved Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler's solo work, but I have LOVED Robert Plant's voice and style sine the fifth grade! I think Alison Krauss' voice is gorgeous and much better than Emmylou Harris' voice which grates on me after a while. That said, Raising Sand misses the mark and Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris' CD hits it. -1.0 Let's face it, Bruce made his millions and now he's trying to shake off his rich man's guilt by jumping on the mindless, antiwar bandwagon that is so popular with effete hollywood snobs. The dishonesty in his music is now palpable. Don't waste your money on this bore. -1.0 I've played REVIVAL a half dozen times hoping it would finally click, but it just lays there for some reason, and one thing that really bothered me was the drummer seemed to have trouble with Fogerty's simple grooves. Also, it really hurts me to say that the songs simply aren't that good, and not up to the level of CCR, or even Centerfield. I'm also hearing one musical cliché after another, and yet most people will probably like the album for that very reason. There's nothing like that ol' familiar blanket right? I, on the other hand, like my favorite artists to look forward musically and not fall into the nostalgia trap and become a parody of themselves. There are a couple songs that would be worthy on Mardi Gras, but that's not saying a lot. Maybe I just don't connect with Fogerty and the swamp rock image anymore. Finally, the sound quality isn't as good as it could have been, thanks again to over compression. It's a far cry from that analog warmth of those old CCR records. By the way, the final track "Longshot," sounded a lot like ELO's Ma-Ma-Ma Belle. -1.0 While the album is overall a quality buy, I admit that the Foo Fighters have created better work. I loved their last cd and this one doesn't quite meet my standards. Still considered a buy. -1.0 If you like this CD, it will have nothing to do with Britney. The producers, musicians etc. made cool songs. But Britney's "singing" is so painful that it just ruins them. C'mon, she just cannot sing! The way they try to alter her voice is just a joke . . .if her voice needs that much alteration, why is she even in the studio? Tedious and annoying. Anyone saying they love it is nuts. -1.0 After a few months of waiting, I've finally got a copy of John's new CD, Revival. I was shocked when I heard about this album coming out, not having to wait almost 10 years again.While I don't really think this album is quite as good as most people are saying, there are some songs on it that I really enjoy. Songs like "Gunslinger", "Don't You Wish It Was True", and "Summer Of Love" will definitely be considered some of my favorite Fogerty songs. "Creedence Song" was good, even though it's just another remake of "Green River"; I like it a little more than "Wicked Old Witch" from Deja Vu.The only songs I didn't like much were "Broken Down Cowboy" and "River Is Waiting". Not because they are slower songs, but because they just don't go anywhere. "River Is Waiting" is more like nice background music.So in the end, I don't think that this is John's best album since his Creedence days (I still think that Blue Moon Swamp and Centerfield were better albums), but it is still much better than Eye Of The Zombie and his 1975 self-titled album. -1.0 Production is HORRIBLE. EVERYTHING is mixed up front. Every song sounds like a jet taking off. All sounds mashed together into a loud dull roar. -1.0 Being a fan of Led Zeppelin, I was disappointed that this album does not show off some of the powerhouse voice of Robert Plant. However, this is a nice easy to listen to CD, so I don't think I've wasted my money. I would have loved to hear more of the power of the voices involved, but the Plant and Krauss' voices do blend well, and the songs are pleasant to listen to. I don't feel any of the individual tracks really jumps out and says "this is great", however. -1.0 I have liked past Kid Rock stuff. I think he laid a goose egg with this.The only reason I gave it 3 stars is he is good but this cd is not.If you like it happy for you but he can do much better get over Pam already please then go crank something out. -1.0 During it's pre release I heard a few songs on XM radio and thought I'd give it a full listen, so I bought the CD. Since that day I've only played a few cuts from it. Robert Plant's voice is still amazing considering his age. Alison Krauss has the sweetest voice in her genre, and together they do compliment each other. BUT, at times it does get a bit "twangy" and "nasal" for my taste. There are a few cuts where it sounds like they did their own thing rather than a collaboration. Overall I'm not very happy with this CD because, like so many other CDs I own, I only end up listening to one or two tracks and skipping the rest. -1.0 I love Annie Lennox. I have been a fan of her music since her days with The Eurythmics. I also love her work as a solo artist...until now. I have been looking forward to hearing her new album SONGS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. I heard samples of her new album in the store and liked what I heard. Unfortunately when I listened to the album in its entirety I was left unimpressed. Personally I think Annie's strength lies in her ballads like "Dark Road", "Lost", and "Coloured Bedspread". Her soulful voice gives those songs an emotional depth without verging on the treacly territory of Celine Dion. Her uptempo tempo songs like "Womankind" and worse yet "Sing" are dreadful, especially "Sing". I didn't like the melodies or Annie's vocals which tended to be loud and bombastic. My personal favorite song on the entire cd is the lovely "Coloured Bedspread". It is a beautiful ballad. Too bad I can't say the same for most of the album. SONGS OF MASS DESTRUCTION was a big letdown for me. -1.0 Let me start by saying that I have Josh Groban's other CDs and I like them a lot. So maybe my expectations were unrealistically high when I purchased "Noel" but it is a complete disappointment to me. I don't like any of the arrangements and his singing doesn't get showcased as it does on his other CDs.I'd recommend you listen to it before you buy. -1.0 I'm surprised at the good reviews that this album has received. This sounds more like Eddie & The Cruisers than Bruce Springsteen. Several of the songs sound as if they came from an Eddie Money album of the late 70's.Springsteen has put out a pop album, not a rock album. I heard that when the disco-based Rolling Stones album 'Some Girls' came out, several Stones purists grabbed it off the turntable and smashed it against the wall. I get the same feeling listening to this. Unfortunately, I can't get the indestructable CD to smash against the wall.It's overproduced and almost unlistenable. It has violins. Violins on a Springsteen album!!!!!Plus, Springsteen repeats several choruses over and over and over and over. I think he repeats "Your own worst enemy" about thirty-five time during the song. It's boring, annoying, and repetitive.Yes, some of the songs are catchy, such as "Radio Nowhere", but they sound more bubble-gum than rock. Leave this pop music to Tiffany and Brittany Spears.I am a fan of Springsteen's "River" era, along with 'Nebraska' and even "Tunnel of Love", and I enjoyed his "Born in the USA" period, but this new album just doesn't do it for me. I wish it did. -1.0 I should say that if you like Bruce, you will like this album. To me this is not a great album, just OK. Mostly, I can't get over the terrible mix. It is muddy, almost noisy and sounds and feels pieced together. I can't believe a record with his budget was released this way. Maybe it's all they had to work with. As a band, Bruce and the E-Street Band have never sounded tight to me, but that was part of their allure; gritty music. This record is just too gritty. Listen in headphones and you'll hear it what I'm talking about. -1.0 The first of the Beatles colour cinematic outings, Help actually is quite funny.
Co-starring the late great Leo McKern (better know outside the USA), the Beatles are pursued by a religious sect after a sacred ring which just happens to be on 'you-know-who's' finger.
I'm surprised though that this is so expensive!
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Bruce is pushing 60 and he still writes better songs than anybody else these days. That is as much a compliment to Bruce as it is a major rip on today's music. This album is good but I agree with many about the mediocre sound of this album - if you have a nice system you will hear how bad the sound is immediately. No excuses and it cost him a few stars. Plus, the ESB has always been more attitude than talent - they need better mixing than this. Mostly good songs here, with great lyrics. Bruce is always good for a few cheesy tunes and doesnt disappoint with the likes of Summer Clothes -he was going for Brian Wilson but gave us Mike Love instead. Bermuda, Bahamas....
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If you're a Beatles fan and also if you aren't, you should buy Help! because it shows you once more how big were those four youngsters from Liverpool.
If you've seen you, you might say something like since when these musicians became actors?, and you may right, but it still shouldn't change the fact that this movie is a good one, but different from A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, for example. If you haven't seen this one and already saw A HARD DAY'S NIGHT or THE FIRST U.S VISIT, you may be dissapointed after you'll see this one. However, I reccomend you to take this one. You may regret, but not for long.
-1.0
Alright. Well. This COULD be a great record. The song writing is great and as usual, whenever the E Street Band is there, Magic happens. Every song on the album is going to sound AMAZING live, but on the record... not so much. With the exception of the last 2 songs, the entire album is way over-produced. You can hear the melody, but it is impossible to hear what the heck is going on. The instruments are smushed together, so to speak. And what happened to that great drum production they had on the Rising? GONE. They sound like they are being played a mile away. Do I recommend buying this? Sure. But don't expect yourself to listen to it too much or for it to have any re-play value. It is a record you listen to every day for a week and then put it away and take it out every couple of months (the production is really annoying). If this thing was re-produced, or in my view, re-mastered, it would be one of Bruce's best albums.
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The album is better from tracks 8-11 with noteworthy mention of "Last to Die" and "Long Walk Home", but the rest of the album sounds computer generated; overly repititioons and with melodies that high school bands could have probably come up with. Most of these songs are below Springsteen's typical capability (with the exception of the Rising) and if it wasn't for the E-street band and clever mixing it would sound even worse than it does. With the additional releases this year and last of a live, remasted and a cover album, perhaps Springsteen and the recording label are really only looking to generate income even if at the expense of musical talent. Perhaps one reason for the outstanding reviews is that Springsteen is becoming ever more alone in his 80's style rock phenomenon with little in comparison.
-1.0
As usual Fogerty cannot desist from ramming his far left political sloganising and cliches down the throats of his record buying public. Bush Derangment Syndrome ruins this decidedly bitty offering. The first five songs are good/even very good but then the horribly discordant middle of the cd is ruined by typically simpleton and simplistic Bush hate so beloved of so many smug rock n roll lefties who are mostly UNDENIABLY dullards when it comes to the more demanding big picture matters involved in post 9/11 geo-politics. I saw Fogerty a while back in Atlanta on the double header tour with J Melloncrap, at least Fogerty refrained from the usual political diatribe and he was quite superb (unlike the other John from IN) that steamy summer night in Dixie. His upcoming December concert in Cobb County GA will hopefully be just as good - much longer and free of any leftist political ranting. It will be mildly amusing to watch how many lefties robotically slam my review because I choose to exercise **my free speech rights** to make the point about Fogerty's politics, just as a number of them express their satisfaction with Fogerty's obtuse Bush hate. Just stick to the music John and everyone wins. About half this album is top notch and half of it is filler/political drivel. Why can't someone tell lefties that screeching about Bush and 'terrorist detainees' etc on a cd is NOT either original or a great musical choice. A wee bit more of his inimitable swamp rock and the cd would have been much better. Fogerty has more than earned the right over a couple of generations now to be considered as one of America's finest rock n roll songwriters/performers. Why can't he just settle for that??
-1.0
It's hard to get thru many of these tracks once, let alone a second time. What little talent Bruce had is long gone. This CD should have come with free ear plugs and a BC powder.
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A total studio creation. Where's the real talent? I find it hillarious when some people say that this is the album of the year, LOL! It's so funny. I don't hate Britney, she's a human being and she has made many, many, many mistakes, but no one is perfect, but trying to pass her as a real musical artist is simply hillarious! Everything here sounds so computerized, it's so fake. Ask her to sing LIVE in front of a microphone ACCAPELLA and lets see if she can sing. I doubt it very much. This album is what it is, total make-believe!
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Not up to the book, but tries valiantly to capture the realtionship between the 2 witches ( pre Dorothy). Works 80% of the time, a little less music and a little more character and plot development would have helped. Still, some fine tunes, dazzling effects and powerhouse performances by Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenowith. While I didn't leave the theater feeling elated, I wasn't disappointed either. Not a great musical, but pleasant!
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...they were not trying to do a good act in the film, but they were trying to be a bad actor because they were not prefering the oscar prize.
only for beatles fans, if u like them! the songs are okay but the acting is terrible and dumb!...
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A hint for those who love classic storytelling: Any time you see a synopsis starting "In this Postmodern, Feminist retelling of...", run for the hills. I saw the musical Wicked at LA's Pantages theater with my family. While my girls (ages 11 and 13) thought it was OK, and I loved the Victorian sci-fi settings, costumes and such, the story about how the Wicked Witch of the West was really just a brilliant, misunderstood animal rights activist persecuted by the Evil George W. Bu... er, Wizard of Oz, who is using her imaginary "terror" as a pretext for turning Oz into a police state, had me grinding my teeth throughout. That said, the performances were generally great or at least good (except for the guy who played Fiyero, who couldn't carry a tune), in some cases superior to those on the official cast CD. My girls have had the CD in the car stereo on and off for the last few days, prompting this review. As a general observation, the music and lyrics are sub-par for a hit musical, with very few memorable melodies or lyrical turns of phrase. Virtually every number has a long, meandering preamble that morphs into the "song" in precisely the same way. The standouts for me were "Popular," a cute take on High School-College social climbing that has a nice, syncopated feel, and "I'm Not That Girl," a beautifully restrained and meloncholy meditation on life and love. "Defying Gravity," the big set-piece number, has a soaring chorus, but I defy anyone to hum, or even identify the verse melody. The rest of the tunes have a Broadway by-the-numbers feel that leaves me cold.
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Obviously, Carrie listened to all of the Nashville critics, and actually made a straightforward Country album. As many of you are well aware, Nashville didn't throughly embrace Carrie as a Country artist, since her debut album was more of a Pop Album with Country undertones. However, she made a bold move, and dropped the Pop sound entirely, and went ahead and made a Country CD..... and it doesn't work, for a number of reasons.This album sounds forced from beginning to end. There's none of that free flowing, goosebump giving kind of music that the first album offered. I listened to this entire CD 3 different times, and realized, there's really not a good song on the entire CD. "Last Name" would have to be the best song, if there is one. "All American Girl" sounds forced, and I'm not buying it. This was an enormous letdown, and I'm completely baffled by the many positive reviews this album received on here. It's simply NOT a good CD, at all. Carrie's still adorably beautiful though. :)
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Being a Robert Plant fan, I try to give a listen to everything he does. I pre-ordered this CD on the basis of the preview clips here at Amazon, which (at the time) struck me as beautiful and creative.Well, somewhere between my listening to the clips and my 3 times listen-through of this CD something got lost.The vocals are great, their voices very compatible. But other than that...Turgid. Tempos so slow (in the main) as to be irritating. Murky, bloated-bass recording, banal accompaniment. The whole thing makes me squirm with impatience, and the few examples of heavenly harmony aren't enough to compensate.I wasted my money here. T Bone has done such good things in the past, both personally and as a producer, as have Plant and Krauss, of course.But this surely ain't it.
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Much more deliberate studio recording. Lacks the wild, free structure of the old days of E Street. Still a great album with great writing. Springsteen fans should purchase without reservation.
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I don't know the cause of the problem, but I was not able to play this CD on my Windows Vista laptop. I tried using Windows Media Player and Itunes, and neither worked. Each time the laptop's software could not play the audio out loud and the length of the tracks appeared as 789 minutes. I am guessing there is a copy protection issue, but this malicous software (alledged) not only kept me from being able to play it, but it destroyed 72 other tracks that I had legal rights to own (having purchased the CD or having purchased the track on the Itunes store). I was able to play it in my car, and while the music was excellent in quality, every song was terribly depressing.
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The sound quality of this recording is so bad I can't listen to it. What's the point of pouring all that effort and talent into the making of a new album if the end result sounds like a wall of mud? Very disappointing.
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Sorry Bruce fans and casual listeners, but this album is nowhere near his best. None of the songs have the fresh punch from Born to Run, Darkness, or River nor the interesting feels of Nebraska, Rising, or Seeger Sessions. The songs and arrangements are formulaic. I won't comment on the production quality which has already been solidly criticized, The only song I find 1/2 interesting is "Girls in their summer clothes." Many of the sax solos feel forced, like someone was thinking "I need to get a Clarence solo in here someplace." In a nutshell what's missing is the fun Jersey shore party sounds aka 10th Ave Freezeout, Sherry Darling, Hungry Heart and the deeper tunes like Darkness, River, Independence Day and the Price you Pay.
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I bought this CD in order to familiarize myself with the music before going to the concert. I'm a bit disappointed in some of the songs. I absolutely loved all of the songs on "The Rising". The first 3 or 4 songs on this new CD are fine, but the rest of them sound very similar to each other and are quite dark and almost depressing. It leaves me wanting to hear something more uplifting. Also I find a lot of the songs on this album formulaic in that they all follow the same format of number of verses and choruses and repetition, repetition, repetition.
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When "Help!" made its video debut in 1987, several critics overrated the film after its long absence from television and revival houses. Nostalgic memories can be deceiving. Despite the influential visual style and offbeat humor, this 1965 Beatles romp lacks the charm and spontaneity of "A Hard Day's Night." The paper-thin plot (a religious cult pursues Ringo for wearing a red-jeweled sacrificial ring) is no better than the typical Elvis musical. Strangely enough, director Richard Lester does not allow John, Paul, George and Ringo to dominate the proceedings -- instead, they share screen time with a fine array of British character actors (notably Leo McKern, Victor Spinetti, Roy Kinnear and Patrick Cargill). Lester's cinematic frenticism, though amusing at first, eventually grows tiresome without a decent storyline. Nevertheless, the Fab Four's memorable numbers -- "You're Going to Lose That Girl," "I Need You," "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" and the classic "Ticket to Ride" -- remain historic music-video prototypes. Special praise also should be given to David Watkin's Eastmancolor cinematography. Compared to the overall brilliance of "A Hard Day's Night," the big-budget "Help!" survives as an erratic farce punctuated by magical Beatle moments.
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I'm a die-hard Alison fan. Indeed, i literally worship everything she and Union Station have done since day one. Really, I have loved her since back in the day of Hee Haw and the Cox Family and going forward. I love her so much. Plus, I grew up in the rock and roll of Led Zep. What an anticipation of this pairing! My gosh, the best of bluegrass and the best of rock. Never have I pre-ordered a CD until now with such anticipation of an amazing amalgam.But, I'm so sorry to say that this tanks. There's no bluegrass. There's no rock & roll. They sort of stab at a little country sound but what we have here are a few hacknyed rockabilly tunes which, frankly, sound like they belong in an old Elvis movie score. I kept thinking "Girl Happy". Not that there's anything wrong with that but gee whiz, the King did that 40 years ago and better. The other tunes are Russian gypsy strumming stuff that frankly puts me to sleepers.I wish they had kicked it up a notch or 100. God bless you both for trying (and the harmonies hold such promise!) but I think you need to stick to your genres.
-1.0
"It's Britney, bitch."Halloween night here at Twin Oaks and no one is especially psyched about, or even aware of, the new Britney Spears effort - except me. Britney, I think, is a fine disturbing idol for any aspiring transsexual; artificial, inscrutable and bold. "Miss bad media karma, another day, another drama."So how's the comeback of the century come out? Not too shabby for a millennium Janis!"Piece of Me" is delinquent technogrunge, "Radar" is militant bling and "Freakshow" is headrush pottymouth. Love that shrill, stripped down android sound! Forget the hit single thang, though, it's just a shrinkwrapped Madonna demo. (#1? Tha customer is always right, I suppose. "Hot As Ice," boom boom, is another corporate contender.) Lotsa goodies throughout: "Heaven On Earth" and "Break The Ice" are dope, "Get Naked" is a sleazy hoot and "Toy Soldier" is demonic insane. Kool noise! Kinda runs outta steam towards the finish line, though. Alotta of the pirate tracks didn't make the cut; where's "Love Is A State Of Grace"? Ooops! Britney didn't even get her website up running for this release! And, hey, I was dreaming of a Sinead O'Conner "hairdo" shot in the liner notes. No disrespectful covers, boo hoo; I'd love to hear Britney demolish "Rapture"! Or duet with Alice Cooper!On the other hand, my copy sports a sample of Britney's new fragrance, BELIEVE - and it's better than the Cher tune! That said, BLACKOUT is more exciting than Annie Lennox's freezedried latest - eternal trash, transmogrified boogie, toxic disco, tickertape, nitrous oxide.I turned tricks for this CD - and loved every minute of it. Let's Charleston one more time!
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I have been to several bruce springteen shows and i own most of his catalogue. so, i don't think i am a novice to the boss. this album has some bright moments. but, 58 year old bruce is just a bit too distracted with his concerns for the iraq war and his disdain of the bush adminstration to get a really great album off the ground. the lyrics on a couple of songs are very good ( last to die ). on other songs, ( i'll work for your love ) the words are forced. I watched a few of bruce's live videos on his website from his current tour. he seems to be resting on his laurels while the e-street band sleeps. i am from atlanta where he recorded this album and the rising. basically, bruce sits locked up with his producer brendan o, on the horth side of town. these two make all the music and cut the tracks and then take the work back for the street band to lay on the finishing touches. so, the last two albums ought to be titled " bruce and brendan in duet." i think you can see the e street band sleep walking through another " statement " album. thank goodness the e street band can play. i think they took a bunch of mediocre bruce and brendan songs and made them above average. now, i know i am going against the grain, here by saying the king has no clothes. but, the boss needs to give up on using his high school diploma to write editorials into his music and go back to rocking the house. or, maybe this is what comes of a rocker pushing 60.
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Motley Crue are and will always be the rock genius's God is God kid rock should not have called his album that. White Trash
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After hearing the first few leaked tracks on the Internet (including the unintentially funny Oompa-Loompa beat of "Hot as Ice") and seeing her MTV Video Music Awards disasterpiece, this record looked like it was going to be a dud. Surprisingly (or not so surprising, according to her fans), "Blackout" is something of a minor dancefloor classic-in-the-making."Gimme More" is possibly the second best song of Ms. Spears's career, behind "Toxic." "Piece of Me," "Freakshow," and "Toy Soldier" offer equal bubblegum pleasures. There are several missteps, however, especially when the tempo lets up. Still, Ms. Spears's producers deserve mucho credit for wringing this album out of the troubled starlet.
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I love the music but because the sound quality is so bad I will never listen to again. I thought that Rush's Snakes & Arrows was the worst sounding cd of 2007 but it has been surpassed by this recording. In a time when people are buying fewer and fewer CD's, I think the artist and the record company owes it to us, the buyers of the WHOLE cd, not just the GOOD tracks, to have the good sense to make them sound as good as they can. If you not sure of my golden ears, just listen back to back two cds that were release on the same day, Bruce Springsteen Magic and John Fogerty Revival. If you want to know what a cd should sound like buy the John Fogerty cd!
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After waiting years for this group to get it together, this endeavor was a huge disappointment. I purchased it because of my love for their first CD. They really have let their fans down. Come on guys, can't you write some new songs, especially since your fans waited for years?
-1.0
This new album is just bad. Bruce ought to stick to the bizarre folk stuff he was playing. Sadly, this album proves that he's too old to rock and roll any more.
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As always I have very high expectations of Annie Lennox having one of the greatest voices in the field - so I am sad to say that this album is altogether another disappointment. The song material is rather dull ! It is like a beautifully executed movie with a poor story. To paraphrase Groucho Marx: I have heard great CD's - but this isn't one of them !
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The first single I got my parents to buy for me when I was a child was "Green River" and the very first vinyl record I ever bought was "Creedence Gold", so you could say that I've been a fan of CCR and John Fogerty for a long time. I wish this really was a "revival" of the old CCR days (of course, I don't know for sure if that's what the title is alluding to). I pre-ordered this CD because I wanted to believe it would be that way, but it just isn't.I'm happy that John is still making music, and I hope he keeps at it until he drops. He's still got the energy and the voice, but in order to be objective I had to distance myself from my history of loving CCR and Fogerty's music, and just write about what I heard. Here goes.Don't You Wish is Was True -- Seems strangely appropriate that the first song on this new John Fogerty CD on the Fantasy label should be a fantasy itself. Catchy and fun, but is it a precursor to the reat of the CD? I wish it was true.Gunslinger - an energetic if not too memorable song about how the world is going to hell. Yup, maybe we could use a few gunslingers. At least John leaves it to the listener's imagination as to who exactly is to blame for all this chaos.Creedence song - A Blue Moon Swamp sounding song about Creedence songs. Funny! And he's right too! Can't miss with that Creedence song!Broken Down Cowboy - A sad and mellow ballad about that actually works very well. Mothers, don't let your daughters grow up to marry broken down cowboys.River is Waiting -- A beautiful gospelesque tune with female backup vocalists. I wish John would do more stuff like this.Long Dark Night -- Oh no!! George Bush is hiding in the jungle waiting to take my children and send them to war! (Did the draft get reinstated while I wasn't looking?) This is Bush Drangement Syndrom set to music. Will I make it through the Long Dark Night (that would be one more year more-or-less)? Better run through the jungle! Wait, that's where Goerge is! What will I do?!Summer of Love -- A high energy rocker with a power chords and some heavy guitar leads. Jimi Hendrix meets Susie Q. Natural Thing -- This song sounds like rehash of Hot Rod Heart from Blue Moon Swamp, and it deals with some stuff about men that ain't gonna change any time soon. They're natural things. An echo of the old CCR song Bootleg.It Ain't Right -- A very Creedence sounding rocker about narcissistic pop-tarts who are always in and out of rehab. There's certainly been enough of those in the news lately. I wish this idea had been developed more.I Can't Take it no More -- More Bush derangement syndrome set to music, and even more frenetic music than Long Dark Night. This epic two-chord anti Bush frenzy clocks in at one minute and thirty nine seconds. One thing that I can't take any more is baby boomer era rockers trying to exploit the Iraq war. If the war is so bad, why aren't the protest songs better? Isn't this is the guy who wrote "Fortunate Son", the greatest protest song ever?Somebody Help Me -- A plodding blues rocker about a man searchin' the world tryin' to find his baby who left him. Long Shot -- Yeah!! Straight ahead rock 'n roll without the signature Fogerty guitar twang but with that great voice in top form. A great one to end this uneven CD with. So, the best word I can use to describe this CD is "uneven". And sadly, I don't hear anything that I would predict will be a classic twenty or thirty years from now, when they'll still be playin' those Creedence songs.
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I bought all of my friends copies of "Bare" when it was released. It's very rare an album moves me like that one did. I was so psyched when I found out that she was releasing "Songs of Mass Destruction". I pre-ordered it. I have to say I like it, but don't love it. It's a great album to put on when you are in break up mode!
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y'know, there have been alot of "highly anticipated" releases by great artists lately and almost all of them have been mediocre.I have been a Springsteen fan since the beginning and the best thing I can say about this album is that it's ok to listen to if you're doing something else(unless you fall asleep) thanks dennis
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The one thing I like about this is the way they've packaged a new EP with the greatest hits. It's much better than most bands who record a couple of new songs and throw them on the same disc with the greatest hits just to get old fans to buy it. Usually those songs aren't up to par and ruin the rest of the album. Take REM's In Time compilation, for example. The problem I have with this is that matchbox twenty have only released 3 albums, the last of which was short and somewhat uninspired compared to their first two. If they're calling it quits, they should offer their fans a "Best Of" album with a few more than just 11 songs. Personally, I've liked some of their album tracks better than their singles. However, if they're planning to stay together they should've just released the EP and waited for a greatest hits album. Even bands like Korn and Oasis waited until they'd released 5-6 albums before putting out greatest hits. You can get $5 compilations at Wal-Mart with more songs than this. The only reason I'd recommend buying this would be if you don't have their previous albums and don't really care about anything other than singles. Personally, I think it's just a cry for attention from a band that's obviously more interested in its side projects.
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I used to have a rule I lived by before any CD was purchased, I had to have heard and liked at least two songs before I would plunk down my money. Wish I had used that critera before buying this CD. I'll get my biggest gripe out of the way first: whoever told her to cover I Told You So, should be fired. Its always risky covering a classic, but you can do it if, a) you make it your own, b) it makes your voice shine. This song-singer combination did neither. The rest of the songs weren't bad, as such, but neither were they good. It was like listening to songs that had copied other songs but weren't nearly as good--the first that comes to mind is, "Last Name", which wasn't as funny as or enjoyable to listen to as "I don't even know her name" by Alan Jackson. Basically, the CD isn't bad, but its not one I want to own (I have already given away the one I bought).
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I cannot believe the new HELP! DVD issue only has a stereo and a DTS 5.1 mix. WHERE'S THE DOLBY DIGITAL????? More people have DD capability than DTS!!! They could have included BOTH!!! What gives? Some kind of licensing issue? The movie is beautiful of course and yes, the stereo mix sounds wonderful, but I was looking forward to listening to the new 5.1 mixes and now after spending almost $100 I can't!!!!!! Now I have to go and find a bootleg CD to hear them. VERY DISAPPOINTED!
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First, let me say I'm a huge fan of both of them. I have all their CDs, seen Alison 7 times, Robert w/ & w/o the Zep 8 times. When I heard about this CD back in the summer I was astonished & excited about the pairing.Well, it's hear & boy, what a letdown. Sure the voices are still great, but the material is mostly slow & drags down the whole lp. Gone, Gone, Gone is the one outstanding track. It has energy, rhythm, great duet singing. There are a few other ok tracks, but the bulk of the slow songs drag those down too.I'm wondering if in the hands of someone like Lindsey Buckingham who's commercial yet quirky, a more enjoyable lp could be made.This reminds me of the Page-Plant lp, Walking into Clarksdale where the pairing looks great on paper but when the actual lp was issued, it was a slow & dull record, not one for repeated listening.I hope Alison & Robert make another record, but next time please more energy & fun.
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A nice voice, but it's so predictable. After teasing his fans with stretching his creative juices, he falls back on the predictable David Foster-safe arrangements.
-1.0
As the winner of the television show "Britain's Got Talent", Paul Potts was a revelation. A cell phone saleman with a shyness factor as high as the sky, he was the least likely to be noticed until he opened his mouth. His voice is clear and crisp and the emotion he feels while singing is genuine and comes through effortlessly. This recording does him justice in not being overproduced where his voice can shine in all its glory. Granted, he's no Pavarotti, (but where's the need - we already had one), however he does indeed have talent and his rags to riches story makes it all the more compelling.
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...AGING BABY BOOMER PRODUCES A PRODUCT OF IMMENSE IRRELEVENCE. Dark days, Bruce!? Indeed they are if your worldly opinions are formed by listening to this boomer nonsense... Oh well another few more years and we will be rid of them all.
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One of my movie faves growing up was always Help! I was very disappointed that the 5.1 surround mix was only available for DTS and not Dolby 5.1 (just like Queens' Night At The Opera!!) I must say that the 2-track musical content sounded very fresh and remixed, but I wish the ads had mentioned DTS SURROUND ONLY - I might not have spent top dollar and pre-ordered. After the brilliant Dolby surround mixes in The Beatles LOVE set, you can understand the frustration. The other letdown was the "missing scene." They only talk about it, show several stills and interview the leading lady of that scene (who didn't know she was cut from the film until she went to the premiere). The picture looks excellent, better than my Hong Kong DVD of Help!, purchased years ago, but that "import" had many extras that this set doesn't offer. Next time, get me good British plugs - it's up to you - the voters!
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tired clichés, predictable rhymes, uninspired lyrics, even more uninspired music. I don't whether I'd re-name "Magic" as "Don't know when to quit" or "Can't remember how to hit" -- I gave it one star because you can't go any lower; in any case it is a total waste of money!
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She sounds drunk or disoriented. Why are all these people saying she's back? This is horrible. I'd rather listen to my garbage man pick up trash. Awful.
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The two songs that make sense on this CD are Dark Road and Big Sky.The music video of Dark Road is worth the price of admission to this CD.The visuals work perfectly with the song. A top quality piece of work. The balance of the work is a bit too politically rooted.What is it with the plus fifty crowd of our species ? Especially the artists.They tend to grasp onto issues, important to them, and try to force feed the listening audiance.We all know about the Humanitarian Global Issues facing the world today. We are bombarded with causes from every medium, everyday.When we purchase an Annie Lennox CD ... give us the music, lyrics and melodies without the baggage.
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This is good hits package but has room for more songs on it. They should have put some of Rob Thomas solo hits on it as well. I can't stand it when artists leave room for more songs on albums.
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As someone who has every CD of hers and many Led Zepplen Albums/CD's I didn't know what to expect. Alison I hope that this is a one time diversion or you are committing career sucide with your long time fans. The two voices were good together but songs were so low key that I was depressed after listening to it. I did listen to it a second time just in case I was judging by first impression! I wasn't expecting any classics like Stairway to Heaven but I don't think there was a song in the bunch that really even comes close as a classic. Be warned if you are an AKUS fan, this is not your cup of tea! I hope that this is not a hint of the future with Alison Krauss. Sign me concerned.
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To show my taste, Darkness On The Edge Of Town, Born To Run, Born In The USA, The River... are my favorites..I am disappointed in this cd .I think the band needs to either downsize (as in not having 4 guitars drowning each other out), or take turns...I thought this was supposed to be a rocking album...not for me
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I do not hate Brittney Spears, I think she is picked on way too much. I gave the album 3 stars for sophisticated adult, not intended for children lyrics, but she sounds like a squirrel. I don't know what was done to make her voice so high pitched and fast, but I know its not her real voice. I'd love to see this cd re-released in her real voice.
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I just finished reading ( and writing ) a couple Nick Cave & Joy Division reviews here on amazon. I popped over to Britney because my six year old niece is a fan and we listened to a single on the Internet. I forget what it was called ( Gimme something maybe, but it wasn't shelter, which the poor girl seems to need ) but it had something to do with what I'd rather my angelic niece not ask about yet.What struck me is the difference of language use in the former bands' reviews and Britney's. And language, thought, inspiration really have nothing to do with this type of product. But it will sell. "Saw IV" is the #1 movie at the box office right now. "Control" will probably open and close stuck in limited release.That's America kids. This is product driven by corporations like Disney. Am I saying Britney Spear's is not thinking persons' music? Yes I am. Does it matter? Not to you if you buy this stuff. I can only hope you meet someone who exposes you to great music someday. It's never too late.
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What happened to O Holy Night? Also, would have like to have heard I'll be Home for Christmas uninterrupted. I'll know I'll be critiqued by all the Grobanites out there for saying anything negative about their beloved.
-1.0
Ladies! You can watch The Guiding Light or listen to these tunes. Take your pick! Bruce Inc.'s fulsome lack of irony, insight, and art is on display here as it has been for 30 years. Ancient, simple, tired cadences. Faux tough guy. Faux working class. He may be dumb--but knows how to screw his face into a sort-of scowl (maybe it was the bad veal). He created 2 good albums in the early 70s. Other than that... Do yourselves a favor and stick with Tom Jones.
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I am probably the only person who was totally disappointed in this album. There can be no arguement that Josh Groban has an incredible voice. But it certainly not suited for what he attempted. I honestly find only one cut that equalled his talent. Panus Angelicus was brilliant. The rest were woefully lacking. How is it that a man with such a heavenly voice could mangle so many Christmas carols? Why is it that he seemed incapable or unwilling to stick to the melody of the music. Most of these carols have been around for hundreds of years for a reason. They aren't broken so don't try to fix them.Oh well, I can always hope the next album will be back to the standards we have grown to expect from such a master.
-1.0
I smell a Grammy, but not because it's a good record. The combination of these two great artists together, plus the "Emperor's New Clothes" phenomenon, seems to be fooling people into thinking something great is going on here.Well, the first four songs, one after another, put me into a stupor. I woke up a bit around song 5 (Gone Gone Gone) and the second half of the album is more varied than the first. But overall, this is 21st century elevator music. I've been a big fan of Alison Krauss for 20 years. She has a phenomenal voice and can sing anything, as well as being a fantastic fiddle and viola player. On this record, both she and Plant sound wonderful individually and their voices blend beautifully. So what's the problem? This is very much a ballad album with a majority of the songs in the low-energy category, and taken as a whole, it's downright boring. The concept of pairing these two is ingenious, and I wouldn't mind hearing a different CD where they open up and really sing, and the material supports their full range of talents. But for now, I have absolutely no interest in listening to Raising Sand a second time, and that says it all. This CD is in my "play this when I need something to put me to sleep" pile. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
-1.0
I expected more from two such super stars. The music was is boring and doesn't showcase either of the singers' talents.
-1.0
Brittany Spears continues to put out garbage and the mindless youths of our day continue to support any kind of trash this trashy young woman produces. It is a testament to her lack of musical talent and a poor voice. Brittany Spears is simply a youthful fad (who will eventually fade away into obscurity in her luxury double-wide trailer) who makes a mockery of what is normal and decent.
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I think it's important to point out the difference between Britney Spears the woman and Britney Spears the product. Britney the woman is clearly troubled; her recent meltdowns widely documented and talked about. But with "Blackout", it's clear that Britney the woman's well-being isn't essential to the continuing success of Britney the product. All that was clearly necessary to create a slick, entertaining pop album for Britney the product was for Britney the woman to be able to get it together enough times over the past two years to come into the studio and lay down some vocals ... and let the army of songwriters, producers and recording engineers do the rest.There is much to be enjoyed in "Blackout" if you're a pop music fan (and I am). It's full of sexy, glitzy, dizzying musical candy. If Britney had made an album that reflected her current real emotional state, it would probably sound something like Courtney Love's last album. But "Blackout" continues the fantasy life of Britney the product, who has grown from sexy, coy teenage nymphet to full-fledged glamazon temptress, now enjoying her sexuality with complete abandon.
-1.0
The real disappointment with Magic is not the content, but the very poor sound quality - at least on my CD copy, purchased from a major retailer in Alberta, Canada.The entire CD sounds like a mp3 compression (perhaps it is) - the dynamic range is very compressed, individual instruments are muddy, and the soundstage is non-existent. For those used to, say, the very high quality of the recordings of the LP version of Born in the USA, or the CDs of The Rising, or even the recent Dublin sessions, this is a huge turn-off.In fact, it sounds like a back-street garage recording. We have come to expect better from Springsteen's producers.As I write this, my other half has come into the room where this CD is playing on my very high end audiophile equipment - this is the first time she has heard the CD - and, totally unaware I am writing this, has just said: Is this a CD? It's terrible. It sounds like the radio.Quite.What a pity. Perhaps someone could report on the sound quality of the LP veriosn, if they have managed to get hold of one in North America.
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I've played REVIVAL a half dozen times hoping it would finally click, but it just lays there for some reason, and one thing that really bothered me was the drummer seemed to have trouble with Fogerty's simple grooves. Also, it really hurts me to say that the songs simply aren't that good, and not up to the level of CCR, or even Centerfield. I'm also hearing one musical cliché after another, and yet most people will probably like the album for that very reason. There's nothing like that ol' familiar blanket right? I, on the other hand, like my favorite artists to look forward musically and not fall into the nostalgia trap and become a parody of themselves. There are a couple songs that would be worthy on Mardi Gras, but that's not saying a lot. The nine reviews below me seem to really like it, but that might be based on nostalgia and loving those CCR clichés. Maybe I just don't connect with Fogerty and the swamp rock image anymore. Finally, the sound quality isn't as good as it could have been, thanks again to over compression. It's a far cry from that analog warmth of those old CCR records. By the way, the final track "Longshot," sounded a lot like ELO's Ma-Ma-Ma Belle.
-1.0
Medicore at best--way overproduced but still not with a strong voice or vocals--many lyrics are unintelligible--way too much noise, not music. I've seen him 3 times, twice with THE Band(1976-77). Nothing seems to be fun anymore just a bleak grind. Any of his first 5 albums are better than this dark cloud--another reviewer was right, these songs sound like bad leftovers from The Rising. Anyone who thinks this is something more than an average album is listening with memory and faith and not with a musical ear.
-1.0
To be quick and to the point I'll say this: this is an album for only three kinds of people. Britney fans (and fanatics), people who will dance to anything with a heavy thudding electronic beat, and people who don't mind when studio production far, far, far outshines the artist. If you're one of those three kinds of people then Britney's Blackout will be right up your alley. However, if you're simply curious about what kind of artistic creativity was born of such a sad fiasco of a personal life, then I suggest you listen to the whole album online for free while you still can. I was one of the curious ones who listened to Blackout online, and while I will admit that there is plenty of catchy fluff on the album it's difficult for me to overlook the fact that the high points of it are owed almost entirely to the producers rather than Britney herself. The fact is, and we've all heard it before, that Britney has very limited vocal range. Every single track on Blackout is so overproduced that Britney's voice is hardly recongnizable, and when it is you're quickly reminded of why it needed to be tweaked in the first place. Things start off well with the lead single Gimme More, but it goes downhill from there. Pieces of Me brings one word to mind: noisy. Very electronic, but not very listenable. Then there's Radar which isn't quite as bad, but it feels so bland about a minute into listening that I found myself wanting to skip again. Break the Ice has Britney's voice sounding pretty good for her and it sounds like the kind of generic song that could be a hit on the radio, but it doesn't do too much for me personally. Heaven on Earth sounds a lot like a Paris Hilton song and almost seems too sugary for this sexpot of an album. Get Naked is probably the best song on the album. The male voice that loops throughout the song can be irritating, but for once Britney herself actually makes the song more enjoyable. It's nicely arranged and should definitely be a single, though it's not the most memorable track ever. Freakshow has a very minimalistic sound and is one of the most dull songs on the album. There were tracks that leaked months ago that would have replaced this song very well. Toy Soldier, however, is a fun song. It's definitely one of the more creative tracks and has a unique sound that is mostly missing on this ultra-electronic album. Hot as Ice is a catchy, upbeat song, but I liked the demos of it better. In any case at times it's rendered almost unlistenable by Britney's pitchy, girlish vocals. Perfect Lover isn't necessarily a bad song, but it's another one that I find myself skipping due to it's rather generic production. I'm not quite sure what to think of the subdued Why Should I Be Sad. Suffice it to say I was happy that it was the final track on the album. Overall this is an album with a major weak point that you may find very bothersome: Britney's voice. Even if it's never bothered you before, on Blackout it just might.
-1.0
I bought Revival after hearing "Don't You Wish It Was True."The album is full of good toe-tapping music, but Fogerty quickly slips into left-wing political cliches with "Long Dark Night" and "I Can't Take It No More." If it weren't for these two songs (that won't last the test of time), I'd give this album 5 stars.
-1.0
Why, oh why, do they master CDs so they only sound decent on stupid iPod earphones these days?!?It sounds absolutely awful. Bruce should punch whoever allowed the album to be released like this and demand a re-master for the CD version. What a crying shame.
-1.0
Contains a few good tracks but mostly filled with well constructed, yet forgettable background music.
-1.0
I've bought every Bruce Springsteen album since Darkness the first day it was released so I'm not a newcomer to Bruce. This is a great collection of songs. Bruce says so much here musically and lyrically, but I have to agree with so many other people that the production is terrible. In listening to this cd a few times in my car I actually considered whether I needed better speakers; until I put in another cd which sounded perfectly fine. I listened to the album online last week through my cheap PC speakers. I loved it and was looking forward to listening to it in high fidelity. Apparently this will never happen unless a remastered version of this comes out many years from now. I find that this cd can not be turned way up without horrible distortion and it is actually tiring to listen to this for long periods of time. Great - a Springsteen cd that I can't crank up and listen to repeatedly. Contrast The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle (which was released a mere 34 years ago) with Magic and you'll find you're now waist deep in the Big Muddy.
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Folks, just one day into the release, and I see a LOT of negative comments about the sound of this album. I agree completely. The audio is severely over processed, extraordinarily shrill in the upper mids, making it PAINFUL to listen to at high volumes. I don't think we can point the finger at Bob Ludwig who's mastered a zillion of these, but someone on the production side needs some assistance with their hearing aid !This album NEEDS TO BE REMIXED !BTW, the music is GREAT !, and when they fix the audio mix it'll be a great record. Amazing to me that such an important artist with an important album release could be treated so shabbily. Columbia Records should be ashamed of themselves.
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I guess I'm one of those mean people that some other reviewers on this page have referred to. I didn't like this movie, although I do like the Beatles and enjoyed all of the songs that are featured in it. I appreciate zany, bizarre humor as much as anyone. I don't necessarily ask for a comedy to be logical or even coherent, particularly when the filmmakers are shooting for such a quirky type of humor. However, it should be funny, and the simple fact is that this film didn't make me laugh. What can I say?
-1.0
This poor guy -Like his lyrics in LODI "Has run out of songs to play!"This album is a painful experience never reaching the great HIGHS of his outstanding work in the past- one wishes it did not come from him.I would recommend retirement in double quick time and enjoy his passed glories and the Royalties that go with them.
-1.0
So I like Britney. But I like Britney more when she's at least TRYING! I mean really TRYING! When she's believing in what it is she's creating and putting out there for her fans. That was part of her charm. People would put her down for so many things but she would always try and succeed because she loved music and believed in her music. She would go into the studio and work with her team and make great songs. Now, I believe her name is listed under one writing credit on this album after years of her working to build on her music. In this CD she's not there... maybe it's just me... but I can't put my finger on it.For the most part the album is a blur. Now I know, I know, it's a dance album. Great. But I was expecting Britney to put out a CD that would take me "places". Not just a CD to dance to on the dance floor or listen to while washing clothes or cleaning the house. I expected some kind of story from this album but the material is like everything else out there.Girl in club. Girl sees guy. Girl dances on guy. Girl takes guy home. If not the message, the ideal. Is that all Britney? I'm not saying air dirty clothes but she has a million things to sing about now than something so - I don't know what's the word. I mean. What happened to songs like "Breathe on Me" or "Shadow" or "Toxic" or something that had a little more creativity behind it (FROM HER) besides the heavy studio men showcasing their engineering skills in the studio. She sung a beautiful song about her breakup with Justin. She sung a beautiful song about her baby (which I was hoping was going to be on this one). To me she proved that she actually has something to say and now... I don't know what this is...Dance CD or not, we've heard Britney sing before on her albums and I could actually hear her. Now, I can't hear her. Voice morphed or not. It's a strain to get pass the noise to hear what she's saying. I think that's my major problem with this CD is that I can't hear - HEAR her - if she's saying something important that's she's learned or not.And one thing that bugs me about this CD is the supposed "sexy" lyrics and crooning; the fact that she keeps holding on to this image she ONCE had. Britney. The fantasy has been ruined for us. Please believe that. For those of us expecting a little more, I suggest to just take the CD as it is. Listen to it or not. As far as I'm concern I now see she's still in the eye of the storm in her personal life and the creativity isn't there. Just take the album as it is. A wild dance CD where you're just going along to the beat, not the message. Hopefully after she gets whatever she needs in her life she'll have her eyes wide open and ready to grind out something heavy and inspirational. I'll spin the CD a few more times, I did my part by paying for it blindly and I'm not regretting it.My opinion on BEST tracks...-Heaven on Earth. Kinda Madonnish.-Get Naked is cool. It's got that haunting voice that I like.-Toy Soldier. I might be mistaken but doesn't this sound like something M.I.A. done. At least vocally.-Perfect Lover is pretty good. Timbaland did this right?-Why Should I Be Sad. The only song CLOSEST to what I expected from this CD.
-1.0
This is a major bump in the road. Only 4 songs are up to Springsteen standards [this is the stuff you would expect from Seger or Mellencamp] and the production sound is simply the worst I have ever heard on a major record by a major artist on a major label. Every song is mushy and muffled to the extent that it is just one big pile of noise. Even if the songs were great it wouldn't matter, just listening to this thing is like fingernails on a chalkbord. Outside of "Radio Nowhere" "Magic" "Livin'In The Future" and "Long Walk Home" there is not one song on this mess that I would want or have any desire to see played live--unless I needed to use the restroom. I have been a huge Bruce fan since 1978 and it really pains me to see this happen. Very, very sad indeed.
-1.0
After hearing this cd a couple of times I regret that it will end up in the bin of cd's that never get played anymore. I bought into the massive hype this record carries, I greatly respect everyone involved in the project. However, there is nothing new or original here. I hear a flat, very controlled recording. It does not live up to the hype. Next time they do a recording together, and you know they will, put Tom Waits in charge and then they will be really swinging by the tail. Not looking back and worrying about making a mistake.
-1.0
I have followed MB20 from day 1 and have seen them in concert every time they are anywhere close enough and so looked forward to this release but was very disappointed. While it's not "terrible" it lacks Rob's usual emotion in his singing and just seems too laid back. The only reason I gave it three stars was because of the greatest hits (although this is only a sample of their best). I will try to listen again to see if it grows on me but I don't think this will make it to my ipod!!
-1.0
Hippies who dance in mud at festivals will love this recording's spacey jams, bloated textures, trippy over-production, etc. For long-time Iron & Wine fans (okay, so it's only been five years), expect something different from earlier releases. The intimacy is gone as Beam builds on what he started with Calexico on In The Reins, but takes it too far. "Resurrection Fern" stands out as a nod to his older style. "Boy with a coin" is a stronger song from his new method. It's a quality album overall, but not what people typically turn to Iron & Wine for.
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First of all you have to realize that this "conspiracy theory" comes from my opinion that "There is Nothing Left to Lose" is far and away the best Foo Fighters album to date. When I say "far and away" I'm talking like their other albums or pretty ok, but there's something magical happening on "There is Nothing Left to Lose."Now to the theory:Shortly after Nirvana appeared on unplugged, Kurt sat down with Dave and shared with him some new material he wanted his imput on. He wanted some help with the arrangements and harmonies and what have you. Well it wasn't long after all this that Kurt Cobain committed suicide leaving Dave with nothing but the shells of all these amazing songs which he took upon himself to bring to life. Now, arranging these songs and playing them and recording them took a little while and this is why they released two albums prior to Nothing Left to Lose. "There is Nothing Left to Lose" is comprised of all the songs Kurt Cobain had planned to record but unfortunately didn't get the chance to. Go back and listen to the album again, can't you just hear Kurt singing those songs? REMINDER THAT ALL OF THIS IS BASED ON ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.So why wait until this album to reveal this? Because I was hoping I was wrong. I heard a lot of great things about ESP&G before I listened to it, but was once again left wondering where the amazing songs were. I have yet to hear another song of theirs that even comes as close to being as great as any of the songs on "Nothing Left to Lose." It's the only thing that makes sense. It's like which one of these things doesn't belong: Foo Fighers - okThe Colour and the Shape -okThere is nothing Left to Lose - un freaking believableOne by One - okIn your honor - okESP&G - okI'm just saying.
-1.0
As a fan, I feel cheated. Contrary to what I have read, Britney does have talent. Sadly, her new CD is a disappointment because is does not demonstrate the talent she possesses. You can't even hear her singing on it really. I do not consider what is on this CD or her larger one to be singing at all. Anyone can talk words that someone else wrote. It is cookiecutter singing that was hand fed to her and I don't consider that talent at all. It is difficult to set aside the media circus that surrounds Britney and all of her negative publicity, especially when you have to take into consideration her fans and her children. I have been a fan of hers for a long time. I enjoyed her music and I never really got into her personal life; however, I find it very difficult to overlook the fact that she is overlooking her fans and taking them for granted, not to mention her own children. She needs to get some help in the worst way and for once I would like to hear her actually sing again and put forth some effort. She has gotten lazy and is forgetting what is filling her pocket with all that money, her fans. Her music isn't bad to dance to but that does not make it good music. It seems that she has become a sellout and sellout music to me is not worth even listening to.
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I hate to say it, but Foo Fighters are no longer on the short list of bands whose new albums I'll buy without hearing anything on them first. I was disappointed with In Your Honor. I thought it was bloated and had practically no interest at all in the acoustic cd. Echoes Silence Patience & Grace is just like In Your Honor boiled down to fit on one cd. About half of the songs rock. The other songs are perfectly skippable. I've only had this cd for about a week, and it is already out of heavy rotation. I find it a very frustrating listen. It's like a cd of rock like only Foo Fighters can do mixed with a mellow Tori Amos cd. Since I end up skipping more than half of the songs on the album, I'm only giving the cd 2 stars. In my opinion, this cd is a poster child for i-Tunes. Download the handful of good songs. Don't bother with the rest.
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