The End

Due to set backs with my computer and an upcoming vacation,I am discontinuing this blog.Sorry for the inconvenience.

GodSmack

ORACLE

 Once upon a time in the land of Black Horse there was a boy who would go every Thursday{payday} to supp at a place of delicious food called,'The Big Bite'.Soon after,as was his habit,he would drift over to the record store and buy two record Lp's.

Before he added these two jewels to his crown,this boy would play them in the 'New' section of what he called ,'The Game'.

The Game was a simple device.By means of random employment(cards...or later on,a spinning wheel) he would select an album side from his ever growing collection.After hearing this,'side',he would play a side of one of his,'New' Lps.

In this fashion,he{and/or his welcomed guests} could hear a great variety of contemporary music.

To add to the fun of this rousting adventure,the boy soon added treasure to his game.By chance,you could win a dollar,five,ten even twenty.An ever growing change jar-with sometimes an even greater amount-was eventually added to the mix.

Fun was had by all.

As a sub text,a game within the game was added:'Guess Whom The Artist Was'.There was no reward for this joust,except,perhaps,bragging rights.

One of the masters of this,'Guess The Artist,'match was this boy's cousin,Frank.Frank was a guessing warrior.He was without equal...except for one group:'Cheap Trick'.

Cheap Trick was Frank's Kypnonite.His blind spot.It got to be that his last guess was always a desperate,'Cheap Trick'{That is when Frank could even recall the group Cheap Trick within the framework of his mind}?

On the other hand,the boy was a great fan of this rock/pop group,Cheap Trick.He had all of their Lps.Knew all of their tunes.He especially liked to wallow in Cheap Tricks earlier-grittier-style of playing.He did not start out being the master of this Frank brain fart band.It just happened.

Now,here's the rub.Here's the morale to the story.

GodSmack is this boy's Achilles heel.GodSmack is this boy's Frank's brain fart.GodSmack is this boy's,Cheap Trick.

...And,I am this boy.

Not that there is anything wrong with GodSmack,or their,'Oracle' production,in particular.In fact,just the opposite.

There are several really good tunes on,'Oracle'.'Whiskey Hangover' first and foremost amongst them..also,the cd opener,'Crying Like A Bitch',ditto for,'Love Hate Sex Pain'.

Perhaps the best song on this album is,'War And Peace',but that is just me.

GodSmack is good heart pounding guitar thrashing,man's man rock & roll.

You'll head bang to it's every mans lyrics every time you listen to them bustin' their cliche' ridden rock on your local modern rock,alternative radio station.

But,if you are like me..you might just be going...'Cheap Trick'???

B+

B.o.B.Presents:

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The Adventures Of Bobby Ray

This is the first great album of the summer.B.o.B.,ie,Bobby Bobby Ray has made one fun in the sun cd.

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Blessed with great guest stars on almost every song,this album almost seems like the summer radio play list for every pool and swimming hole in the country.

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Some critics are complaining that this production doesn't have a musical identity.I find that these 12 indivudual songs to be one of the most compelling reasons to sing the praises of R&B/pop music this summer.

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In most reviews,I single out what I consider to be the 'best' tune the recording.That is virtually impossible to do here.

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On very good albums,I find myself going about my daily routine singing songs I don't even know the names of yet.I do that here.

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In fact,the albums only mis-step is the very last song,'Airplanes Pt.II-featuring Eminem'.

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And to be honest,the problem is Eminem.I used to be a very big Eminem fan.I had all of his cds.Even the 'D-12' stuff.But here,when he starts screaming,what used to seem so real now seemed extremely fake.He seemed worse then bad.When the whole rest of this mp-3 download seemed 2010 summer time fresh,his act seemed out of place stale.

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That is just a minor detail.

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I really like the flow from song to song.'Don't Let Me Fall',mentions shooting stars and so does the already radio friendly,'Airplanes'.

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'Ghost In The Machine',and,'Fame',almost invite comparisons to the more famous songs with the same names.

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'Nothin On You' deserves to be the big hit that it seemingly already is,and I love the Scott Summers reference in,'Past My Shades.'

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Some albums,as a reviewer,you regret that you have give up being the main listening pleasure after one week.This is one of them.

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I guess I'll just have to head to the pool with cold drink in hand...

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A-

Glee:The Power Of Madonna

Thankfully,'The Music Of Glee:The Power OF Madonna',is only an Ep-not a Lp-because if there was one more Madonna song on this cd I think I would have just chucked the whole thing away,and puked.

That being said,there is something to be said about someone that knows when to quit.

Back in the day when I was a foreman/crew leader on a tree trimming climbing crew,I used to have a saying,"Get out of the tree before you ruin it."

So,kudos to Glee for making this Ep the perfect length.

Also,I must say,I somewhat enjoyed this extended play download.

I openly admit to liking,'Glee'.

Every time that I have watched it,I have thoroughly enjoyed 'Glee'.The trouble is,it is usually up against one of my all time favorite Tv shows,'Lost'.

But,I regress,I like and enjoy,'Glee'.Not just because its fictitious high school[ William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio ] is just a hop,skip and a jump away from where I live(I sometimes shop in Lima,for crying out loud),or because I particularly like Tv drama/musicals(I don't,most that have aired have deserved their early cancellations..can you say:'Cop Rock'!).

But,because I like glee clubs/show choirs.Two of my boys were in one from elementary school all the way to their senior years in high school.

Ok,their show choir was not in league with McKinley High,but that doesn't mean that they didn't have their moments.

I remember seeing them perform a concert around Christmas time in a local warehouse cafeteria.They sang,'(I Hope You)Dance',so beautifully that I actually cried.It was truly a great rendition.

And that is exactly what is wrong with this,'Glee' Ep.

It is only half of the performance.Like any good glee club production,the,'Power Of Madonna',is at its best when the whole performance is incorporated.The dance,the drama,the personalities are supposed to be ingrained together in a cohesive whole.

This Ep,can not-on it's own-do that.

Of course that could said of most 'musical'albums.From 'Phantom Of The Opera'to'The Fiddler On The Roof',half of the enjoyment in listening to the music,is the memory of the physical performance that went along with it.

Without that memory,'Glee:TPOM',verges more on karaoke then tribute.Good karaoke,yes,but karaoke just the same.

Songs that stand out are,'Vogue',and 'Express Yourself'.

So,to summarize:If you truly want to enjoy this Ep to it's fullest,watch the April 20th,2010,'Glee:The Power Of Madonna',episode and then comeback to the enjoy the memories.

With watching the Tv show:B+

Without watching the Tv show:C-

Free Week #7

AMERICAN VI:AIN'T NO GRAVE

You could call Johnny Cash's supposedly last posthumous album of new music to be made in conjunction with  super producer Rick Rubin a coda of sorts.

It seems purposely meant to be a fond farewell.Most every song involves death or an emotional substitute.The whole cd seems as if Johnny Cash is looking from the back of the station wagon waving good bye.I get the feeling of a flag flurrying in the wind listening to this supreme last set of recordings.

It's a beautiful tribute to the American country icon that is/was Johnny Cash.

It hadn't necessarily been so.

That's a tribute to the loving talent of Rick Rubin.

Listening to Mr.Cash's voice,you hear the frailty in it.Yet,via song choice,and the power of the sparse arrangements,you hardly notice.

On,'Ammerican VI:Ain't No Grave',Johnny Cash sounds as if these songs were meant to be sung exactly the way he is singing them.This is Johnny Cash at his best.

The title track is the perfect opener.Johnny,the troubadour soldier,singing until the end.

Sheryl Crow's,'Redemption Day' is perfect Cash.This is the man in black standing tall.He has sung ballads like this his whole career.

'For The Good Times'(a tune by buddy,Kris Kristofferson),is a great song to be included on this coda of goodbye.It makes you smile and cry at the same time.

'1st Corinthians 15:55',is...how do I say this politely...is Johnny flipping death the bird.Death,were is thy sting?Indeed.The only Johnny Cash penned song on the whole album.

'Can't Help but Wonder Where I'm Bound',is a boundlessly happy song.It is my favorite song on 'American VI'.

'A Satisfied Mind',shows that Johnny Cash still had his head in the right place.I always felt that the rich weren't missioned to enough.Compassion for them in these hard times:caused by their lawlessness...just powerful stuff.

On,'I Don't Hurt Anymore',I had to smile.An unintentional rebuttal to his hit,'Hurt'?Maybe.

I always loved The Sons of the Pioneers,'Cool Water'.Johnny Cash has always been at his best as a story teller.He seems to come come alive on this song.Totally within his element.

'Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream',a song dreaming of peace.Only Johnny Cash could make this touching song a call to heaven.I want this played at my own funeral.

'Aloha Oe" (Queen Lili'uokalani)'.I guess the coda on the coda.This is were I truly hear the flag snapping in the breeze and see Johnny waving good bye.

It is hard.This really is good bye.It's been a good run Johnny.

Thank you.


A+

Free Week #6

Willie Nelson's new cd,'Country Music',is a record that took along time coming.Though it could be considered an 'unplugged' concept,believe it or not,it is supposedly Willie's first Blue Grass album.

Old country music is a 'default' mode for Willie.This cd seems so effortless that I almost(almost) could dismiss it for sounding too easy.

But,really,come on...isn't this the stuff Willie Nelson was made???

But the real test for this album had to be my Dad.

Good ol' Dad will turn 81 on the 6th of May,and ever since,'StarDust',I have been buying Dad Willie albums for his birthday.If I had one wish,it would being able to take my Pops to see Willie.Pops loves Willie.

When I gave him,'Old Country',Dad knew almost every tune.He was in seventh heaven.

Sure,we all love how Willie isn't afraid to explore other genres of music like reggae and jazz,but this is the good stuff.This is the type of music that Willie Nelson cut his eye teeth.

Starting off with a new version of one of his tunes,'Man With The Blues'..well,you just knew this was going to be good.

And did I mention that legendary producer,T-Bone Burnett('Oh,Brother,Where Art Thou'),produced this?

So,when I heard classics like,'I Am A Pilgram',and modern favorites like Uncle Tupelo(a precursor to Wilco)'s,'Satan,Your Kindom Must Come Down',I was overjoyed.

Other favorites of mine are,'Freight Train Boogie';'Oceans Of Diamonds',and 'Nobody's fault But Mine'.

Of course,that is just a sampling.I suggest:Go Out And Buy This Cd!!

A+

Raymond Vs Raymond by Usher

I was expecting allot from Usher on,'Raymond Vs.Raymond'....it does not deliver.
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Of course,when I say I was expecting allot,I mean I was expecting a great break up album.I mean,the title sort of demands it,right?Kramer vs.Kramer style break up.
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Instead we get a typical newly single man trying to prove to himself that he still has that sexual prowess that probably was the problem that got him into trouble in the first place.ie:no self examination at all.
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Of course when I say that I was expecting allot,I was putting my expectations for 'Raymond vs.Raymond' right up there  with the king of all break-up/heartbreak albums:'Here,My Dear',by Marvin Gaye.
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Now,that's an album.
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Sure,any album can become your own private break-up album.Any genre-and style can and will do.The album simply has to be what you are listening to when you break up.
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For instance,way way back in the time of the dinosaurs,I went through what I still call my,'Break up of all break-ups'.My heart was ripped out 'Dumb & Dumber' style.O-k,it was partially (or just as much)my fault as hers,but it didn't stop the pain from bringing me to my knees.
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I would go out into the coldness of my 1972 Valiant;put in Queen's,'Jazz', eight-track,and sit out in the ice cold in my bare feet mourning the ache my soul was feeling.
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'Jazz' just happened to fit the mourn I was feeling.But it could have been any eight-track.Boston,James Taylor,Michael Stanley.'Jazz',just happened to be the medicine of convenience...see..it could have been anything.
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But...
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..the album that has always brought back that medicine to me,and still brings it back to me every time I listen to it(and,most importantly,can still bring me to my knees with both its power and outright beauty),is Marvin Gaye's,'Here,My Dear'.
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The three versions-ALONE-of,'When Did You Stop Loving Me,When Did I Stop Loving You?',are still considered some of the best heartbreak music of all time.
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Anyone that has even 'thought' of breaking up feels this music:instantly!
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I was expecting this type of power from Usher.I guess I was asking for way too much.
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Not that,'Raymond Vs. Raymond doesn't have its fair share of good music.Proving that,yes,Ludacris IS everywhere,I enjoyed,'She Don't Know'.'OMG','Monstar' and 'Lil Freak' all have there own certain fun qualities.
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There are some songs of lost romance on the cd as well.The standout being the,'Into The Night' remake.'Papers',is classic Usher.
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Other than that,I guess I was just hoping for more:much more.
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C-