Better Than Ezra - Before the Robots Album Review
Today is the day that I celebrate one of my favorite albums of all time. Before the Robots is Better Than Ezra's latest studio album, released in May of 2005. It was one of those albums you come across looking for new music and see that one of those fairly popular 90s post-grunge bands is under the new release column. I have always been a big fan of "Good" and "Desperately Wanting" as they were pretty solid rock radio staples in the late 90s. I wasn't expecting much from the album though I decided to give it a listen. I was actually more excited about the new Oasis album set for the same release date but that turned out to be a huge disappointment as "Don't Believe the Truth" did not impress me at all.
Before the Robots is a great album filled with epic and catchy songs that is capped off with one of my all time favorite songs, "Breathless". This song is slow moving and very powerful. It is the last song off the album and it's a great finisher. This is really one of those albums that is almost flawless. Some of the most popular songs on the album are my least favorite like "Juicy" which just feels way out of place when listening to the whole album. "Overcome" and "A Southern Thing" round out my list of least favorite songs. With those songs out of the way, we are left with a great crowning achievement foe the band from New Orleans. The album kicks off with "Burned", a great song about a love fallen by the wayside. The next is "Daylight", a powerful song about the a girlfriend that you love to hate, and hate to love, but you can't seem to get off your mind. "Lifetime", the third song of the album and their biggest hit off the album, is about letting go and holding on.
Next up is "It's Only Natural", a fun song about just fooling around and not feeling guilty about it. "Special" is just that, special. This song is just simply fantastic. "American Dream" is a very underrated song about how time flies and how quickly dreams fade away. One of Better than Ezra's best singles, "Our Last Night", is coincidentally about that last night with a special someone. "Hollow" is similarly to "American Dream" in that it is a look back at the past and how some things can leave you felling empty. Appropriate for the month of December, "Our Finest Year" is another look back, this time with a hopeful look at the future. It ends of course, with "Breathless" and a great finale to an outstanding album that will have you coming back for more every time you listen to it.
Thanks for listening and check it out. I leave you with a little snippet of some of my favorite lyrics.
They come back, racing through your mind.
You were special.
Your light, your heat
Will never die.
I was lost.
I was lost and I found you.
I will know no further love.
People move.
Come in close and fall away,
Love, you refuse to fade.
-"Special", Better than Ezra
Mat Kearney - Nothing Left to Lose Album Review
Mat is an up and coming artist from Oregon who released his first major label album in early 2006. Nothing Left to Lose, which is also the name of his first single, has done fairly well thus far. He did a summer tour with John Mayer and Sheryl Crow and is currently doing a few shows with fairly big acts like the Goo Goo Dolls, Lifehouse, O.A.R., Sister Hazel, Smash Mouth, Gin Blossoms, and Five for Fighting before he meets up with John Mayer again this winter. His future looks very promising as his fan base is continually growing and his rap style lyrics mesh well with his smooth melodies. I got a chance to see him live in concert about a month ago and he put on a good show. He played all the songs from his new album plus a Johnny Cash song with Griffin House at the end. He sounded exactly the same as he does on the recordings and played both the guitar and piano. In a small venue and Griffin House opening up for him, it was a good time.
I discovered Mat Kearney when I was experiencing insomnia late one night last summer. I flipped on VH1 and Mat Kearney's video for the single "Nothing Left to Lose" was playing. When I first heard his voice it sounded very similar to the Lead Singer of Coldplay, Chris Martin. When I went on to Rhapsody to check out his album, I found that he also did a little rapping in some of his songs. That voice seemed to be very similar to the singer from Fort Minor and Linkin Park, Mike Shinoda. After those connections were made, I began to listen to the album more and more. I listened to the album in its entirety about 5 times the day after seeing the video.
This is one of those great albums that you don't feel the need to skip over some songs and can just listen to the whole thing without feeling anxious about changing the song. I feel like I need to highlight a few of the songs because they should not be overlooked. You can listen to the album in its entirety at at his official website, where there is a player in the top right corner of the page. Besides the obvious pick, "Nothing Left to Lose", the songs, "Undeniable", "Wait", "Bullet", "Girl America", and most recently "Renaissance" are my favorites. "Undeniable" is a great song with rap style verses and a great chorus, the first song of his new album. "Wait" is probably my favorite song off the album, a very mellow song with a great message. "Bullet" has some great lyrics, proclaiming, "It doesn't matter if they call me wrong / Doesn't matter if they steal my song / Doesn't matter if we're all along / It doesn't matter at all / Cause I would take a bullet for you". "Girl America" has a touch of religion embedded in it and carries a good social message. "Renaissance" is a song that grows on me every time I hear it. It is a very powerful song that just continues to build up and has a great chorus.
This is a great album and I highly recommend it. I give it 5 stars, two thumbs up, 10/10, it surely won't disappoint. Thanks for listening, go check it out.
A Review of Big City Rock's Self-Titled Debut
One of the bands that I had the pleasure of seeing live in concert this year is a relatively unknown band, Big City Rock. They were opening up for Everclear and I wasn't really expecting much from them, as with most opening acts, I really don't really get my hopes up. They played 7 songs off their new debut CD, all of which I enjoyed. The lyrics seemed a little over the top but they spoke some truth and were pretty catchy.
When I got back from the concert, I looked up a little background on them and it turns out that they only have one album out which is self-titled. With about an average of 3 minutes a song, the album only amounts to about 35 minutes. While it is rather short, it surely doesn't disappoint. My three favorites from the album include, "I Believe in You", "Kind", and "Shelter". One of the songs on the album, "Human", shows how simple yet powerful are their lyrics. "I am just a man / Man in a city / City in a State / State in a country / Country in a world / Part of a System / Driving through the city / Stereo is on". Not the most mind blowing lyrics but nevertheless powerful. I definitely recommend you go out and buy this album but at the very least go and give it a listen. To end this artist/album review, I'll leave you some food for thought with some lyrics from "Kind".
We have to try so hard to be kind to one another
When its hard enough living and
We don't know where to go
What can I do about it?"
A Tribute To The "Bringing Down the Horse" Album by The Wallflowers
Today I thought that I would pay homage to one of the great albums of the 1990s, Bringing Down the Horse by The Wallflowers. This is one of those great albums filled with very memorable songs. This album is most known for the #1 hit "One Headlight". That song, though great, is just the tip of the iceberg when you look into great detail the beauty of this masterpiece.
They scored two more successful singles on Bringing Down the Horse with "6th Avenue Heartache", and "Three Marlenas", both of which got significant radio air play when they were released but are seldom heard on the radio today. With the exception of "I Wish I Felt Nothing", the last song on the album, Bringing Down the Horse can be defined in one word, perfect. The album kicks off with "One Headlight", one of my favorite songs today, nearly ten years after its release. This song has such a cool beat and the guitar solos are great.
My favorite line is: "Man, I ain't changed, but I know I ain't the same."
I am not going to go through every song on this album, but trust me, there all good. However I would like to highlight the third song of this album, "Bleeders". This song, in my opinion, is the best on the CD. With lyrics like " I need somethin' better / Than a nail and a hammer / To put me back together", there is no question of how universal The Wallflowers songs can be. This song may push you away with the title but it will consume you the first time you hear it and will continue to do so for years there on after. Before I wrap up this outstanding review of superior music, I would also suggest listening to "Laughing Out Loud", the seventh song on the album. With a solid beat and meaningful lyrics, it is an unstoppable force. I suggest listening to the album in its entirety, but if you don't have the time at least check out these two songs.
Thanks for listening to this edition of "A Tribute to" and stay tuned for more outstanding music reviews and suggested listening.