Sheryl Crow-Detours

Record Label: A&M
Year: 2008
Track Listing:
01. God Bless The Mess
02. Shine Over Babylon
03. Love Is Free
04. Peace be Upon Us
05. Gasoline
06. Out Of Our Heads
07. Detours
08. Now That You’re Gone
09. Drunk With The Thought of You
10. Diamond Ring
11. Motivation
12. Make It Go Away (The Radiation Song)
13. Love Is All There Is
14. Lullaby For Wyatt

Detours is an aptly titled for Sheryl Crow’s latest album. In between her broken engagement to Lance Armstrong, her battle with breast cancer, and the adoption of her son Wyatt,
she has managed to release one of her strongest albums to date.

Teaming up with one of her earlier collaborators, songwriter Bill Bottrell, Crow has produced an album that is a mixture of pop, rock, folk and roots. Don’t be too surprised to find political tunes on this album, as the album kicks off with ‘God Bless The Mess’, which gives Crow an isolated, echoed sound.
They’re closely followed by ‘Shine over Babylon’; the worldly tune ‘Peace Be upon Us’ that features Arabic singing; and the rock-themed ‘Gasoline’. Naturally, as one can expect from Crow, they’re all anti-war.

After hearing those track alone, one knows that Crow has soared past songs about soaking up the sun and having fun, and settled for something so much better.
For those who don’t want to hear anti-war protests, take a deep breath as the album alters from the preaches of anti-global warming and anti-war to a more personal level.

Detours sees Crow touch on aspects of her personal life, and the demons she has battled recently. ‘Make it go away’ touches on her own personal experience with breast cancer and she produces a touching tribute to her son on ‘Lullaby for Wyatt’.

She also touches on her personal heartbreak with ‘Detours’ and ‘Now you’re gone’ which is a strong redemption-from-love song. ‘Love is there’, which sees Crow deal with the loss of love in a more mature manner.

This is a stellar effort for Crow who, after 15 odd years in the music industry, has made her mark as a singer-songwriter.

Tracks worthy of listening: ‘Gasoline’, ‘Out Of Our Heads’, ‘Peace Be Upon Us’ ‘Now That You’re Gone’.

I give this: HHHH

Buy Detours

Official Site

Various Artists-The Phantom of the Opera

Record Label: Sony
Year: 2004
Track Listing:
01. Overture
02. Think of Me
03. Angel of Music
04. The Mirror (Angel of Music)
05. The Phantom of the Opera
06. Music of the Night
07. Prima Donna
08. All I Ask of You
09. All I Ask of You (Reprise)
10. Masquerade
11. Wishing You Were Here Again
12. The Point of No Return
13. Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer
14. Learn To Be Lonely

There is no musical bigger or as spectacular as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. So, it was no surprise that Hollywood would eventually turn it into a movie once again. While the film left many cold, thanks to the heavy padding and casual gothic noire of Joel Schumacher.

However, while the movie may have sucked big time, the soundtrack withstands the testament of time and is a magical delight.
While, the musicians will never hold a candle to the delights of Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, it is a worthy effort.

Beefed up by the presence of a 100-piece orchestra and The London Boys Choir, it showcases all the main songs of the story. While we also get a delightful 16 minutes of new music written specifically for the film, it is 'Phantom of the Opera' and 'Music of the Night' that shine throughout.
Again, while they are never going to be the powerful duo of Crawford and Brightman, Both Gerald Butler and Emmy Rossum do an amazing job.

Both Rossum and Butler know only too well the importance of drawing the audience into their music and really nail it.
Rossum has a voice of an angel and Butler is surprising in his powerful vocal range. Not to mention the sheer emotion that he conveys in his music, whether he is passionately whispering the lyrics or belting them out. It’s both captivating and inspiring.

Being a huge fan of The Phantom of the Opera since the original in 1987, I have to say that this is close to becoming one of my favorite soundtracks aside from the original.

For all fans of Broadway and Musicals, this simply is a must to have in your CD collection, even if it is just for 'Music of the Night' and 'Phantom of the Opera'.

I give it 4/5

Buy The Phantom of the Opera movie soundtrack

Official Site

Duran Duran-Redcarpet Massacre

Record Label:
Year: 2007
Track Listing:
01. The Valley
02. Red Carpet Massacre
03. Nite Runner
04. Falling Down
05. Box Full O Honey
06. Skin Divers
07. Tempted
08. Tricked Out
09. Zoom In
10. She’s Too Much
11. Dirty Great Monster
12. Last Man Standing

Red Carpet Massacre is the much-anticipated 2007 return of 80’s rockers Duran Duran. On first listen the sound of Simon Le Bon’s familiar whine is present, although the sound is surprisingly different.

For fans expecting Mach II of 'Hungry Like A Wolf', and 'Girls on Film' think again. While the first two tracks get as close to the old Duran Duran as possible, the rest of the album takes a different turn.

Fans of the band may be scratching their heads at ‘Nite Runner’and wonder if they bought a Justin Timberlake album instead of a Duran Duran one. That’s not surprising since he wrote, produced and features on ‘Nite Runner’ and ‘Falling Down’.
The same can be said for Timbaland with 'Skin Divers’ and ‘Zoom in’, two songs he wrote, produced and featured on.

The truth is, adding these two brilliant artists to a Duran Duran album was not particularly a savvy idea by the band, as their strong dominance complete overshadow Duran Duran.
Duran Duran seemed more concerned with being a hit with the younger generation, which may be one of the reasons they have brought in Timberlake and Timbaland.
They definitely have some catchy club tunes, and have replaced Andy Taylor with electronic beats was an interesting choice.

That’s not to say I don’t like this album, I do…as long as I listen to it without thinking of classic Duran Duran. That, or concentrate too hard on it.

For those who are die-hard fans just take away the tracks Timbaland and Timberlake contribute to, and the distinct vocals of Le Bon are loud and clear.
The only difference is that these days Le Bon’s whiny vocals have been altered electronically on some tracks, and on others left well alone.

Personally, I’d say, to most Duran Duran fans and newcomers, save your money.

Red Carpet Massacre is not worth it, and certainly a huge disappointment for such a highly anticipated comeback.

I give it 1/5

Buy Red Carpet Massacre

Official Site

Duran Duran on myspace

Fergie-The Dutchess

Record Label:Interscope Records
Year: 2006
Track Listing:
1. Fergalicious (Featuring Will.I.Am)
2. Clumsy
3. All That I Got (The Make Up Song) Featuring Will.I.Am
4. London Bridge
5. Pedestal
6. Voodoo Doll
7. Glamorous (Featuring Ludacris)
8. Here I Come
9. Velvet
10. Big Girls Don’t Cry
11. Mary Jane Shoes (Featuring Rita Marley & The I-Three’S)
12. Losing My Ground
13. Finally
14. Get your hands up (Bonus)
15. Wake up (bonus)
16. Paradise (Bonus)

Was it a big surprise to anyone that Stacey Ferguson AKA

Fergie decided to realise a
solo album? I mean let’s face it that’s just what anyone in a world famous band, with strong vocals and vamped up sex appeal does right?

Firstly let me ask you- Does the cover art of the album just seem a little too reminiscent of a Lil Kim album?
The covers seem almost identical if looking at them side by side. Same pose, almost the same lingerie, and same supposedly sexy look.

Produced by

Will.I.Am, this debut solo album by Fergie is better than I thought it would be. At first thought I expected the whole album to be nothing more than R and B, and funk pop, but surprisingly Fergie actually can sing, and behind that sexed up façade is a strong vocalist.

The album isn’t just about hip hop and funk, although it has it’s fair share of it, with the already well-known, 'London Bridge' as well as 'Fergalicious', 'Clumsy', 'Voodoo Doll'and 'Mary Jane Shoes', although the last two songs mentioned are more reggae than hip hop.

But mixed in with these tracks are some slower tracks, in which I think Fergie really does shine. Instead of her usual hip hop style of singing, she actually sings.

Tracks that really show her versatility, and a softer side of Fergie include 'Big Girls Don’t Cry', 'All That I Got', 'Losing My Ground'and 'Finally'.

One of the things I do admire about Fergie is that she throws caution to the wind, and songs that start off hip hop turn into wold rock beats. It’s almost as if she can’t decide which genre to go with, but it works at the same time.
Lyrically, she is at her weakest, although she tries her best.

One interesting song was 'Here I Come', which was a sample of The Tempation's, 'Get Ready'. The first time I heard it, I loved it. Being a huge Temptation’s fan, I was surprised to find that I loved what Fergie did to the song. Simply brilliant.

Best songs on the album, “London Bridge”, “Here I Come”, “Finally”, “Pedestal”, and “Big Girls Don’t Cry”.

Buy The Dutchess

Fergie's Official Site

Fergie on myspace

Garth Brooks-Double Live

Record Label: Capitol Nashville
Year: 1998
Disc one
"Callin' Baton Rouge" (Dennis Linde) – 2:58
"Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House" (Warren Haynes, Dennis Robbins, Bobby Boyd) –
2:44
"Shameless" (Billy Joel) – 3:55
"Papa Loved Mama" (Kim Williams, Garth Brooks) – 2:51
"The Thunder Rolls (The Long Version)" (Pat Alger, Brooks) – 4:48
"We Shall Be Free" (Stephanie Davis, Brooks) – 4:43
"Unanswered Prayers" (Alger, Larry Bastian, Brooks) – 3:41
"Standing Outside the Fire" (Jenny Yates, Brooks) – 3:43
"Longneck Bottle" (Rick Carnes, Steve Wariner) – 2:42 feat. Steve Wariner
"It's Your Song" (Pam Wolfe, Benita Hill) – 4:18
"Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)" (Randy Taylor, Brooks) – 3:12
"The River" (Victoria Shaw, Brooks) – 3:48
"Crowd" – 0:06 Not listed on the case, it is 6 seconds of crowd cheering possibly included because Garth did not want the cd to have 13 tracks.
"Tearin' it Up (And Burnin' it Down)" (Kent Blazy, Williams, Brooks) – 3:56

Disc two
"Ain't Goin' Down ('Til The Sun Comes Up)" (Williams, Blazy, Brooks) – 4:45
"Rodeo" (Bastian) – 3:44
"The Beaches of Cheyenne" (Dan Roberts, Bryan Kennedy, Brooks) – 3:51
"Two Piña Coladas" (Shawn Camp, Hill, Sandy Mason) – 4:38
"Wild as the Wind" (Pete Wasner, Charles John Quarto) – 4:13 feat. Trisha Yearwood
"To Make You Feel My Love" (Bob Dylan) – 3:17
"That Summer" (Alger, Sandy Mahl, Brooks) – 4:42
"American Honky-Tonk Bar Association" (Kennedy, Jim Rushing) – 4:05
"If Tomorrow Never Comes" (Blazy, Brooks) – 3:44
"The Fever" (Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Kennedy, Roberts) – 3:40
"Friends in Low Places (The Long Version)" (Earl "Bud" Lee, DeWayne Blackwell) – 8:56
"The Dance" (Tony Arata) – 3:56

Garth Brooks isn't your traditional and typical country singer.
With music roots that go back to his love for Kiss when he was younger, it's obvious through his double live album that he tries to emulate what Kiss did on their own live albums and shows. And you know what? Garth succeeds.

Nothing about this double live album is dull. Garth shows through his music what a true performer he is, and you only need to listen to this album to understand why everyone raves about his showmanship. With classics that range from 'Friends in Low Places' to newer songs such as 'The American Honky Tonk Bar Association' Garth brings a little rock to his country, and a little country to his rock, and he does it exceptionally well.
Garth brings his own style to country. In each song he performs he speaks volumes with emotion. Songs like 'We Shall Be Free' touch the soul completely.

Other songs such as 'The American Honky Tonk-Bar Association'and his exceptional cover of Aerosmith's 'The Fever' has one tapping their foot along to the beat of the music.
Whether he is being cocky and confident, or humble and tearful, through and through he brings emotion to the music. This is heard not only through his voice, and the lyrics but through the crowd, and the atmosphere.

Songs such as 'The Thunder Rolls' and 'Friends In Low Places' are two songs, in which the extra verses can only be heard in concert and the response to those extra verses is enough to hear it. Garth's connection with his fans is obvious, and what is even more obvious is his own enjoyment at seeing how much his fans love his shows.
And it wouldn't be right without Trisha Yearwood singing a duet with Garth, as she does on 'Wild As The Wind'.

This Cd is a must to all Garth fans. And for those who aren't Garth fans this is the album that will either make you one, or not.

The best way to listen to this is to turn down the lights, turn up the music, close your eyes and let Garth take you there.

Buy Double Live

Garth Brook's Official Site

Ozzy Osbourne-Under Cover

Record Label: Sony
Year: 2005
Track Listing:
01. Rocky Mountain Way
02. In My Life
03. Mississippi Queen
04. Go Now
05. Woman
06. 21st Century Schzoid Man
07. All The young Dudes
08. For What It’s Worth
09. Good Times
10. Sunshine Of Your Love
11. Fire
12. Working Class Hero
13. Sympathy For The Devil

What the hell was Ozzy thinking? That’s the first thing that comes to mind in listening to
Under Cover. The next thing is that he obviously wasn’t because this is one of the worst cover albums I have ever heard.

It’s cringe-worthy. And, for someone who is a huge Ozzy fan that’s a hard thing to say about the Prince of Darkness.

But, a covers album of poorly chosen songs? Not his best move. It might have not been so bad if he hadn’t managed to destroy every song he stumbled through. It could have been feasible if the songs chosen hadn’t been so poor. I mean Ozzy singing Lennon’s ‘Woman’?

Not only is there absolutely no contest between Lennon and Ozzy in singing ‘Woman’ but Ozzy tends to warble through it with a lack of conviction and no emotional impact. In truth, his singing ‘Woman’ is more of an insult rather than a tribute.

Granted, this was part of the Prince of Darkness 4 Disc set, but to release it by itself…another poor move. At least with the box set you could sit through it, and know that there were 4 more Discs that surely had to be better. Unfortunately, you can’t do that with this disc.

In listening to this album, it is hard to believe that this is a man that has produced worthier albums such as Blizzard of Oz, Ozzmosis and more recently Black Rain. However, having said that a highlight to this album is that it makes a fine coffee coaster.

Kiddies, if you want to keep remembering Ozzy as the Prince of Darkness and not the pathetic putz you see on The Osbournes, forget this album and buy Black Rain instead.

I find even hard to give it 1/5

Buy Under Cover

Official Site

Ryan Adams-Heartbreaker

Year: 2000
Record Label: Bloodshot records
Track Listing:
01. (Argument With David Rawlings Concerning Morrissey)
02. To Be Young
03. My Winding Wheel
04. Amy
05. Oh My Sweet Carolina
06. Bartering Lines
07. Call Me On Your Way Back Home
08. Damn Sam
09. Come pick Me Up
10. To Be The One
11. Why Do You Leave?
12. Shakedown In 9th Street
13. Don’t Ask For The Water
14. In My Time Of Need
15. Sweet Lil gal

Ryan Adams Heartbreaker begins with Adams and Rawlings arguing about a Morrissey song 'Suedehead' and which album that it’s on.

A strange way to start an album, but something that is typical of Adams. It’s really hard to pinpoint what genre to describe Adams. He’s a country boy with a dark attitude, and his music tends to crossover into many different genres.

Personally I would describe him more as a folk singer with rock, blues and country flooding through the blood in his veins.
Maybe, even go, as close as to describe him as a modern day

Bob Dylan, if I dare.

If you’re feeling down and out then this probably isn’t the best album for you to listen to. Dark, deep and melancholy, Adams oozes heartbreak, indefinite sadness and bitter anger. All these things he does very well, and as always “Heartbreaker” is another well-written Adams album.

There are upbeat songs on the album, such as the second track 'To Be Young' and 'Shakedown on 9th Street' but as the titled album suggests this album focuses on broken relationships and the aftermath.

'Come Pick Me Up' is just brilliant with it’s lines, “Steal all my records, screw all my friends…why stop there?” which is the tale of a breakup gone badly.One of the most beautiful songs on the album is My Sweet Carolina, in which

Emmylou Harris sings harmonies.

Adams has a few different guest vocalists on his album, including Kim Richey, Harris, and Allison Pierce.

One of the things I love best about this album is Ryan Adams gravally voice. Not only does he share with us the darkness and anger through his lyrics, but also through his voice.
Expressive in every song, you really can feel his emotions in particularly on “Oh my sweet Carolina”, as he talks about home. Truly Beautiful music.

If you love the likes of Jack Johnson, Damian Rice, Adam Cohen and John Mayer than Ryan Adams really should be checked out.

This is some of his finest work and a real infusion of rock, county, folk and blues combined together to create something special.

Buy Heartbreaker

Ryan's Official Site

Ryan on myspace