Sometimes it seems that things are moving at a fast pace. For instance, back in the summer I bought a Blackberry, and since then several new models have come out, making mine seem just a little out of date. Yet with all the progress we make, all the technological advances, we’re still very much the same people. We are people who often yearn for love, wrestle with fear, and lash out as we try to maintain a place of higher importance over the people around us.
But now we are being called, called to a new understanding, a new thought.
You are meant for more. You are meant to learn lessons and take wisdom from the past as well as to learn from what you have experienced in your personal history, and then to push unstoppably forward. You can learn and walk forward into new understandings, new wisdom, new truth. What is this new understanding, this new wisdom, this new truth? There are two of them in particular to focus on at the moment. Let's start with the second.
The second truth is something that we are being called to realize and to take part in. This truth is like a little child standing at the edge of a majestic forest, looking over her shoulder and reaching her arm back towards us. She waits for us to take hold of her hand and to walk. This truth is that we are one people, that one by one boundaries are being torn down. They crash to the ground as we focus on our commonalities with our fellow humanity, rather than on the ways in which we differ. Even more, those differences which once were obstacles to our unity, now they are opportunities to learn. As we realize this truth more fully, the more we shake our heads at the images that we see on TV, images of people living even side-side who are killing one another. Gaza and Afghanistan come to mind. Don’t misunderstand me, these are life-altering and tragic conflicts for those directly involved. But as we more fully realize the truth of our unity, these conflicts, or at least the reasons for them, seem to grow smaller and smaller.
Of course this truth is something we can not walk into unless we learn the one that comes before it. And that is that a key part of the answer to one of the biggest questions of life – the meaning of life - is much closer than we may have previously realized.
Who is it that we are to worship? Who will give us the answer? What are we to do to be acceptable to God?
These questions, and the anxiety that they produce, lose so very much of their importance and grip on our lives when we realize that the reason for living is to live.
While we are all connected as part of existence, we are each unique. There is no one like you. That is a good thing.
You are a good thing.
Isn’t it time, my friend, to lay down your arms that you’ve had aimed at yourself and your seemingly outlandish, lofty dreams, and instead crack the door open to the notion that you are an irreplaceable part of life, a gift. You contain a perspective and wisdom within you that needs to break out into the world, into life. Keep being curious, keep acquiring knowledge that will help you to understand life, but be sure to use your own voice and realize that you aren’t meant to be a copy of anyone who has ever lived.
I pray joy for your journey today as you continue to discover and to step forward into your own new truth.
Artists slave over the writing, recording, producing and mixing of singles and records for days, weeks, months and sometimes years. On the flipside is a concert performance which starts, ends and sees many peaks and valleys all within a few hours. However, the overriding themes and impact of those few short hours can last a lifetime. Nothing else can win over someone other than a blood and brimstone performance that leaves you physically and mentally drained at its conclusion. Walking into the show you may have hated the artist in question, but walking out you may be their most devout fan. No album or video can have the same impact and this is why I place such a huge emphasis on the live experience. 2008 was a extraordinary year for concerts; I saw over forty and narrowing them down to twenty proved to be challenging. I chose to only allow one show per artist to make the list and even by this, I still struggled with narrowing it down to twenty. No matter what one thinks of an artist of the type of music they may play, one has to admire their showmanship, the power, the drive and their musical talent. Each of the shows below showcased artists at the peak of their powers.
Honorable Mention: I submitted this list to antiMusic and completely blanked on the two Butch Walker shows I saw in August here in Chicago. Both were unique non-tour shows and I wrote about them extensively at this link. They should have been on the list below, but due to the nature of the shows, I figured I would give them their own specific mention.
Number Twenty: REO Speedwagon (Rialto Theatre-Joliet, IL / February 10, 2008) Check your opinion of REO Speedwagon at the door because when you walk into one of their shows, expect to be bombarded with 100-minutes of pure melodic bliss. I’m not just talking about a trip down memory lane either. The band hit the stage roaring and the appetite never subsided constantly keeping the crowd engaged. Many may dismiss REO as a nostalgia act, but they couldn’t be further from the truth as they tore through a number of rather impressive tracks off of their newest 2007 studio album, Find Your Own Way Home, including the lamenting title track.
Number Nineteen: Weezer (Allstate Arena-Rosemont, IL / October 2, 2008)
The show could have been entitled “geeks with guitars”. Rivers Cuomo has a corner on the geek market. However, Weezer knows how to deliver a wild and wired show featuring good old time rock n’ roll with a smidgen of punk thrown in for good measure. The band itself proved to be the most cohesive version of Weezer ever as they owned the songs; “Pork and Beans”, “Troublemaker”, “Buddy Holly”, “Beverly Hills” were all here as were some blitzkrieg covers of Oasis and Nirvana songs. What makes Weezer such an endearing band is that they are fans just like those in the audience and as a result, there is a mutual understand and admiration which lends to fervent performances and vocal appreciation.
Number Eighteen: Ace Frehley (House of Blues-Chicago, IL / April 1, 2008) Ace Frehley, even with his Spaceman character, always seemed the one member of KISS that fans could relate to the most. Not everything in music should be about virtuosity, it’s about feeling and Ace Frehley is all about feeling. It’s been over a dozen years since Ace has toured solo and I had doubts if he really would be capable of launching a tour and not being a mere shadow of his former self. I couldn’t have been more wrong as he unblinkingly rocked the sold-out crowd at Chicago’s House of Blues flawlessly for nearly two-hours tearing through classics “Rip It Out”, “New York Groove”, “Rocket Ride” and “Strange Ways”. However, the best news is that Frehley’s show exceeds the ones being put on by his former bands mates. Instead of being recycled and tired, Frehley’s show is audacious and alive!
Number Seventeen: Neil Diamond (United Center-Chicago, IL / July 26, 2008) With his perfect salt and pepper hair, Diamond took to the stage as a veteran performer who had more to prove than just churning out his greatest hits. With a setlist that rewarded the crowd, Diamond proved why he is one of the top earning live performers of all time. “Sweet Caroline” and “America” shook the foundations, but it was the more subdued and restrained moments that stayed with me; “Don’t Go There”, “Pretty Amazing Grace”, “Man of God” and the resounding “Hell Yeah” proved that this isn’t a show drenched in nostalgia but one finding an artist amidst a career rebirth.
Number Sixteen: Kenny Chesney’s Poets and Pirates Tour (w/ Keith Urban) (Soldier Field-Chicago, IL / June 21, 2008) During Keith Urban’s performance of “Better Life”, I turned around to see the stadium’s reaction and 50,000 people were on their feet and there was nothing but a sea of teeth, as the smiles on everyone’s faces were impossible to erase. This performance exuded pure unadulterated joy and transported the entire crowd to another world where all felt right. The few who were unaware of Urban’s staggering stage presence walked away with a vivid visual they won’t soon forget. Keith Urban is not just a pretty face who got to where he is based on luck. If you’ve been seeking out a performer who leaves you mentally and physically exhausted where both band and fan are drained, then look no further, you’ve found someone to love as Urban is one of the five best live acts on the planet at this moment in time. You will find you questioning yourself as you think; “How can anyone be this good?”
Those who believe that a gig has to be intimate to be great, have never experienced the adrenaline rush a stadium crowd can bring just like this very moment. As the stage protracted (a solid twenty rows into the crowd) Kenny Chesney rose up from beneath the stage singing “Live Those Songs”, a wonderfully unblinking song drenched in nostalgia that didn’t just announce his presence, but wrapped the crowd around his finger where they stayed for the entire 105-minute performance. The 23-song set was heavy on wistfulness and honky-tonk hymns which provided a convincing and perfect summer soundtrack to the diverse group of fans in attendance. I learned one definitive thing this weekend and it is why Kenny Chesney and his country music festival every year can fill stadiums at $50-$100; it’s because country music acts feel privileged to be performing for their fans, whereas rock stars feel that their fans should be privileged to be in their presence. This is precisely why Kenny Chesney will fill stadiums every summer and others will watch from the sidelines in envy.
Number Fifteen: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (United Center-Chicago, IL / July 2, 2008) Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers stop at the United Center in Chicago found a band completely in control of their craft. For over two-hours, the band surpassed my unrealistic expectations performing six songs I had never seen before and a few new and novel arrangements. As Petty put an acoustic around his neck and performed his definitive anthem “I Won’t Back Down”, you could hear the crowd cut through the vastness of the arena providing a moment that wasn’t just warm and intimate but resurrecting as well. The song is nearly two-decades old but this performance is as unyielding as it has ever been. The test of a truly great song is when it transcends time and proves to be forever timeless; “I Won’t Back Down” (and most of Petty’s catalog for that matter) is as timeless as they come. The phoenix-like velocity of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performance raised the roof on the United Center delivering a knock-out.
Number Fourteen: Will Hoge & Jason Isbell (Double Door-Chicago, IL / February 8, 2008) Will Hoge and Jason Isbell’s stirring performances left me in a state of shock and awe. The experience was religious; this was a soul drenching rock n’ roll revival with the crowd testifying, believing and hanging on every last note. One of the reasons I never grow tired of seeing Hoge live multiple times within a year is because each performance is continually fresh. I’ve seen him perform “Rock N’ Roll Star” before but the way he delivered the Mercedes Benz line on this night was priceless. It never ceases to bring a smile to my face. It also always makes me realize of how hard his job is. He plays 250 shows a year, travels all over the world and only has a small group of people supporting him and his band. Hoge does not need industry accolades; his music has soul and his spirit is alive and well. Since witnessing this performance, both Isbell and Hoge have lost band members and Hoge even had his bus and gear hijacked and held for ransom by a disgruntled employee and if that wasn’t enough, Hoge was sidelined by a freak accident in August (although I hear he is recovering well). Will Hoge has drive to communicate his art with anyone who will listen and because of this, I know he will survive and thrive even if being a rock n’ roll star isn’t all it is cracked up to be. A wise man once said, “I will rise high above it all” and I’m sure both Jason Isbell and Will Hoge will do just that because to them…the highway’s home.
Number Thirteen: Tina Turner (United Center- Chicago, IL / October 3rd, 2008) Her hips shook like Jagger; she mugged better than Madonna and commanded all eyes on her in a way Britney Spears could only dream; because all of them stole their moves from her. She’s the pioneer of performers and proved that fifty-years down the line, there’s plenty all of them could still learn from her. She oozes with confidence and this in turn makes her far sexier than any pop starlet who thinks sex is about a full reveal. She roamed the stage in heels the entire evening. What differentiates Tina Turner from current pop starlets is that she is a survivor. People look at Turner, see her perform and feel like she is a saint of sorts. They view her as a role model to believe in. If she can survive the hardships of life and not just survive, but thrive…then “so can I” they think. Turner’s roaring delivery of “Proud Mary” is in the pantheons of rock history and the performance I am witnessed is no different. By the songs conclusion, Tina Turner proved to the sold-out crowd that she always has been, continues to be and will forever be the Queen of rhythm, blues, soul and rock n’ roll. She is unsurpassed fifty-years into her career and is not resting on her legacy; over the course of two-hours on only the second date of her world tour, Tina Turner proved to Chicago that she is every bit as good as she has ever been.
Number Twelve: Fall Out Boy (Chicago Theatre- Chicago, IL / December 2, 2008) With every full-length album, the Chicago foursome has pushed the envelope and managed to create some of the most infectious melodies on the pop landscape which Fall Out Boy demonstrated this to 3,500 inside the Chicago Theatre, proving there is more to them than meets the eye. Over the course of the 85-minute set, the band entered a rarified kill-zone where they evoked an intense concentrated consciousness. Finding middle ground between heartbreak anthems, despair, disintegration and internal pleas for solace Fall Out Boy proved to be a rare band whose songs reveal layers with each listen and in concert they reach a summit where pop art becomes art. Don’t judge a book by its cover, let their music be a penicillin to the agonizing uncertainty of your life, you will be better off for it.
Number Eleven: AC/DC (Allstate Arena-Rosemont, IL / October, 30, 2008) Amidst a stack of Marshalls AC/DC delivered 105-minutes of pure rock n’ roll ecstasy full of four-chord blues based rock that was completely unrelenting and unpretentious. What I loved about this show was it encompassed five-members; no hired hands, backing singers, hidden keyboard players and most importantly, none of the five members looked tired or bored. This was a show that is simultaneously theatrical while maintaining all of the essential and core elements of rock n’ roll and the blues. During the main set closer, “Let There Be Rock”, Angus played the guitar on his head amidst a rising mini stage on the opposite end of the floor. Remember when rock n’ roll used to be this fun?
Number Ten: Bon Jovi (United Center-Chicago, IL / February 23-26, 2008) Truly great and illustrious bands defy expectations, push their limits and challenge their audiences. Live concerts provide artists with a platform to show you another side of themselves and on Bon Jovi’s third night in Chicago, they did just this proving that when they want to be they are an illustrious, audacious and blazing band. Forty different and unique songs over three nights is the stuff of legend and I’m happy to say I was there to see it. I had caught their Milwaukee show prior to the Chicago stand and I was worried, they came off as a band whose best days were behind them instead of in front of them. However, over their three nights in Chicago, Bon Jovi was like the Live At Leeds version of the Who. The challenging setlists chock full of rarities and rarely played songs found the band at their peak. It just goes to show that it’s never too late to choose the less traveled road and still find your way home.
Number Nine: Soraia (Elbo Room-Chicago, IL / July 22, 2008) In the lower depths of the Elbo Room in Chicago, Soraia singer Sue Mansou is purging her body of demons as the slithers across the tiny stage like a snake ready to swallow its prey. Her every move is watched with pensive and penetrating eyes from the audience. What strikes me is the power she has over males and females alike as their mouths gape over her command of the stage. One girl I spoke to spoke of wanting to give Mansou a carnal lesson, although she did slyly smile and tell me how she would settle for the sizzling lead guitarist (Dave Justo). Seeing Soraia live is an exceptional experience showcasing the immeasurable talents of this band. Drummer Joe Armstrong furiously hits the snares like Dave Grohl while rhythm guitarist Joe Francia guitars buzzes with soul while bassist Travis Smith has immense stage dynamics while holding down the grooves allowing the rest of the band to soar. Soraia are a club band who performs with arena-rock muscle tone with each member being integral to their sound. Make sure you check them out in 2009 in clubs…while you still can.
Number Eight: R.E.M (United Center – Chicago, IL / June 2, 2008) R.E.M. has been reborn with a vengeance on this current tour. I saw them blissfully give their all during a standout performance in June. The band took chances choosing from a catalog of 80-songs ready to go on any night. I saw them in an intimate theater back in 2004 and I was bored, as I felt the band wander off course delivering a set lacking emotive drive. Touring behind their loudest album in decades (Accelerate), the band appears to be at ease with their past while having a determined eye on the present. Singer Michael Stipe, bassist Mike Mills and guitarist Peter Buck were at their most relaxed, determined and confident in close to two decades. There wasn’t a hint of irony in the air, nor was there a fraudulent atmosphere. For two-hours and twenty seven songs, R.E.M. did what they did best…release the mind, body and soul.
Number Seven: Kid Rock (Sears Centre – Hoffman Estates, IL / May 23, 2008) The self-proclaimed rock n’ roll Jesus hit the stage in the late spring with a cocksure attitude and an arsenal of hits that lit up the crowd. Other tours have been more theatrical, but this one found Rock comfortable in his own shoes with a little help from Peter Wolf in the first set where they tore through a illustrious “Motown Medley” and in the second set Rev Run on Run DMC helped out in a barrage of old school rap and rock hits. Peppered in between these guest spots were hits and a number of songs from Rock N’ Roll Jesus proving that Rock’s best material is in front of him and not behind him. Rock has an ability to carry himself like a rock God, but can simultaneously be as down to Earth as a country star. Those who can’t separate this split personality is missing the point; they’re one in the same. He put his money where his mouth is charging $15 for the nosebleeds. This is an artist of immense magnitude, and if you think otherwise, it’s time to take your blinders off. The way he wields multiple genres of music into his own is nothing short of extraordinary. The brilliance of the Kid Rock is that he melds the sentimental, the spiritual and the sexual with ease like no one else I've ever seen.
Number Six: Buddy Guy (Legends Night Club-Chicago, IL / January 23, 2008) Within the walls of the Legends Night Club there is a soul that can’t be defined or expressed, it’s merely a feeling one embraces the second they set foot in the building. Watching Buddy Guy play his guitar within inches of my face isn’t just a thrill, but a powerful lesson. I realized that no one can teach you the blues. It has to be felt. It’s much like speed in sports. You can train wide receivers how to maneuver, lead-off hitters to study a pitchers style and an Olympian runner how to pace themselves, but you can’t teach them speed, it’s embedded in their DNA. The same could be said of the blues. As I watched the fluidity of Guy’s band made me question why I’d even bother seeing an arena show ever again, because this is as raw and real as music will ever get. The swell of emotions just flows through Guy’s hands. It’s like watching God wield his power through this legend, because no one should be this good. “My Time After Awhile” gingerly exposed his inner broken hearted bluesman as he rubbed the guitar against his chest evoking deeply buried emotions. This is the beauty of the blues-everyone has been down and out in their lives at some point and when you experience the blues, you immediately feel like it understand who you are.
Number Five: Wilco (Riviera Theatre- Chicago, IL / February 16, 2008) Over five-nights last winter, Wilco performed their entire catalog (every song) in front of their hometown crowd. I walked into the second show with trepidation because while I’ve always admired Wilco, I’ve never warmed to them. What I witnessed was a band with an abundance of pop hooks, restraint and searing intensity who matched the best arena rock shows I’ve ever seen while simultaneously yielding moments so intimate and reflective they could only happen in a club. The pop framework of their earlier material contrasts rather stunningly against their more endearing work, however, it helps bridge these songs as catalysts for one another where they may reveal a new color or transform themselves in ways no one could have ever imagined, including the band. What does matter is that Wilco has grand ambitions for themselves and their music as long as it is on their own terms. Whether they play to 1,300 or 13,000 is irrelevant, what’s important is that Wilco continues to grow and push the envelope in ways few have done before. I only wish every band was as ambitious and truthful as Wilco. Their pained pop crescendos and emotive lyrics are cemented in the DNA of their fanatical fan base and to see the band embrace their fans, their hometown and their catalog is beyond inspiring, it’s divine.
Number Four: Michael Franti and Spearhead (Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL / November 8, 2008) Four nights after the presidential election, Michael Franti and Spearhead brought their whimsical and foot stomping music to Chicago. There was an undercurrent of joy in every one of the one-hundred fifty-minutes of the performance at the Vic Theatre and it entrenched itself in your mind right from the opening moments providing a high that never dissipated. The vibe of the show was dreamlike and each meditative poem came to life on the concert stage with the camaraderie brotherhood of Spearhead providing the soundtrack to the overriding themes of life. The evening came to a triumphant and ebullient close with the “Say Hey (I Love You)” as the crowd chanted the chorus over and over as their gleaming smiles lit up the room as the audience let their release be heard.
Number Three: Eddie Vedder (Auditorium Theatre-Chicago, IL / August 22, 2008) One man solo shows can go horribly wrong. If executed poorly, they can be exercises in ego. Fortunately, Eddie Vedder closed out his solo tour in his hometown of Chicago in complete command of his songs in a truly inspiring, enlightening and humorous evening, Vedder showed a side of himself we only get to see glimpses of when he’s with Pearl Jam. Showcasing many songs from his stupendous Into The Wild soundtrack, Vedder’s voice provided an intimate experience allowing his poignant lyrics to breathe. A war veteran was brought on stage for “No More” in a moment no one will forget any time soon and Vedder even pulled out “All The Way”, a song he wrote for the Chicago Cubs. If all of this wasn’t enough, it also included some choice and intense covers of songs by the Beatles, Johnny Cash, Cat Stevens and Nick Cave. Eddie Vedder delivered a show that didn’t wallow in ego, but provided a much needed release where you walked away with not just an evening of entertainment but one where you reflect on your own life and have a better understanding of who Eddie Vedder is.
Number Two: James (Vic Theater-Chicago, IL / September 25, 2008) James is one of the most electrifying live bands on the planet and their two-hour show showcased them at their preeminent. The political fireball of “Hey Ma” flexed arena rock muscle while “I Wanna Go Home” was ambient yet interlocked with the crowds emotions which eventually encircled into a paroxysmal jam that proved to be otherworldly. The classic songs blazed out of the gate heading for the finish line as the band ripped through them as if they never took a career pause. For a band whose core sound is ambient and atmospheric, there is no way they should be as effective on stage, but they defy expectations. The seven members are pieces of one puzzle and together they perform these songs with breathtaking abandon. Their best anthems build up to a wailing and crushing arms in the air crescendos which take alternate roads and have abrupt shifts, but they never once lost the crowd and due to some incandescent performances and meticulous pacing, they owned the crowd from the word “go”. This is an arena band that brought the same presence and determination with them. They found a way to dig beneath the surface and crawl inside your skin as every song engulfed the crowd and reverberated in your soul like a lost friend. Then there was the mouth gaping performance of “Sometimes”. The first verse and chorus were restrained in an inventive new arrangement as the crowd sung along to every last word. Before the second verse, Baynton-Power’s machine gun drums and Davies’ sprinting acoustic guitar charged into the furious well known arrangement. Booth’s gut wrenching vocals were an avalanche of emotions. The crowd reached their apex as the band nearly finished the song when the 1,300 souls in attendance began to chant the chorus repeatedly for almost five-minutes as the band watched in awe; “Sometimes, when I look deep in your eyes, I swear I can see your soul”. This was goose bump inducing. Eventually, the band delivered a slamming reprise that left everyone breathless and grasping for air. This wasn’t merely a memorable moment, it was one of those moments where life comes into focus for a few brief seconds. The music not just takes you away, but wraps around you like your favorite childhood blanket offering not just sound advice but comfort.
Number One: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (Scottrade Center-St. Louis, MO / August 23, 2008) Life is a delicate balance of lightness and darkness. Bruce Springsteen is at his best when wrangles with the space in-between. Springsteen falters when he leans to heavily towards one or the other, but on a hot August night everything fell into place for a show that wasn’t just ferocious, but proved to be redemptive and resounding as well. Opening with a cover of the Crystals “Then She Kissed Me”, notice was served early this would not be an ordinary show. In all, twenty-nine songs were performed over the three-hour fifteen-minute show. Of the forty-plus times I have seen Springsteen, I have never seen him and the E Street Band as in command of their music as they were on this night. They ripped through five covers, elevated hearts and minds during a nine-song encore, made everyone reflect on a searing performance of the rarely played “Drive All Night”, hit all the right notes and fired on all cylinders with a confidence that no one could shake. The band effortlessly segued from the melodic (“Cover Me”) to the emotive (“Backstreets”). It was a perfect setlist where a series of emotions were expunged and excavated. This wasn’t just the best damn show of 2008, it may have been one of the best damn shows of Springsteen and the E Street Band’s career. Nights like these don’t just serve as entertainment, but reach elevated spiritual heights. Life doesn’t always go as planned and there are times when that physical and vocal release is needed. However, the flipside of that coin is when music reminds you of not just the heartaches of life, but the joys as well. After a decade where Springsteen leaned a little too heavy on darkness, in St. Louis he embraced the light and reminded us all that it ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.
My good buddy Tom who has run Midwest Metal for a number of years has launched a new blog. Love metal? If so, his blog is essential. Check it out here.
More importantly, there's a blistering review of the Metallica / Machine Head / The Sword show from LA two weeks ago, check out that review here.
I fully intended to do daily updates over the last week but assisting with my new twin nephews proved to be more time consuming than I had intended. Who would have thunk?
Needless to say, it appears readership is up on the blog even without any updates. Lots more to come in the following months.
As always, feel free to post comments or email me directly.
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart: 2008’s Most Disappointing Albums By Anthony Kuzminski
It happens to everyone, you wait with intense anticipation from new music from an artist you love and adore and when you hear it, you simply shake your head in disbelief. Not the disbelief of how immense and staggering it is, but how pedestrian, underwhelming and commonplace that listening experience truly was. Virtually no one with who has ever created music over decades has a batting average of 1000%, but it doesn’t make the pain you feel from the heartache any less real. I’m not a fan of putting down those who create, but at times they miss the mark and are blinded by any number of circumstances and ultimately they take their eye off the ball and drop it. The list below can be viewed in two very distinctive ways; truly awful music (Numbers ten through seven) and albums that had huge potential and disappointed me tremendously (Numbers six through one).
Number Ten: Pussycat Dolls – Doll Domination
Why? Because the Pussycat Dolls sums up everything that is wrong with the music industry. Flat beats with missing melodies and enough sheen to make to make you sick with the shits for weeks.
Number Nine: Beyonce -I Am…Sasha Fierce
It may have the single of the year according to Rolling Stone, but of all of the albums on this list none suffer from egomania like this one. Beyonce makes the occasional great single and eventually, she’ll have enough of them to make a stellar Greatest Hits record, but in no uncertain terms was there ever a need for her to release a double-album. If you answered three out of sixteen on a test in school, you would have a 19% score, hence why I have such disdain for this record. Even if it had been edited down to nine songs it would still have 75% filler. Albums like this do nothing but add to the demise of the album format.
Number Eight: Natasha Bedingfield-Pocketful of Sunshine
A few years back Bedingfield created some of the most indelible pop hits of the decades with “These Words (I Love You)” and “Unwritten”; two examples or truly luminous pop music and both tracks deserved all the recognition thy received. This new album? 100% Junk. Not a single song on it features a song a tenth as infectious as the two aforementioned tracks. Bedingfield has the potential to be a pop princess, which there is nothing wrong with. I can’t bang my head and feel depressed all the time. I like junk food and Unwritten was a top tier grease joint, Pocket Full of Sunshine is a bankrupt fast-food restaurant whose food isn’t just bad, but gives you the squirts.
Number Seven: Leona Lewis-Spirit
Most. Overrated. Artist. Ever. Artists expunge their inner demons through their art. Lewis is someone who got lucky on a reality TV show and the powers that be churned million of dollars in a campaign to make her the next Mariah. Can you say “payola”? The world is full of millions of talented artists who will never get their day in the sun because some idiotic executive thinks this is what people want. She will be nothing more than a trivia question five-years from now.
Number Six: Madonna -Hard Candy
Madge partnered with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake to make an album that is simply underwhelming. What makes Madonna such a fascinating pop culture figure is her ability to stay one step ahead of everyone. On Hard Candy she’s one step behind. Instead of creating trends, she is following them. Judging by the album’s lackluster sales (less than 700,000 in the US) it appears the public feels the same way I do. Even worse is that the music failed to inspire in concert, whereas her last album, Confessions On A Dance Floor stunned and shined in concert.
Number Five: Counting Crows- Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings
Six-years in the making, this epic double album was supposed to be an involving two part record that was a throw back to the days of where albums ruled. Sadly, the band delivered an album that isn’t just bloated but one where even killer EP is unobtainable. To add insult to injury, the band partnered with Maroon 5 on a summer tour where little from the album was performed. If they truly believed in this album and in its importance as a whole, the band would have opted for a theater tour where they could have performed the album in its entirety and then do an extended second set of hits. If they had done this, they may have altered my mind and many others as well. Instead they took the easy money and as a result, this album will have a blemish on it over time because the band never allowed these songs to develop, progress and show its true colors in concert.
Number Four: Queen + Paul Rogers-The Cosmos Rocks
By no means is this a “bad” album, but it had the potential to be great and failed. Rogers has one of the greatest voices of the last fifty-years and Queen…well, they can tear down the walls of any stadium in the world. Instead of leaning towards stadium anthems or bluesy aural sounds, they created an album that sounds like neither artist. This is the problem. It is admirable to see both of these acts go out of their comfort zone, but once again, this is a case of over thinking everything. It’s a solid rock album, but one that aside from fanatic Rogers and Queen fans, will be forgotten in a few months time. I love both artists but as a hybrid this is merely a kick-ass karaoke band.
Number Three: My Morning Jacket-Evil Urges
MMJ’s 2005 release Z is a modern masterpiece that continues to grow and evolve with every listen. MMJ has never been a group whom you could appreciate after one listen, but those who have the patience to spend time with their albums are rewarded. Sadly, no matter how much anyone listens to Evil Urges, it fails to inspire. “I’m Amazed” is a brilliant single, but the remainder of the album sounds like a band who has lost all focus. I’m all for experimentation and pushing the envelope, but an artist should never try and force their music. My Morning Jacket evolved so fast and furious that I believe they had issues when it came time to write and record Evil Urges. This album sounds forced. It’s one thing to evolve your sound and have a gradual growth; it’s another to create music for the sole purpose of being different for the sake of being different. Sadly, this is what Evil Urges feels like; an album where the band fought against their natural talent and order and instead strayed into a zone they were not comfortable with. This is a great band and they will create great music again, it just didn’t happen this time around.
Number Two: Motley Crue-Saints of Los Angeles
The inspiration for Saints is said to have come from the band’s best-selling 2001 biography The Dirt. While this appears to be a brilliant idea on paper, it provides minimal gusto and nominal motivation. Nikki Sixx has never had a shortage of inspiration when writing, but this time he appears to have hit a brick wall. You mean to tell me that besides a divorce and the sorry state of the world, he could only draw inspiration from a book that is seven years old about events from ten to thirty years ago? Maybe the well has run dry; alas it’s no excuse for producer James Michael for going easy on the band and doing his best to hide the sleaze in their sound. This is where Bob Rock or Tom Werman would have bent the band into shape. Werman would have been the consummate carpenter molding, modifying and crafting these songs into an album that flowed and had a clear beginning, middle and end. Rock would have forced the band to delve deeper and continue peeling layers off of the songs and in the studio. If he had, a song like “The Animal In Me” could have been so much more; instead it feels like a song with huge potential but ultimately is an unfinished idea...close but no cigar. Instead of writing an album full of vitality and fervor, they wrote about a time and place when they had vigor and passion. Good idea, but poor execution. Maybe they are meant to be heard live…but even if they are great in concert, the last time I checked the Library of Congress doesn’t catalog concerts; the album is the long lasting piece of art you hope that will live on in infamy.
Number One: Marah-Angels of Destruction
Five years ago this coming February, I saw Marah deliver a rock n’ soul review for the ages in a tiny club in Chicago. It was sub-zero outside, the show was on a week night and there were maybe a hundred people in the club but this band from Philadelphia play within an inch of their lives. It featured the best of their first three records, a smattering of new songs and covers that left me wanting more. It was one of the great club experiences of my life. Authors Nick Hornby and Stephen King have praised this band and they have been featured extensively in the New York Times and Entertainment Weekly. So what does the band do with this attention? They pissed it away like spoiled rock stars. Ever since then, I’ve watched this band self-destruct in every Spinal Tap way possible. More insulting is the lack of direction this band has had inside the recording studio. Each record has been chock full of songs that have potential, but have lacked focus and execution. Angels of Destruction is an album that is so disappointing that it makes me wish I never had seen that show five years back. There is no greater crime than having talent and throwing it away on excess and ego. There is a very good reason this band never broke through to the mainstream and it falls completely in their laps. Their PR firms and management have not helped either. I have requested over a half dozen interviews with this band in the last five years (I even offered an email interview) and I was told “the band does not have the time”. It appears they were too busy with infighting and self destruction to ever allow an interview. Am I holding this against them? No way, it’s just that Marah has delivered the same record three straight releases in a row and I’m tired if believing in this band only to have them deliver third rate blue-collar under produced songs done better by a dozen different artists. This is easily the most disappointing record of not just the last twelve months, but possibly the last decade and appears to be the final nail in the coffin of Marah.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.
One of the best concerts of 2008 I saw was James. During their recent UK run of shows this month they sold an exclusive live album.
Can anyone spare a copy? If you can, email me directly: thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.
Here was their announcement: Just to let you know there will be something very special available at these dates. A new live album! The whole of the UK tour this April was recorded, and the band have spent much of their time since they got back from America sifting through selecting the best versions, and whittling it down to fourteen songs, which were sent on to be expertly mixed for your listening enjoyment. You will find James Live in 2008 on sale at the merchandise stall at each of the remaining concerts on this tour, and priced at just a tenner, it's truly a steal.
The album has been created from start to finish by the band themselves; it isn't a Mercury release so it's been strictly limited to 5,000 copies, which will only be sold on this tour. Apologies to everyone who isn't able to get hold of it, but if all goes well they would like this to be the first of many, so maybe they'll have something available in your neck of the woods in the not too distant future. Stay tuned to wearejames.com to find out!
Live In 2008 December 2008 Recorded live on the April 2008 UK Tour
Oh My Heart / Born Of Frustration / Upside / Tomorrow / Bubbles / Hey Ma / Senorita / Waterfall / Boom Boom / Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) / Whiteboy / Sometimes / Laid / Lullaby
Well, it appears that any business morals Springsteen has had so far in his career are gone. That being said, I don't really have a huge issue with what he's doing. It's a new 'Greatest Hits' package dedicated exclusively to the music of Springsteen with the E Street Band. I have to say, it may have been nice to add a few unreleased tracks. How about that 8-minute take of "Born In The USA" or how about the Electric Nebraska version of "Atlantic City"? Oh wait, that would have taken about 3 days of work on Sony's part. Hell, could they have given us another track from The River?
Regardless, if you don't have a Bruce package, for $10 this one will suffice, so head over to Wal-Mart on January 13th.
1. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) 2. Born To Run 3. Thunder Road 4. Darkness On The Edge Of Town 5. Badlands 6. Hungry Heart 7. Glory Days 8. Dancing In The Dark 9. Born In The U.S.A. 10. The Rising 11. Lonesome Day 12. Radio Nowhere
Courtesy of Bob Lefsetz mailbag that just came into my mail box. This is in regards to the article he wrote about U2 selling all of their Live Nation stock. This letter comes from someone inside the business who basically confirms that both AEG and Live Nation are financial disasters. Sure, you see Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Chesney, etc making boatloads of money, but these mammoth promoters are overpaying. I'll be amazed if either or both of these companies exist in their current format in five years.
From: Tom Bunch Subject: Re: U2/Live Nation
Hi Bob.
I have been earning a good living this year consulting for financial investment companies that have bought Live Nation and/or Ticketmaster stock.
As I have told you before, I promoted concerts and owned venues in Texas and Louisiana 1983-1997 and managed The Butthole Surfers, Toadies and 3 music producers 1989-1999.
My company TAB Management (tabmanagement.com) was independently owned and operated. I funded it with my own money (started with $2000) and I was the president, CEO or whatever you wanted to call it. AT my peak I had 10 full time employees. My main markets were Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonia and New Orleans.
I operated in the time when a promoter would go out of business with 4 or 5 bad shows in any year or season. My company succeeded because of my personal relationships with the acts, managers, agents and record labels. If I lost money, everyone in the equation felt it and they didn't want any of the people they were working with to be in a loss situation. Everyone cooperated, worked together and were fairly honest with each other.
Bands, agent and managers see Live Nation and the major labels as corporate entities with no personality and deep pockets and if they lose money, no one cares.
I knew Robert Sillerman's plan was doomed to failure when he announced it and I told anyone that would listen, but most of my friends were lining up to take his money. He paid many, many times what each company was worth and put people together that hated each other. Why would a promoter that was just paid 40 million dollars go to work for $200,000 a year and work with people he fought tooth and nail with for the last 20 years. The only person that made money out of the SFX deals was Sillerman.
Before the SFX rollup, there were about 400 concert promoters in the US. Yes some of them just booked Oldies shows in the city park or booked a season at a specific place, but they were making money and adding to the music business economy. Some were Cellar Door, Pace, Delser, Avalon, BGP, etc.
Some of these promoters made $125,000 a years, some made $10 million a year, but if you averaged this out, each promoter made in the area of 2 million a year or a little more, so the concert promotion business was earning a profit of half a billion to a billion dollars every year, in profits, not gross.
Now you have Live Nation and AEG doing the vast majority of the concerts in the US and each lose money each year. OK, AEG may have a year or 2 when they made a little, but not much. No one really knows what they make as they are a private company and don't have to publicly report their income, but they are making and/or losing a few million dollars a year.
The merging and conglomerating of the concert business has taken a business that made a half billion dollar+ a year to a business that loses money each year. It has not worked for anyone and has all but killed the business.
I have many long time relationships with people that work or have worked for Live nation and AEG and I have direct info about how they operate, coupled with an extensive knowledge of how the music business and fans operate.
You are right, The Wall Street analysts don't have any clue about Live Nation and that has been good for me as I have worked regularly giving very accurate and insightful advice to companies that have bought Live Nation and/or Ticketmaster stock or who were considering it.
So I went to check out W.A.R. at the library and it was gone. I grabbed this instead and I have to say I am absolutely astonished at how bad this is. I would say Stephan phoned this in but that would be too big a compliment. He gets so many simple facts wrong and contradicts himself so many times I'm beginning to wonder how valid his past work was. His publisher should be ashamed because a simple fact checker could have corrected a lot of things like calling Paul Stanley the bass player of KISS. I'm not a Bon Jovi fan at all and even I know Slippery When Wet wasn't their debut album. But with facts like those being wrong, you begin to question a lot of things he writes about Guns. I'm half way through and I've spotted dozens of glaring errors. It's really too bad because now I question his past work as well. The only thing that would be forgivable with this book is if he came out and said it was ghost written and he lent his name to it because it is beyond sloppy journalism. He couldn't even keep a coherent timeline, it's jumps around like a crack addict after a hit. If you're looking for a definitive GNR bio this is not it. Read my review of the book here.
I'm not one who gushes on celebrity gossip, in fact, I hate it. They are human beings who do deserve to be smacked here and there, but ultimately should just be left alone.
Now that being said, I must admit to be shocked by Jennifr Aniston's recent photo shoot for GQ. With that being said, good for her for leaving her past behind her, getting on with life and showing everyone what they're missing out on.
Music lives inside all of us and it’s terribly personal. You would be safer telling someone they have an ugly child instead of expressing your disdain for one of their favorite artists. One person’s trash is another treasure and there is often no rhyme or reason why we love certain songs and throw a cold shoulder at others. Some music is easily digestible and others need multiple listens for a full reveal. Sometimes these multi-listen albums prove to be the truly timeless and the music that often accompanies us on our life journey. It’s December and it’s that time of year again when we sharpen our pencils and attempt to break down the best in the year’s music. Many of my friends are forgoing Best Album lists in lieu of singles, which isn’t a bad idea but I still love the idea of an album and how it can tell you a thematic story. I believe the following collections of songs below are cinematic in their scope revealing widescreen stories and harmonies that are best served in 45-minute installments. Now, as I look over my list, I’m surprised to not see more indie titles. I listened to a lot of music in the last year and while certain songs and artists may have awoken an interest, their overall albums didn’t impress. What you will read below are albums (top to bottom affairs) that I listened to regularly and without interruption (for the most part) over the course of 2008. I paid no attention to what’s cool or hip, I merely broke down a few dozen albums that spoke to my soul continually over the last twelve months. I can only hope that one of you find a few treasures in the list below. So without further adieu, I give you the twenty-five best albums of the last twelve months.
Number Twenty-Five: Def Leppard-Songs From The Sparkle LoungeDef Leppard’s 11th studio album of original material and right from the opening guitar acrobatics of “Go” the band erupts and assails your senses with a sensational barrage of guitars that never relent. Songs From The Sparkle Lounge doesn’t follow trends or previous glories, but finds the band comfortably within their skin churning out radio ready four-minute wonders that are definitively Def Leppard even if the gloss and sheen isn’t as bright. The album is the most organic affair of new material they have committed to tape since their debut On Through The Night and elevates its potential with each listen revealing its true colors. {Full Album review at this link}
"Tomorrow"
Number Twenty-Four: Whitesnake-Good To Be Bad Who would have thunk it that David Coverdale still had the goods to deliver not just an album hell bent on nostalgia, but with enough aggressiveness to demonstrate that this is not just a band riding the nostalgia train but one that is vital and alive. The songs bridge the gap between their rock and blues influences and wouldn’t have been out of place on some of the band’s earliest works (“Best Years” & “Lay Down Your Love”) against the arena rock roars of their peak commercial years (“All I Want All I Need” & “Summer Rain”). Ironically the fact that Coverdale and his backing band (lead by guitarist Doug Aldrich) don’t try to be anything other than a hybrid metal-blues band works to their advantage. The final result is an album that is fresh, original and one that will not sound dated in a year or even a decade from now.
"Good To Be Bad"
Number Twenty-Three: Fall Out Boy- Folie à Deux Chicago EMO band expands their boundaries on their least personal, but most daring record to date. Say what you want to about Fall Out Boy, but being this good isn’t easy and there’s a reason they stand atop the EMO mountain with their power-pop hooks and memorable ringers that should not be confined to any genre. Look no further than the soulful and sprinting “(Coffee’s For Closers)” with a wondrous guest vocal by Elvis Costello who surprisingly melds perfectly with their brand of ebullient power pop; that in itself speaks volumes. {Live review at this link}
"I Don't Care"
Number Twenty-Two: Buddy Guy-Skin Deep I caught a Buddy Guy show last January during his legendary month long stand in Chicago and as I left, I shook my head in disbelief that anyone could be that good at anything. It’s almost criminal the way he plays the guitar. I’d seen him open for the Stones, jam with the Stones, plays blues festivals, but there was nothing like watching him slay the sold out audience with his guitar theatrics. I’m happy to say that the same intimacy unfurls on his best album in almost two-decades, Skin Deep. His first album of all original material isn’t perfect, but it doesn’t have to be when one can play the guitar as well as Guy. “Out In The Woods” and “Hammer and Nail” are nothing short of revelations with sizzling six-string theatrics that will make you rethink about every other music that you have ever heard.
"Skin Deep" on Letterman
Number Twenty-One: B.B. King- One Kind Favor God bless T Bone Burnett. B.B. King is a legend any way you look at it, but this collection is a no frills affair that could have been recorded in the 50’s or 60’s. An album deeply embedded in a core blues sound. Not one made for radio or latter day blues fans, but for those who grew up on Robert Johnson. His fingers speak volumes and show that even at 82-years old, King still has a few tricks up his sleeve and can show everyone how great blues music should sound.
"Sitting On Top of the World"
Number Twenty: Farkus-Thought You Should Know This Chicago four-some made a bright and surprisingly excellent EP in 2007 and now they return with a fleshed out album, Thought You Should Know. What makes this collection of songs so stunning is the fact that all four musicians do this part time and pooled their money to work with producer Dave Rieley to create an all too short album chock full of razor edged electric guitars, a turbo charged rhythm section and rapt and tender vocals that warrant repeat listens. Tempos surge, guitars storm and the band plays their hearts out on a collection of songs whose music jumps out of its skin. One wonders how many more great songs would be created if this was their full time gig. {Original EP review here}
Number Nineteen: Rolling Stones-Shine A Light After decades of releasing a slew of good (but not great) live albums (Stripped aside) the band delivers a document of why they are still the baddest and best rock band on the planet. The soundtrack to the Martin Scorsese film shines a light (pun intended) on old warhorses that still sound vital (“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”), a few forgotten gems (“Faraway Eyes” & “She Was Hot”) and a few unearthed gems with distinguished guests (“Champagne and Reefer” with Buddy Guy & “Loving Cup” with Jack White). Listening to this band in an intimate setting made me recognize just how damn good these guys are at what they do. Bands half of their age don’t sound this good. {Full movie review at this link}
Film Trailer
Number Eighteen: The Fireman (Paul McCartney)-Electric Arguments McCartney’s two previous Fireman recordings did not utilize his vocals, but this one finds McCartney pushing his boundaries like never before. Beneath Youth’s electrical tones is that voice that changed a generation. For an experimental record, this one oozes gorgeous melodies and beats that find harmony together. Macca should have released this under his own name as it deserves to be hear by many more than have heard it to date.
"Sing The Changes"
Number Seventeen: Black Crowes-Warpaint Overlooked by many, but those who held it close were rewarded on multiple listens. This isn’t just a fun record, but it’s the best damn record the band has made post Southern Harmony. The angelic “Locust Street” was made for Rod Stewart and the Faces to cover while “Wounded Bird” gives one a glimpse of what the Rolling Stones would sound like today is Mick Taylor was still in the band. Ultimately, Warpaint downright nasty blues return to form that would make Buddy Guy smile with approval.
"Wounded Bird"
Number Sixteen: The Black Keys-Attack & ReleaseI loved the first two records and then Rubber Factory just disappointed (even on multiple listens) and Magic Potion was missing the magic. The Akron, OH twosome once again finds their juju here on a collection originally deemed as a comeback record for Ike Turner before his death. The band partnered with Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley) and have created their most expansive and involving record to date. For a band that prides itself on simplicity (drums, vocal guitars) they find a way to rip through all of the nonsense you are accustomed to and break rock n’ roll down to its most primal and best form here. Bridging a gap between slithering distorted riffs and back porch blues, the Black Keys have made their most complex and ironically commercial record to date.
"Lies"
Number Fifteen: Neil Diamond-Home Before Dark Let’s be honest shall we? Neil Diamond’s first collaboration with Rick Rubin was a bit of a disappointment with only a few truly career revitalizing sonnets that made you stand up and take notice. The same can’t be said about this one, Diamond’s first number-one album in his career. Commencing with the insular seven-minute “If I Don’t See You Again” the stage is set for Diamond’s most revelatory and revealing record ever. “Don’t Go There” showcases a song that could have been drenched in syrup, but Rubin’s restraint production allows his voice to be heard while “Pretty Amazing Grace” finds just enough breathing room for band and man to exist. Then there’s a gorgeous duet with the Dixie Chicks Natalie Maines on “Another Day (That Time Forgot)” showcasing a haunting vocal by Diamond. The sing-a-long arena anthems may be absent but if you listen closely Rubin was right to leave the layered production behind because all Diamond needs is a notebook, guitar and his voice to send emotional shivers through your soul.
"If I Don't See You Again"
Number Fourteen: Duffy-Rockferry Showcasing a voice that could bring men and women to their knees pleading for mercy, Duffy doesn’t just deliver on arguably the single of the year, “Mercy”, but on the entire ten-song affair. Her voice crawls under your skin and won’t leave until you’ve given it at least a dozen chances. Evoking nostalgic soul, rock and blues, Duffy has created a record that will continue to grow for years to come and I have a feeling future releases will equally impress leaving us all begging for “Mercy”.
"Mercy" live
Number Thirteen: Sharon Little-Perfect Time For A Breakdown Over the course of eleven scrupulously organic songs Sharon Little channels the blues, pop, country, soul, rock n’ roll and every other musical landscape imaginable with raw gusto and a storming vocals on her CBS debut Perfect Time For A Breakdown. The lead-off track, “Follow That Sound” builds until her smoky-sweet voice singes your ear drums with a performance that is sexual and searing simultaneously. She evokes sex with confident voice better than any half dressed woman; that’s what I call talent. The rest of the album is a sedate yet transfixing listening experience as I felt as if I was being seduced by a beautiful woman from across the room. Each of the songs has a crafty blend of melancholy longing and wistfulness that are laced with sunny melodies.This is something no one can be taught and can only come from looking inward and throwing your life experiences into the song. Little began writing songs at the age of sixteen as a way to deal with the unexpected death of one of her friends and it is reflected with an emotive depth not found on most records today. She lives these songs. The years of struggle and heartache have served her well as she isn’t just a new pop princess or a flash in the pan, but an artist…and one you should keep your eye on…very closely.{Full album review at this link}
"What Gets In The Way"
Number Twelve: Nada Surf-Lucky Chock full of aural melodies that are nothing short of fixating, the introspective band finds their groove on a record that is as easy on the ears as anything on the radio today. If this was 1993, this would have been a triple-platinum record. An undercurrent of heartache matched with effortless and beautifying lyrics Lucky is a feast for anyone and everyone who loves a good melody. I had rarely listened to this band before this album, but they have pulled me in deep here. “I Like What You Say” is flirting while “From Now On” spirals like a rollercoaster as the band delivers perfectly textured harmonies. This is a wonderfully pensive record that will leave you in a blissful and magical state of mind and if you’re still not sold, listen to “Beautiful Beat” and tell me your life is not better off for hearing it.
"Whose Authority"
Number Eleven: Los Campesinos! - Hold on Now, Youngster... If there was a skit on Saturday Night Live showing this band in the studio, Christopher Walken would stop the session and demand “More glockenspiel!” No matter where I am when a song from this record pops on my iPod, it never fails to elicit a smile with its full speed ahead with romantic abandon…with a dash of glockenspiel tossed in for good measure. I don’t think any artist has utilized the glockenspiel this well since Bruce Springsteen. It’s featured magnanimously on “Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Backbeats” and numerous other songs with just titles just as tongue twisting. Interlocking vocals, a concentrated rhythm section and chiming guitars give the band an almost cartoonish aura, but the music is so wildly contagious, it’s impossible to not smile and shake you head when listening to it. I can’t think of any act in the world that sounds as wholly original or who can distill as much energy on record as Los Campesinos!. I can offer no higher compliment.
"You! Me! Dancing!"
Number Ten: Guns N’ Roses-Chinese Democracy Let’s leave the behind-the-scenes drama in the past. When you break this album down to its core, it mines one’s psyche as they want acceptance, but feel as if love has slipped through its fingers one too many times. This is a collection of songs drenched in vulnerability. Axl Rose has made a career of being a recluse, but ultimately, he has the last laugh, as everything you ever wanted to know about Axl is right here for the listener to discern. Few artists take chances like Rose to appear as vulnerable as he does here (“Street of Dreams”) and in the hope of a better (pun intended) tomorrow. Repressed emotions unfurl in a dazzling array of guitar hero theatrics partnered with blood screeching wails and heavy heartache. Ultimately, we are left with an album that is more than just years in the making but one that finds an artist at a true emotional crossroads and ultimately as the album unfolds itself in front of you, you’ll find that what is here is pure magic…if you listen close enough and don’t prejudge. {2006 Live review at this link}
"Better" live from 2006
Number Nine: R.E.M. - Accelerate What happens when rock writers and critics cry wolf one too many times? Ever since 1994’s Monster every R.E.M. record has been deemed a “return to form” and while the last fifteen years have had its share of highlights from R.E.M., all of their albums have had a alienating feeling where they are attempting to be something they are not. On Accelerate’s raucous opening of “Living Well Is the Best Revenge”, its immediately evident the monster is reborn. Over a brief and roaring 36-minutes, R.E.M. proves to be a lean and mean fighting machine as they wail back with vengeance. Accelerate is everything a R.E.M. record should be; rocking, revealing and resounding. It’s a shame that so many writers overshot the so-called return to form over the last fifteen-years and sadly most fans have heard this story one too many times and opted out of what truly is R.E.M.’s best post Automatic record. Instead of trying to be different for the sake of being different or forcing what they thought was their classic sound, they looked inward, became spontaneous and made a truly classic R.E.M record.
Full album snippets
Number Eight: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals-Cardinology It easily could have been titled Ryan Adams Grows Up. Adams has always had a penchant for being a poetic and epic songwriter and over the course of his last two discs (including last year’s superb Easy Tiger) he has finally hit his stride. Post-2003, while his output has always been stellar, it hasn’t been as focused as his last two albums (Note: Love Is Hell has the focus I’m referring to but was recorded in October 2002). On Cardinology Adams strives for the fences with a collection of songs ready made for arena arms-to-the-air swaying. These aren’t the most audacious of his career (and it does lose some steam towards the end) but as a whole it’s a rather stellar and consistent affair. Instead of a distant third person narrative, Adams draws from within and gives us a record that feels like a return to his early career where we feel these stories gliding off his tongue with ease and excitement. Instead of knocking out everything that inspired him, it feels like he spent more time crafting these and it shows. {Link to 2007 article/live review at this link}
"Crossed Out Name"
Number Seven: Soraia-Shed The Skin Soraia is a five piece rock band from Philadelphia who has risen like a phoenix from personal calamities only to turn their tragedy into triumph. Of the upwards of one-hundred indie discs sent my way in the last year, this was the one that knocked me emotionally to the floor. Shed the Skin is a cohesive collection of songs and warrants an in depth listen that is ambitious and affecting without being overly sentimental. We live in a day and age of exhaustive overexposure of music where the end product often does not live up to the hype. Soraia’s Shed the Skin delivers a broad stream of influences which cajole an earnest reaction that leaves you yearning for more after just one listen with songs that are not just invigorating but whose songs collectively were unyielding, gut wrenching and gloriously elegiac. Soraia are not hopping on any bandwagons, they merely check vintage classic rock riffs and find a way to swathe them into a package that is intoxicating and enthralling as on “Long Time” and “Little Cat”. There is a profound depth to the lyrics which are enhanced by the layered roars of guitars that make you yearn for a time where albums and artists ruled the landscape. The entire album yields a windfall of truthfulness that carefully wields soul-searching lyrics that ring true especially on the title-track. Producer Obie O’Brien’s instinctive, enlivening and revitalizing production does the material justice and significantly brightens the album to A-grade levels, but always keeping the vibe organic and elegiac. O’Brien has been Bon Jovi’s in house engineer for a few decades and one listen to this record wonders why the band doesn’t utilize him to produce. If they did, their recordings would have a more timeless feel and would ensure their legacy. As impressive as the sonic framework may be, the real star is Mansour’s cooing vocals paired with the elliptical lyrics which combined make Shed The Skin a harrowing, endearing and essential album. {Full album review at this link}
"Not The Woman"
Number Six: Metallica-Death Magnetic Death Magnetic is about the struggle of life, where at every turn we are tempted and tortured. But beneath the darkness and metallic fury is a band that has truly unearthed their inner selves. The band we almost saw self destruct during Some Kind of Monster is turning the other cheek. While they buried thoughts, feelings and difficult emotions in the past, they have excavated them on Death Magnetic. If you listen closely enough, they’re opening up a dialogue on these weighty subjects and hopefully, as a result, impart some sort of wisdom upon us. Everything that has come before now, including St. Anger has made Metallica into the band that could create Death Magnetic. Without those twists and turns, this album would not have been possible. With the aid of Rick Rubin, they took an intense look back on their past, embraced it and found ways to flourish and fly once again. Metallica’s wings are spread open to rule not just the metal landscape, but the entire music world once again as they proudly wear their scars as survivors of not just heavy metal but life as well. {Full album review at this link}
"The Day That Never Comes"
Number Five: Bob Dylan-Tell Tale Signs This album very easily could have stood atop this list as it’s unlikely any release in 2008 (or 2000-2010) will hold as many musical treasures as this one and it’s an archive set! Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series is a treasure trove of outtakes and live songs and each installment has anchored Dylan’s legacy a bit further, but this three-disc set is a masterpiece I believe that will continue to be dissected decades and even centuries from now. Focusing exclusively on 1989 to the present, it throws Dylan’s legacy on its head and spins it. Dylan has arguably made four masterpieces since 1989 (Oh Mercy, Time Out of Mind, Love and Theft and Modern Times) and this collection features alternate takes, live tracks and soundtrack offerings that aren’t merely outtakes but versions that stand head and shoulders with their released counterparts. What makes Dylan one of the defining artists ever is his ability to have this many alternate takes that stand shoulder to shoulder with his best work, and once again, this only covers the last twenty-years of his career. Some careers are defined by a few early classics. Dylan continues to elevate his mystique and persona by showing you that his flipsides and alternates are better than most artists A material.
"Most of the Time"
Number Four: Michael Franti-All Rebel Rockers Over the last decade, Franti and his band Spearhead have continued to evolve and distinguish themselves by creating weighty music that matters in a forlornly world that embodies darkness at every corner. The world has proven to be full of seismic horrors many of us never knew possible, and while All Rebel Rockers is a politically potent record, each composition has a staggering silver lining. The album’s duality is a delicacy- socially charged lyrics paired with rupturing backbeats that wrap around your brain but captivates you like provocative pop. All Rebel Rockers is the soundtrack to accompany you on your leap of faith; a collection of essential hymn’s disguised as swiveling anthems for the ages whose lyrics strike a profound chord in here and now. {Live review at this link and full album review at this link}
"Say Hey (I Love You)"
Number Three: John Mellencamp-Life, Love, Death and Freedom
Life, Love, Death and Freedom is Mellencamp’s best album in a decade and a half as its themes, lyrics and arrangements cut right through your soul. Even at fourteen-songs, Mellencamp has crafted a lean and reflective album with some of his most ingenuous and illuminating lyrics ever committed to tape. More importantly, he’s found a way to properly present them thanks to the guided hand of producer T-Bone Burnett. The poignancy of his lyrics hasn’t been this compelling in eons. One listen to “Longest Days” will leave you emotionally drained as his reedy voice reveals layers and elevates what is already magnificent poetry to art that is relevant to the here and now. These songs ring true to Mellencamp’s ideologies and the themes in his larger body of work. T Bone Burnett’s subtle production pulls you in and doesn’t let go. The entire album is chock full of divine lyrics which find a common ground of redemption. There’s a lot of life in these songs yet one can still see the same determination in Mellencamp from a quarter of a century back, he’s still full of piss and vinegar. {Live concert review here}
EPK for album
"My Sweet Love"
Number Two: Butch Walker-Sycamore MeadowsWalker’s life has been on a topsy-turvy ride in the last twelve months and the doubt, anguish and desperation he has experienced has been crafted into his most mature and enduring work to date, Sycamore Meadows. Titled after the street where his house resided before a fire destroyed it (and everything he owned) last November, it’s a somber, philosophical and ultimately invigorating record. “Going Back/Going Home” was written at the urging of his manager in the wake of the fire and it may be the best thing Walker has ever written. The discreet life-affirming reflective song where he offers up insight into his entire life and career but at the end it becomes apparent that he indeed is in tune with himself and where he needs to go. It’s true, you have to go home and acknowledge your past in order to go on with the future. The entire album is full of bedroom intensity and intimacy not heard on record since Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska. For an artist who has made a career of creating rich melodic records made for radio, Walker finds the perfect fit for each of these tracks never overreaching and never under delivering; Walker always finds the perfect medium that showcases the song in the best light possible. Sycamore Meadows is a dreamy and raw vista full of insurrectionary rage finding a fine balance between innocence and experience and features an artist at a crossroads with his foot on the gas pedal full speed ahead towards redemption with a unified and assertive collection of songs.{Full album review at this link and live review at this link}
"Ships In A Bottle"
"The Weight of Her"
Number-One: James-Hey Ma This is the one album I have returned to time and time again as it delicately balances the beauty and bleakness that life has to offer; Hey Ma from the Manchester band James is a immense masterpiece finding middle ground between relevant themes and sonic landscapes that simultaneously elicit tears of happiness and sorrow. It’s almost unheard of for a group to reunite after an extended hiatus to create a work of art on par with their best offerings, but James has gone one step further by creating a biting, boiling and blissful collection of songs that align like the stars in the sky. James has made an album that lies somewhere between mainstream programming and indie fanaticism. They haven’t just made a great reunion record; they’ve made the best album of their career. Not since U2 released All That You Can’t Leave Behind has there been a collection of potent and powerful hymns as stalwart as Hey Ma. James provides an admission of emotional vulnerability and has proven to be raw and dangerously alive. The lofty topics of Hey Ma are drowned in pop sensibilities that would invigorate any FM dial. No topic goes unturned; God, war, self-loathing, desperation, dislocation, separation, temptation and most importantly revelation are all here. With each intoxicating listen, I’m drawn into the reverberating music, the ebullient melodies and the world weary lyrics. The depth of the subjects found on Hey Ma prove to be socially provocative; war (“Hey Ma” & “72”), awakening (“Bubbles” “Waterfall” and “I Wanna Go Home”) and ultimately life and love (“Oh My Heart” and “Upside”). For the first time in a while, I feel an artist has created a complete album that speaks to me in the here and now while simultaneously enrapturing my ear drums with ambient pop and soulful sounds. Not since Bruce Springsteen’s Born In The U.S.A. has an artist so effortlessly converged pop melodies with lofty, weighty and biting topics. James sound like a band with an insatiable hunger willing to do anything to make their mark. Their lack of innocence gives way to experience, knowledge and wisdom. James hasn’t just mined a victorious reunion album with Hey Ma they’ve created the best album of 2008. {Live concert review at this link and the full album review is at this link}
Hey Ma EPK
"Hey Ma" live
"Whiteboy" acoustic
"Whiteboy" studio
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.
