Cute but strange composition
927730
It is somewhat shorter than I had anticipated (dress) part but it is made with heavy denim, the gold belt is a cute accessory. The drastic difference in material between the white part of the legging and leopard print was a little weird to me. But it's cute nonetheless.
127847
Sabrina The Teenaged Witch is a very cute, teeny-bopper show.  Therefore you get cute, teeny-bopper songs.  The highlights are Robyn's song Show Me Love which is a track with killer vocals, and Sugar Ray's cover of the classic song Abracadabra.  The Spice Girls also give us a good track with Walk Of Life which is a fun song all about enjoying life.  'N Sync's can keep you entertained, as will Five and Ben Folds Five.  However, there are fallbacks.  I still cannot listen to I Know What Boys Like in full, it is just so bad.  The Britney Spears song Sodapop is pop corniness at it's best complete with a reggae singer.  While Melissa Joan Hart can definately act, she can't really sing making her track not that interesting.  Overall though, if you are a fan of the show and pop music in general, you'll like this collection of songs.
4801873
The artwork is very cute but there is no flow to the story. I was surprised by the reference to "God" though. My husband is in no way religious so that was a put off for him.
2816208
It seems that The Cure is making a comeback in the form of all these new acts that sound old.  You can thrust Washed Out in that equation.  It's interesting that they chose such a name for their group, considering the fact that their musical direction leaves them sounding a bit, well, washed out.  It's not that I can't appreciate this breed of music; it's just that the synth heavy beat becomes rather stagnant over the running time because there is no real change in the musicality.  It just remains redundant from start to finish.  I would have liked some swells here and there to differentiate key moments in the song.  Instead, `Amor Fati' seems to go nowhere.  I'm sure there will be some who really enjoy this, and I will admit that in parts this song (and apparently this group) shines.  Vocally, I see a lot of potential, but the flow of the song itself is so monotone that the vocals take on a similar shading.  And yet, despite my apparent dissatisfaction with this particular song, I ultimately hear something that has me intrigued and wanting to hear more.  I know, strange right?  Well, I am interested in hearing more from them to see how well rounded they are as a group.  If the balance of their album is in this same vein then I'll be staying far away, but if they can use their talented parts to create something a little more unique and interesting than I can see them becoming something I thoroughly enjoy.

So, I personally kind of hate this song but I am interested in hearing what else this group can do.
1755965
I thought this CD was nicely constructed but disagree with the other reviewers in the novelty or nuances that were added.  Many of the songs had melodies so reminescent of the past that there were instances when I thought I heard a cover melody.  I did not find the lyrical content provocative or anywhere put together like a Marvin Gaye classic where the words carried the listeners heart and were repeated in their soul.  He does have a nice voice and he deserves credit for having produced and written his songs from his heart.  The mix could have been  more developed.
569833
The adorably whimsical illustrations of "A Bit of a Do" are utterly charming.  The expressions on the faces of the kitchen's characters are very funny!  Check out the cover for an example.

Some of the language from the rhyme, however, left me scratching my head just a bit.  Cans are referred to as tins, potato chips as crisps, and the phrase "quieten things down" is included.  It seems the author is British.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, it just struck me as remarkable that we can speak the same language and have such different ways of communicating the basic ideas covered by this very short poem.  (The Tesco brand is English, and that line of the poem won't make any sense if you don't know that.) If you're American, and you're planning to read this book to your child, be prepared to explain the meanings. It will be good practice for them when they get to school.
2782886
For those who aren't looking for a musically ingenious song, this would be it. The song is beautiful because it is both sad and happy, depending on what aspect is looked at: words or music. However, by the third minute, the repetition gets a little anticlimatic.
188417
Eschewing the hot-jazz of her former combo, Squirrel Nut Zippers, vocalist Katharine Whalen brings her quirky singing style to an equally quirky modern context. Unlike her 1999 Jazz Squad outing, Whalen's hooked up with writer and multi-instrumentalist David Sale for a funky, trip-hop excursion into sounds that bounce like an amped-up version of Portishead's "Dummy." The production compellingly syncopates instrumental lines, multilayered background voices and danceable tempos beneath Whalen's vocals. There's an undercurrent of exotica that rises to the fore on the percussive "The Garden" and brass-lined "Want You Back." Whalen's voice still has the Billie Holiday edge of her SQN releases, but the impact is completely different in this most surprising and inventive context. 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [2006 hyperbolium dot com]
1116651
Westenra has a lovely voice, and it doesn't sound at all forced over over-trained. I found the song selection a bit odd. The mood changed so much from song to song that it didn't seem like a good variety, but just disjointed.
4772348
I do like this new record from Camera Obscura, but not so much that I'd leap to recommend it--one might do better just buying the single "Hey Lloyd" or a track like "Let's Get Out of This Country" from iTunes.

As a devoted Lloyd Cole fan, I felt something along lines of an obligation to buy it, if only for the single "Hey Lloyd, Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?"

Main comment I'd make here is that after a few listens, this recording grows a bit kitschy and trite--most of the tracks are set in a similar, tinny, 'faux 50s/60s' style--cute, kitschy, but ultimately limiting--record overall didn't make it too far over the hill for me.
2408340
This is cute it has this weird backing track at the beginning of the song which is good and bad..its good because it lets you know when to exactly start singing..its bad because it kinda throws me off because of the persons weird singing voice..lol..wouldve given 5 stars if it was just instrumentals
4619761
I really wanted to love this CD.  The first song shows the emotive power this group possess.  Their use of diverse instruments is a huge plus in an electronic age of people who can push buttons but have never worked to understand the complexity of music.  Unfortunately, for me, I found the compositions had an under current that sounded repetitive, song after song.  The band is simply too good not to overcome that as they grow in their compositional prowess.  Having said that, the actual performance is sterling.  Give it a listen. It's not bad, it's just not what I was looking for.
3893422
This Concerto looks like an unfinished work and jumps from one theme to other, much like Claude Debussy's "Images". Among classical music, the closest relatives to this kinda music are movie's soundtracks. In fact, First movement would fit a superhero film, second movement a medieval-ambiance one, and third movement a movie about gladiator competitions in the Roman empire. However, the mixture is not perfect.

If you like this, you will certainly like the more developed song "April", buried in Deep Purple's third album, "Deep Purple". I think April would have fit in the Concerto as a fourth movement, and would have been the best movement.

Also, you might also like the similar symphonic/rock mixture present in "Hey Joe", from the album "Shades of Deep Purple". Pink Floyd's "Atom Heart Mother" (1970) seems to have been inspired by this Concerto, but in Atom Heart Mother a third element is added: weird noises. The result is not as good as that which Deep Purple attained one year before. It's quite a pity Deep Purple changed their trends and went plain heavy metal from then on.
3082281
cute, different, just a little too sensitive to the touch, and a little difficult to understand set up
2730784
My son writes about my grandson: Our 2-year-old was initially quite intrigued by his puzzle, but his interest quickly waned as its difficulty level became apparent. I actually struggled a bit myself when solving it. That being said, if we tuck it away for a couple years he'll probably whizz through it. It is a unique and creative design using interlocking animal shapes for each letter of the alphabet, but I'm subtracting one star because the nightingale looks like a duck. 3.5 stars.
1878126
A brave but odd concoction, especially if your ears were prepared for the kind of work she did with Matthew Herbert (e.g. Suddenly). Rarely sensual or catchy or even audible enough to be heard in the local lounge, this album would have to be described alternately as abstract, introspective and minimalist. On the musical side of things, the first listen was interesting enough to make me reach for the jacket notes. But try as I could with a magnifying glass, I wasn't able to read the miniscule credits. Musician "X" gets a generous 4 stars out of five (his/her future may be bright). As for the lyrics, I have as little idea what to say about them as Dani seems to say in them. At best, her spare vocalisations are delivered in impressionistic daubs of random (and surprising pedestrian) phrases that when listened to from a distance might somehow blend into a meaningful work of art. What I really fear is that she has far less depth of mind than taste. Sorry, a nice voice, but too under-utilised and lacklustre to merit anything more than 2 stars.

Interesting tracks:  All Thee Above, Same

Duds:  Canes and Trains, Walk the Line

Goofy titles: Remember to Forget, She Say Clich, Dani Siciliano Likes ...
906354
So as a parent you have to scratch your head on this one...a personified cat complete with pet dog covered in Bev Hills chic to boot.  Reminds me of a Steel Magnolias quote: "The only difference between us and the animals is our ability to accessorize."  Except somehow these Pinkie Cooper dolls have now blurred that distinction.  It's just a very weird albeit creative concept that little girls apparently fawn over.  I tend to review toys like this as my daughter (yes she is only 3) sees some sort of cute value in these Pinkie Cooper dolls.  I don't see her collecting more of these but is just one of many dolls in her sundry collection.  The long hair on these dolls has that My Pretty Pony allure and the full of gamut of accessories adds some girly play-ability.