Catchy tunes and quite a bit potential
938935
On her debut CD, Rachel Farris' music reminded me somewhat of a teenage Nina Gordon.  The first three songs -- You Think, I'm Not The Girl, and Soak -- are probably the best on the album.  I'm Not The Girl, in particular, is imbued with a distinctive raw emotion and pathos.  Soak, in contrast, has an infectiously upbeat,  boucy quality to it.  The remainder of the songs, while drifting into sappy-teenage-love-song territory, are still well performed tracks.  Certainly one must give Farris credit for having written the music & lyrics for the entire album herself, something that definitely sets her apart from the majority of her contemporaries.  This one is worth giving a listen.  Farris shows a lot of potential.  Hopefully we will be hearing from her again in a couple of years.
4405007
Although I like certain songs more on their later albums, Oasis shines on their debut "Definitely Maybe".  Many of the songs on this album rock, and have an alternative feel to them.  There's an energy here that Oasis doesn't quite match in it's latter efforts, and songs like "Rock N' Roll Star", "Slide Away", "Columbia" and "Live Forever" are just to name a few of the catchy, pop-rock anthems that you'll find on the album.  This would be my pick for the definitive Oasis album.
2664703
As a few other reviewers have pointed out, Vanessa Carlton's skill as a pianist is one of the main appeals of this album. See 'Wanted' (my personal favourite) for further evidence. But Carlton's voice, composition and understanding of music is also superb (she IS after all an ex-ballerina) and she knows how to use her voice well. The two hits are a mere taste of the delights that this album has in store. However, it is a good deal shorter than many other albums, and I found this a put off.
Overall however, this is and extremely promising debut, and a good CD in its own right.
323033
OK, maybe some of these tunes are not destined to be standards thirty years from now, but this volume does cast a broad net over the singles on the top-40 charts during the later 70's.  Some one-hit wonders, some teeny-bopper fluff, some more substantial musical works and a few lesser-charting follow-ups show up in this near-the-end volume in the series.  And rather than being a detriment, the inclusion of other charting hits by artists who had other more popular tunes is actually a refreshing benefit.  Who needs to have the same oft-repeated stuff show up for the umpteenth time on a 70's collection?  But this grouping is not of slouches by any means as nearly half of the included tracks were top-10 pop charters.

As with other volumes in the series, there are readable trivia for each of the included tunes and while nothing revelatory is evident, the sound quality is respectable with all tracks in stereo.  Contrary to what seems the general consensus, this volume does offer collectors of the era's pop music more pluses than minuses and is definitely a worthwhile addition to the series.
1735003
This album is very catchy and beautiful melodies.  I didn't give it a five star because I feel it isn't as strong as five star cds should be nor even four star cds should be.  But I liked it.  Good love songs, catchy ballads, relaxing..worth buying!
1484063
I like it!  A bit poppy, but catchy and interesting nevertheless.  This record breaks no new ground, but I like to listen in the car and (I confess!) to sing along.
3034597
This album is one of those that sounded somewhat trite in the beginning but then upon more listens started to grow on me and just become a basically fun and somewhat interesting album with some good hooks.  Great background music, and a few thought-provoking lyrics.  The Killers are a good band, but this album is a little bit on the programmed and compressed side.  Not their fault.  I wish they [engineers, producers] would go back to clean recording with live drums and plenty of headroom for the dynamics that exist in a great recording (see Butch Vig).  A solid album.  One you can leave in the CD player for a week or two.
1736821
Plays well--no skips noticed so far.  Music is mostly pretty good but there were some questionable tracks that weren't really popular music (and weren't really good either) but even with skipping over those, there were enough really good songs on the album to make the purchase price worthwhile.  And again, that's without even listening to the bonus CD yet!
4277535
Now 40! is not a bad summary of the top 40 for a reasonable price. Are all the songs favourites? No. However they do sport some catchy tunes like "Moves like Jagger", hip-hop blend like "Lighters" and dance songs like "Mr. Saxobeat". It's an appropriate blend of ecclectic styles that makes me appreciate this album. I'd previously bobbed my head to these songs on the radio but never really paid much attention to them. Now that I purchased the album, I was able to appreciate the whole song instead of just listening to maybe half of the song on my way to work.
4270149
this disc is relly short but in the 24 minutes or so it runs it impresses consistently. i beleive these guys are a young band, and very talented, but not at thier full potential just yet. they have already carved out a nice,  unique niche in a very overcrowded genre...i look forward to new material.
3110516
I bumped into this band via a review from a Magazine and was intrigued by the song "Kissin Girls". The song just had an element of catchiness to it where i was sucked in. Glass Tree's is a band where they definitely harken back and also straddle modern day rock. IF i were to complain at all, there is sometimes times when they venture off into the useless noise department and derail the song a slight bit. (and i mean A slight bit...nothing major) Tough to really compare the band to anyone but they have a garage bank sound and perhaps small elements of psych. The review i'm tossing out is a 3.5 out of 5. I do enjoy the album but i feel i need to grow into it more. Not as immediate as some...but good!
4636256
i finally sat and heard this album and the hype machine has been in full effect and Elle Varner reminds me of a Broke Alicia Keys on the real, however some of the material is kinda catchy and it just needs a little fine tunning, however some of the stuff is catchy and for a debut album its alright. i hear some humor there and also some cool arrangements here and there. going to be interesting what happens on the next few albums if she can catch up vocally to the songs and make it all connect.
846198
First and foremost  I have been a fan of this band for years now. If you are looking for some tunes that will make you nod your head with every catchy beat look no further. Each song is very relatable to life experiences minus the first track (Catch of the Day) which I personally find to be the catchiest (No pun intended) to really get the meaning behind that one you are going to have to watch a really low budget horror movie so happened to be named Catch of the Day by James Balsamo. Overall this is not a bad EP. Not exactly what I was expecting from this band but that is not a bad thing. Something To Do still posses the same charm from previous albums this is just less upbeat. If you are just perusing the Interwebs and like what you hear I highly recommend checking out some of S2D's previous works such as; I Command You To Dance, Souvenir, or Music For Fine Dining. All in all its a nice EP to tide me over until the next full release comes out. I hope you enjoy this one as much if not more than I do.

Link to Music For Fine Dining: http://www.amazon.com/Music-Fine-Dining-Something-Do/dp/B008SVSCE4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1412217841&sr=8-4&keywords=something+to+do

Link to Catch of the Day trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKHGgo5288w
2772691
Not a ton of great songs, but the worthwhile ones are A-MA-ZING!!
4519452
Hoobastank--despite the rather unappealing name--has a good chance of being very big. They are hard, heavy, fast, but also quite melodic, with excellent singing (and occasional screaming) by lead vocalist Douglas Robb. He and guitarist Dan Estrin are the primary songwriters, but bassist Marku Lappalainen does contribute to some songs. The drumming of Chris Hesse is tight, and even funky at times. Hoobastank are both accessible and heavy, and those are good ingredients right there. They just need to start branching out a bit further on their second album.
This is a band that is young, hungry, and things are really beginning to happen for them. Already their self-titled debut has gone platinum plus, largely on the popularity of the extremely catchy first single "Crawling In The Dark." I love this song! Its lyrics are fresh and honest, and the music alternates between mid-tempo and fast. So, after buying this CD as part of a package deal, I've finally gotten the chance to sit down & listen to the rest of it. The Verdict: It is a solidly good CD that packs a strong punch on several tunes, but offers very few surprises.
One of these surpises is the CD's length--or lack of it. Although it sports 12 tracks, HOOBASTANK is only about 39 1/2 minutes long. This means that the songs get to the point real quick, so the CD doesn't become boring; it's just that many of the songs do sound kind of the same after a while. "Crawling In The Dark" is still the best and most distinctive song on here, but I don't think that Hoobastank will join the ranks of one-hit wonders. I like "Let You Know" with its funky vibe and solid harmonies. The real surprise is "Ready For You" which sounds very much like Blink-182 on the verses. It's real catchy, and I suspect that this will be released as the second single. The band storms right into the heavy, thrashy "Up And Gone" which reminds me of early Incubus. "To Be With You" is the one slow, mellow song, and it's sensitive without being too sappy. But then the 'stank roar back with their closer, "Give It Back." This is a fast, furious, heavy track in which lead singer Douglas Robb alternates between singing, screaming, and even rapping a la Fred Durst. It's really cool, except for the weirdness at the very end, which sounds like the band's either making fun of potential critics, or themselves. Whatever the case, this CD is a good start from which to build Hoobastank's career.
Just a final note: Hoobastank may be compared with certain bands (probably the closest comparison is with Incubus, although there's definitely no plagiarism here), but they sure don't look like other bands. I like the band's diversity: Douglas Robb is half-Japanese, Marku Lappalainen is Finnish, and Chris Hesse is German. Hoobastank can't be accused of being a cookie-cutter rock band; instead, they sure are a talented one--and they do rock hard! RECOMMENDED
675125
This song is very catchy and danceable, though still low-key enough to listen to as background music. My only issue with it is that I prefer less voice in electronic music and more complex/prominent synth/instrumental tracks. Since this is just a personal thing, I would recommend this track to anyone interested in electronic music/EDM; at least play it a few times just to check it out, since it's a free download. Might as well!
3551368
Lots of energy and tunesmiths that are underrated with lyrics and music...at times many eclectic sounds, but then again that is what they wanted.