ANOTHER ARTIST WHO RANKS A STRONG 10 AMONG TEENAGERS....,
344325
This was just a simple 'I have to have it A.S.A.P.!'. This was bought for a friend's Daughter...And she's been playing it to death! Not my cup of tea (I lean more towards 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's & 2000 Deep Soul, Soul, Blues, Jazz & Gospel Music). Expect several more Top Selling Albums/Singles from this artist....See how easy that was!
1712849
Sarah Jarosz is not what you might expect.  She is a prodigy in a genre that appeals to child prodigies.  A child prodigy's first bluegrass album tends to be a flashy demonstration of instrumental skill with relatively ordinary compositions and arrangements.  Jarosz is as un-flashy a player as you are likely to hear.  She rarely cuts loose with a jaw-dropping display of instrumental skill, preferring a minimalist approach.  The arrangements, too, are stripped-down, allowing the listener to appreciate the subtle interplay between just a few sympathetic musicians.  The compositions themselves are far more advanced than what most musicians several times Jarosz's age can write, combining old-time, Celtic and blues with distinctly modern rhythms.  Most surprising, though, is Jarosz's voice.  Most kids show their age when they sing.  Personally, I am not a fan of overly-clean singing voices, particularly in bluegrass, and most young women Jarosz's age who sing have saccharine voices.  I will use an "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" comparison because I expect that most readers will get the reference:  Jarosz is far closer to Gillian Welch (one of my favorite musicians of all time) than to Alison Krauss (another former child prodigy).  Her voice is a bit lower than most female singers (particularly her age), and has just the right amount of weather-beaten quality that a bluegrass singer needs.  She also eschews the excessive vibrato that some young and gifted singers fall into the pit of using.  In short, Jarosz is the most promising young bluegrass musician to arrive on the scene in years.

There is an obvious temptation to compare Jarosz to Nickel Creek, a group of child prodigies with progressive bluegrass sensibilities.  However, I strongly prefer Jarosz's darker voice to that of Sara Watkins, and Jarosz relies more on roots styles than modern indie rock, as Nickel Creek did on their second two albums.  The other obvious point of comparison would be Alison Krauss, who showed up on the bluegrass scene to similar acclaim many years ago as a child prodigy with strong instrumental skills and an appealing voice.  Again, though, the soulful darkness in Jarosz's voice, which permeates her compositions as well, sets her apart.  For me, the only real comparison is Tim O'Brien.  O'Brien is probably my favorite bluegrass singer.  His raspy but perfectly-controlled voice is ideal for the genre, and he is a versatile, expressive multi-instrumentalist who never over-plays.  Jarosz is well-positioned to become the Tim O'Brien of her generation, with a perfectly-imperfect voice, multi-instrumental skills, compositional maturity, and genre-crossing sensibilities.

Further listening:

Tim O'Brien and Darrell Scott, Real Time.  This album is the perfect, stripped-down bluegrass album with great singing, and subtle, un-flashy instrumental work.

Gillian Welch, Hell Among the Yearlings.  All of Welch's albums are outstanding, but I am particularly fond of Hell Among the Yearlings these days.  Welch is closer to old-time country than bluegrass, but Jarosz is barely bluegrass anyway.

Dave Rawlings Machine, A Friend of a Friend.  Welch's guitarist just put out an outstanding album.  His voice isn't nearly as impressive as Jarosz's or Welch's, but the music is wonderful.
3484194
How many times have Artists had Kids that just didn't cut it? Plenty but not here.while it will take some time before She will reach The Zenith&Genius that Her Father Reached Lalah Hathaway Sounds really Good  on This Disc. Baby Don't Cry&Heaven Knows are Some Good solid songs. I  Respect Her as an Artist.
3194670
The young female artist has already brought out two amazing singles and her fab album 'Thank you.' Now she has realeased another fantastic single 'see it in a boy's eyes.' This single is extremely catchy and i'm shore it will go a long way in the charts but i think that nearer the end of the song her voice should of been a lot stronger but it staid the same through out. In my opinion, a good song.
2512344
Love the songs, both music and lyrics.  Very impressive, especially considering she is a teenager.  She has a maturity beyond the typical teenage pop fair that you usually hear.  She's a contender.
182210
Very Impressive as an artist an as a Musician with her being able to keep up with the subtle changes in the demand of POP an that wasn't a clever saying I honestly mean it by listening to the album while being aware of the direction of Music in general while hip-hop is sounding more like Pop-Hop with Kanye; Jay-z; Drake while also including the Cashmoney Posse her Voice syncs well with the lyrics(catchy pop tunes) make her a competition to fret the only reason I didn't give her a full rack of stars is only because it sounds like there's something missing from making this a album of the decade but then again I'm not a die hard fan of Pop Music
4122303
I am going to be honest with the amazon costumers out there who are looking for a good quality purchase of music.

16 year old Nick Sterling's album Life Goes On is an incredible achievment. As another reviewer put it "He has already mastered what takes most people decades to do". This is certainly true, and it shows in Nick's guitar playing. The album showcases a hard-hitting guitar sound that sounds particulary unique.

In terms of the songwriting, Sterling probably has some growing to do. Not to take away from this guy's accomplishments, for a 15 year old guitar player, Sterling's has certainly got some songwriting skills, with some pretty tasty guitar lines, but at times his songs seem either a little forced (the title track, Tomorrow) and at other times it sounds like there could be some more expanded chord progressions (Another Day). The lyrics are-well... not great.

Overall, i think that this album's songwriting could certainly appeal to a lot of people. I was especially fond of "sonic laundry" (the best showcase of his guitar skills) and "what can be done" (which seems to have the catchiest riff on the album). However, for anyone looking for a hard rock- pop album with memorable anthems-look elswhere. But if you are especially intrigued by the fact that this is done by a 15/16 year old (like i was) then i urge you to buy this album and maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't. Either way, look for this guy to be on the scene for years to come as i am sure his songwriting skills will improve.
3447127
No one has to make room for this artist; he is `bogarting' his way to the lime light. People who say he's overrated most likely either can't relate to or don't understand his music. He proves that with this album. If you liked Thug Motivation, you'll love The Inspiration.

Why 4 instead of 5? The topics that are mentioned in this album aren't very broad, which might be somewhat of a turn-off to certain people.  He does have different types of tracks, this album is very similar to Thug Motivation except for different production and different lyrics. As far as I'm concerned, he's killing the rap scene whether you like it or not.  The Billboard Charts don't lie.  Motivation, Inspiration... what's next?

---Pryncez
641666
There are several singers that have been popular through the years, but this guy has to be at the top of the heap.  Love his syle and the way he improvises the lyrics.  I don't think he ever sang a "bad" song, at least that is my opinion.  I am very happy with this album.
2379063
If you're tired of the angry noise on the radio and just want to take a break with some energetic teen pop, you might enjoy this CD.

Some of the people who gave this album bad reviews really have to lighten up.  Yes, he was handled to be a star from the age of 8, but so what?  Aaron Carter and his songwriters have given him a respectable array of good clean songs that listeners can run on the treadmill to (which is what I bought this upbeat pop album for).  His song "Summertime" is a great transition song for a talented singer/rapper who wants to break out of his kiddie-pop phase.

But listening to the kiddie-pop that came before it, some of it isn't half bad.  So what if it's not Dylan - not everything has to be.  Sometimes ya gotta lighten up.

The songwriters have created a persona - A.C. is a kid who wants attention, spins tall tales, is known for making up great stories and boasting of concert tickets and parties - but he just wants to keep people happy.  And you know what?  His music does that.

For every emo musician singing about pain and suicide, what's so wrong with a kid daydreaming of beating Shaq, or thanking his fans in "To All the Girls" or reveling in his perfect position in "Not Too Young, Not Too Old"?  They're fun songs.  Fun, get it?  The kid may have a pretty face, but it's not easy to rap and dance the way he does - hopefully his handlers will be smart enough to figure out a good way for him to continue to use his talents.

Lighten up, people!
2807428
MUST READ --- This music is Junior POP NOT SINGER-SONGWRITER!!!!!!! First of all, I do not like Pop so this is not my kind of music. My 13 year old niece loves this album and so this gets 5 stars but she won't buy it becasue she would rather have Hannah or the Jonas. I do not mind someone like Nora Jones or Jewel diving into Country every once in awhile. I just will not by any country or any pop/rap so I don't buy those albums. She is a new artist and should try to get a foothold on what made her famous and then try to broaden her portfolio. Why would she put out a CD that I could put out myself in my basement? Don't we have enough of this J-pop out there?? I wish her luck but I will not be buying this for me. Unfortunately not many 13 year olds know about her so the sales will probably flounder.
254166
OK, first off, it's not Us. Deal with it. He's past that and has matured. This is different. Better? In some ways, you bet. In others... well, no. I think that this album is another example of a piece that an artist just puts out there and is not really targeted or marketed to be a certain "thing" and I think that I have just answered my own question from the title above. This is not a Big Extra or a Britney or a Scorpion King. This requires.. commitment. It's not disposable. It's provocative and it's very very good. But it takes... attention. And understanding. And growing up. PG has.
500451
It took me quite a while to get into this album, but I gotta say it may be my 41's favorite!

For me there are 3 albums that have nearly no bad songs - All Killer No Filler, Does This Look Infected and Screaming Bloody Murder. Both Chuck and Underclass Hero have, for me, some poorer songs (especially Underclass Hero).

The thing is that All Killer is a teenager album and Infected is midway into maturity. For me Chuck shows how serious theses guys have become, concerned with stuff other than just breaking up with your girlfriend. Which means that from those 3 more consistent albums, Screaming is the more mature and thoughtful.

Moreover, musically, it's much more interesting, the composition is bolder and free of many punk rock conventions.

For me, this album can be divided into some categories:

Powerful and Intense tracks - Screaming Bloody Murder (one of Sum's best songs ever), Jessica Kill, Sick of Everyone, Back Where I Belong.

Powerful and Progressive Punk-Rock - Holy Image of Lies, Happiness Machine, Blood in my Eyes.

Beautiful and touching - Crash (Sum's best ballad for me and a rather beautiful song) and Exit Song (a very intriguing, beautiful and dreamy theme, although too short).

Carefree Rock & Roll - Time for you to Go and Baby, You don't Want to Know.

Other good songs are Reason to Believe (a good intro song) and Skumfuk, a very strong tune. Only What Am I to Say would be completely disposable in my opinion - a rock ballad that feels very obvious and pointless.

There are some real gems in this album, some stupendously intense moments and deep emotional journeys being done here.
4303397
This is a really good album. I was skeptical because I didn't think I really liked his style...I only knew one or two songs by him, but after having the opportunity to listen to all the songs on the new album, I must say, I am quite impressed and love a majority of the songs on the album. He has some interesting messages within his music and it speaks great volume about his artistic ability. I hate that I almost slept on his stuff, but NO MORE! I am definitely picking this one up ASAP! I highly recommend this album. You won't regret it.
3135823
This is one of the best songs I've ever heard! And I am so serious! I live in the USA and I can't find any of this kids' cd's here at all, so I wish more people here would know about him cuz he is a GREAT singer! If you love Aaron Carter youll love this boy a lot more! Trust me! This kid is 14 years old and has a great pop music voice for a boy his age, and hes way hott! I just hope he makes a whole album and releases it here too... I'm wondering about him! Anyway, this is WAY good, I recomend it to people who like Aaron Carter, Billy Gilman, those kinda people.
929801
I purchsed this album, thinking it would be a fair example of what independants were doing.  i was supprised to discover that the songs were fresh, catchy, and that days later, i still found myself singing the very few lyrics i knew from the songs.  this was one way i could tell this artist 'has it'.

add to that, that this guy can really sing - not just in the rythmic way or hip hop and rap, but he can really sing.  i would expect to here more from him as he progresses, and finds his signature sound.

the lyrics are a bit more real than the kind we hear today from most of the other artists in the genere, so it seems a real artist is fashioning himself some wings.  after hearing this album, and seeing that it was done on a tight budget, i wonder what would happen is he was to record with some real resources at his disposal.

i bought the album, both on amazon, and on i tunes, and i tucked the cd in a drawer...  this could be worth a pretty penny if someone recognises him, and his first album could be a conversation peice to say the least.
825894
This Canadian is one of just several artists in the past 20 years who have managed to put out a catchy pop song melody comparable to good old days music of the 60s, 70s and 80s. It's not so much that he was a one hit wonder than he was pressured to revert to a typical bad ass grunge songbook. This is a welcome exception to the rule of modern noise that shows the potential of a pop culture generation that missed out on audio innocence. You can't fault young music fans for a shortage of hits like this. Either media doesn't want upbeat music anymore or it's all by design.