Another National Achievement
348402
The National has released yet another captivating and expressive album that makes my top 4 of the year.  The Boxer is more intimate and softer in comparison to The Alligator. But don't let that deter you from listening, because what it lacks in bang, it makes up for in depth with many subtle layers of instrumental and sounds.  After listening and concentrating on this album 4-5 times, you will notice all the additions that make this album feel whole.  The lyrics are still dynamic and flow so perfectly with his style of singing.  I really do commend The National on this album!

If you have not yet heard The Alligator, make it a priority!!!
3817062
One of the best albums out there! I had the MP3 for a while but I decided to splurge on the vinyl and I am so glad I did. There's always something different when you listen, every time. The National does it again.
2858103
This long-awaited latest album from BNL does not disappoint. ALL IN GOOD TIME showcases the talents of all the Ladies in a way no other album has. Sure, the vocals sound a bit different without SP, but in a delicious way we've never been able to enjoy before. The creative explosion on this album just reaffirms how much talent these guys have. Kevin, Jim, and even Ed to a certain extent have been eclipsed by SP's shadow for too long. This album feels like a much more collaborate effort, and therefore adds a level of cohesivness missing on other albums. The Ladies had a lot to say with all the turmoil of the past year, and I'm glad they invited us to come along on their journey with them. Change can be scary, but when done with friends it's also very exciting. And BNL has always been the band for fans, who they treat as friends.
4320687
Travers another home run!  Proud of you my friend!
3021944
Deep Purple's Bananas is a solid album, start to finish. With the addition of Don Airey on keys, replacing founding member Jon Lord (who hand-picked Don), the band hardly skips a beat. Most rockers will know Don from some project he's been involved in over the many years he's been around, from Rainbow and Ozzie Ozborne to countless others. He, like Jon Lord, is a master of the Hammond sound and, though Jon is a tough act to follow, who could think of a better person to step in? Guitarist Steve Morse, having been with the band 10 years, has carved a spot out for himself nicely, proving that Blackmore's departure was not the end of the world for Deep Purple. His solo performances on this disc are some of his best, showing a depth and sound that rival Blackmore's. What can you say about Bassist Roger Glover and Drummer Ian Paice? You couldn't get a tighter rythym section. Vocalist Ian Gillan hasn't sounded this good for a few years. While he has lost some of his range, his efforts here are outstanding and he has lost none of his lyrical writing ability. Michael Bradford did a great job of producing and engineering, crafting a very good-sounding finished product. This album doesn't disappoint, but there are a few departures from routine. "Haunted" is an uncharacteristic ballad for the guys which, for me, makes it all the more interesting. The song just gets better each time you hear it. "Doing it Tonight" has an interesting Bahamian beat. "Contact Lost" is a far too short, instumental tribute to the shuttle Columbia. "House of Pain" gets right back to the roots of Purple. "Bananas" showcases the trademark dueling keyboard and guitar solos that Purple is famous for. This is a worthwhile addition to your Purple collection and a fitting release for a band that continues to evolve, even after 30+ years. This is a band that has always stood out from the rest, and continues to show us why.
1368933
Sheriff Nottingham has continued to grow and improve over the past 5 issues, and I must say, this is definitely their strongest effort. With incredibly moving stories and essays, comedic quirks, stellar illustrations and a consistent theme of revolution in every single piece, this unusual literary journal stands out on a bookshelf, but the writing from these diverse contributors will stand out in your mind. This was recommended by someone quite close to me, and the world of Sheriff Nottingham has become a very interesting and mind-expanding place to explore. I look forward to the next issue, and hopefully many more to come.
1075407
Orange Sky have put out another amazing title with Dat Iz Voodoo, expertly merging Reggae, Calypso and Metal, and they manage to do it without sounding gimmicky. It becomes clear when you listen that the music is genuine and they have a firm grasp of the intricacies of each of these genres in order to bring them together in such an exquisite package.

Those who heard the previous international offering, Upstairs, from 2005 would be pleased to know that the quality of the recording this time around is much higher although a bit loud.

The lyrical influences seem to draw much more on the island political landscape of their homeland of Trinidad and Tobago, moreso than in Upstairs, although it seems to, generally speaking, accurately represent the climate of the US at the time of its release.

I'm hard pressed to find much wrong with the song quality here. Almost all the songs here have great melodies and awesome guitar solos. There's a remade version of The Scorpions - Is There Anybody There , that people should appreciate.

My personal favorites are Rainbows, which is the most balladic song on it, although its not really a favorite when I love all the songs so much. Other high points include Roses, Yesterdays and Tomorrows, Alone (which was also on Upstairs but benefits from the rerecordings quality), Second Wind and Closer.

It's a crime that this band is not more well-known, but the bigger crime would be to pass this band up without giving it a good listen.
2622036
Another crowning achievement for Nick! This story picks up where Book 5 left off (I love that idea in a series). The continuity is great. The descriptions of equipment and the use of them is spot on. The serial type endings and beginnings (think Perils of Pauline, Buck Rogers film series in theatres) is smooth and easy to pick up on. There's enough review of the last book(s) that allows a new reader of the book to catch up on the plots.

As new plot lines develop, this reader got deeper into the personalities of the main characters, and the depths of these personalities and the associated feelings were brought out exceptionally well by the author.
3784145
Even after 14 other exhibits of "the best of contemporary quilts," the quilts gathered for Quilt National 2007 and showcased in the print version of the entries, also entitled Quilt National 2007, still represent innovative ideas and techniques. These works defy the adage that "there's nothing new under the sun," for they adhere to the definition of quilt, yet take that form to new levels.

This, the first exhibit since the passing of Hilary Morrow Fletcher, who guided the project for 23 years, is truly a feast for the eye, albeit rendered as ink on paper.

The textile treasures run the gamut from the realistic/pictorial to the wildly abstract and include sculptural pieces as well. The content taps into nature, the psyche, politics, urban life, and other subjects both deep and simple, but all rendered thoughtfully.

If you can't view the actual show (on display through September 3, 2007, at the Dairy Barn and then traveling in part or entirely to St. Louis, MO; Houston, TX; Lancaster, PA (two exhibits); and Bloomingdale, IL, through 2009), then by all means visit it vicariously through the pages of this book.
2738561
Following her success after the first novel,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/A-Short-History-of-Tractors-in-Ukrainian/dp/0143036742/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian</a>, Lewycka treats her readers to yet another delightful story - this time about Eastern European immigrants picking strawberries, and then some.  The plot draws you in, and the reader is kept continuously engaged as each of the characters - Andriy, Irina, Yola, Tomasz, Emanuel, Dog and others - narrates the story from their personal point of view.

The novel's strengths are numerous.  Take for example its characters who are very diverse and at times completely incompatible.  Thus Yola (from Zdroj,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Lonely-Planet-Poland/dp/174059522X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Lonely Planet Poland</a>) cannot stand Tomasz who is trying his best to impress her through his off-key singing; stealing the underwear does not help poor "Tomek" either.  Irina, a history professor's daughter from Kiev (Kyiv),&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Ukraine/dp/186450336X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Ukraine</a>&nbsp;dismisses the attention of Andriy, the hard-working son of a miner from Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine.  That she's from the "Orange" camp and he's from the "Blue and White" (&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Ukraine-s-Orange-Revolution/dp/0300112904/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Ukraine's Orange Revolution</a>) makes the relationship even more charged.  The characters' nationalities range from Ukrainians and Poles to Malawians and Chinese, from Romanians and Slovaks to Bulgarians and Moldovans, and others.

Another strength of Lewycka's writing is her unique style.  Those who read "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian" will immediately recognize the wide usage of accents and cultural humor (e.g. "little flovver", "beetroot-brain").  An occasional foreign word such as "mzungu" and "smetana" may send the reader in the arms of a search engine or a dictionary, but these are rare enough to make the novel a pleasure to read, and not a guide on foreign languages.

Yet, using a fun and "fictional" although informed by reality setting, Lewycka is able to touch on broader issues such as modern immigration, animal treatment, economic hardship ("...one day they were all comrades, next day some were millionaires..." - Andriy, pg. 96), commodization of women, first love and the loss of innocence ("I wanted it to be perfect, like Natasha and Pierre..." - Irina, pg. 287), and the human desire to seek solace and reconciliation.  These make "Strawberry Fields" relevant to audiences beyond the U.K.

The few criticisms I have are minor, and certainly arguable.  When Irina is speaking of "Maidan Square" (pg. 16), she is referring to the Independence Square, a focal point of the 2004 Orange Revolution.  Since "Maidan" in Ukrainian means "Square," Irina in effect says "Square Square," but then perhaps this is done on purpose, as Irina's English is not perfect.  "Ujjas!" (pg. 93) may have been made more pronounceable as "Uzhas!"  Lastly, after consulting a couple of native speakers, "robot" does not mean "work" in Russian (pg. 199); instead, "rabota" seems to be the proper word.

Overall, "Strawberry Fields" by Marina Lewycka is a splendid second novel, which will make you laugh, empathize, detest, and root for your favorites.  Relish the journey.
624905
It is hard to believe that Scott and Bailey is already on its third series. When it hit our screens just two short years ago it was like a breath of fresh air. There are many police procedural programmes on TV these days that the majority of them seem to merge into one, but this programme was sufficiently different that it achieved a good following and further series were assured. Like the second series, this time around we had eight episodes to go with the six in the first series for a total of 22 so far.

Janet Scott (Lesley Sharpe) and Rachel Bailey (Suranne Jones) are two overworked detectives from the fictional Manchester Metropolitan Police. Although they have a somewhat tempestuous relationship, they are normally best friends. However, they are quite different in character, with Janet being the older, steadier character whilst Rachel is much more volatile although her leaps of imagination are often the factor which provides the breakthrough in difficult crimes.

In the third series, Janet and Rachel start off at a low point in their personal relationship, which remains under pressure throughout. Rachel soon has doubts about her recent marriage whilst Janet has yet to fully come to terms with her own break up. Meanwhile an interesting assortment of cases come the team's way, usually involving murder most foul. However, one of the strengths of this series is that, in a departure from the norm, the personal lives of those involved often take centre stage and this is the case for a lot of the time here. It is certainly a valid comment that there are no strong men in Scott an Bailey but personally I do not think this detracts from the entertainment.

The last episode was probably the strongest of the series and involved a dramatic kidnapping. There was some excellent acting here, particularly by Gill Murray (Amelia Bullmore) who continues to be an essential element and an excellent foil for the two ladies. I do not think a fourth series has yet been announced but I imagine it is very likely. I certainly hope so as this is a series which is one of the high spots of the UK TV schedule these days.
4752622
What an amazing accomplishment for such a young trio. Glad to see that their careers have steadily moved forward. I hope they gift us with their work for a long time.
4719810
It seems Patty has finally broken through with the release of her latest album.  And, deservedly so.  I thought she would have a very difficult time ever approaching the quality of her "Impossible Dream" release.  But, she may have actually exceeded the high standard set by that unbelievably creative collection.  It will take a few more listens to make a final determination, but clearly, this album is no disappointment, as follow up releases sometimes are.  Patty's vocals on "Heavenly Day",

"I Don't Ever Give Up", and "Crying Over", are so good, they hurt.  At least 5 of the other tracks are worthy inclusions, especially "Trapeze" and "Railroad Wings".

It's great to see Patty finally getting her due.  I've been collecting music for more than 40 years, and I've only seen a handfull of artists with back-to-back albums of this quality.  If you're a fan of great music, and don't already own and play both of them, how sad.
2569455
Great story of the changes our country continues to go through.  More people need to remember what hard work and initiative can accomplish.
4935805
I'll keep this short and to the point. This is another great Walkmen album. If you liked previous Walkmen albums you'll like this one (although I wasn't too mad on Pussy Cats). I find it takes about four listens to get into it, then the true depth of the record reveals itself. This isn't a  record you'll throw away in a month or two, this is a record that persists. Enjoy - and as with many other Walkmen records, this one really shines on a proper stereo as opposed to headphones in traffic. Captivating...
2865076
For those of you who think the era of military piping is long gone, hold your horses!
1BW's P&D is indeed one of those bands which have managed to "go up" drastically in the recent years.  The band's  improvement in tuning, steadiness in blowing, as well as unison in playing  is obvious when this recording is compared with their previous  ones.
Together with a few new 4/4 and Compound Time march sets, the  present recording includes some of the tracks and sets that were featured  in their last couple of CDs from the North American Tours.  Nevertheless,  Pipe Major Small's ingenious selection of tunes, his arrangement of the  seconds, as well as the addition of a few new reels and jigs in the sets,  have made the buying of this CD all worthwhile.
Perhaps the fact that  Pipe Major Small himself is much of a good hornpipe/reels/jigs player could  be best reflected by the band's great performances in those types of tunes  in this recording (e.g. Maxwell's Bonnet, Maggie's Pancakes).  Together with  some other more traditional marches, such as the Battle of Waterloo and  Jacobites By Name, this CD offers an excellent balance between both  traditional tunes and those "post-modernist" pipe tunes written  by Canadians and Aussies such as Grey and Soul.
For those army piping  fans out there who are  frustrated at the absence of any recent recordings  made by the Scots Grauds, the RSDG, or the Highlanders, 1BW's Ladies From  Hell is no doubt a pleasant surprise to all of us.
3453741
The second album is not at all a disappointment. It is hard to compete with your great first album. This is just as good and uplifting !