Great for a Debut Album!
350152
For any fan of the Black Keys, I highly recommend this album...especially for the value.  Certainly a worthy addition to your collection!
618697
Really loved this album. Great starter album and will only buy more :) Hard to pick my favorite song but I'm pleased with this .
3624678
This album reflects some really good songwriting.  The music is a big improvement from her debut album.  My only complaint is that I cannot listen to an entire song of Christina singing without wanting to lower the noise.  She has a very powerful voice, which is an asset but, on occasion, it sounds as if she's shouting.  It's still exciting to listen to though, since she exudes a lot of personality and emotion in her voice and is very versatile.  I  really enjoy the songs on this album, which is one of my favorites.
673346
This debut album has more well written songs on it than most albums I've heard the last few years---catchy and memorable--production style is pop ( could have been maybe more rock/organic, but I still like it) This girl has the voice of an angel, like Allison Krause, but different. Can't wait to hear what she does next. I think she'll be huge one day.
2081448
Great first album. Love the music. Adele has a great bluesy type if voice. I really enjoyed this album.
2658184
"Pieces of You", the debut effort of now mega-star, Jewel, is a beautiful and soulful beginning to an already amazing career.  Her music transcends fad and image to envelop the mind into quiet contemplation.  Truly, her songs are artful!  The famous, "You Were Meant for Me"  in its original version on this album is tender and charming, where the  obscure, "Amen", is chilling and haunting.  This album embodies  the grass roots effort of Jewel; where it all came from.  Most tracks are  simply her and her guitar and a real intimacy is achieved.  Most of my  descriptives thus far have included tender, and charming, but there is a  real sense of power and force from this album - a power that is surreal and  wrapped in her heavenly voice.  This album is such a breath of fresh air  from the modern angst and "pain", but this album is by no means  bubble gun and sunshine.  No words can really describe the aura of her  music - so you'll just have to check it out for yourself!
125262
Fantastic debut record from a very talented singer songwriter. First heard Sweet Ophelia a few years ago when I read about her in a news article and decided to listen to the song. Afterwords, saw a music video of her singing live with another fantastic artist named Brns who came out with his excellent debut album Dopamine afterwards and have been a fan since. Can't wait for a follow up.
1682438
When the trio America -- originally based in England -- released this debut album in 1971, they were by som critics accused of ripping of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and even though it's a highly unfair remark, there are musical similarities between the groups: overdubbed six- and twelve-strung acoustic guitars, knock-out vocal harmonies and well-crafted compositions. This is how REAL unplugged music sounds like!
After this, they released -- in my opinion -- two albums that as a whole were quite dissapointing (although one of them contains their best song ever -- "Ventura Highway") before producer George Martin got hold of them and put them back on the right track again -- even though he had a tendency to overproduce their songs. However, this debut album is unique in its nakedness and unpretentious production, and these guys -- Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek -- doesen't really need any other than themselves. Just three-four ac. guitars, vocals, bass, a bit of piano and some occasional percussion -- that's all (on one or two tracks you can also hear David Lindley play steel guitar). And the've never sounded better than this. Just listen to the harmonies and the guitar chords!
The album wasn't short of hit singels either, like for example "A Horse With No Name" (their most classic tune). But equally interesting are "Riverside", "I Need You", "Never Found the Time", "Three Roses" and "Children" (unlike most others I'm not that particulary found of "Sandman", however). But most astonishing is, how an album that pure in its musical production still manage to keep up your interest throughout the whole record, and also ages well! How many albums made today will be able to repeat that achievment?
4771858
I can definitely see comparisons to The Black Keys with Beware of Darkness. To such comparisons I might point out similarities to The White Stripes, Cage the Elephant, and newcomer - The Virginmarys. There is certainly a distinctive flavor of savory blues to debut album ORTHODOX.

"Howl" - Such a powerful, sexy opening track! Heavy and fast with an undeniably catchy hook (it's been stuck in my head the past two days). The guitar screams classic rock as Nicolaides shouts and Cupito hammers away on the drums.

"Ghost Town" - Slow and sinister simmer. More great Biblically seasoned lyrics, delivered by Nicolaides's raw vocals. And the cello? Ace.

"Amen Amen" - More superb vocals, this time the lyrics are uplifting. Get out the lighter and start swaying. The piano sets it at a slower pace but there are some awesome riffs that carry on throughout.

"Heart Attack" - I really wish I had the lyrics booklet right now, I'm pretty sure I'm missing some clever writing and it will be a few play throughs before I fully appreciate it. The pace is blistering and the fuzz adds a different texture.

"Morning Tea" - Yeah, I'm chuckling, there's definitely some clever writing on this album. This is a slow burner, punctuated by interesting spikes. It could just be me but do I detect a hint of Zeppelin?

"Life on Earth" - A much slower song with Nicolaides behind the piano. This track belongs in a smoky, dimly lit, late night club in the city.

"My Planet is Dead" - This track is what brought on the Cage the Elephant comparison. Definitely a nice way to pick up the pace after "Life on Earth," filled with more snarky lyrics and an interesting bassline from Curcio.

"Hummingbird" - And this track bears some similarities to Jack White's solo BLUNDERBUSS. It's got a minimal, bluesy, somewhat folksy vibe to it.

BONUS TRACK

"Be My Exorcist" - Well worth the MP3 purchase. This track carries that same punishing energy and raw vocal fury of "Howl" accompanied by a face melting guitar riff that warbles as Nicolaides states, "I don't think I'm gonna make it through this life alive!" It's a thrilling end to a phenomenal debut.

I've been waiting for a chance to buy a physical copy of the album but after seeing Beware of Darkness live this weekend at Rock on the Range in Columbus (and meeting them!) I couldn't wait anymore. The live show was so energetic - my only regret is that they had such a short time slot but not to worry, I suspect Beware of Darkness won't be playing side stages much longer. I had to go ahead and buy the digital version. The upside to ordering the MP3 album on Amazon is that it comes with bonus track "Be My Exorcist" and the music video for "Howl". You can still get the physical copy cheaper, and I'll probably buy it later on just because I'd like to support these guys in any way I can. It's amazing the range these guys have. From gritty heavy rocker "Howl" to ultra sad "All Who Remain", from the piano driven lounge song "Life on Earth" to the folksy "Hummingbird" it's all so moving. I haven't been this excited over a debut in a long time. The next time your friend wants to shuffle through ATTACK & RELEASE for the thousandth time slap the iPod from their hands and introduce them to Beware of Darkness through ORTHODOX.
203778
With the tightly controlled emotion on their hit "Three Cheers for Five Years," (download the acoustic version for a great twist to the song) Mayday Parade has hooked fans in just one listen. A great first amateur album for the band, Mayday really has a lot of drive in their songs, music, and lyrics. The variation of the melodies might be further developed (the melody in the fast songs tend to stay around the same range of notes) and listeners may accidentally mistake one song for the other. I'd like to see something departing from the loud, constant banging in their next (3rd) album, and hope the music itself of each song doesn't blur into the next track. They are a band that has truly developed its particular style; however, to push through, experimentation with new sounds must be taken on. For a first album, I feel they are more mature than most bands who are out there on their first try. Go Mayday!
1834516
What a debut!  At times simply almost breathtakingly masterful ("Foolish Games") and at others emotionally overwrought ("Adrian", "Daddy") Jewel jumped into the pop scene with the directly titled and appropriately questioning song "Who WIll Save Your Soul", a gem of a debut song with its mischievious bluesy vocals and thoughtful lyrical core overlaid by simple, understated music.  While she has been roundly criticized for her idealogical and straightforward songs (read: easy to understand and not vague or poetic enough by her critics) it is just these aspects, along with the chanteause's wonderful, playful, and sometimes childlike voice that captivated my attention.  Some of these songs like the lead single and "You Were Meant For Me" go down easy while others are tougher to swallow due to lyrics laying bear ugliness ("Pieces of You", an important if flawed song) or perhaps not having quite honed her voice (the reaching but not quite tuned "Morning Song") or by overindulging the song itself ("Painters").  But even in these places Jewel still carries a singular voice and you hear elements of greatness in these songs too.  She demonstrates a spirit of adventure, a swan both stretching out and flapping its large wings at times while at others gracefully and beautifully slicing through the pond.

This is a very easy album for me to like.  I'm not a big fan of many female vocalists but I really find Jewel to be a lovely songstress.
416950
The thing that really impresses me about this album is that, for once, a graduate of a reality-singing competition puts their own individual stamp on a debut presentation.  Not for a minute does one get the impression of someone behind the scenes "engineering" the approach and smoothing out everything that makes the performer unique.  This feels like the album Elise herself probably wanted to make.  On top of that, she has a formidable talent and a unique sound.  Is there a way to give 6 stars?

I'd love to hear "Never Gave Me Butterflies" and "Save Me" on the radio someday.  These are great songs.
2966250
I just love this album! It offers a fresh mix of fun electro-pop rhythms and deeply introspective lyrics. Jordan Hurt and Jenson Metcalf, AKA Preamble, are college students from Phoenix, AZ. They wrote the songs, performed them, and mixed and mastered the album, to boot. These two young men have hearts for God, and they are donating 90% of the net proceeds to Speed the Light, a charitable program that provides much-needed equipment to missionaries in more than 180 countries. I am so impressed by their first album and am looking forward to hearing their future projects.
4160952
I really enjoy most of the songs on this album. Although, some of the songs are a little boring after a while, but most of them are cool. I kinda like her self-titled debut album a little more. I really like the songs  "Best Of me" and "Case Of The Ex". Mya's truly got a  great voice. I also really like the cover of this album!
3944660
Chuck's debut album is a great entry into an under-explored genre. I've seen him play live, and listening to this album, you can feel the raw energy come through on each track.
2588084
This a wonderful first album by a clearly talented new artist. There's some jazz, some country, some blues... all of it, high quality stuff.
Most of the songs were written by either guitar player Jesse Harris or bassist Lee Alexander. There are also a couple of classics like Hoagy Carmichael and Ned Washington's "The Nearness Of You". There are no bad songs, even though Norah's own have been underestimated by critics.
Her piano playing is also very good. You can notice that especially (but not at all exclusively) on the last track.
Norah Jones is great. In case you're wondering, she is also what Jane Monheit has been pretending to be: a young woman who is ready to deliver good music with indispensible maturity.
2741613
This cd is excellent for a debut album.  Ashanti's voice is very relaxing, yet at the same time makes you want to move.  I feel that she has a lot of talent, and that we have much more to expect from her.