Doesn't gel; nothing very good; poor collaboration
353215
Nothing works on this album.  The music/beats/lyrics are sub-par for these heavyweights.  Very forgettable stuff.  Only track I liked was #12, and it's only 3 minutes long with the last minute having no music!  Big fan of both but this was a poor showing.
1427098
This is my introduction to APP. I don't recognise anything vaguely like prog-rock or concept album. Sure, the lyrics are all about the moral degradation of society, but that does not make for a concept album and this is hardly original subject matter. And as a collection of pop songs, neither does it work. It all sounds too much like low-grade Supertramp. Shrill vocals, predictable boring pop beats, nothing at all noteworthy in the musicality of the band... only diehard fans would make apology for this. As a newcomer I find this such a poor album that I doubt whether I want to hear any more of APP. IF you want 80s pop rather get the real stuff like Thompson Twins or Yazoo. Utter disappointment all round and I would give this 0 stars if the site would allow that, meaning that I rate it so poorly that I think it should never have been recorded.
2992333
Mediocre. This is an overstatement. As reluctant as I am to say it, Incubus has in fact transformed into a sellout pop band. S.C.I.E.N.C.E, Make Yourself, and Morning were three of the greatest CDs ever produced, each with its own flavor but still with the roots that Incubus has been about for all these years. I'm not going to blame the transformation to amazing innovative music to monotonous pop-tunes on the exit of the magnificent Dirk Lance and the aquisation of Benjamin Kenney, the former GUITARIST (not bassist) of the Roots, a less than stellar band. I have not taken enough time to differentiate between Kenney and Lance's styles, so I cannot make that accusation. But now that the subject has been brought up, the music was so good, so fresh when Dirk had a part in the band. When I first heard the new single of ACLOTM, Megalomaniac, I had no real opinion. So I bought the CD anyways, since Incubus had to be onto something good (I mean S.C.I.E.N.C.E., Make Yourself, Morning View; what masterpiece could be next?) But lo and behold, I was surprised that every song on the album was worse than Megalomaniac, which is not a good thing. Take songs off ACLOTM such as "Agoraphobia," "Talk Shows On Mute," or "Sick Sad Little World." Do these compare to the multiple Incubus masterpieces that we have fallen in love with in the past (The Warmth, Consequence, A Certain Shade of Green, Wish You Were Here, Nice To Know You, Redefine, Pardon Me?
Not even close. All the songs of ACLOTM are simplistic riffs, repeated over and over again with monotonous drum beats and annoying guitar intros and solos, with Brandon Boyd somewhere in the middle of all the mess singing like a pop prince. The pathetic attempts at ballads such as "Southern Girl" or "Here In My Room." It is almost depressing how un-Incubus the band has become. "Made For TV Movie" is another song that just doesn't cut it. Since when did Incubus aspire to become like the Stone Temple Pilots? Ew. There are even some songs like "Priceless" and "A Crow To The Left of the Murder" hint that Incubus is heading to the handband-wearing, dyed hair, black fingernail, skateboarding, pop/punk genre. I pray to the Incubus dieties that this will not happen and that Incubus goes back the the S.C.I.E.N.C.E./Make Yourself/Morning View style that just made them so damn good.
I have read other reviews saying that Incubus fans had to be "open-minded" when absorbing this album, that fans should let it soak in after many listens. That fans should "accept the change" and "embrace the new." Does anyone remember having to listen multiple times to their last three albums to be impressed? I don't believe so.
I choose to forget ACLOTM was ever released. I choose to believe that Morning View was Incubus' last album, a true masterpiece, and that they will never again produce an album unless they maintain their upbeat styles, creative lyrics, and powerful melodies. The thought that Incubus would end their existence with ACLOTM or an album similiar to it makes me sick in the stomach.
4765729
I love electronic music.  I liked Enigma's first release a good deal.  I love Kraftwerk, Larry Fast (Synergy), Wendy Carlos, Vangelis, Tangerine Dream, Eddie Jobson, Patrick O'Hearn, Mark Dwane, Yanni, just to name a few choice electronica musicians.  This one does nothing for me.  It sounds too contrived and strained, and those lousy vocals ruin it even more!  I am dumbfounded how some people hold Michael Cretu in awe.  He is, at best, a very good electronica musician and arranger, but no pioneer.  It seems that the 'ambient fanboys' and DJ's of the world jumped on the Enigma bandwagon, and overly praised them to high heaven, despite their overrated music, that all sounds the SAME anyway!  They are the 'Boston' of electronica!  Get the first or 2nd CD- they're good.  Everything after sounds rehashed, trite, and boring.
3030990
Now I can see why it took Deep Purple 5 years to release a new studio album. They just don't have any fresh ideas. It has become painfully obvious that the Morse-era Deep Purple used up all its best ideas on 'Perpendicular' and 'Live at the Olympia', both of which arguably rank right up there with the best all-time Purple albums. But both 'Abandon' and now 'Bananas' are great disappointments. Both show a group that is totally bankrupt of musical ideas. Quite frankly, the best songs on this CD are the NON-rock numbers, songs like the ballad "Haunted", the psuedo-folk tune "Never a Word" and the short instrumental "Contact Lost." The "rockers" on this album are mid-tempo plodders with herky-jerky riffs which are totally devoid of melody. Blackmore always wrote and performed catchy, melodic, memorable riffs that stuck in your head. What casual Purple fan could not recite the riff to any Purple song from the seventies or eighties? In contrast, can ANYONE recite the riff to ANY of the so-called hard-rocking numbers from 'Abandon' or 'Bananas'? I can't, and I've listened to these albums numerous times. And Steve morse's guitar playing is becoming very old, very tiring, and very boring very quickly. He has become a tired two-trick pony. He constantly plays a bunch of groaning, note-bending sounds where he sounds like he is trying to imitate Van Halen, himself one of the most boring guitarists on the planet. His other "trick" is to play a whole bunch of notes in a one, two or three-note range very fast, but again there is no memorable sequence of notes which stick in your head; rather, we get what sounds like seemingly random machine-gun like bursts of notes. While I am impressed with his speed, speed alone does not make great guitar-playing. The machine-gun-like bursts combined with the Van-Halen-style groaning and note-bending rapidly become a tiresome, redundant bore as all these so-called "solos" all sound the same. These solos all sound so similar that you could easily take the solo from one song and interject into another song and no one would be the wiser. There is only ONE memorable Morse solo on this disc, and it is the solo in the ballad "Haunted". It is melodic and played with feeling (something far too-often lacking in Morse's solos) and is played "straight" without all the Van Halen gimmiks or machine-gun bursts. As for Don Airey, he is OK but not spectacular on this album. Quite frankly, he sounds like a tired, worn-out John Lord imitation. I found Airey's work on the Rainbow albums of the late 70s to mid 80s to be much more interesting when he was just being himself. Finally, the production isn't particularly exciting. That's what happens when you get a rap/hip-hop producer to produce a rock and roll album. While it's not worse than the Roger Glover productions, it's not any better. It has the same harsh, abrasive, overly trebly quality with a muddy instrument mix that we have all come to know and despise about the Roger Glover-produced albums. In fact, the production sounds eeerily similar to Roger Glover's production style on 'Abandon.' Like another reviewer said, this really sounds like it was thrown together rather quickly; it does indeed sound like a failed attempt to re-live past glories. Steve Morse is a jazz-rock-fusion guitarist who is trying to write and perform riff-rock and he appears out of his element; riff-rock is simply not his forte. It's not surprising that the better songs on both 'Abandon' and 'Bananas' are the pseudo-folk tunes and the ballads. I think at this point these lads should either hang it up or just create an album of ballads and pseudo-folk songs.
294792
This version of La Mancha is another disappointment.  I haven't seen this ensemble live, so I can't make that comparison.  I am however assuming that the physical assumption of the roles by these performers is much more engaging in person, as they were probably picked for the way they look as much as how well they sing.
Instead of the beautiful overture, they decided to have some woman moaning and screeching to a Spanish guitar accompaniment.  It sounds vaguely "Spanish", and I assume it was to give the recording some exotic flavor, but this does not continue and the performers sound blatantly American from the beginning. Whatever possessed the producers to decide to throw out the marvelous overture and replace it with this oragasming woman is beyond me, but it sounds misplaced since there is nothing Spanish or exotic about the rest of the performance. In fact, the performers' pronunciation of the few Spanish names and words is unintentionally hilarious.
The orchestra sounds congested as recorded, with little detail revealed.  The conducting is prosaic, dry, and with little feeling for shape and texture of the musical writing.  It's all very "matter-of-fact" with almost no excitement.
Stokes Mitchell's voice doesn't have the amplitude, reach, or sense of mystery or madness that the role requires.  He sings in a pop-gospel style that is totally inappropriate to the mood of the piece.  His "Dream the Impossible Dream" is a travesty.  He milks the ending with an unconvincing key change worthy of Barry Manilow in order to "wow" the audience, presumably with his one or two good high notes (or what, for him, are high notes).  But he turns the piece into an "America The Beautiful" vocal showcase instead of trying to interpret the song for what it is.  His baritenor simply doesn't fill out the music and his spoken dialogue verges on the inane.  I refuse to believe Stokes Mitchell was the best person to audition for this role.
Mastrantonio is clearly overparted as Aldonza.  She sounds whiney, bored, and diffident throughout most of the piece.  Her technique isn't up to the job--she sings all the notes, but with no room to spare.  Interpretation is not a word that can be applied to her performance, except in Don Quixote's death scene where she is more "alive" for the first time, and he adds a bit of power and emotion into her singing; she finally shows what she could have done with the role had she tried.  She falls into all the vocal traps the composer sets for this role--traps set to show the desperation and vehemance of the character. Unfortunately, her desperation is her own and doesn't emerge by artistic choice.
Sabella is another miscast character in this dreadful production.  The role sounds too high for him and he shouts for emphasis.  He's unmusical and not funny at all.
The rest of the cast sounds small-scaled and amateurish.  The Inn-keeper's voice sounds scarily damaged and the Padre sounds worn.
It's a shame the current emphasis in music theater is for the performers to be "triple-threats" (singer/actor/dancer), because this has apparently diluted the talent down to a minimum standard when it comes to vocal display.  I can only assume these performers bring something more to their live performances that sadly does not come across on recording.
This CD set can easily be bypassed.  Acquire the original cast recording to see how hypnotic and intriguing this music can sound with professionals.
1820433
it has taken about a dozen spins for me to get even luke-warmly into this CD.  I used to love Hillsong, don't get me wrong, but their recent work has been mighty bland to these ears.  In my opinion, they have gone downhill in so many respects: musically, lyrically & sonically.  The lyrics have a straight forward feel, nothing poetical any more.  Musically the hooks are long gone, tempos are predictable and melodies are formulaic.  Sonically, this Hillsong is virtually unenjoyable on any playback system other than computer speakers, cars or earbuds.
495877
Mediocre. Flat. Stagnant. Uninspired. Disappointing. Sterile. Boring.
Yes, the swirling Cocteau Twins sound IS here, but the music, the songs are all the above.
The album never really gets off the ground.
If anything, this is like one of those "rarities, B-sides" albums made up of rejected tracks that didn't even qualify for album fillers.
Having heard their previous release "Heaven or Last Vegas", I expected more.
I didn't even get "similar", just "much worse".
I bought this album when it came out, and try as I did to like it, to get into it, to find maybe 1 track that would somehow justify its existence in my collection, but none shone. None stood out. Just a long ride of gray upon gray with no light or color in sight.
The album ended up sold or traded in a used CD shop back in 1995.
I recently played the album again from a very popular webpage thinking that maybe I was too harsh, unfair, didn't really appreciate the album...
I have changed my mind about a few albums that I previously passed by or rejected.
Sadly, my impression from 22 years ago remains intact. A pity. I really wanted to like this album.
... and being a vinyl collector, the ridiculous price of $229- for this "rarity" is a big disappointment to anyone, even to Martin Shkreli, who would well deserve it.
If they ever remaster this album on vinyl - unlikely seeing how mediocre it is, but regardless - they'd have to price it very attractively for completists to shell out the bucks. Probably for a listen or two, then to be shelved.
2449641
When Difford and Tilbrook started talking about making the best album they ever made with this most recent offering, I was skeptical but no Squeeze album has ever been outright awful. Even the first album and Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti are about 50% to 75% effective in terms of the number of good songs on them. I was a little more optimistic when I saw them do "Cradle to the Grave" and "Happy Days" on a show - pretty good songs, I thought.

The problem with Cradle to the Grave is that these are the only two songs that even approach Squeeze's former greatness. I wasn't expecting Frank or Babylon and On or even Some Fantastic Place, but I thought it would be somewhere near Ridiculous or Domino. Unfortunately, with the exception of the two aforementioned songs, Cradle to the Grave is packed with utterly tuneless, forgettable songs. I have recorded better songs on my 32-track in my basement and I am in no way a professional songwriting musician.

Minor quibbles include using Tilbrook's band to substitute for Squeeze - they are no substitute for some of the luminaries who have passed through that band, although I'm glad John Bentley plays on a few tracks. Furthermore, Difford should have sung at least one song for some variety. Even the cover is repulsive rubbish. Squeeze have never been know for great album covers but this one is the worst.

Cradle to the Grave is essential only to complete a Squeeze collection. I would have much preferred a remastered Babylon and On reissue with a massive expansion of bonus tracks like B-sides, unused tracks and a concert like they did with Argy Bargy.

God bless.
1898582
This third album by Culture Club was a big disaster for the band in terms of songwriting, and--although these are not always good indications of an album's worth though they are in this case--sales and billboard chart rankings.  It was a big disappointing follow-up to the brilliant Colour By Numbers.  Even Boy George in his autobiography Take It Like a Man admits it is "the most disjointed album we ever made" (pg. 249).  The only real hit off the album was "The War Song" which I think many found to be more humorous than good and was promoted by a big production music video.  "War, war is stupid and people are stupid"? It probably received more airplay than it deserved for those patronizing lyrics!  "The Medal Song" was the second single about the 1940s actress Frances Farmer who was accused of being a Communist, shut away by her mother and given a lobotomy.  Boy George wrote it after watching the film Frances (pg. 255).  It is a very disjointed track to the point of annoying.  "Mistake No. 3" (the third single) is a nice ballad but unremarkable.  Next to "Victims," it really falls flat.  The rest of the album goes every which way in terms of styles, some even sounding like show tunes (i.e. "Crime Time").  My favorite is "The Dive," which is rather catchy.  Still, it is a far cry from Colour By Numbers which had 5 very recognizable singles and was 80s pop at its best from start to finish.  If you must have this album, definitely get the re-mastered 2003 version which includes a number of excellent extra tracks.
673365
I was so looking forward to Blu Cantrell's first release because the single "Hit Em Up Style (Oops!)" is an interesting blend of Jazz, Hip-Hop, and R&B.  Although, the song is similar in style to what UK Diva Lina used on her ground-breaking album "Stranger on Earth"; Blu managed to "copy" or "homage" Lina's creativity without sounding tired or forced.
The reason I am so disappointed with this CD is not because Blu isn't talented, because she is.  Blu has a fantastic voice and a great look that should take her far.  It's just that on her initial release she sounds as though she is just a puppet for each producer.  Each song covers a different genre and there is no cohesive element that pulls the listener through to the end.  I don't like how the styles jump from innovative blends of Jazz and R&B like on "Oops" and "Swingin'" to the bland, generic, "Whitneyesque" R&B ballads like "Till I'm Gone", "The One",  "U Must Be Crazy", "I'll Find A Way  to the Destiny's Child (un)inspired tracks like "10,000 times" and "Waste My Time."
I just wish Blu had more say in this release and could come up with her own voice instead of letting her sound be diluted by producers who don't know how to take advantage of a great talent.  Maybe with the next release she'll be granted more creative freedom and she'll blow us away.
PS If you want to hear how this album should have sounded, check out "Stranger On Earth" by Lina.  Currently it's only available on Import, but it is worth it.  If only Blu would/could have come up with something as interesting.
2352670
The problem with Bananas is that the songs are incredibly mediocre.  Nothing pops.  Nothing sticks to your ribs.  Nothing sends you away from the car humming anything.  No catchy hooks that make you want to pick up your guitar and jam with them.
Steve Morse couldn't even save this thing. I was so dissapointed because just before I got it I had been wearing out Total Abandon Live.  Now that's a great Purple disc!

The songs on Bananas run together uneventfully with a bunch of great musicans playing songs that sound like rejects to be put on the back burner.  Ian Gillan is coasting through the whole disc with uninspired material and the idea that they're supposed to record.
They aren't terrible songs, they just aren't great songs.  Even with the bad mix on Perpendicular it's still better because the songs are good solid rocking tunes.
They gave Steve some space but it's too late, not enough, and the vocal material ain't happening, and that's the crux of the biscuit. It just doesn't work.  It's always about the songs and the songs just ain't there.
Here's another weird thing. The tracking list is out of order with what's on the disc.  Who screwed that up?!
925641
It's not good 4hero, let alone not good.

4hero is, at its best, semi-interesting chill music.  Unfortunately, like most artists, they display less and less creativity with each release.  I actually pulled the CD out of the player to double-check when "Superwoman" came on.  It's the Stevie Wonder song -- played straight -- and there's absolutely no reason for its existence.

If you have every other 4hero record and you play them repeatedly, buy this.  If you are so desperate for new music that the idea of a Stevie Wonder remake excites you, buy this.  Otherwise, this is absolutely not worth your time.
1295693
Who would guess 2'31" could seem such a long time? If you spend it listening to Beat, it seems like an eternity: the same rhythmic bass figure and pentatonic pitch set over and over again. There is no melodic, harmonic or rhythmic originality here. The band is just plain out of tune in Big Kid Table. And the jangly guitar, yuck. The vocal technique is poor and her diction is poor. The recording engineering sounds like a mic set up in a garage (although in Yes, So On and So On, there is a little reverb on the voice). Woe is me that we're living through a time period when the current "sound" is so crude and amateurish. I think poor technique is mistakenly interpreted as honesty and integrity. Bah! Don't be so easily fooled. Happily, pop trends these days tend to only last a year or so. You want unpolished integrity, go listen to your kid brother practice for his piano lesson. In the meantime, I'll keep searching for good music and good music performance.
4663706
No one would ever rightly say that these three players are anything less than sublime. But for whatever reason, this set doesn't work at all. These seems less of a concerted band effort and more of three musicians going in three different directions. Even classics like Jaco's "Continuum" are rendered depressingly weakly here. It's a shame, because this could have been a massive record. Instead, it's just kind of a disappointment and a reminder that even the greatest players aren't superhuman.
379176
There is some good (not great) music on this CD,
but the musical styles are various and
don't relate to each other.
It is not an enjoyable listening
experience.
A soundtrack/score is expected to have
some sort of cohesion, this has none.
It's like a arbitrary music sampler.
I listened to it once and have no desire
to ever hear it again.
If you have warm fuzzy feelings about
the film, hard to believe as there is
nothing warm and fuzzy about this film,
you may like this recording;
otherwise, don't bother with it.
There are more soundtracks better than
this one than one could listen to in a
lifetime.
3664381
I've never really thought that Christina Aguilera has ever been able to generate any decent albums, despite being very vocally talented, her albums always seem to come out bloated and filler-laden. Even "Stripped" was a mess in many ways, despite producing some very outstanding pop music. It certainly doesn't help that she often seems overly confident in her musical output and songwriting either. Her 2010 effort, "Bionic" failed to garner much interest or critical acclaim, and didn't have any noticeable hits or hints of quality or respectable pop music. "Lotus" may even be worse, if that's even plausible. It begins with another useless intro, and throughout contains awkward collaborations ("Make the World Move" and "Just a Fool"), and not to mention, trite and useless ballads ("Sing for Me" and "Blank Page). The album does have some redeeming qualities, there are quite a few catchy tunes on it, but then you start to realize that many of them are quite generic and run-of-the-mill, and ultimately exhausting ("Let There Be Love," "Cease Fire," and "Around the World"). Other gripes I have with this album are the ridiculous and gaudy album cover, and the lack of great deluxe edition bonus tracks; I at least thought that "Bionic" had fantastic bonus material, "Lotus" just adds some B-quality dirge tacked on for a charge of a few extra measly dollars. It's not a surprise other popstars have and continue to outperform Aguilera in sales and quality musical output; talent does not necessarily equal great music. Bottom line, this album just isn't all too thrilling or outstanding, there are quite a few earworms throughout, but nothing that really makes you go "Wow!" or "This is timeless material that I'll treasure and that will entertain me for a lifetime." It's not at all shocking that Aguilera is continuing to suffer from low sales, and I seriously doubt she'll be able to dig herself out of this musical rut and lack of success, because her musical content was never all that strong to begin with.

Standout Tracks: "Army of Me," "Red Hot Kinda Love," "Your Body," and "Circles."