Different, but still good
341610
For long time listeners of SDR, this album may not be the best, considering they're not on Sub Pop and that they have a polished sound from producer Lou Giordano, who is better know for producing Sugar, but you have  to put all that aside and listen to the words and music. Killed By An Angel  is now one of my favorite SDR songs, oh yeah, their is one part in that  song that sounds like Rush, but listen for yourself. With songs like One,  Rain Song, Dissapear, and Television, SDR have certainly matured. Buy this
2480282
A Girl Like Me is a continuation of Music of the Sun with Rnb and Reggae songs. This time there are more ballads. After listening to this album and music of the sun, i would say that the music and the lyrics have improved. yet, i stil feel that her voice is not strong enough to sing ballads like unfaithful. she sounds out of pitch at times. she sounds better singing dance, uptempo songs like sos and break it off. overall, i still think this album is good and worth listening to despite some flaws.

TOP 5:

1) SOS-the song that really stands out. it has an 80s sample of soft cell's tainted love.
2) Break It Off-her and sean paul sound hot together. it's a great dancehall song.
3) P.S. (I'm Still Not Over You)-it's really nice and laidback. she sounds good here. sounds almost babyface influenced
4) Selfish Girl-i love the reggae beats in this song. it hits closer to home and my jamaican roots.
5) Kisses Don't Lie-it's a reggae song with a little guitar thrown in.

Honorable Mention: Unfaithful-one of the few nice ballads on the album even though her vocals are not perfect.
3010532
not what I expected, but still a good read.
4570320
This album isn't as immediately appealing or as energetic overall as the three albums that came before this (their best ones). The guitar work is very good, such as on the sparkling "Dosed." "By the Way" is pretty funky, but Keidis quickly wears out the words: "Standing in line to see the show tonight . . ." "Throw Away Your Television" has a great bass line. "Cabron" and, to an extent, "On Mercury" are nice Spanish-flavoured tunes. "Tear" and "Warm Tape" include synth passages (along with other songs) and are 2 of the best in this set. Perhaps the best cut is "Venice Queen," a song that evolves into different song like another album closer, "Transcending" from ONE HOT MINUTE (probably my favorite Chili record).
I don't know, this album just doesn't blow me away like their earlier stuff.  It's often subdued, though somewhat psychedelic, and less funky than what we've come to expect from the Peppers. Maybe we shouldn't hold it against them for doing something somewhat different. They should've found a better album cover though. Uugh.
1518416
This album is very different from their first two. some of the band members have been changed around so i guess that could be expected. Before i heard it I was, of course, hoping for some new material from the band Tristania which i have grown to very much appreciate, it was a small disappointment the first time through, some parts seem to even have some techno influences, but After listening to it again... and again... and again i like this album as much or more than the old ones. My favourite tracks would have to be either crushed dreams or the modern end. They have a really strong atmosphere and it paints a really good picture in your mind. Allthough catchy melodies are fun to jump up and down with i find that the atmosphere in a song is more important. (Allthough neither of those songs lack a good melody either)
  Well I suggest you buy this CD, but don't expect to hear the same tristania. A well written and produced album by a different tristania
3875593
When I heard Saliva was coming out with a new album, I was less that excited. Their last one I didn't care for much, and I expected the same here. Then the first single came out (Ladies and Gentlemen) and I heard it on the radio... and it was something new and different. I was intrigued. I bought the CD the day it came out. Now, it's not the greatest album, but its pretty darn good. There's only two songs I really don't care for, and that's Going Under and Twister. Both are really just too much of a departure from the bands genre in my opinion. I get that they were trying something new, and I commend them for that, but I don't think it worked very well.

I think the best songs on the album are Ladies and Gentlemen, Broken Sunday and Black Sheep. All three are different from each other, but still have that 'Saliva' sound. I'd love to see the other two become singles.

In general, I recommend this album to anyone who enjoys good pure rock. Just skip tracks 6 and 7.
761929
I'm a very die-hard, old-time Genesis fan and own nearly everything released.

This album is one that has a very different sound and concept to it, yet the same complexity of composition and little touches that mark Genesis are present.

It's an album that grows on you, in a good sort of way.

IMHO if your collection contains the "old" (Gabriel) and/or "new" (Collins) Genesis, this is something you should listen to.  Let it roll around between your ears a bit and it may grow on you too.
216096
the sound quality is higher, louder, and this definately is different than the previous release from the band.  which i didn't care much for the album Everything is alive~  blah blah, long title for their last album, but anyway, the feedback seemed more or less accidental in that one, and was more annoying than actual useful.  so i'm glad they changed how they did for The Fiancee, it finally seems like its further marking itself as unique, cuz aside from the excessive feedback on the previous release, i compared Everything is alive~ to early Norma jean's music.

but pointless blabber aside, this album is primary good due to high musicianship and a very intense vocal performance by Josh.
also, the heaviness is relaxed a few times on the album with some sort of audio sampling?  i don't know, i remember hearing a harmonica at the end of either track 3 or 4  ^.-
then there's like some sort of church choir on the last track The Trumpet  ^.-
very cute, makes it unique as an album, although a bit odd.

bottom line, if you liked Josh in Norma jean, and/or both while in The Chariot, either way, this is then an album you would want.

but to be specific, this does not sound like Bless the martyr, but Josh doesn't sound all that different  ;p
2500020
This album is slightly different from their past works but they're still the"Lep" I know. Thankfully they ditched much of their bubble gum pop-like chouruses that overan "Adrenilize" and opened themselves to hip-hop beats and Mexican/Spanish sounds (example: "Slang" and "Turn to Dust".) Though they have kept their ever-present power ballads and not quite hard rock songs. I feel this is a enjoyable album featuring a older,different,and better Leppard.
1569281
I can see why people don't agree with this album. It ventures away from the the previous albums. The drums are a big differance, they sound very differant. Also, the strange voice of Les Claypool is repealed somewhat. But the dominant bass is still there, like on all their albums. The best thing I like about this album is 15 tracks, and only on without purpose. Like on Pork Soda, several of the 15 tracks could be taken away and still have a great album.
2119560
I liked it because it didn't sound like the same old thing... and yet... good music and entertaining.  I was not that familiar with the band and their work.
1509424
A departure from previous works but still excellent.  Some old fans may not like it though if they are expecting something like his first two albums.
481824
At first I felt it had too much drums and band, and I'm a drummer. The band tends to drown out the girl singers and that's what everyone listens to this band for-the girl singers. But it is much different than the previous cd, which I felt was much quiter, This cd is a combination of both cds'.It has more of the band but also the good singing. It has gotten better each time I listen. That's the problem with having only one cd from any band like this, you expect the same sound. But sometimes different is just as good.
2497477
This is a really good album and seems to be a bit different then the rest. In no way is that bad. Like all great bands, these guys don't seem to be interested in repeating themselves. That being said they do have a very unique sound and are able to keep listeners aware that they do have something that defiantly makes them them.
3516137
Very different from their previous stuff. All the songs sound more like hard rock than metal.

But, thats not a bad thing. They are very talented metal musicians, and rock musicians. This album shows their skill in the latter. I enjoy their past albums more, but its nice to see them using their skills in the other genre they are talented in.

In all, i say give it a shot if you understand that its a hard rock album. And an awesome hard rock album at that.
4559039
First off, with the departure/addition of various members, Korpiklaani have a totally different sound than what was present of the first two albums.  This new sound is way more along the lines of Finntroll, a lot heavier with more black metal influences.  It still has the trademark Korpiklaani sound, so don't worry, but I don't like this album near as much as Voice Of Wilderness.  With that said, spend the extra couple of bucks and get the enhanced version, because Free Like An Eagle is one of the best songs the Forest Clan have ever done.  There are a lot more songs sung in Finnish on this album, but the English translations are in the lyrics.  The first big change you will notice is the addition of a full time Accordian player.  This is not always a good thing.  I love the accordian and all, but in some songs it's way too overpowering.  Secondly, on the previous two albums, Hittavainen's incredible musical skills carried each and every song to new heights of awesomeness.  On "Tales..."  it seems like in some songs he's shoved into the background, drowned out by all the overly noisy guitars and accordian.  If you listen hard you can hear him ripping out some great recorder and tin whistle melodies, but you really have to pay attention.  Most of the music on here is a lot harsher and faster paced, straying away from the more upbeat and folky previous albums, namely on Vkirauta, which sounds like something directly from a Finntroll album.  Happy Little Boozer is a pretty decent song, but gets a little repetative by the fourth minute or so.  Basically, once you hear the first couple minutes of each song, you know what the rest will sound like, there's not a lot of variation.  It's not a bad album at all, but I do like Voice Of Wilderness a whole lot better.  For the better---Tuli Kokko, Korpiklaani, Free Like an Eagle, and Under the Sun are exquisite songs which will please any Korpiklaani fan.  This is still way, way better than most of the crap out there.
698246
I wouldn't call this album a step forward so much as a step to the side. The vibe remains the same, but the style has changed. Let me start by saying, I have always been a fan of Devendra Banhart. I love his take on freak folk, and there hasn't been a Devendra album I haven't enjoyed. His new album Mala is a little different from other albums he's done. The best way I can describe this album is to call it Devendra's dance album. This is not a pop or dance album in a traditional sense. It's Devendra's version of a dance album (if you need a label, we can call it freak dance). The chilled out vibe of a Devendra's other albums is still present on Mala. One of the charms of Devendra is that he has always been so willing to try out new styles of music, and he has a high success rate. In a sense, this album splits the difference of his other albums. Stylistically, it is probably the most consistent thing he's done. What I mean is that the album has a defining style, while his others albums have had quite a bit of variance. I've always liked that variance, but Devendra pulls off this new style very well. Even with the style change, I would say that Mala fits in very nicely with Devendra's last three releases. It still carries that more produced (at least for Devendra) and catchy sound that he has been growing into. I would highly recommend this album to any fan of Devendra's.