A solid comeback album.
599307
In 1987, the late Barry White signed with A&M Records and released this CD which was a welcome comeback for him. Steamy, sensuous and unabashedly romantic ballads like "Love Is In Your Eyes", "Share", "For Your Love (I'll Do Most Anything)", "There's A Place Where Love Never Ends" and "The Right Night" are vintage-flavored and (despite the subtle use of programmed drum machines, keyboards and synthesizers) make for a truly enjoyable listening experience. True, this album did not sell as well as 1991's "Put Me In Your Mix" or 1994's platinum-plus "The Icon Is Love" but I highly recommend it to all fans of romantic Soul.
4212016
I don't know why this album often gets dismissed, I know it's thought of as one of their weaker ones, but I love it. Any fan of 1980's pop-rock should like some of it, and any fan of their prior album Heartbeat City should like most of it. "You Are The Girl" is the only real hit here, and though the first half of the album is good, the second half (or side two) is even better. "Strap Me In" is a strong Cars rocker, and both "Coming up You" and "Wound Up On You" are good and catchy soft-pop tracks. Then the final song "Door To Door" slams the album shut with a bang. Overall, it might not be as classic as the debut, but at this point these "Cars" had alot of mileage. But after a tune-up, they're back in 2011!
4723290
When I bought this CD I had some doubt because Lou Gramm was not the lead vocalist. As I started listening to it, I would have sworn it was Foreigner's original singer on all of the tracks; Kelly Hanson sounds that much like him. An enjoyable album throughout with only a few weak tracks. This is a great comeback album for the group even though most of the original members are no longer part of the current Foreigner lineup. This is a much better CD than Bruce Springsteen's "Wrecking Ball," because it retains the original sound of the band, unlike Springsteen's critically applauded but lackluster latest effort.
 The standout tracks on the album are: Angel Tonight, Can't Slow Down, Too Late, When It Comes to Love,and Lonely. The only song I don't care much for is Ready, all of the rest are first rate.
4565180
Obviously I am a real fan of this band being from Pennsylvania. After their third album Natural Selection I felt discouraged and disillusioned by the lack of vision and rocking good hooks. But after a brief stint retooling and regrouping Fuel is back in a big way with a dynamic return to form. With the opening song "Gone" there is no doubt that the classic grunge of the band is in full throttle. Throughout the album you'll find great guitar progressions and lyrical hooks. One of the highlights is inclusion of two versions of "Broken", with a melody that rivals the best of any Fuel song recorded. The new singer reflects the same style as the previous singer as if there has been no line up revision at all, which makes you wonder if all the credit was given in the past to the wrong band member. Truly a return to form for one of my favorite modern rock bands. Forget about Daughtry, folks.
853244
This album is indeed a return to form for Died Pretty. This is not to say that this versatile Sydney outfit has ever been "bad", but their previous two albums are not among their best. "Trace" had a  difficult task, following in the footsteps of the awesome "Doughboy  Hollow", and ultimately failed as a result. Although containing some  brilliant tracks, it seemed too weighed down and ponderous; even the long  sprawling epics Died Pretty do so well seemed laboured. "Sold"  was better - it is actually quite good, but never gelled as a whole. Having  signed to Sony for these two albums, the company dropped them shortly  after, but Died Pretty bounced back in 1998 with "Using My Gills As A  Roadmap". It is every bit as impressive as "Doughboy  Hollow". The album has just nine tracks, but embraces an entire new  sound. The intricate guitar work of Brett Myers takes a back seat, serving  as supporting rhythms to John Hoey's keyboards and synthesisers. From the  searing noise that pervades through the rocking opener, "Slide  Song", the whole album has the feel of a band exploring a new horizon,  taking a different turn, and succeeding in the effort. It is less a rock  album; it is more a deep and emotionally provoking exploration of the  senses. "She Was" and "The Daddy Act" continue the  synth dominated sound, while "Paint it Black You Devils" is  unlike anything the band has done before. It is dominated by a tribal  rhythm, with Ron Peno's affected vocals interjecting, somewhat  incidentally. It is very danceable! "Stay", "Gone" and  "Away" are more introspective songs - the middle of these, in  particular, is a wonderfully layered song with shifts and changes,  including beautiful synthesiser effects. "Away" has similar  sounds, simultaneously gentle and haunting. The first single,  "Radio" and the final song, "Drive", are the most  rockiest, but they too are dominated by Hoey's keyboards. Peno's vocals  remain as murky and obscure as ever, with impenetrable lyrics; but in the  case of Died Pretty, less is often more. Although you can't understand much  of what Peno says, you can sense the passion and the yearning. In summary  (and put very simply), "Using My Gills As A Roadmap" is  brilliant. It is by all means an experimental effort - the sound attests to  this - but it works because Died Pretty is a band that never shies away  from taking risks.
4048939
The last studio album by The Records, "Music on Both Sides" doesn't quite measure up to the band's first or second albums&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Shades-in-Bed/dp/B00006AAQ4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Shades in Bed</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Crashes/dp/B0006FGHJC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Crashes</a>, "Music on Both Sides" still has a number of moments that compares with their best work.

This expanded version of the band's third album which didn't appear on CD until this reissue features the surviving demos for the original album with guitarist and songwriter (with drummer Will Birch)John Wicks on lead vocals. It's intesting to hear the originals (with Birch on drums--he doesn't play on the finished album and he suggested a session player since he was producing the album). New vocalist Chris Gent does a great job of delivering the goods but I still miss Jude Cole who played guitar and sang on the band's second album "Crashes".

"Music" has a stronger New Wave feeling in the form of sythesizer touches applied to some of the songs than the previous two albums which were much more Power Pop albums. "Music" still sounds more like a series of demos (and very close to the demos included)with its spare production touches. "Your Very Own Soundtrack" one of the best songs on the album was mysteriously cut from the vinyl version back in the day and is added to this version.

The mastering by Peter Mew is a bit bright but, on the whole, exceptionally good. This is a nice reissue that features liner notes (the only complaint some folks might have is the fact that this is in a digipak). It's nice to finally have the original opening track restored to the album along with the bonus tracks included. We get a variety of demos and some live tracks (although they aren't from the two shows done to support this album but from the 1978 tour). It's a pity that the band chose not to continue from here as this line up was promising and they might have finally broken through in the United States with "Music on Both Sides".

Recommended.
1814402
This album has taken some time to grow on me, but it's a good effort by the band.  Too bad the reunion didn't last.

The songs are an outgrowth from their earlier work; not much in the way of hits here, but still worth listening to.
3958399
Well, this is not the Loretta Lynn I remember from the 1970s, but then again my sole exposure to her music back then was hearing the "hits" on the radio. But after listening to this very impressive comeback album --- one in which she wrote all the songs! --- I may have to go back and revisit her back catalog. I have no idea how old Loretta was when she recorded "Van Lear Rose" but she absolutely sounds terrific, that youthful twang entact, full of flair and vitality. A singer that sounds like she is enjoying it all.

Much has been made of the fact that Jack White from the White Stripes produced this album, and also plays guitar and sings on a few tracks. Certainly, his stamp is obvious on some of louder, electric tracks --- ones that I'm not sure that longtime fans of Loretta will enjoy or appreciate --- but his influence on most of the other tracks is not as heavy-handed and he pretty much allows Loretta to do her thing. And she shines. Simply put, this is a fun, joyous album, showcasing a singer who could benefit from more exposure outside the confines of the country genre. That said, I'm not sure that most White Stripes fans are going to be loving this one, but if they keep an open mind --- and ears --- then hopefully they'll find this one to their liking. Some fantastic songs on this album. Where is the followup?
91686
A diverse and pleasing return to form album from one of my favorite bands! There is much to like about this album, and I would even suggest that there is something in it for everyone's liking.
2051868
Great comeback album, with all stops pulled.  The title track justifys the purchase of this album.  If one must buy only one of the comeback album this is it!
239228
A great comeback album and another Whitesnake incarnation that revisits Coverdale's melodic and bluesy roots,having more in common with his solo albums from the seventies than with the late eighties hair metal.
4621317
I've liked Weezer since before I knew anyone else liked the Blue Album. So I'm supposed to be snotty and put down everything Weezer has done recently, but I won't, because things are going in the right direction for Weezer, and this is a good album.

When Weezer came back with the Green Album, it was really poppy, catchy, and honestly in hindsight a good extension of the Blue Album, but not as good and didn't show any growth. Well, people didn't like that. Weezer came back with Maladroit, which seemed like an attempt to swing in the opposite direction, with more unusual and less melodic songs. Make Believe heads back towards catchy songs, but with a couple important advances. Weezer has started to successfully experiment with other sounds, like the synths on "This Is Such A Pity", and the atmospheric guitar of "Freak Me Out". They've also seemed to realize that what they do best these days is the more mellow stuff, and this album takes advantage of that.

For example, "Hold Me" is unadulterated pop, but it works very well, and I think it's the strongest track on the album, for its melody and soulfulness. That doesn't really sound like Weezer, but that's fine if you keep an open mind. Some of the songs have more energy, but the best ones are low-energy. "Freak Me Out" would be the perfect song for a relaxing drive at night, if not for the chorus.

If you're looking for good music as described above, this album will not disappoint. If you're hoping for the Blue Album except better, you'll probably be disappointed every time Weezer comes out with an album, sad to say.
3887197
The last year or so has been a good one for new albums by old Christian metal bands - Stryper, Sacred Warrior, Bride, Deliverance and Bloodgood.  "Dangerously Close" by Bloodgood continues a trend of bands returning in form, rather than as a disappointing parody of former glories.
With the addition of Oz Fox (Stryper) to previous members Les Carlsen, Michael Bloodgood, Paul Jackson and Kevin Whisler, Bloodgood returns with a quite heavy sound on their first studio album since 1991's "All Stand Together".  In fact both Fox and Jackson perform excellent guitar work on the album, with the liner notes identifying who did the guitar solo(s) on each song.
Les Carlsen is not a young man, but his voice has withstood the test of time well.  You can tell he has aged a bit, but he is still able to reach the high notes really well and his distinctive voice remains a signature element of Bloodgood's sound.
Some of the highlights are the heavier numbers "Man In The Middle" (my pick for best song), "Lamb of God", "Bread Alone" and "In The Trenches".  There are great guitar tunes in "Child On Earth" and "I Will" (is that a sitar at the start of the song?).  The two ballads "Father Father" and "Crush Me" are slow and the significant change in tempo (they come before and after one of the album's fastest and heaviest songs, "Man In The Middle"), but they win big kudos for their lyrical content.
A highlight of the album for me is the lyrics.  As expected from Bloodgood, they have an upfront Christian message.  But I think they are very mature and encouraging.  Most of the songs are either praise or deal with Christian living and a relationship with God.
The album has a few flat spots, but overall, it's a really good album and one that as grown on me with repeated listens.  While I don't think it comes close to their classic "Detonation", it is a most welcome return.  The quality of the lyrics ensures this warrants five stars.
Fans of Bloodgood's old work should love this (and probably most of them already have it by now).  I wonder if it will garner them any new fans, though it would be a shame if it didn't - anyone who likes melodic metal or hard rock should check this out.
1430766
I felt it was necessary to review this because the only review so far posted is so misleading.  To say this album doesn't contain hooks or melodies is grossly inaccurate.  If you are interesting in reading about some of the best pop/alternative music being written today, read on...

To begin with, the album is as one might expect, more mature than the previous debut album Grow up or Sleep In (and that was indeed a very solid album).  It's just that Answers is just thicker, warmer, smarter and more well-rounded.  Connor's lyrics are darker here, yet they don't drag you down.  From a lyrical standpoint, the album sharp, witty, humorous and diverse.  Everything else has improved too - Andrew's voice, the drums, the layers of guitars and more confident sounding keyboard playing. But what I'm here to discuss is the music.

Ghosty's album is not one you can listen to once and judge it.  But it doesn't take long for the music to sink in either.  The first four tracks are thunderously good - these songs alone make the album worth buying.  "Dumbo" is probably the most traditional pop track on the album, and is the perfect lead-off song.  But then the album gets to the point with the very catchy "You are a Big Screen."  This track was good enough for grab the attention of Apple computers, so you don't have to take my word for it.  Big Screen just sticks in your head like super glue.  "Junior grows up" and "A Man with Answers" continue off the energy of Big Screen, showing off the groups refreshing ability to combine beautiful melodies with constantly unexpected subtle harmonic shifts.  This is where Ghosty have shown the most improvement - their harmonic language.  The songs throw in a lot of unexpected resolutions and surprise harmonic progressions.  In other words, Ghosty does not cram too many ideas into one song - they simply know how to vary them each repetition without them getting repetitive.  The melodies are also more unique here than Grow up... in that they also take a lot of subtle turns.  But the point here is that it all WORKS.  This is the difference between a good band and a great one.  Great ones figure out ways to do eccentric things while keeping it accessible to the listener.  None of the music sounds forced.  The other standout tracks are "Make it Easier" which is a slower, softer song.  "Underground Factory" is a delicious chromatic experiment with a long outro similar to that of Hey Jude, although not overlong like the Beatles.  Ghosty then saves the best song towards the end in "I tried" - a song about failure but not forgetting our dreams.  Musically this song is just gorgeous.  The imperfect ending to the song is perfect because of the meaning of the song.

There isn't a bad song here, but there are a few that are slightly less charming musically.  I don't give albums 5 stars unless they are flawless, but this one certainly deserves 4 to 4 and 1/2.  The only other minor weakness I can see is that the band might consider varying their instrumental textures a little more.  But perhaps this is just their style.  Ghosty is one of those bands for people that have an appreciation for carefully crafted pop music.  For those getting discouraged about finding quality eccentric, complex and tuneful pop, Ghosty might have that answer.
1814020
Fans and newcomers alike will enjoy this release. It continues the same style of big beats with rock guitars and tough samples that their previous album, "Tweekend", utilized, especially on tracks like Born Too Slow, with its quality rock vocals, and the satisfyingly crunchy Weapons of Mass Distortion. But tracks like Broken Glass, Acetone, and Wide Open also harken back to the smoother, more synthesizer-based sounds of their first full-length, "Vegas", and serve to balance this album better than its predecessor. There are also a few nicely-executed doses of hip-hop and soul flavor to round out the diversity of the sound.
I can't really justify giving this album 5 stars because it doesn't break much new ground, but rather fine-tunes an already successful formula. But if you enjoy big, driving electronica infused with rock sensibilities, it doesn't get much bigger or better than this.
2539082
Can you believe it that it's been 15 years since Pearl Jam burst onto the music scene with its debut album "Ten"? Since then the band has taken a lot of musical (and other) detours, and also has been taken longer and longer between albums, but after a 4 year wait, here its their 8th proper studio album.

"Pearl Jam" (13 tracks, 50 min.) sounds to me like a return to the basics of the band's music roots, namely rocking pretty hard. The album's 5 opening tracks all rock from the get-go, the one harder than the other: "Life Wasted", "World Wide Suicide", Comatose", "Severed Hand" and "Marker In the Sand". After that anyone would need a breather, and the band obliges with the gentile "Parachutes" (not to be confused with the Coldplay song of the same name). It rounds off a near-perfect first half of the album. The second half in comparison falters a bit. Highlights there include "Big Wave", "Come Back" and the close "Inside Job".

In all, this album is a fine album, no question (and certainly an improvement over their previous album "Riot Act", which stands as the band's most disappointing album to date). I find it interesting that this album is simply titled "Pearl Jam", as if the band felt it needed to reintroduce itself to its fans and the rock community. Fact is, a lot of us have signed up for the long ride, good or bad. And this album certainly is a nice addition to the Pearl Jam catalogue.
1338209
"Love is Here" was a pretty good album in its own right.  Despite the fact that it wasn't very upbeat, it contained some good songs and showcased the band's potential.
"Silence Is Easy", Starsailor's sophomore effort, shows the band's progress in their musical style and songwriting.  In general, the songs are more upbeat than those found in the previous album.  In fact, "Fidelity" closely resembles "Fever" and sounds out of place for an album with a faster tempo.
The most prevalent difference between the two albums is the addition of a string section, which adds a lot of depth to several songs.  The band has also removed a lot of the minor chords from their music, producing a warmer, more satisfying feel.  The lead singer's vibrato is not nearly as painful to listen to anymore as well.  "Four to the Floor", "Born Again", "Telling Them", and "Bring My Love" are highlights of the album.  The only real forgettable track on the disc is "Shark Food", which sounds like some sort of repetitive mantra you might find at a clan meeting.  Frankly, I'm surprised that such a bad song found its way onto this album.  The rest of the songs fall somewhere in between, but most of them are very listenable.
My only complaint about the album is its length - it clocks in at just under 40 minutes, or about 7-8 minutes shorter than "Love Is Here".  The bang-for-your-buck factor would've been much greater with another 3-4 songs.  Nevertheless, it is worth the money.  The comparisons to Coldplay and Travis do have some merit - Starsailor is not there yet, but this album is a giant step in the right direction.