Liked this from first listen.
588915
This is Rachel Levitin's debut EP.  It's meant as a tribute to her late father, yet I can easily relate each song to occurrences in my own life. I enjoyed all the songs even on the first listen. Great song writing and production on this EP!
3116626
This is one of the better live alums I have heard. Would have liked to hear more of 5 SOS's own music, but they are a relatively new band, so this was an excellent first effort
1369281
Just listened to this for the first time after experiencing The Weirding (first album).  Fantastic band.
I hear Pink Floyd, Yes and King Crimson influences front and center.  I cannot wait for more from these guys.

Give it a shot.
4293085
Really enjoyed this album - really grows on you after several listens.  Walking through a wintry central park with the angst of "January" blasting through the headphones - very moving experience. Interesting concept in putting to music the effect of the seasons and months effect us physically and emotionally.  Very engaging listen - references to earlier months occur in later months - several "aha!" moments.

Highly recommended.
4849809
This CD grew on me. I had to listen to it several times before I could decide if I like it. I found the melodies very soothing. The different artists rendition was also good in combination with Paul Anka's style. I would recommend you listen to it several times before you rate it.
3320566
Never heard of this band before. Browsing the local cool cd store, one of the guys there recommended this (I often buy from Amazon but I do like to frequent a particular store as well - the few bucks extra is worth the personal service some times). I picked it up and have really liked it. Its in rotation in my car now. If you like the samples youll like the CD. I definitely think if it interests you, you won't be disappointed.
1934533
I read 1 or 2 really good reviews on the web for this album and then couldn't find any more.  So I listened to some soundbites and decided to get it.  The whole album tells a story and is a worthy listen from start to finish.  There are a lot of heavy riffs and cool bass lines to hold your interest.  The singer has a good voice with only a slight accent (I think the band is Italian).  One of the reviews said that the band sounds a bit like Tool which is true.  They also mix in some prog metal influences to create a pretty original sound.  They are not another Dream Theater copy.  Try them out if your looking for some heavy prog that isn't too generic.
3896848
Came across this tune recently while listening to Pandora radio. Which incidently, is how I was first introduced to The Blue Dogs just a few years ago. While most often its the tune that first grabs my attention when hearing a song for the first time, in this instance it was the lyrics that caught my ear. I plan on investigating more about this band. I only wish I had come across them earlier in their career.
304625
This was a great album that I enjoyed from start to finish. It has the kind of effect that you listen to it repeatedly and enjoy the content. My personal favorites are Already knew that, Permission and Burn Slow.
3727818
while it was a bit jarring at first, I find that it's nice upon repeated listenings.  I like the narrative/letter reading bits, and the lutenist is quite well, and Sting does a good job with the vocals.  It certainly doesn't deserve the slew of 1-star and 2-star reviews from self-professed experts and snobs.
4773279
Beautiful Beloved is quite the quick listen. Clocking in at just under 3 hours it manages to pack a full story into a short package. This story is about Max and Sarah a few months after their daughter is born. Sarah is getting ready to head back to work, Max is feeling sensitive, and both of them are fully ready to become reacquainted with their previous proclivities, if you catch my drift. Throw a baby into the mix and suddenly everything intensifies.

I think its fairly safe to say that mothers have the tendency to experience similar road bumps after having a baby. Theres insecurity, regaining ones self, body image issues, etc. The list can be quite extensive. I think a lot of those issues fail to be well-represented in erotica books. It makes sense for the most part. Erotica needs to be sexy; who wants to read about insecurities and the like? I think these experiences are able to be successfully represented in this particular erotica-type book due to the fact that Beautiful Beloved is part of a well-loved, well-rounded series. The reader is used to the characters being full developed and all facets of their lives explored. Why should Sarahs experience be any different?

On the flip side, we also get to experience the oft forgotten fathers perspective, because although the woman goes through a lot, the man experiences changes as well. Max struggles to separate Sarah the woman and Sarah the mother. He is afraid of hurting her, sharing her, and pushing her. This effects Sarahs growth as well as their growth as a couple.

Overall, it was nice to see realistic feelings and situations of the post-baby variety and experience how these two deal with them and fit their old selves into their new world. I think it is an empowering perspective for new moms and dads.

The narration was solid, as one would expect from Grace Grant and Jonathan Cole. I wasn't particularly too fond of Grants Max voice this time around. It came across as stuffy to me. My issue with Jonathan Cole goes more towards whoever did his editing. There are several points where extra takes were clearly spliced in but the sound of his voice in the new takes is so different from the original recording that it almost sounds like a different narrator. His voice is deeper and it sounds like the compression is off. It was distracting but it fortunately only happens about four times.
706412
as i hypothized, this is great.  it takes a couple full listens, but then it really sets in.
1804341
I admit, I'm not a veteran Porcupine Tree fan; I have only ever heard "In Absentia," and a few tracks from earlier albums.  However, I think that gives me an advantage, perhaps, over some of the other reviewers, insofar as it allows me to judge this album on its own merits, rather than comparing it to everything else done by PT.  As its own entity, this CD is good enough to deserve a 4.5, and since I'm loathe to give any review fewer than 5/5 stars, because expressing a non-majority opinion in a review apparently renders that review unhelpful, I've gone ahead and given "Deadwing" the full 5.

"Deadwing" - Rather difficult to classify this song.  It has a variety of different sounds, all of which I like, except the whispered vocals.  There is some really nice motivic development and good exploration of different emotional areas - 9.5/10.

"Shallow" - Much less impressive initially than the last track, with a Creed-ish opening riff, but the acoustic moments are nice, and the return of the heavier idea is moderately elaborated.  Enjoyable, but nothing phenomenal - 8.0/10.

"Lazarus" - I kind of forgot to listen to this song, and it did nothing to force me to do so.  I remember it sounding kind of Coldplay-esque - 7.5/10.

"Halo" - Great video game, okay song.  Just not really into the minimalist approach taken in the intro and subsequently, or the washed-out sound used a lot of the rest of the time.  Does have some annoyingly catchy and pleasant moments, especially towards the end - 7.5/10.

"Arriving Somewhere But Not Here" - Demonstrates brilliant control over all the elements of a song.  Does exactly what it should do, exactly when it should do it, every time.  Thoroughly enjoyable - 10.0/10.

"Mellotron Scratch" - So calm and relaxing and simplistically beautiful.  Nothing complex or wowing about this, just great music - 9.5/10.

"Open Car" - Intriguing opening figure, contrasted with another vanilla pop rock riff, and a more acoustic section, repeated and expanded.  The balance is a bit suspect - 8.0/10.

"The Start of Something Beautiful" - The start of this song sneaks right in as the last track ends, and it is rather beautiful.  I'm always a fan of time signatures other than 3/4 or 4/4, so the song scores some points on that count.  Beyond that, it's a solid song - 9.5/10.

"Glass Arm Shattering" - Reminds me a bit of Pink Floyd at moments.  Another good, well-made rock song - 8.5/10.

"Shesmovedon" - Flat out cool.  Great addition to the album - 9.0/10.
3181537
A friend of mine suggested this album to me. I borrowed it from my local library and to be honest, the first time I listened to it, I wasn't that impressed. However, I have a policy to always listen to an album twice through before making a final decision as to whether I like it or not and by the time I had gotten through the second time, I was hooked. I liked it enough to buy the entire album and not just download a song or two.
1020176
Bought this because I liked their sound, but ironically when I listened to the lyrics I realized this wasn't just sound, it had some substance and intent.  The song "Take a Walk" aside from being an excellent tune  really captures the imagery and emotion of a failed American family during the financial crisis.
Lots of other good stuff here too.
1566730
I do consider myself a (under 40) Dylan fan, but I had heard such bad things about New Morning and Self Portrait, I've just never bothered. But I usually prefer outtakes and bootlegs to produced releases, so I listened to this album first on Spotify. I became obsessed with "Went to the Gypsy" and "Time Passes Slowly" on disc one. There certainly are a couple dud songs, but it's interesting coming from the viewpont of not quite knowing the history. Dylan's voice is superb (I am in the minority about the crooner voice, I think), even if the songs themselves aren't great. I'm sure I'll listen to the originals at some point, but for now I'm basking in these sort of low-fi versions.

The Bootleg Series hasn't failed me yet. These are treasures that every music collector should own.
3690717
Like many, I first heard of this band thanks to The Colbert Report. After listening to a few songs on YouTube I was hooked. There is a good variation of music style, so you don't get bored with the same songe played 13 different times on one album.

Give it a listen, and if you like what you hear it is well worth purchasing.