but all in all not a bad solo effort
587599
Sorry he left Steeldrivers,but all in all not a bad solo effort.
2944941
Pusha T's first solo effort and I am mildly disappointed, I believe this is mainly because of the crowd he rolls with nowadays. It is not a bad album though, don't get it wrong. The production is the disappointing part, as the beats sound like the generic stuff that is filtering through the airwaves nowadays. Oddly, the tracks I enjoyed the most was produced by The Neptunes. Overall, the album encompasses a darker atmosphere. Pusha T performs well, delivering his typical topics: drugs, the streets and lavishness subsequently. The lyrics are scripted well and witty, complemented by excellent direction but the content just does not grip me. The content, accompanied by the production, pushed this one into the uninteresting zone but it is fundamentally sound. A decent listen, more enjoyable for someone who indulges that style.
2701571
Unlike other 12 stones fans, I worked my way backwards. I had seen all their music videos, thought the band was cool, and decided to go and get their CD. Sadly, I could not start from the beginning like I would have liked to. This was the first 12 Stones album I bought. I have all three of their albums now.

So, this album was not bad. It has its good triumphant moments. But, for the most part, it seems like it was a battle of the ballads. The album does not lack emotion. It lacks kicking energy.

I'm not negating the hard crunchy sound of their guitars or even their faster songs. However, I was waiting for the rapturous and amazing explosion. All I got was a little cigarette lighter flicker.

Which reminds me--this release will probably do well on secular radio and in arenas. However, as far as the at home listening experience goes, I agree with the reviewer for Amazon.com--suburban youths will love it.

Not all of us live int he suburbs, though, lol.

They managed to take themselves somewhat beyond the Creed stereotype, but they still don't sound like anything new. They sound like Creed, Alter Bridge, and Three Days Grace, rolled into one with the "fire" sucked out of them.

Ah, well. I think it's an okay CD, overall, but not anything I'd recommed buying. Borrow it from a friend and download the songs you think you might like.
4772119
Like every Slayer fan, I have high expectations with every release. This is a solid effort, but it isn't an instant classic like so many of their albums. Some parts feel a bit forced, and some feel a bit formulaic (in the Slayer sense). Not a bad effort at all, but I'm hoping that as this lineup matures we see growth on further albums.
4092478
Over the last few years I kept hearing rumblings and rumors that Emitt Rhodes was slowly but surely getting around to releasing a new record.  This excited me no end, since I was a huge fan way back when, and equally frustrated and disappointed when he stopped making records. So, just the effort required to assist him in his emergence from relative seclusion was a major coup for all involved.  Still, I wondered if, even with an all star lineup such as the one on this record, Emitt still had the desire and the material to pull it off.  I'm happy to say that, for the most part, he has done so.  If you're familiar with his past work, the first thing you'll notice is that his voice has transitioned from that sweet high tenor to a warm, rich baritone. So, comparing this album to earlier ones seems to be pointless.  It's a pretty courageous act to follow oneself, though, and Rhodes' singing is very easy on the ears, and becoming of someone who has endured what he undoubtedly has. He doesn't overreach lyrically, and has few peers when it comes to melodic songwriting. And those choruses..If you've been a fan, it may take a couple of listens to get used to this one, but it makes me want to hear more from him.  I'll be rooting for Emitt Rhodes to record another album before too long.
3963704
But it's not. This CD isn't bad, per se, but it's not Massive Attack. There is only one orginial member left in the group and you can obviously tell by listening to 100th window. Some songs are too long and drawn out and some of the vocals are ridiculously unlistenable. But it's not comepletely bad. There's still the mellow, dark mood that I fell in love with. Another reason I gave it a three is because Sinead O'Connor sings in a few songs, which isn't bad, but she brings with her, her political views (in A prayer for England) and it makes this cd sound even less like Massive Attack. I was disspointed, but then I figured, hey, its better than blue lines.
733620
Yep, I'm another guy who bought this because of my 20 year crush on Kari. No, I didn't expect too much to be honest.

After a few spins however I found it to be pretty decent. I admit she is not the best singer, but most of the songs have a good hook and are quite catchy. This is no doubt a pop album, but a few of the songs seem to lean alternative. Maybe just my ears but I hear a bit of Tonya Donelly (Belly) in her voice. Shiny is a good balance of danceable tracks, ballads and light rockers.

The photos in the booklet aren't what many of us were hoping for, but there's a few nice shots. Hopefully she gets some more screen time soon.
2783115
Well, I know I'll get some flack for this, but I can't get too worked up about this album.  Yeah, yeah, I know it's an album about the aftermath of 9/11, but that doesn't automaticly mean that it's any good.  At worst, the album sounds like leftover John Mellencamp.  It doesn't have the "signature" E-Street sound, and while that isn't necessary all the time, I think in this case it might've helped.  It's not a terrible album by any means.  "Mary's Place" is a fun little rocker, and "Lonesome Day" kicks off the album nicely.  But, the constant repeated imagery of "one more kiss from your lips" (Where else did you want a kiss from, considering this image is used three times) and "may your strength give me strength" gets overbearing and silly after a while.  Still, the haunting "My City Of Ruins" almost makes it worth while.  But almost doesn't count as much as it used to these days.
378161
Surprisingly good LP, no serious flaws, I'm lucky to have it.
2220155
After listening to Katharine McPhee's self-titled debut, I can with some reason understand why she didn't win AMERICAN IDOL(I'm really questioning if she even deserved second).  While many raved about her powerful vocals on the show, particularly when handling ballads, that powerhouse vocal work isn't really in evidence here.  Whether that's due to overproducing or not, it doesn't help that alot of the songs rarely rise above generic.  First single "Over It" sounds like third-rate JoJo--personally, I'd rather listen to the genuine article(a better singer and better songs).  A few of the tracks here aren't bad--"Love Story", "Not Ur Girl" and "Do What You Do" all adhere to trendy production but still manage to be somewhat catchy if unspectacular.  The ballads aren't particularly bad either--she manages to cover Aguilera territory("Home") as well as Mariah Carey("Better Off Alone", which could have come from any one of Carey's album).  The problem is she doesn't have that one track that's going to break her out a la Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone".  Next time she might want to sacrifice trendy production and vocal enhancement for quality songs and a few heartfelt performances.
967945
Former Cinderella front-man Tom Keifer released his solo debut album in the spring of 2013. To say this album was a while in the making would be a huge understatement. I always liked Cinderella more than most bands of their genre, and had really high hopes for this album as well.

People that gave this album an overwhelming five-stars must be bigger Tom Keifer fans than myself. This album is pretty good throughout, but it's not five-stars to me. I actually really dig most of the sounds Tom puts on the record; however, sometimes I feel like he ventures a little too far into the experimental territory. This isn't a terrible thing, but it kind of turned me off just the slightest bit. That being said, this is a worthy debut for the former Cinderella leader. Songs like "Solid Ground," "Flower Song," and "Mood Elevator" are the best of the bunch, but most of the rest are decent as well.

If you enjoy Tom's voice and songwriting, you'll more than likely enjoy this album too. If you're looking for the resurrection of Cinderella circa 1989, better check elsewhere.
1517118
I knew I was gonna warm up to this album - it's all Ken after all.  Although it seems somewhat one-dimensional at times (Greg Edwards' ...drone is blatantly absent) I found myself being drawn into it the more I played it.  Ken still has some haunting guitars and melodies that burrow into the mind, but I'm not as impressed with this as with his work with Failure - song themes are mostly love songs and the lyrics are often emotionally - not poetically - inspired.  The pop song format somehow works well here, and I would still rank it above most of the drivel on commercial radio these days.
2934514
This CD was my first dive into the music of Falling Up.  The music was catchy, guitar driven, and I enjoyed listening to it.  The two stand out songs for me are "Searchlights" and "Moonlit".  However, throughout the songs, certain words appear over and over throughout the lyrics.  I'm not sure if this was a theme that the band was trying to get at, or if it was just lack of creativity lyrically.  Also, considering the CD as a complete package, the booklet with the CD is littered with several errors in the spelling department.  I'm sure that won't bother most people, but stuff like that gets on my nerves.  Overall, I was impressed enough that I am looking to get another CD by Falling Up in order to continue exploring them.
728891
I really don't know why everyone is bashing Linkin Park. Sure, their music doesn't really fall into rock or hip hop (even though it belongs more in the former category), but nonetheless, it's still pretty good. When I first bought this CD a couple of years ago, I mainly wanted it just for "One Step Closer." However, as I started to listen to the other songs on Hybrid Theory, I realized that these guys actually have some talent. Most of the songs are pretty good; the only one that seemed to bother me was "Cure for the Itch." I wasn't really sure what they were trying to do with that song. Overall, not a bad CD, considering this is their debut album.
4746972
There's only one song I'm not wild about, but it's a good album overall!
2203091
This is far from their best work, but there are definitely some solid tracks here and the album as whole is worth the price.
2844505
I'm not a big fan of DCFC's older stuff. Really, anything before Transatlanticism doesn't do much for me. Those old songs aren't bad, but they just don't stand out too much from one another to me. That's also how I might describe the majority of this album. Never bad, but rarely great.

That being said, "Bixby Canyon Bridge" starts things out pretty nicely, building into a rocker in the middle. "I Will Possess Your Heart" has gotten a lot of buzz for it's 8+ minute track length. One of my biggest complaints about many of the songs on this album is that it takes too long for anything interesting to ever happen. Strangely enough, on the longest song on the album, the length doesn't bother me. Sure they could have chopped a few minutes off, but the bass line is pretty tight and the song sounds different enough from the other songs on the album to remain interesting.

Other standouts for me include the Beach Boys-esque "You Can Do Better Than Me" and the headphone friendly "Your New Twin Sized Bed". I also enjoy the production on this album. Chris Walla knows how to get the most out of every drum sound. He does a good job of making the songs sound good on the radio but even better on your headphones.

Overall, I've found there are some good songs on this album, but not as many standouts as DCFC's previous two albums. Too many songs drag on for too long without any type of rewarding chorus. Still, I'd recommend picking this up and giving it a listen and seeing if any of the other songs spark an interest for you.