A great concept and Paul Anka really pulls off the songs
596996
A great concept and Paul Anka really pulls off the songs.  The arrangements are well thought out, and his performance is pretty fresh.
1232209
This is a relatively little-known project featuring the participation of Paul McCartney, making it a curio for the McCartney completist. It's a charity single - I think the organization is Jubilee Action, which helps get abandoned Brazilian children off the streets - but of course sales of this now out-of-print CD won't benefit the charity (look 'em up online for info).

But anyway, I hadn't heard of Peter Kirtley and his band prior to discovering this disc. There's a great story behind the recording of the song, "Little Children," as detailed in the liner notes booklet. Basically, McCartney had donated use of his private studio Hog Hill and recording engineer Eddie Klein to the Kirtley Band to record their charity song. They had a short spoken-word interlude they hoped McCartney himself would record for the track. He said he'd take a look at the words. Optimistically, the band left a note behind after recording their slightly jazz-oriented song saying, "If you feel like singing on the track, feel free."

Much to the band's delight, when they received the mixed master tape from Hog Hill some time later, not only had McCartney recorded the spoken-word narration (detailing the plight of the abandoned children) but also contributed some smooth vocals during the song's final minute or so. He's basically just repeating the title phrase in a variety of inflections, but it sounds quite nice and elevates the track.

The intentions behind the project are, in fact, better than the song itself - but it's not an unpleasant tune to listen to. It's just a bit underwritten, sounding like a two-chord vamp rather than a fully developed song. But McCartney buffs will want to look for this unusual collaboration - I'm so glad I found it!
4517585
This is a much more interesting album than it gets credit for. It is a concept work that is meant to pair Shakespearian speeches or poetry with contemporary songs such as "Mr. Tambourine Man". The idea is to highlight the contrasting themes in the works. Unfortunately, the songs tend to be presented alone in discs poking fun at Shatner's extreme style of delivery, such as in the Golden Throats series. When heard in context, the juxtaposition of opposing themes works much better than the fun - pokers would suggest. I enjoyed the disc very much and feel I owe Shatner an apology for dismissing this album as some sort of '60s drug trip project without having listened to it. I am glad creative art like this is out there, pushing the envelope.
3085459
I liked the "Then" disc because it had some great classic tunes on it, but the "Now" disc was really impressive with the almost spiritual sound Paul incorperated into some of the new songs he has  writtem. The whole disc is great but I particularlly liked "Nights  Like This".The title is self explanitory and perfect for just those  times. A couple other top tunes are "All I Want Is You" &  "Heart of Fire". I mentioned earlier that some of the songs had a  spiritual "sound" to them, and while Paul is not known for being  a "Christian Rock" artist his heart must have had a brush with  the Lord because he certainly sounds "annointed".This is  DEFINATELY one (or actually two) CD you will want to add to your collection  if you are a Paul Rodgers fan. Great job Paul!
3550240
The intro and ending of this song are exceptional and powerful - this part gets 5+.  I wish they could roll with that concept a little longer.  The rhythm in the middle part of the song is rudimentary and boring but the strings compensate and keep it afloat.
4053636
Roger Waters is synonomys with concept albums.  This one differs very much from any of his concept albums with the mighty Floyd as this actually has a narrative.  The songs help tell a story, songs are woven by little segues and, behold, there is a story in the liner notes.  The concept works.  It's intriguing - as it tells the story of Billy who is in a seemingly vegetative state, but is able to communicate to a radio disk jockey via, well, radio waves.  The songs are good - especially the Powers that Be, Home, and the Tide is Turning.

There are two underlying problems with the album, however.  One is that production is clearly trapped in 1987.  This is one of the most dated recordings from a very gifted songwriter.  Given that it is a science fiction piece, that's almost forgivable.  However good some of these songs are, some are a little hard on the ears in 2007.  Notably, the "single" Radio Waves is a silly, repetitive introduction.  The other problem, as one reviewer has noted, is inherent to concept albums of this nature.  The songs don't sit well on their own.  When I was much younger, I would listen to this album as a whole, and it sounded great - and for the most part, it still does.  But songs like "Four Minutes," a great melancholic track about regret, do not stand well by themselves, as they are designed to tightly fit the concept.  Clearly a case of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

This is a good album, despite its shortcomings.  If you can withstand the clearly dated production, you'll enjoy it.
4160941
There's a lack of pretty, melodic, riff laden tracks for the first 3. But airscape fixes that with a gorgeous mix of Dario G's cover of the Cranberries classic with a sound-alike vocalist. And Snow on the Sahara is just as euphoric and moving. Now We Are Free is okay, but more of an instrumental with some convoluted vocal, but Lost Witness brings back the mesmerizing female vocal and riffs. And Sash keeps that level of intensity. I could do without an 11 minute cover of "always on my mind". It's tedious and uninteresting, and quite clunky. And the final track brings things down again to a mellow finish. Overall, there's just a handful of powerful tracks in the middle, and the rest is really run-of-the-mill. Track times:

1. warm weather (9:00)

2. Mindcircus (6:12)

3. I love you (7:11)

4. dream to me (7:54)

5. snow on the sahara (8:15)

6. now we are free (6:06)

7. did I dream (7:00)

8. with my own eyes (6:11).

9. always on my mind (11:16)

10. you've got me falling (7:32)
2107056
Judging by the cover (the soft image of a beautiful woman) and album's concept (all songs written by the women who inspired her), I must admit I went into this with pretty low expectations. I thought it would be a collection of pretty little songs, heavy on the ballads. In other words, I expected this to be sweet, but not much else. It wasn't long before I realized I was way off.

I like country music with a lot of depth and substance: Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Patty Griffin, The Jayhawks, Victoria Williams, Lucinda Williams. This fits in with the tradition of those artists wonderfully. On Mockingbird, Moorer pulls off the trick that every covers artist must: she makes the songs her own. Case in point: Ring of Fire. I've heard this song at least a thousand times - on cd, on the radio, on tv, in films. Her take on the song would hardly be considered radical, but is nevertheless a significant departure from the well-known original. And it works. She slows the song down without robbing it of its essence. And she gets similar results from the other songs.

In truth, the concept of "songs written by women" becomes irrelevant pretty quickly. The real concept here is that Moorer picked very good songs and gave them a full treatment. Like Tom Petty's covers on the She's the One soundtrack, she doesn't just sing along to a basic backing track: she and the band really throw themselves into the songs. From muscular rockers and bluesy tunes to beautiful ballads, they play everything with style.

This isn't the bland junk they play on Nashville radio. This is the real deal. Allison - I shouldn't have doubted you! You've just won yourself a new fan.
4754948
EDIT: So I felt a bit guilty about my last review which was extremely negative and unfair to a band that really tries hard to be different while maintaining that good ol' classic rock sound. I can't say that I'm crazy about this album as a whole, but after listening to it again I was able to find some songs that were interesting lyric wise and fun to listen to (ex:Mr.mtv, I'll be ok, first punch). The messages they try to spread through these (select)songs are really great and there are moments when the guitarist's solos are just SICK (I could not resist air strumming that imaginary guitar to some of these songs while on the train from work) SO, I would not recommended that you buy the entire album, but there are definitely a few songs that (I think) are worth investing in
4191398
Relient K is a group that has a sound that is very appealing to teenagers.  My daughter really loves this CD.

I am more mixed on it.  Most of the songs are good.  A few are very good.  A couple are silly or worse.

On the plus side, 'Forgiven' is really a terrific song.  Another one that is very impressive is 'Deathbed' which is about a dying cancer patient reflecting back on life and considering Jesus.  It is very long and quite a story.  I had to listen to it a few times before it really caught on with me, but it is actually very good.

Lyrically, most of the songs are either quite positive or even expressly Christian.

One song that is quite silly is 'Crayons Can Melt On Us For All I Care'.  It is meaningless.  One song that I don't like at all is, 'Faking My Own Suicide.'  It seems very out of place lyrically and style wise both.  It is about a teenage breakup followed by the boy faking his own suicide to get the girl's attention and make her think that she loved him.  This really should have been left off of this project.

With the exception of that song, the rest of this is a good album.  In spite of that, I hesitate to recommend it because that one song is so inappropriate.
4449339
I've heard millions of covers of Beatles songs (okay, maybe a hundred or so), but I think this is the first time I've heard covers of Paul songs (aside from Nicole Kidman and Ewan MacGregor singing parts of "Silly Love Songs" in 'Moulin Rouge').
I wasn't actually going to buy this album, but I saw that the JudyBats had a song on it, thus I had to have it.
The two things that make this album so good are the quality of the songs themselves, and the way that the artists put themselves into the songs.  Some songs, like 'Band On The Run' by Owlsy stay true to the original, while other songs, like 'Coming up' by John Faye Power Trip take on another harder feeling.  While it's pointless to get into the John V. Paul debate, it's quite clear that Paul had the edge when it came to pop songs.
Many of the artists I'd never heard before, but I was pleased by nearly all of them.  'Warm And Beautiful' by Linus of Hollywood sounded a wee like a Boy Band singing acapella, but it grows on you.  The JudyBats do an awesome 'Love In Song,' and Semisonic's "Jet" sounds fresh.  Some of the songs I actually like better than the originals, but don't tell Paul.
3095010
Most of the songs on this cd are quite good as the singers/songwriters seem to be very passionate about their music.  I really connected with them on a couple of the tracks.  I thought they might have a serious 'hit' with the track 'The One That Got Away' but I haven't heard it on the radio lately.  I felt this duo is on to something a little different from the usual slick...highly produced and choreographed records being made today.
1848219
I would have to say this is really not an anthology, because Paul has so many tunes that could be on here. I think they should review their decision and make it a triple cd set. That would be more realistic. Apparently these are tunes Brady likes himself, so maybe it should have been called Paul Brady favourites. I vote the suits or even the artist re-release this and rename this cd. On the other hand I agree that if you don't know the man's music it is a decent way to get to know him. "Nobody knows" is a better release but there you go. Any music by him is play worthy and unforgettable. Long may he roll.
4045090
It would be perfect if only the songs wouln't cut as short at the end.
4776766
Concept albums can get really bogged down by over-reaching narratives.  And if you try to follow the cartoon storyline for the new MotH CD, you'll  probably get stuck or lost, even with a 2-page libretto, a 24-page B&W  comic book and expressive song titles.  Suffice it to say, the real focus  is the music, which has an endearing 60s vibe rich with harmony singing and  low-fi arrangements.  The songs are infectious and catchy, and spin  smoothly alongside anything by the Vaselines, the Pastels and most of the  Elephant 6 brood.  A bit strange, but a nice break from the mainstream.
2707227
As you will probably have already heard the first three tracks (if you haven't - you should!), you will know these are fantastic songs - particularly 'Dancing in the moonlight' and 'Achilles Heel'. Songs that  stick in your mind for a long time. However I felt that the rest of the  songs on the album, although not bad, were a bit of a disappointment after  such a heart-warming opening. They are the kind of songs you would think -  yeah they sound OK, but I wouldn't go out and buy them.
My comment -  worth buying for the first three tracks alone, but listen to the album  first.
2812723
This is a bit different from past efforts in some respects, in part because the band ended up writing a fairy tale. A REAL fairy tale, with edge and love and horror and tragedy, set to music. With a ton of hooks that pull you into repeat listening.

Just a lovely concept, really. Ziggy Stardust may have been a concept album with a story, and so was Rush's 2112 (Temple of Syrinx storyline). But they weren't like this, and the difference may explain both some of the rapturous reviews, and why some hated it.

The music in this album is dictated by that storyline, and its emotions, and the underlying styles work to serve that. Rather than the usual concept album approach of songs and music as primary, with a story to try and tie that together. So it's not going to be quite as sparse as past Decemberist material - a bit more fantastical, and more "opera" than "rock." They threw everything they had at that, from the folk base to medieval, hard rock, and multiple points in between, in order to get the emotional pitches they wanted. Some will like that, some will hate it. But given what the band was trying to do, I think their approach is what faithfulness to a real fairy tale sounds like.

It would in fact make a rather interesting opera, preferably with Paul Potts taking a crack at the lead.

I give it 4 stars instead of 5 because the arrangement often makes it harder than it needs to be to hear the story. So, to, does Meloy's voice standing in for all male characters (vs. different female singers), which makes it confusing. I understand what they were trying to do, but easing up on the accelerator in more places and adding a second voice for the rake would have been great.