Alternative Rock Compilations music reviews

About two years ago, I borrowed Coldplay's second record "A Rush of Blood to the Head" from a local library. I was going througha very rough time in my life, and this music spoke to me. This music changed my life and my whole outlook on life. It basically infused my being, and became a part of me. I put the copy back on the library shelf and bought my own, and then I picked up their first record "Parachutes". This piano composition of classic Coldplay songs is the best composition out of all three released so far. We have "Pickin' on Coldplay: A Bluegrass Tribute" and we also have "The String Quartet Tribute to Coldplay." This is the third and most recent tribute album. Coldplay must have changed a lot of lives. Anyway, the pieces here match the songs on both albums, and you feel a certain poignancy when listening to this tribute album. The fact that Coldplay's music is so powerful that it inspired three bands of completely different types of music to do a tribute album... that's amazing. That's more than amazing.

When CSNY released "Helpless", people commented on how the slide guitar intro meshed perfectly with Neil Young's opening line, "There is a town in north Ontario...," almost as if coming from the same instrument. David Ari Leon also achieves the perfect fluidity between the original song and the piano composition. You can hear Neil's voice on these songs almost as if he is singing on them, and the arrangements pay homage to the music in a way that is both subtle and multilayered. Each song has been interpreted with artistry and skill that actually expands one's appreciation of the original. The album is recommended listening for all whose musical taste runs the gamut from classic rock to classical, and an absoulte must for Neil Young afficionados.

I truly enjoy this tribute album, I think that David Leon has truly captured the essence of these neil young greats in his piano solo compositions. I love the way that the David has managed to subtly bring his own interpretations into this great selection of pieces as well. Check out the last track, which I believe is David's own composition inspired by the great neil young himself :)

All and all, a truly great album, definitely for the neil young fan, and in fact, also for anybody who wants to wind down with a bit of easy listening with just the sound of a grand piano, and the spirit of the great god father of canadian rocknroll himself.. regards,joe

Maybe I'd been living under a rock or something... but I'd never heard of Alejandro Escovedo until this tribute came out. My interest was piqued by the All-Star roster of artists that performed. The first song I heard was "Paradise" by Steve Earle & Reckless Kelly. Now THAT just blew me away, so I delved farther and found a lot of great songs on this album. This all lead to buying each and evey album that Alejandro has done, including his stuff w/ Buick MacKane and True Believers. I felt as though I missed something very important up until that point. This isn't a bad place to start for those unexposed to the brilliance of the man. He can rock, he can swoon. Make you giggle, make you cry. Check this album out, then check out Alejandro's albums. You won't regret it! I swear!

I'm skeptical of tribute albums and there are a dozen good reasons why nearly all tribute albums fail. The general rule of thumb and the best argument against tribute albums is that the original artist has already recorded the definitive version of the song. Tribute albums inevitably invite comparisons to the original versions and more often than not, come up short.

I steered clear of "Por Vida: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo" on the grounds of caveat emptor; let buyer beware of the uneven quality of most tribute albums. It was unlikely that even the most gifted interpreter would offer any fresh insights into Escovedo's soulful renditions of his own music. My curiosity finally got the best of me and I finally purchased "Por Vida" a month ago.

Alejandro Escovedo has walked a rough path as a musician since he appeared on the music scene in the Seventies. He's so uniquely talented it's diffcult to pidgeon hole and market him as an musician. Success has been within Escovedo's reach but just beyond his grasp for too many years.

Escovedo's songwriting talent and body of work is on par with Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen or any other great contempory songwriters. You seldom hear Escovedo's name mentioned in the same conversation about relative merits of great comtemporary songwriters, like his noteworthy peers.

"Por Vida", as it turns out, is welcome exception to the rule of law. It is a testament to the universal nature of Escovedo's song writing and his music flatters nearly every artist on this sprawling two disc album. It's a dizzying array of styles that showcases 32 wildly varied music acts with over hundred musicians in the various bands. It's about as diverse a group of musicians as you'll ever hear including; John Cale, Lucinda Williams, Sheila E, Lenny Kaye, Calexico, Charley Musselwhite, Ian Hunter and the Mekons' Jon Langford and Sally Timms.

"Por Vida" may be only tribute genre album that delivers new rewards upon repeated playing. This tribute album is one that won't exiled to the shelf to collect dust after one or two spins. It wouldn't do justice to select two or three stellar cuts on the album, because each artist shines in the glow of Escovedo's beautiful music. Alejandro Escovedo is a songwriter for every season and every generation.

The fact that he's been stricken with often lethal Hepatitis C is yet another burden for Escovedo to carry. Escovedo, like most musicians, cannot afford the comprehensive insurance coverage to treat this deadly disease. All proceeds from this tribute album go the cost of his spiralling health care costs. Regardless of the musical merits of the album itself, it's about the best reason I can think of to purchase this album.

If you can't find something on this that you think is first-rate, you don't like music. There are one or two weak cuts, but the best songs here are simply amazing. The Section Quartet's take on "Crooked Frame" was a revelation. Other highlights include the John Dee Graham cover of "Helpless", Peter Case's "The End", and the Dragons' version of "Gravity". I've already bought four CDs on the basis of what I've heard on this one, and I will be buying more.