American Alternative music reviews

1. ONE HEADLIGHT (radio edit) 4:38
2. 6TH AVENUE HEARTACHE (acoustic version) 4:57
3. ANGEL ON MY BIKE (live) 4:46

If you want this tracks.., don't worry, get the imported version of "Bringing Down the Horse" [extra tracks] CD which contains the acoustic version and live track (not the radio edit) along with 'USED TO BE LUCKY' not included on the US edition of that album.
This CD Single also includes the lyric of 'One Headlight' in english and Japanese. It is a must have for any Wallflowers fan.

His soulfulness and passion shine through each nook and cranny of the disc. With his honest, lighthearted lyrics and fervent vocal delivery, songs such as the John Shanks-produced lead-single "Ride of Your Life" are ripe for reeling in fans.

There is most definitely a theme behind this collection of songs that is blissfully ignorant; he looks at the world like a starry-eyed, ever-optimistic young child. An ideal example is "Stronger Than Gravity":

"I'm no angel/Ain't got no wings/But I'd tie a kite to my back with/Shoelaces and string/And climb the tallest mountain/Whether I fly or fall/I'll get to you someway/I would crawl."

Gregory also has what a record company executive would call "mass appeal." In other words, he has the ability to reach more than one group of people. The music on "Pictures From Home" sounds like it would be equally at home in the CD player of someone who is 5 as someone who is 65. Although his romanticism in several of the album's tracks could win him a fanbase of screaming girls, he manages to offer subjects and songs for everyone.

By the time the upbeat "Blue With Blue" is reached, it is a surprising realization that most of the album has already passed by. Indeed, songs such as "Long Goodbye" and the hit-worthy "Up Against My Heart" are easy to get lost in with their liveliness and sing-a-long choruses.

Exuberant, joyous, naive, quirky and authentic, Gregory and his music are a breath of fresh air.

Virtually all the tracks on this CD were staples on our college station (KFJC) play list. My favorite tracks are the bouncy upbeat "Do you dream in color?", R.E.M.s groundbreaking "Radio Free Europe", the mighty power punk/pop "In Shreds", the wonderful dreamy Passions tune as well as the new wave waltze by Cocteau Twins, and the stark moody "Pink Frost ". Okay, I just singled out half the tracks on the CD as awesome. The rest of the songs on this CD are great too.

Since I have been buying lots of 80's music recently, this CD is simply an incredible win. In fact, this CD reminded me that I used to love the band The Chameleons for a very good reason (they still rule).

Don't hesitate, buy this CD and revel in fantastic music.

Gina S.

BUT I LOVE COUNTRY

Darol Anger is distinctly of the latter type. The musicians he has chosen to play with on this altogether remarkable disc are every bit his peers, if not his superiors. The result is a disc of magnificent presence and accomplishment.

Perhaps the standout characteristic of this astounding music is the diversity of material Anger has managed to round up and "break" (as one might a wild bronc) within its purview: everything from Irish traditional ("Lost in the Loop") to Detroit soul ("Higher Ground") to Kentucky bluegrass ("Old Dangerfield") to elay folk-rock ("Help Me" [nearly unrecognizable, it must be said], featuring the eartheral vocals of Laurie Lewis) to Villa-Lobos-like Brazilian-classical ("Andre de Sabato Nuovo") to smart swing ("Sneezin'") to Arabic ("Ouditras Rez") to gospel/blues ("Evening Prayer Blues") to African ("Dzinomwa Muna Save") to Scandinavian fiddle music ("Sand").

Surrounding himself with up-and-coming musicians of the absolute top rank (wildly creative fiddle player Brittany Haas; hugely underregarded flat-picking guitarist Scott Nygard, practically the peer of David Grier; monster cellist Rushad Eggleston), Anger has upped the ante of string-band music almost off the charts, with us, the listeners, being the beneficiaries.

Rhapsodic gloriousness of the first order: You snooze, you lose. Plus, contains a hidden mysterioso track that contextualizes the proceedings with gravitas beyond the call of duty.

Transcendent.

But that's a minor quibble. Get yourself this collection of truck driving CDs for your next long road trip; it'll make the hours on the freeway fly by.

But that's a minor quibble. Get yourself this collection of truck driving CDs for your next long road trip; it'll make the hours on the freeway fly by.