American Alternative music reviews

This isn't the first time Tonic has treated fans with something unique and extra when you purchase an album. They often have extra cuts, screensavers, or some kind of surprise with their releases. This is also the case with the "You Wanted More/Sugar" CD now available. The surprise? The exclusive acoustic version of "You Wanted More." It's very tastefully done and quite passionate. You can't go wrong if you like Tonic and buy this CD, with their hits "Open Up Your Eyes," and "If You Could Only See." Tonic is currently on tour, and this CD is the perfect preview to a show that may be coming near you. "You Wanted More/Sugar" is simply the Best Of Tonic, at a great low price!

This import is amazing! These guys in Tonic have an awesome sound and the listening to there music makes you feel good! I have been a Tonic fan since 1996 and with each year that goes by the music that they create shows more and more what a real Rock Band Is suppose to sound like!

Ok, well I have to admit that I am as much a fan of the guitar sounds as I am Adam Duritz's voice. I would have rated this as a five star album, yet every once in a while (on maybe two or the songs total) Adam will get caught up in some moment singing and the dud gets kind of whiny. This guy is one of the best singers on the planet, though and this cd is still one of the best that the Counting Crows have ever produced.
Okay, well, the guitar sounds are much more raw, very retro and vintage sounding, I wouldn't be suprised if every guitar, amp, and effects pedal are 30+ years old.
My favorite songs are definitely Raining in Baltimore (amazing quiet version), Long December, Have You Seen me Lately?, Recovering the Satelites, and Round Here. If you like retro music with strong raw vocals you should love this stuff. I've heard Adam's voice coompared with Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20. Although I would say that they are very unique I admit that for comparison they are simalar in style (Adam's better though). I hope you like the album. Enjoy!

"Chelsea" is a previously unreleased track and is not part of the VH1 setlist.

"VH1 Storytellers" was released as a promotional CD by Geffen Records prior to the release of this CD.

The VH1 set does not contain "A Long December", which appeared on the original broadcast, or "Omaha", "Good Luck", and "Walkaways", which were played but not broadcast.

"Round Here", "Mercury", and "Anna Begins" were not aired on VH1.

The MTV set does not contain "Goodnight Elizabeth", "Catapult", "Mr. Jones", "Omaha", and "Anna Begins", which appeared on the original broadcast, or "Wiseblood" and "Daylight Fading", which were played but not broadcast.

"Raining In Baltimore" and "Children In Bloom" were not aired on MTV.

Amazing...! thats pretty much the only word i can use to describe this cd. All the songs are so beautifully played and have so much soul to them.

i loved this album the first few times i listened to it. american life is not oneof her best songs (remixes better) 2/5.i'm so stupid 3/5 not as bad as people say. nobody knows me , great electronica 4/5. nothing fails -beautiful 4/5. love profusion 5/5. intervention, another great song 5/5. xstatic process 4/5. mother and father 2/5-weak song. die another day 5/5 easy ride 3/5 -so-so song.it will always be rememered as her folk album, not one for the feet but one for the heart.

This Album Is Yet Another Stunning Release From The Queen Of Pop! Some People Have Really Made Fun Of This Album. It's A Masterpiece. No Matter What The Sales In The US Were Or Not. My Favorites:

~American Life
~Hollywood
~Love Profusion
~Nobody Knows Me
~Nothing Fails
~X-Static Process
~Die Another Day

American Life is a true trooper. Surpassing even Ray of Light in its cohesion, Madonna's most infamous album is also her strongest. Forget the highly publicised criticisim it has received - never has Madonna been so bold and entrancing at the same time. Never failing to be innovative, she here takes it to the extremes alongside producer Mirwais Ahmadzai, who also co-produced her 2000 album Music. But Madonna sadly is a victim of her own image, and this album even more so, for it became the worst-received album of Madonna's career. All image and commercialisation aside, though, there is much to like, to say the least, about American Life.

We kick off with the infamous title track, "American Life". While the ever-more infamous video was never aired, replaced by a weaker one (while still appropriate in a way), the song in itself is deceptively profound. Subtly criticising the shallowness of American high society, Madonna instantly shows that she's going no way but hers for this album. Mirwais' hard synth sounds pound on you throughout, apart from those moments when you get lost in the chorus, a surprising guitar strumming, where Madonna states that she's "living the American dream". The intended in-your-face amb flows throughout, climaxing in the closing rap segment. Undeniably, when the song draws to a close, one is thinking harder.

We stroll into "Hollywood", whose lyrics are as deceptive yet clear as "American Life"'s. Careful to stay in the background, Madonna asks the listener whether Hollywood really is the great place it's made out to be. All this is accompanied by Mirwais' flawless guitar arpeggios and windlike sounds. Certainly at this point of the album, we learn that it is not all societal confrontation; "Hollywood" is a beautifully crafted song, both delicate and powerful at the same time.

Following is "I'm So Stupid", and if you think you are about to get a rest from the pointed finger, you've got another thing coming. Madonna openly admits to her having been "stupid, `cause I used to live in a fussy dream". Furthermore she sings that "everybody's looking for something". The song, with its cut guitar arpeggios and sounds courtesy of Mirwais, attributes to the statement perfectly.

The listener is prompted into "Love Profusion", and if you had second thoughts for the first three tracks, you certainly won't now. A beautiful acoustic guitar number with perfectly situated keyboard sounds and haunting backing vocals by Mirwais, completed by Madonna's singing of wanting a solution "and a love profusion", this song is sure to mesmerise you like only Madonna can.

"Nobody Knows me" verges on being paranoid, but we all feel like that, and certainly Madonna must, whose practically every move is put under the magnifying glass. The most computer-orientated track yet, its hard beats accompany Madonna's stand that while it's frustrating to be misunderstood, she doesn't care what the world thinks of her. You can hardly get bolder.

But all boldness and stands vanish with the next track, the entrancing "Nothing Fails", a love song dedicated to her husband Guy Ritchie. There are subtle confrontations found, in the lines "I'm not religious, but it makes me want to pray" (underlayed by a gospel choir), but this song certainly doesn't fail in ranking as perhaps the most beautiful track American Life has to offer. It is not a coincidence that even the critics have praised it as the standout song from the album; Madonna strikes gold with Guy Sigsworth's old melody, uplifting it to great heights, expressing the power of true love.

Next is my personal favourite, "Intervention". Starting out as a simple guitar-arpeggio stroll, one is not sure what to expect. But then the chorus appears out of nowhere - one of the catchiest choruses I've ever heard from Madonna - and sweeps you away with it. Here, Madonna sings of encouragement and courage, assuring the one she sings of that she knows that "love will change us forever". Essentially, how love changes things. Adonned with an appropriately subtle and self-interpretative title, "Intervention" casts all doubts of the album's integrity into the deepest abyss. This is pure musical perfection, as beautiful as "Nothing fails", but in its own way.

The guitar theme continues, and softens even more, with the entirely strummed "X-Static Process". This simple melody can be looked at in many ways, but essentially it's an expression of how love can make you forget who you are, as well as how you are just as good as the one you love. It's the simplest song in terms of effects; it's almost entirely strummed on an acoustic guitar, and is co-written by Stuart Price, with whom Madonna would go on to produce her following album Confessions on a Dance Floor.

We cut to a more serious tone with "Mother and Father", where Madonna confronts, with the most direct lyrics on the album, the loss of her mother, and her resulting anger at her father. The guitars vanish and the keyboard sounds are as confrontational as the lyrics. Again we hear Madonna "rap" rather than sing, as she states, very plainly, how her mother's loss affected her.

Anyone who has seen the (then) latest James Bond film will immediately recognise "Die Another Day", a strong, catchy tune with cut symphony segments. A song never failing to inspire hope, Madonna takes the title of the movie and says how there's "So much more to know", and that it's "Not my time to go". Certainly it's worthy of the Bond name, but as a stand-alone song, it still is a real killer. Apparently most think so, as it was the most successful single off of American Life, and revered as the best Bond song since Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill".

Things draw to a close with "Easy Ride". This thoughtful song constitutes almost certainly the lyrics with the most depth and space for self-interpretation that this album has to offer. Madonna sings of how she wants to work for her life - wise words to close the album with, accompanied by clever lyrics of "When I touch the ground I come full circle". The cut symphony of "Die Another Day" is still present, but in a totally different sense. The easy-going melody, which the title fits, zooms out what I, after the sound of the violins fades out, feel is Madonna's most underestimated effort.

Don't listen to the critics - it may have been met with unjust criticism (largely responsible to her stance with the title song), but American Life, while remaining certainly Madonna's most uncompromising album to date, is also the strongest that she's conjured up. It certainly isn't for everyone, but hey, when has Madonna ever been? She shows here, once again, that there is more to her musical prowess than you can deduce at a glance. She completely goes her own way, to the max. And in that lies her great strength as an artist.

Madonna has created another work to be proud of; an album of songs that do it all - confront you, soothe you, sadden you and inspire you. And the pondering lyrics, no matter how simple or complex they are, are the bonus that Music, sad to say, lacked. American Life certainly is much more whole an album, good as Music is. It's even as thoughtful as Ray of light. But American Life definitely cuts the most impressive image. Well done, Madonna. You deserve it.

I am a late comer to Matchbox 20 and Rob Thomas. I am sorry I lost so much time getting to admire and enjoy their talents. Get the music and enjoyment now if you have not yet. >^.^<

Rob Thomas is one of the best singers in the world. This is the album that started it all. Almost every song was played on the radio. This album will be a collection must for many decades to come.

What more can I say? It's full of Matchbox 20's hits. Their subsequent work has been good, but not the all-around mix of good music like this album.

THIS DESERT LIFE is an interesting piece of work. Melodies, harmonies, and lyrics are the album's standing out traits. Counting Crows' piano player has a very interesting take on how to use the instrument to achieve unique musical sounds. The Pop/Rock group consists of guitars, basses, drums, keyboards, strings, and percussion. These instruments are used to their full extent to create an overall good Pop/Rock album.

Stand out tracks include:
"Hanginaround"
"Mrs. Potter's Lullaby"
"All My Friends"
"Colorblind"

This CD is by far my favorite Counting Crows recording. It has a great mix of music styles that are upbeat and fun. It is a must have for any Counting Crows fan.

I am a huge fan of Counting Crows. While this album may not be as strong or popular as "August and Everything After," few album are, this is still a very good album. My personal favorite track is "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby." If you like 90s rock or Counting Crows then you are in for a treat with this album.

The two singles from Songs, Vol. 1, that got the most radio play, Wonderful and AM Radio, got the most radio play for a reason. They're about the only decent tracks on the album. Wonderful isn't brilliant, but it's a catchy, well-constructed radio song. AM Radio is just fun, mostly because it samples Mr. Big Stuff.

Like other Everclear albums, the only good songs here are the ones that are easy to sing along to, and that's the only thing good about them. The rest of the tracks are mostly forgettable crap, with the possible exception of Unemployed Boyfriend, the only one that manages to capture some of the radio-friendliness of Wonderful. Brown Eyed Girl isn't bad, but you just don't cover Van Morrison. Had we never heard Van Morrison's original version, Everclear's might be much better.

Anyone who listens to this album can make a good case that Art Alexakis' vocal renderings are responsible for a lot of similar sounds that are so popular today, even more so than Blink 182, which Everclear preceded. Pop-punk bands like Simple Plan, Good Charlotte, and the several others that all sound alike may get their overall sound from a variety of sources, but their vocals are Alexakis turned up a few octaves and slightly more annoying. These bands, Everclear and Blink 182 included, don't really sing. They manipulate their voices to achieve a certain sound, but it's not singing.

And that's what this album is. It's packaged, played and produced to sound a certain way. Nothing really original, just crap that they know radio stations will play for suburban teenagers with money to spend on CDs.

this cd is very good, everclear is a great band and they display wonderful cd here for you guys to keep an open mind to. hear it and believe in it, its a special album to hear instantly. im hooked and will be for a long time, ive listned to them for ten years

This is a very good album. Against the word of all my friends, who told me this was a bad album, I bought it a few weeks ago from a used CD bin, as I'd heard "AM Radio," "Brown-Eyed Girl," and "Wonderful" on the radio quite a bit over the last few years and liked all of them. Who'da thunk these were three of the weaker tracks on the album? My friends, surprisingly, were very wrong about this album.

It starts out very well, with the title track, a mellow little number, and keeps getting better as it goes along. The best track on here is "Unemployed Boyfriend." It's an awesome song, basically summing up the whole 'Love at first sight' experience very well.

This is a good album. Be forewarned, however, it doesn't sound like a normal Everclear album. It's a bit more 'poppy.' But it's all the better for it, I say.

This is Phish's seventh or eighth studio album, depending on if you count Junta. It is 49 minutes long and has very good sound quality.

Like all Phish albums, this CD has some very good songs on it. I think this CD is at its best when the group is playing stripped down music and concentrating on the songs. I think Bug is the best thing on the CD. Also the combination of Sleep and the Inlaw Jesse Wales is very nice. All of these feature an acoustic sound and some very nice melodies. The other two good tracks are Back On The Train and Dirt.

But, the rest of the tracks I think are just a waste.

It starts out with the very tedious title track. Twist starts out good, but then looses it way. Heavy things is fairly mediocre song. It's not bad, I just wouldn't want to hear it again.

Gotta Jibboo starts out very good and I had a lot of hopes for it. But, the babytalk words really bring it down. And that repeated high pitched noise that sounds like a siren or an alarm clock gets really annoying. You hope somebody would hit the snooze button already. Piper could have been a very nice instrumental but it too is ruined by more high pitched noises.

Sand, where they try to sing as fast as they can is just studid. Most of the other tracks are just boring and tedious. The final instrumental, First Tube, is just stepping through the scales repeatedly. It might be interesting at 2 minutes, but at 6 minutes it just goes on for too long.

I would suggest get Undermind or Lawn Boy before this one.

Even though Phish is known as a live band, they still made some great studio albums. In my opinion, the great Phish studio albums are Story of the Ghost, Junta, Rift and Lawn Boy (and the Siket disc if that counts). Farmhouse is not one of their best, but then again, it's still pretty decent, if only as a source to get to know the scaled down versions of these songs. However, the best way to appreciate the songs from this album is to find them on the many live releases that are available. The songs that would end up on Farmhouse all debuted live between 1997 to 1998 so look for a show from that time period to hear these songs. They were in somewhat heavy (for Phish) rotation during those years and most of these songs continued to find their way into setlists from time to time right up until the end. As far as studio albums go, I would get the 4 great ones I mentioned above as well as Round Room, Hoist, and Picture of Nectar before getting Farmhouse.

As a phan it is personally my phavorite studio album. Its just one of those cds that you can throw on and be sharin in the groove all the way through. My personal phavorite tracks would be pharmhouse, bug, heavy things, gotta jibboo, dirt, and sleep. Its a must have for anyone interested in phish.

I love her hit songs, so I just had to have this CD.

Finally, a Best Of album that actually consists of an artist's best material and most known songs! Unlike some performers' hits compilations, singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow more than gets it right on The Very Best of Sheryl Crow; don't let the name fool you, because every song here, for some time on the charts, was a significant hit single for the beautiful rocker. From the Kid Rock duet "Pictures" to the great cover of "The First Cut Is The Deepest," Crow's Very Best only shows us a slice of a good reason this singer has become one of music's most compelling and accomplished.

Sheryl Crow has been a singer I have enjoyed ever since I first heard her on the radio. As a best of cd, this ones very good. Like some other reviewers on here I still remember the first time I heard Soak Up the Sun and All I Wanna Do on the radio. I also love First Cut Is the Deepest.

Here, in all their glory, is REM: the undisputed Pied Pipers of the bedwetters. While Michael Stipe's nasal delivery evoked all the comfort of a German Stuka dive-bomber, the whimpering and ludicrous lyrical content became a beacon-call to legions of self-absorbed suburban cry-babies everywhere. In REM, we had a calculating and maudlin brood of cynical mountebanks who lounged in opulence while tormenting their naive minions with a decades-long barrage of unrestrained nonsense and pessimistic doomsaying. The embarrassing spectacle probably hit its painful peak in 1992, but it obviously has left a cultural skid mark that will take years to eradicate. This album is a one star stinker that might serve well as a gag gift.

REM has had a helluva lot of hits, and has remained a radio staple and has been a big influence on later bands. This 18-track album does a good job for its length, but I really do feel a 2-CD hit package is warranted. The biggest omissions are "Shiny Happy People," "It's the End of the World as We Know It," and "This One Goes Out to the One I Love." It wouldn't surprise me if the band didn't really like these songs and would rather not include them in their greatest hits collection. However, there are a few other more minor hits I know from them that are missing, like "Radio Free Europe." I just can't think of other titles right now, but there are more than a few other omissions too.

Many of the minor hits that are included here, thankfully, are very good and will grow well on you: "The Great Beyond," "Bad Day," "All the Way to Reno," "E-bow the Letter," and "Imitation of Life" are songs I haven't heard enough of and I'm glad they are on this collection. Still, I hear REM is coming out with another compilation and I imagine it will be more complete; I suggest waiting for that album when it comes out.

REM is a great band along with the likes of the Beatles, Pearl Jam, Queen and the Grateful Dead. I mention these because of a previous posting giving this a single star. I can't believe this guy Dick W. giving this a one star and pouring out that baffle-gaffasaurous dribble. I really thought it was an odd review. So, I checked out his other reviews and he slams all the above artists and others. There was only one band that didn't get a 1 star review but instead got a 5 star review. Guess who: The Bee Gees??? hee hee... And went on to praise them for not subscribing to being a pretty boy...

The song list looks pretty good and agreed with some that it leaves out some other great songs. But, it will make a good addition to my CD library.

On this 2nd outing, Duritz and company add a harder rock edge to their music. Sometimes this works ("Angels of the Silences"), sometimes the results are a bit dubious ("Children in Bloom"). There's not much here that I think of as outright "bad music" but then again the number of songs with great hooks are fewer here, too.

HIGHLIGHTS:
"A Long December" stands head and shoulders above everything else here, the portrait of a man struggling to get by after his lover's gone ("the feeling that it's all a lot of oysters/but no pearls..") Beyond that one, country-ish single "Daylight Fading" sinks in as does album track "Another Horsedreamer's Blues", whose protagonist keeps betting at the track and in between that "trying to be a good girl/and give 'em what they want". The sunny wordless melody Duritz opens with belies this tune of desperation: Our Margery is on medication and "one of these days she's gonna throw the whole bottle down".

LOWS:
"Catapult" isn't awful but it's rather nondescript and not a good way to begin the disc. "Children in Bloom" doesn't really stick with you. The title track also is rather vanilla and not one I'd hang the album on. "Another Horsedreamer's Blues" is both a better tune and would have made a more evocative title for the disc.

BOTTOM LINE:
I certainly wouldn't let this be the disc to introduce you to the Crows, despite the appearance of "A Long December" (probably their finest effort overall). Go for AUGUST first, then BORROW this one to see how you feel about it. Only average as a whole.

Angels of the silences rocks! it is my favourite crows song of all time and so you should buy this album even if it is simply to bask in the almighty splendour of this song. Buy it now or forever hold your peace.

It seemed like it took forever for this album to be released, and it just about was (3 years), but it was worth the wait. While I believe "August and Everything After" to be one of the best albums of the 1990s, "Satellites" is a very strong follow up. "A Long December" was by far the biggest hit of this record, but IMHO it was not the best song on the disc. Sure to be enjoyed by any Crows fan or rock fan. This album will not dissappoint.