Album Reviews

Well, in two days the 13 LP Sign O' The Times Remastered Super Deluxe Edition is being released for the first time, so I thought I'd do a review of what is considered Prince's magnum opus. This is an album I might have played once or twice all the way through and I'm sure there is more to it than I picked up the first time. For example, I really hated U Got The Look on the second cd but now think it's a rock masterpiece. Each song is a world unto itself as are most of Prince's songs are and they quintessentially have that 80's sound. Some are rockers, some are funk jams, some are laid-back soul affairs but each shows the experimental nature that Prince embodied. It has been said that Purple Rain was the record which defined the 80's but here Prince is able to express himself with less pressure over two cds. This is, famously, the record Prince had to literally fight his record company to release, and it was much longer even than its released form would s

  So Ben Fold Five is a name I have heard quite a few times, and in all honestly I thought they were a soft rock band. This album is more piano driven with jazz elements. In actual facts it reminds me of Rufus Wainwright's Want albums a little. Seems it has been finely crafted song by song to create a kind of musical tapestry, as the title suggests, a sort of story. Perhaps it is an album about searching for identity. I pick up elements of The Beach Boys too on the third song 'Mess'. These are merely first impressions. The lyrics are spoken from the 1st person point of view and sounds like a diary baring all details. The piano parts are expertly played and the drums and bass used sparingly to create a personal and sometimes even orchestral effect using drums usually reserved for classical music. The vocals focus more on melody than lyrics I feel to create a weave of sound which I have read from other reviews makes for a dark sound but what I hear is a bunch of lovely songs,

  I first became aware of Moloko on the Batman and Robin soundtrack which featured the main single from this album, "Fun For Me". It fit so wonderfully on that album of 1997 and I didn't pursue any of the artists on that cd. Then Moloko became famous with songs like 'The Time Is Now' and 'Sing It Back' around the time of the millenium. Now I'm finally checking out her debut from 1995.  And what an album of miscellaneous ideas it is. It's an electronic feast of trip-hop, electronica and sampling. Moloko were a duo of singer of  Róisín Murphy and Mark Brydon, singer and electronic guy, respectably. What they proceed to show off is a nice array of sounds, beats and bleeps with wacky vocals, with small intermissions in between tracks to capture that alt-party vibe that you might expect from the 90's. It's largely a happy affair and funny that they released this on the Roadrunner Records, who were more involved with rock and metal music, althoug

  As you might have guessed most of these reviews are of artists the reviewer has never listened to before, at least from an album perspective. I find cheap albums in charity shops, come home and take it in. For Bon Iver, I first bought his '22, A Million' first and out it aside and then saw this album which is his debut. Having spent four months in a cabin during winter, the man known as Justin Vernon, put this opus together, and I must say it is wonderful - full of space. Just his falsetto and a guitar in the most part sometimes mixed up with effects and other vocal layers, it reminds me quite strongly of Ben Howard's 2011, 'Every Kingdom', although this seems more meditative and calmer. It seems that this was a university student favourite and considered something of a break-up record, because of it's sonorous moans and muted excitement. And yet it comes more from not a romantic break-up but from the break-up of the artist's previous band DeYarmond Edison

Nerina Pallot is a solo artist who has released a few albums in the past. Many fans say her previous work is much better than this album but I find that this one to my newbie ears is a very good album. For sheer songwriting and singing ability, Nerina, who is of half-Indian, half-French descent, has created a likable record and one which will leave you feeling quite intruiged. The songbird seems to be in a stage in her life where she has found love and a lot of songs are about this. I don't usually listen to a lot of female solo artists but the first three songs, 'Put Your Hands Up', 'Turn Me On Again', and 'All Bets Are Off', are very popdelicious and perk up your curiousity. Unlike Keane's Under The Iron Sea the music keeps coming, but there is a palpable light airy feeling to her voice which somehow doesn't connect with me. I can't quite place it but upon finishing this excellent album I was filled with an emptiness and feeling of loss but in

  Add caption This, Keane's 2nd album album, is a less hit-ridden affair but the songs are almost equally strong. I am currently half-way through it with 'Put It Behind You' which is starting to slightly grate on me. I enjoyed the first 5 songs but then 'Hamburg Song' came on and it isn't very enjoyable. There's nothing to really grab you and some say Keane make more intelligent music than Coldplay but that is debatable. Sure, there is more spacey keyboard playing but do the means justify the end if all we get is a pretty boring ride of sound of 12 songs. I'm afraid they really are a 2nd rate Coldplay, as the enjoyment....wait, Crystal Ball has just come on and I really like the chorus, I even seem to remember it being on the radio all that time ago. My mum's verdict has said that 'Coldfeet' have a more serious sound, whereas Keane are more light which is strange as I don't think of happiness when I remember the dirges almost they produce

  I remember when I was recording some demos with my band around 2004/5 and the studio engineer was banging on about Keane's album being marvelously produced. Apart from that we all heard their singles on the radio and to be honest I didn't take a liking to it then but listening to the album today for the first time I must say that despite being frontloaded with the hits at the beginning gets a good flow going and I can see why a lot of people have praised this album. Tom Chaplin's vocals are very good if not amazing and the problem for me with the three-piece is that they are too low key, a bit too perfect, which makes the music quite boring.It's definitely a light kind of pop and the lyrics are not terribly deep but they don't need to be with this type of music. Yes there are some similarities with Coldplay but not having a guitar makes the songs less hook driven and quite a lot more introverted. There are some similiarities with 90's chill out music which I h

Coldplay's 2nd album after their debut, 'Parachutes', which spawned their popularity due to their singles 'Yellow' and 'Trouble', showed the world this was a talented band which could seemingly write hits whenever they pleased. The simple and arty cover indicates to us the way the music will be - and 'Politik' starts things off with a good build up and sets the mood: Just four guys making basic songs which sound modern post-millenium-like bringing in a new world and new sound. It could be said that Coldplay have been the most successful band of the last 20 years, seemingly dominating the charts with every album having at least one hit, which is no easy tasks in the slippery world of pop. So how to define Coldplay? They have that indie rock vibe of the 90's but made new, thanks to the more minimalist arrangements and strong, distinctive voice of singer Chris Martin weaving his easily recognizable melodies through his voice and his piano-playing. E

  Knowing nothing about this artist I will quickly just say that like my previous Chris Rea, Charlie is a veteran of the music, although his style is more folk/country with a very easy listening American flavour. I'm sure he's a man with a  good 'ol Christian faith with songs like 'Saints' and 'God knocking on your door'. He sings with a very fragile and soft voice and the lyrics are full of wisdom of a life long-lived. As the name of the album suggests, although the past has shaped us we need to look ahead and expect great things, especially if we manage to get into Heaven. The backing band doesn't use a lot of guitar but keyboards giving it quite an ethereal if a bit cheap feel, like a home demo feel, but it gives it a delicacy which means you can put it on in the background. Both times I've played this album it's been raining which is funny as the fourth track is 'It's raining outside'. Want some Americana with some nice soft melod

  Do you like drinking an old fine wine? Well, this is what this album sounds like. Chris Rea has been on my radar since I heard Road To Hell (Part II) and Driving Home For Christmas on radio in the early 90's. Having never checked out his albums, I decided to spin his latest one. Many hardcore fans say it's awful and that he only managed to produce it after his long illness. Well, as someone with no bias, I can say it immediately puts you back in the Chris Rea mood, which is relax, put your feet up and sip at leisure. You shouldn't expect any huge surprises here and I cannot compare it to his earlier works, but some have stated that it is his standard rock style rather than the bluesy stuff he began writing after Espresso Logic. Whatever that means, I enjoy his guitar playing and his voice is distinctive, so I found it to be an easy listening and solid experience. As I type the seemingly maligned 'Money' is playing. I like tracks like this because they talk about l

  I bought this album on reading a good review on Amazon. It was found in a charity shop and signed on the sleeve by all four members. The things you can find in these shops is quite exciting. Anyway, putting on the music you hear a fairly normal indie rock band sound from the Nouhgties. Some say they sound like The Feeling (a band I'm mostly unfamiliar with) and Keane. I can see the Keane similarities but I would add to that mix Travis, as the vocals are quite soft and delicate. This is what you could class as soft indie but with enough energy from the band and experimentation to make it interesting. In fact, there is some similarities with a band that went to the same secondary school as me in London, a great little band called Symposium, who even broke into the American charts. You might compare Ghost's sound a little to Coldplay, and they often do best on the quieter songs which are quite touching. This album starts with the very excellent opener, Stay the Night, and become

This is a very good covers albums. Having grown up with rock, I was familiar with all the songs on the tracklist although being unfamiliar with Paul Anka I had read reviews before buying this album that he was an exceptional singer. Upon finally getting around to listening to it, I can confirm that this is indeed true. He has a voice akin to Frank Sinatra's with that classic deep but mellow feeling,  Paul Anka was born in Canada in 1941 in Canada to Lebanese parents. He wrote songs for stars such as Buddy Holly and even wrote the words to my favourite Frank Sintra hit, 'My Way'. He released his own albums with his most succesful 1974's 'Anka' reaching 9 in the US charts. He has also starred in many film roles and has continued to write songs for artists  including Michael Jackson.  What we get on this album made when he was 64 is a testament to the man's ability to pick out and sing a good song. Choosing many of the best songs including ones from more obscur