Category: Reviews
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The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night – Review
“A Hard Day’s Night” explodes out of the gate and is an interesting type of song in that it doesn’t fit the normal formula of verse-chorus-verse. It is impossible not to love. The mix of Lennon and McCartney’s voices brings an entirely new Beatles to the forefront. And they don’t stop their insane pace of…
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The Beatles – With The Beatles – Review
The few cover are significantly better on ‘With The Beatles’ versus ‘Please Please Me.’ Classic covers include: “Please Mr. Postman,” “Roll Over Beethoven” and “You Really Got A Hold On Me.” As simple, and silly, as “I Wanna Be Your Man” sounds, Ringo brings an absolute gem. It’s almost as if Ringo designed the foundation…
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The Beatles – Please Please Me – Review
“Misery” and “Anna (Go To Him)” is completely forgettable. You can see early days and signs where The Beatles are going but nothing here would indicate they’d be massive stars aside from “I Saw Her Standing There.” If anything, songs like “Chains” make John Lennon sound like a Buddy Holly knock-off. Ringo’s version of “Boys”…
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The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds – review
It’s nearly impossible to describe “it.” But there isn’t one song on ‘Pet Sounds’ that doesn’t have ‘it.’ I defy you to listen and not fall in love as every song comes on with a sound that is bigger than most artists ever attempt. Take the beautiful opening of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” with its…
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Gorillaz “Plastic Beach” review
Corporate line: Five years on from the release of Demon Days, Murdoc Niccals and co. return with Plastic Beach. The band have taken up residence, recording on a secret floating island deep in the South Pacific, a Plastic Beach HQ, made up of the detritus, debris and washed up remnants of humanity. This Plastic Beach…
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Lifehouse “Smoke & Mirrors” review
Corporate line: Lifehouse ended up spending a year recording upwards of thirty-five tracks before settling on the twelve songs that make up Smoke & Mirrors (many of the rest will be included on a deluxe edition). The record is loosely split between rock tracks meant to capture the feel of seeing Lifehouse live, and extremely…
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Daniel Merriweather “Love & War” review
Corporate line: Though Daniel Merriweather may be best known in the US as the remarkably soulful voice behind “Stop Me” (a standout track from DJ/producer Mark Ronson’s eclectic album Version that went to #1 on the UK’s airplay chart), the 27-year-old Melbourne native firmly establishes himself as a solo artist in his own right on…
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Katharine McPhee “Unbroken” review
Artist: Katharine McPhee Title: Unbroken Label: Verve Rating: 4/10 Corporate line: Katharine McPhee warmly laughs as she confesses she’s been in “artistic hiding” for the last few years. “It took me a long time to figure out where I wanted to go and be as an artist,” she says. “I needed time to learn who…
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Lady Gaga “The Fame Monster” review
Artist: Lady Gaga Title: The Fame Monster Label: Interscope Rating: 6.5/10 Corporate line: “The Fame Monster,” in three different versions – a standard version of the new 8-song album; a deluxe version which includes both The Fame Monster and her massively successful debut album The Fame; and this collector’s edition super-deluxe art book version, which…
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Robin Thicke “Sex Therapy: The Session” review
Artist: Robin Thicke Title: Sex Therapy Label: Interscope Rating: 7/10 Corporate line: The fourth album from the Grammy Award-winning R&B/Pop singer, songwriter and producer. While he has achieved success with his own solo albums, he has also achieved great success as a songwriter and producer with artists like Usher, Lil Wayne and Jennifer Hudson. Song…