| Seasonal Reviews Album Review Page |
| All Reviews by Matt G |
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| Kelly Clarkson won the hearts of millions when she was crowned the 1rst "American Idol". But besides all of that mumble-jumble of being the next super-star, Clarkson is no doubt a very powerful singer. Clarkson belts on all of her gospel pop/ballads & does a fairly decent job while blending her voice through the upbeat tracks on her first album "Thankful". "Trouble with Love" is the first of many modern-day ballads on this album. The suddle orchestra features Clarkson's voice as the rhythm & beat accompany the track. I'm all about first impressions when first hearing an artist, and Clarkson proves she is not just the same old karokee singing babe from "Idol". Her debut & radio-driven single off the album "Miss Independent" (co-produced & written by Christina Aguliera) is a bit over-repetitive with the chorus, but she pulls it off well. I was a little disappointed with "Low". The power ballad track weaves around like an over-driven journey & even with the hooky chorus, Clarkson's vocals are not up too temp with the song's rhythm at times. It also has quite the shaky ending. "Whats Up Lonely" gives Clarkson a comeback from her last track in which the lyrics flow more with the music & Clarkson is found humming into a definite beat. In "Missed the Train" Clarkson swoons "I'm so sorry, got to the station a little too late". In this track the background vocals showcase Clarkson's volume & scooping through her many soprano octaves. One of my favorites, "Beautiful Disaster" has Clarkson's voice purely shining. As the guitar jams through the beginning she starts quiet at first & builds beautifully into the end. The revengeful "Look Who's Laughing Now" guests fellow "Idol" contestant Tamara Gray. Both the women's voices build & build while the orchestra & guitar rock to the end. The title track "Thankful" has the repetive song's title echoing through the song as Clarkson full out belts her chorus near the end. The rest of Clarkson's album is full of classy ballads including "Anytime", which I was most impressed with including the song's strong message. The ultimately famous "Moment Like This" is a sheer classic for the anthologies. The album ends with the track "Before Your Love". The breah-taking orchestra along with Clarkson's voice will indefinitely melt the audience. What also intrigues me about Clarkson is that she never tries to come off as sexy, unlike other of today's desperate artists. For she does not need the glamour, Clarkson HAS the voice to back her up. There is no doubt this former cock-tail waitress from Texas deserved her title on "Idol". I'm anxious now to see what she will pull off in the future endevaours with more experience under her belt. |
| You'll be "Thankful" when you hear Classy Clarkson |
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| 3 Stars |
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| Keep Waiting Mraz, Your "Rocket" Hasn't Launched Yet |
| I bought this album late (It was originally released in November 2002) because Mraz's radio-friendly single "Remedy (I Won't Worry)" wasn't popular until this late spring/summer. The Matrix, a 3 person writing team, which has produced countless radio hits (Sk8ter Boi, Complicated) wrote "Remedy". So naturally the song has to be great. Folk singer/potential pop star Jason Mraz has quite a unique sound, but he can also wear his audience out (or in some cases sound annoying). First, if you really like the track "Remedy" and are expecting all the other songs on "Waiting for my Rocket to Come" to sound like it, don't bother. Mraz's style of music is more southern bluegrass/some dixie. The Matrix just tweaked his style of music on "Remedy" to a more modern radio sound so he would get airplay. Of course, that's the music biz. His first track "You & I Both" has a very nice opening and pleasant accompanying vocals from Mraz. But by the end his vocals have enhanced to a power-love proclamation. Mraz mistakenly heightens his vocals at the end of almost every track on "Rocket". The problem is, this heightening style never changes from track to track. "I'll Do Anything" has witty lyrics (example "Let's get set then to go then and let us jet set we'll be like the Jetsons. You can be Jane my wife. Should I marry Jane tonight?"), but like the overuse of heightening his voice, you get easily tired of them. Wait, has this nice & bouncy track just transformed into a rocky over-volumed crazy mess? Yes! And I'm still only on the 2nd track. "Remedy" is next with it's over-repetive chorus, but still it's a delightful zinger. My favorite track "Who Needs Shelter" is a nice calm sunday-drive with a splash of southern bluegrass. Mraz's blends of vocals flow very nicely until the end, and he DOES NOT overpower his use of them. "Curbside Prophet" is a southern-style jam where Mraz plays with his vocal range. The lyrics are again a little too witty, and it sounds as if he's trying to rap (My ghetto hat's cocked right. The ladies say, "yo, that kid is crazy".The backstage betties taking more than they can get they say, "what's up with m-r-a-z?"). I can see where Mraz is trying to have fun switching around his style, but the audience at this time might think he's just being ridicoulous. A mellow summer-ish "Sleep All Day" follows and Mraz ends the song again too loudly and when he trys to recover with a soft tone on the last note, IT DOESN'T WORK! "Food" is lyrically a mess, but the background band jams at a good pace. Maybe he should of released this as an instrumental track? When Mraz sings he is constantly trying to catch his breath because he leaves no room for a break, suprisingly his audience may feel the same way. I do enjoy both tracks "No Stopping Us" & "The Boys Gone". Mraz follows his band well & actually showcases his band by not singing at times. Ending Mraz's album is "Lovely" in which he belts the tracks's title way too much. The audience may even feel grateful when the album closes. This is only Mraz's first official studio album, so he has much time to improve. I guess after hearing such a wonderful tune as "Remedy" I was expecting more of the same quality following on his album. I do believe Mraz wants to be a successful musician, but he trys too hard on "Rocket". Mraz, sometimes TOO MUCH isn't always a good thing. |
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| 2 Stars |
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| Clarkson misses on "Low' but is quite impressive on "Anytime"... |
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| Mraz overpowers most of the tunes on "Rocket", but "Who Needs Shelter" isn't bad... |
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| Don't Be Suprised if You Get Up & Dance!!! Well at First... |
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| Beyonce's album ("Dangerously in Love") is one word: HOT! Her first track ft. Jay Z "Crazy in Love" is this summer's "Hot in Herre"!!! The hooky rap verses accompany the addictive chorus while an excellent throbbing beat plays. Beyonce croons "Got me looking...so crazy my baby..I'm not myself...lately I've been foolish I don't do this". You can almost feel Beyonce smiling while she recorded this hit. The audience will be very impressed with the amazing lyrics on this album. Next, a sexed-up "Naughty Girl" dance track enters. Beyonce heightens her voice range just to the right climax. My favorite track "Baby Boy" transforms you into a middle-eastern exotic dance world. Beyonce's vocals will enchant you ("Baby Boy you stay on my mind, fufill my fantasy") on the dance floor while Sean Paul, who is featured on this hot track, accompanies. The lyrics are placed perfectly with the killer sound. Beyonce's sexy voice will blow your mind on "Rock Star". The kinky & raunchy vibe will slip through the audience's skin. But then the album slows down with the romantic & racy "Rather Be With You". Beyonce's voice oos & coos through the track as the band plays. There is a dissapointment though. "Signs" ft. Missy Elliot misses the beat. A horoscope theme is a little ridicioulous & the chorus is too bubbly & PG-13 for the overall album's theme. The slow & sexy ballad "Speechless" follows where Beyonce's edgy voice trys to get the audience "in the mood". Her voice is heightened to an unbelieveable level. The album lightens from its sexy feel during "How You Like It" ft. Jay Z. At this point I think the album has gotten very slow from the pace it started. Still the songs to follow are dynamite. "The Closer I Get To You" ft. Luther Vandross has Beyonce's light vocals interwining with Vandross's for a magical effect that works very successfully. The title track "Dangerously in Love" is a Destiny-childish sounding track in which a pulsing hip hop beat bounces. A suprise hidden bonus track following the last song "Gift from Virgo", and is titled "Daddy" for it has Beyonce speaking of her father's memories into perfect harmony with her vocals. Beyonce comes SO close to an excellent rating, but with the disappointing "Signs" track & the album's mood slowing down into too many ballads it recieves three stars. As a solo artist Beyonce's talent will gleam into the future. On a final note, even if Beyonce's sexy edge album fails to impress her audience, at least she could have a future business by granting rights of her songs too adult industry film soundtracks. Hey anything's possible these days. |
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| 3 Stars |
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| Beyonce shines on hits like "Baby Boy" & "Speechless", but falls short when the album switches into too many ballads... |
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| Pass the Lemonade, Lather Up In Sunscreen to Sugar Ray's Summer Sound |
| A harmonic interlude begins Sugar Ray's summer-flavored album "In the Pursuit of Leisure" and you immediately hear Mark McGrath's vocals parade into a wander. The title of the album (In the Pursuit of Lesiure) adjoins the overall feel because the content of tunes isn't looking for a definite sound. The light beat & rhythm of the first song "Chasin' You Around" help the addictive chorus plant its marking into your brain. "Is She Really Going out with Him", the second track and cover from Joe Jackson, is this band's second radio-friendly single. You can feel the long wandering days of summer between the guitar jamming & bouncy-fun feel of this tune. "Heaven" (MY FAVORITE TRACK) is the perfect beach song. As the ukeles riff pitter-patter perfect harmonies support McGrath's vocals. The echoing "woo oh's" circle the audience's mind which could ultimately make them feel so relaxed that they WILL believe they are in Heaven. A fun "Bring Me the Head Of..." parody intro begins a NEW sound by Sugar Ray in their first party single song "It's So Easy (Mr Bartender)". This song reminds me of Pink's "Get the Party Started" because it is full of hip hop trance & electronic voices. The summer dance track feels like a never-ending pool party. I still like Sugar Ray's classic pop-rock sound better but it never hurts to try something new. Anyway "Can't Start" is another leisurely wandering song, but this particular track is overly-evident of no direction what so ever. "Tommorow" coos through as the orchestra leads. The playful end where the background vocals sing "Dit Dit Dit" make the song somewhat worth listening. "Photograh of You" puts the album back on track. A rocky ballad, the guitar twangs as the piano lightly hums. This track has more of a Hawaiian sound to it. A drum bangs through as a romantic rock chorus mixes sounds & insturments into a creative sound. McGrath's soft & suddle sound blends golden. But with all these winner tracks there is ONE miss by this summer party band. "56 Hope Road" is more of a summer dud and it may because Shaggy guests on the track. Sugra Ray goes NOWHERE with this song. The chorus "Someone fall in love with me" sounds very wrong and hearing Shaggy say the words "predicted" & "victim" makes me cringe. The song is just plain filler. "Whatever We Are" saves Sugar Ray as a tropical wedding intro begins the tune. A congo drum interestingly is featured. The harmonies are excellent while the sound is fun & fresh. Near the end of the track the band sounds more like the modern-day Beach Boys, which is funny. Nearing the end of the album the audience will hear more of a "Classic" Sugar Ray sound, "In Through the Doggie Door" is a harder rock tune. I really wish more of the songs on the album were like this track. McGrath sounds like he has more experience with this style of music and it shows in his vocalism. The guitars wail & jam into "Blues From A Gun", Sugar Ray's last track. The song is musically awesome, every aspect comes together perfectly. The album is essental this summer for all those fun barbeques/pool parties. Or the audience can use this album as a summer getaway. Just find a relaxing area and dream of that faraway tropical island. As you sit at the tiki bar the sun gleams down on the white sandy beaches and bikini babes tan while surfers catch the next wave. Meanwhile, Sugar Ray is ready to take center stage. |
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| 3 Stars |
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| Even though Shaggy's feature track makes Sugar Ray sound lame, there is still a fun summery sound present throughout the album. |
| Thankful- Kelly Clarkson |
| Waiting For My Rocket to Come-Jason Mraz |
| Dangerously in Love- Beyonce |
| In Pursuit of Leisure-Sugar Ray |
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| D-D-Don't Stop the Beat- Junior Senior |
| "Party" is Junior Senior's Middle Name... |
| 4 Stars |
| Just try getting away with not dancing to Junior Senior's album! If you have any feeling in your body you'll be up jamming in no time! |
| "D-D-Don't Stop the Beat" is a cross between a Target tv ad & a Kids Sing-a-Long music cd. Electronic dance is the genre of this duo male Danish Euro-pop group. And of course, one of the DJ's is referred to as Junior, the other Senior. A disco guitar jams through most of the tracks layouts on the album, but boy do a lot of bells & whistle accompany. The way Junior Senior handled this music being played at a club are they made the choruses more for jam sessions, while the verses are made for the audience to recouperate, that is, until the next chorus. The audience will tell by the first track, "Go Junior, Go Senior" which is more of a cheer session, that the duo dance dj's rely on hooky choruses & chanting to make their songs stand out above the rest in dance music world."Rhythm Bandits" is a great dance tune, I especially love the beat. The chorus is dynamite and total "Target Ad" material. The noise crescendos, while Junior Senior sing "B-B-Bandits" & "Boomerang" creatively through the verses. Now on to the infamous summer crazed radio dance track "Move Your Feet". This bouncy kiddish dance feel tune offers the audience a spot on the dance floor. The horns blare as Junior Senior cringe the chorus "Everybody move your feet and feel united!" The audience will surely be impressed with how well Junior Senior can mix a track. "Chicks & D*cks" is a 70's retro disco dance track. Claps are added to the trancy rocky chorus. In the mist of all this noise there is an argument going on, which I can't quite figure out. Oh well, the song rocks! "Shake Your Coconuts" sounds like a traveling car commercial. The background "oo" & "ahh" accompany a chainsaw sound which lead to the hilarious verses (""Come on in, hang your coats/Eat our chips, we've got loads"). If the audience is not up dancing by this point on the album there must be something terribly wrong. "Girl Meets Boy" is an electro-funk sounding tune that has a deep, dark, rockish feel. The guitar twangs and the vocals croon "But just for ONE night". "Good Girl, Bad Boy" has a pulsing beat that is accompanied by a over-used tambourine. The drum beat gets faster and faster while the vocals crescendo into the chorus and beyond! "Shake Me Baby" sounds like a 60's hippie tune. The orchestra races while "Ba Ba Ba" echos conquer the background. The track has a feel good time sound and the beat switches up a lot. The song also has a decent rock-out to the end. One of my favorites, "Dynamite" features the classic Beatles "AHHH!" and very creative lyrics (3..2..1..DYNAMITE!). The perfect showtune jam fits into the chorus while "Ba Ba Bum" fades in the background vocally. The last hurrah "White Trash" has so many bells & whistles racing during the chorus it is literally nuts! There are call-outs (WHITE TRASH!), rhymy lyrics, noisy crescendos, rocky guitars, everything is going crazy! The mellow verses build into the psychedelia choruses and later in the tune the album ends as is it began. "D-D-Don't Stop the Beat" has all of its songs looped together because the album is a never ending dance party! Junior Senior are full of so much talent and really did there homework on this album. Every track is left with no breathing room & the album is sure to present you with much enjoyment if you are a crazed dance fan. So Junior, Senior 4 stars, I can't wait to hear your future work! |
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| Heavier Things-John Mayer |
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| "Party Up", & "The Math" can be loony, but Duff has more power & depth with "So Yesterday" & "Why Not"! |
| WARNING: These Tunes WILL Get Stuck In Your Head |
| Metamorphosis-Hilary Duff |
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| 3 Stars |
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| Even though a dazzling green album cover & kiddish inside credit photos are present on "Metamorphosis", Hilary Duff's first solo disc, the songs attached may aspire the audience to be the slightest bit impressed with the production of the album. Top producers Meredith Brooks, The Matrix, & Charlie Midnight are the hottest in the biz and they help this former tv child star morph into a bubblegum pop princess. "So Yesterday" is an excellent first track & over-played radio single on the album. "Come Clean" is an impressive number featuring a kickin' hit chorus that will wind your mind with repeat. Duff's voice is full of talent, but can be easily lost within the blaring bells/whistles & up-to-speed background vocals. "Workin' It Out" opens with a fun/hip-hop intro & interludes into a teeny-bopper chant. Background computer generated voices by Duff accompany the tune. A darker feel of "Little Voice" makes Duff's voice sound sexier, well until the "La La La" full chorus. "Where Did I Go Right", the first ballad on the album rings through but loses points on the lacking chorus. "Anywhere But Here" picks up the mood & overall is a favorable track. "The Math", written by the Matrix, sounds like a mix between Avril Lavigne & Britney Spears. The punk rocker feel is overlapped by a hooky chorus. It's no doubt that the songs on this disc are well-written and wonderfully produced. "Sweet Sixteen" & "Metamorphosis", written by Hilary's 18-year-old sis Haylie, are lyrically predictable, but both an enjoyment to listen too. "Party Up" is a horseplay recreation playful tune that boasts a wild chorus. "Inner Strength" is a short & sweet ballad that leads into the show-stopping "Lizzie McGuire" movie theme, "Why Not". Even though some of the tracks on "Metamorphosis" lag, Duff sounds as if she's just getting prompted for a massive music career! |
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