Going to try and see if this can be a run on sentence.
Cheek to Cheek, these Popular Problems of Gravity are Framework Battles for The Violet Flame that can be Plain Spoken as you Strut and say "_hello world".
That was my attempt to combine all the album titles in this week's releases. Some to be revered more than others but I am looking forward to some new music from old artists I haven't heard in ages! Not any fault of theirs, it just happens sometimes where you lose touch of an artist due to other things going on in your life or your musical tastes. I think Big & Rich, and Lenny Kravitz will fall under this category.
Other artists such as Leonard Cohen, John Mellencamp, and Tony Bennett tend to put out consistent quality music, so these are my assured releases. Other new ones to moi are Work of Art, Information Society, Charm City Devils, and Memphis May Fire's Matty Mullins (dropping his debut solo record). Either way it should be a fun week to play catch up from last and this week!
So do a favour and head to a local record store, online retailer, or a digital source to purchase your music and to show some love. Cheers and enjoy!
Popular Problems, his 13th studio album, has everything of which a latter-day Cohen album is popularly known to be composed: the amelodic, magical croak of Cohen’s own finely aged voice; the hyper-melodic shine of his singers, who have become as integral to Cohen’s project as he himself; a loose, blurring approach to genre and tone. The album seems to be of the same make as 2012’s Old Ideas; both are relaxed in their dedication to definite genre, and both humbly display the wisdom one would expect from an icon like Cohen. Even their titles comprise the interlocking halves of some private mantra or joke, some defining force behind Cohen’s recent inspirations: “Old Ideas, Popular Problems.” The Old Ideas, still Popular Problems, seem to be the things Cohen has always written about: sex, god, art, mystery, society. -Tiny Mix Tapes
Plain Spoken is filled with themes of bitterness and despondency. This is clear before you ever listen to the songs. Track titles include “Troubled Man,” “Tears in Vain,” and “The Isolation of Mister.” In that last one, he sings, “Been so indifferent about so many things, about my time and my rage / I thought I was living a life of freedom, but I was living in a cage.” And after the sobering back-and-forth conversation that Mellencamp relays to the listener during “The Brass Ring,” he eventually concludes, “This world I’ve seen here is never fair, so just leave me here with my sorrow.” Even in his more politically driven tunes like “The Company of Cowards” and “Lawless Times,” restlessness reigns supreme. -Indianapolis Monthly
As new male duos try and make way to the ears of country listeners, the new album from Big & Rich, ‘Gravity’ serves as the perfect lesson on how it’s done. Students listen up, Big & Rich is about to school you on how to successfully release an album that serves up quality country music without all the unnecessary bells and whistles.
It’s like Big & Rich were on a long road to success and decided to make a left turn at a stop sign, and if that was ever the correct turn, they made it. There is something on this album for everyone, and as a Big & Rich fan I have fell in love with their music all over again, they are truly onto something special with this album. -Ride of Fame
Cheek to Cheek reveals the considerable warmth and depth of her voice. She and Bennett play it absolutely straight – there are no radical reboots, just two accomplished vocalists having fun. The ballad Nature Boy is treated with the greatest delicacy – underlit by a haunting flute motif, it provides the album’s primary study in contrasts, with Bennett at his most assured and Gaga at her most vulnerable. They bond best on the uptempo tracks, though, where the 60-year age gap is immaterial. Flirting and ad libbing on Goody Goody, while Bennett keeps it suave, Gaga is a wonder. She should do this kind of thing more often. -The Guardian
Listening to The Violet Flame is like taking a step back to the heady, euphoric dance floors of the late ’80s. The music is familiar enough to wrap its arms around you, with Bell’s crystalline vocals ringing out over Vince Clarke’s bright melodies. The album has a lightness of touch that at times makes you wish for more bass to add weight, like on the taster single “Elevation”. But, many of these songs are infectiously danceable and invariably uptempo. The duo’s last record, 2011’s Snow Globe, was an odd mishmash of Christmas covers and seasonally flavored originals. This new one charts a clearer course, ringing with optimism and zest for life while putting aside regret. “It’s all about hope, forgiveness, being given a new chance, and the world being your oyster,” as Bell puts it. -Consequence of Sound
(Lenny Kravitz - Strut)
Strut definitely goes Lenny Kravitz’ way, but the last handful of tracks just didn’t seem to cut it, which is unfortunate because there were a handful of tracks that really stood out; the highlights were definitely Sex, The Chamber, Dirty White Boots, The Pleasure and the Pain and Frankenstein. There were a few moments where particular sounds began to appear exhausted and recycled (particularly with Strut, Happy Birthday and I Never Want To Let You Down) which really led the album down the less versatile path, not that the overall vibe wasn’t crash hot or anything, but we just needed to hear something a little different. 25 years in the business and Lenny Kravitz still has it, he just needs to release an album that is more killer and less filler; Strut is a good album from the icon, it just doesn’t raise any bars like some of hi past work. -Renowned For Sound
There’s a techno dance party that you might want to go to, and if Arnold Schwarze-negger tells you to “Get your ass to Mars” you should listen. The Prize is all pumping beats, buzzing synths and popping bass, with Kurt Harland singing “I’m coming up from the ground with my eyes on the prize” like he’s trying to overcome some herculean challenge. If the challenge is to get the listener to dance then they’ve succeeded. -High Wire Daze
(Trapt - The Acoustic Collection)
“This album is so such a refreshing departure from the sound that our fans have come to expect from us. I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised. The organic nature of acoustic instruments lends themselves well to our songs, as most start out on acoustic guitar. A lot of our fans have heard us play acoustic sets at radio stations and special performances and have been calling for an acoustic album. We have now fulfilled those wishes and can’t wait for the feedback on an album we are so proud of!” –Chris Taylor Brown
AFGM: Gary Clark Jr. Doesn't Owe You A Thing
Mixing select blues covers with standout Clark originals from Blak and Blu, Live is a wonderful introduction to a fine young guitar player, songwriter, and singer. Opening with a thunderous version of Robert Petway's "Catfish Blues," this set never falters through Clark originals like the Chuck Berry-ish romp "Travis County," the timeless-sounding "When My Train Pulls In," and the monster Jimmy Reed homage "Bright Lights," and seamlessly blends in covers of Lowell Fulson's "Three O'Clock Blues" and Albert Collins' "If Trouble Was Money" and "If You Love Me Like You Say," the latter of which is paired with Jimi Hendrix's "Third Stone from the Sun" in a striking ten-plus-minute medley. Clark closes things out with a gentle, sparse, and striking version of Leroy Carr's "When the Sun Goes Down." This is an impressive live set, with crisp playing and sharp sound, and, best of all, it lets Clark play the blues and shine with energy, passion, and a good deal of grace while staying free of the bells and whistles the studio affords. -All Music
(Brian Reitzell - Hannibal Season 2 OST: Volume I & II)
Ah, I need to mention that I will review both Volume 1 and 2 in this review as they are more like one big massive monstrous humongous cue from the inner insanity of your mind. I feel almost dirty after listening to this, like I’m betraying those amazing classic grandiose filmscores with massive leitmotifs. I’m not. Really. In fact, I’ll go play Ben-Hur after this to cleanse my palate, or Star Wars.. Then I will go back to this score again.
It’s simple really. If you enjoyed the music from season 1 you will absolutely love the music in season 2. Both volumes are a joy to listen to. Hannibal is mental medicine and if I was your doctor, I’d prescribe a few hours of this. -Soundtrack Geek
With over twenty years under their belts, Disciple is officially an industry success story no matter how you look at it. That said, Kevin Young and his new crew have not stopped yet. Attack is the best Disciple’s album of the latter decade of their career. Bringing anthemic battle-driven tracks that inspire while also positively uplifting the listener out of the mire of this world and offering them hope, this is an album that deserves to be internalized into your very soul. In addition to this, Attack has more singularly great tracks than perhaps anything the band has ever produced. -Indie Vision Music
(Charm City Devils - Battles)
Battles has more emotion and seriousness to its tunes more than Charm City Devils’ last two releases. Songs from those two albums―like “House Fire”, “10,000 Miles”, “Pour Me”, “Spite”, “Unstoppable”, and “Start it Up”―are really raw and rocking tunes, and are not of the same caliber as Charm City Devils new material. Listeners can really hear the differences between the first two albums and Battles. It is a wonderful album of eleven powerful tracks that should win many new fans for Charm City Devils. Battles captures their battle with the naysayers and the doubters. -Cryptic Rock
(Matty Mullins - Matty Mullins)
*No reviews as of yet
(Work of Art - Framework)
If you like your Melodic Rock and if you were expecting the new album from WORK OF ART to be a masterpiece then you will not be disappointed as just like their band name, “Framework” is very much a work of art and an album that deserves a place in the Melodic Rock Hall of Fame and a full score from me as well as the album of the year award, unless something else comes along and takes that crown but until it does, “Framework” will firmly hold onto that crown. -Metal Temple
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