Candlebox (©1993)

01: Don't You 02: Change 03: You 04: No Sense 05: Far Behind 06: Blossom 07: Arrow 08: Rain 09: Mothers Dream 10: Cover Me 11: He Calls Home

An album I'd long wanted to get because I always kind of liked "Far Behind" and I'd hoped the rest of the album was as good. Now back in the day when the whole grunge thing was breaking wide open I just thought of it as another hue in the rock rainbow. I didn't have a lot of it - Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Grammatrain and some others (I never got into Pearl Jam, and Nirvana just annoyed me). Apparently grunge was anti hairband, but just like what they were railing against, they all sounded the same to a degree.

Candlebox's debut is new to me for the most part, and it took a couple of runs through for me to start getting in to some of the songs. And there's quite a lot to like here. It's hard to think that fifteen years have come and gone but apparently time keeps on slippin' into the future. "Arrow" is quite possibly one of my favourite songs on the album. Singer Kevin Martin swaggers though the song sounding a lot like Chris Robinson but with a little more muscle, and guitar slinger Peter Klett tosses in some absolutely tasty fret work.

The label grunge may have been the most expedient label to saddle these guys with because they came out of Seattle, but these guys are just rock and roll pure and simple.

A pretty decent album, and frankly still sounds pretty fresh.

Reviewed May 29, 2008

Impulse (©1989 Airus Records)

The Songs: In The Meantime / Emerald Mist / Mantra For Manics / Air Pudding / Fire On Ice / Impulse / Peace Of Mind / Higher Road / Hearts On Hold / On The Border / Electric Atmosphere

Once upon a time in the late 80's and early 90's I subscribed to a great magazine called CD Review, which had a CD sampler program called Adventures In Music (which sadly is no more, and hasn't been for many years). From these samplers I was exposed to some great, and not so great independent / small label artists. One such artist was Sam Cardon. I bought this CD on the strength on "Fire On Ice" - a song composed for the '88 Olympics. The songs are the breezy noodling jazz / new age (I hate that term) stylings you'll often hear at the Mall, or in an elevator (only the really good ones). I'm being a little mean - there are some really fine moments here, although the sax stuff sounds a bit like David Sanborn, with some Kenny G thrown in for colour. "Higher Road" sounds like it was taken from a Tesh record (not a bad thing, since I have an unexplained weakness for John's music). "Hearts On Hold" is an R&B / Soul number that works if you like that sort of thing (see I can be diplomatic). As the only vocal song on the album it ground my listening experience to a halt (okay, back to mean).

The two standout tracks though are "Fire On Ice", and the title track. "Impulse" is a funny little tune with a keyboard part that reminds me a lot of Kansas in places (it does, really!). Overall, this is an album that works best as background music.

Reviewed May 27, 2002

Nothing But the Truth (©2000 Diadem)

1: Forgiveness 2: Lay Your Hands On Me 3: Heaven 4: First, Last & Always 5: The Truth (La Verdad) 6: River Of Peace 7: Love Is The Answer 8: Watched By An Angel 9: Baby, Baby 10: I Still Believe In You 11: After All

Hmmm, this one wasn’t what I was expecting at all. For those of you who love R&B flavoured soul pop, this is for you (maybe). For those of you who remember when Bob could rock – this isn’t going to make your day. I can’t say I like this one at all - wait, that not entirely fair. The first couple of songs were okay, and I did have a good hoot at his version of Amy Grant’s "Baby Baby" – since it bore more than a passing nod to the Swirling Eddies version, than it did to the one Ms. Grant released. Although I don’t think Bob was trying to be funny.

Now in my defense, I happen to like a lot of so-called adult contemporary music – heck I own enough John Tesh albums, so I’m pretty accommodating. But this one just feels flat just about all the way through; and I forced myself to listen to it carefully all the way through more than once - just in case it would sink in (so far it's floating on top).

To be honest I have no business even reviewing this – but since I paid good money (not much, I got it from a clearance bin) I felt entitled to my opinion – and that’s the truth, and nothing but.

Reviewed April 7, 2005

No Substitutions: Live in Osaka (©2001 Favored Nations)

1: The Pump 2: Don't Give It Up 3: (It Was) Only Yesterday 4: All Blues 5: Room 335

This is an interesting merging of playing styles. Both Larry and Steve are unbelievably talented players, and it's a lot of fun to hear their oil and water styles mixing on these songs. Don't let the limited track selection put you off. This is almost an hour of guitar heaven. This isn't to say you have to be a self absorbed fret job to appreciate this album (it doesn't hurt though). If you appreciate loose jams executed with uncanny precision then you'll really like this stuff. The songs range from rock, blues and jazz.

It's interesting to hear how differently Steve and Larry approach the same pieces of music. Larry is the master of the restrained note, and his seemingly effortless command over his instrument gives him a confidence that you can hear. Steve seems a little out of water at times. This has nothing to do with his ability, he's one of my all time favourite players. It's just that it sounds like he wants to make an impression on Larry so badly you can actually hear him trying to sound impressive. Which makes sense given Steve's oft spoken admiration of Larry's playing. But those who have been following Steve for ages know the guy's a monster - sometimes less really is more.

But no matter how you slice it, this is an impressive album. Oh to have been there to have seen it live would have been a treat.

Reviewed January 17, 2004

Speed Of Light (©1996 Benson)

1: Here I Go Again 2: Speed Of Light 3: Don't Blame Love 4: Worth It All 5: I Want To Trust You 6: More To Come 7: Rise Above It All 8: More To Come 9: I Want To Trust You 10: God Doesn't Know

I was bargain bin diving the other day, and the deal was 10 discs 20 bucks. There I was stuck at 8, and was stumped. Then I came across an album by this Bruce guy. He was pictured holding a Taylor so I figured if nothing else he had good taste in acoustic guitars. So I looked some more and fouind another one. Bingo - I had my 10 CDs.

Speed of Light is a good pop album, and has a some really nice moments, and solid performances. The production by Reed Arvin is really really good - someone forked over some bucks. Oddly enough Bruce doesn't play much on his own albums.

Who knows why some music gets relegated to the discount bins? All I can say is that it was my gain.

Reviewed July 4, 2003

Boomerang (©1997 Benson)

1: Boomerang 2: Pray Hard 3: The Room 4: Audience Of One 5: To Forgive 6: Memory Of The Chains 7: Feed My Soul 8: The Veil 9: The Unexplained 10: WGOD

Boomerang is the second of my “what the heck” discs from Bruce. I’ve been listening to this one a fair bit too, and like it’s predecessor is a nice laid back well executed adult contemporary pop record. The performances are crisp, and Bruce’s voice has a nice intimate quality that makes the songs seem personal.

This isn’t cutting edge stuff, and there are probably a dozen other artists who sound just like him, but I liked the songs, like the message, and enjoyed the disc. In short I got my money’s worth. So what if he has that generic pop sound? If I had to cull from my collection all the music that was derivative I’d have very little to listen to – in fact I’m beginning to wonder why I brought it up at all. Bad reviewer – bad!

I’m not sure what Bruce has been up to since this one, and there’s not a lot of info out there. Which is strange, as this was a highly produced and equally enjoyable effort.

Reviewed July 2, 2003

Chagall Guevara (©1991 MCA / Sparrow)

the songs: Murder in the Big House / Escher's World / Play God / Monkey Grinder / Can't You Feel The Chains? / Violent Blue / Love is a Dead Language / Take Me Back to Love Canal / The Wrong George / Candy Guru / I Need Somebody / The Rub of Love / If It all Comes True

It took me years to like this album. I aways liked a few of the songs, but for me rest of the album was a "pretentious wanker self important look at me I'm an artist" collection of fartistic ideas. Steve Taylor the one time fun boy of Christian music was now an artist, thank you very much; and he was ready to show the world how serious he was by inventing a very serious name for his new band. I won't bother with my interpretation.

Now a decade later I wish that I'd gotten over the "look at me" aspect to this album and appreciated it for what it was - a great album. I don't think I was alone either, as this was an album that couldn't find a niche at the time, and like all underappreciated things it faded away. Having played it off and on since '91, I can truly say that I missed the boat the first time around, and would have liked to hear more from this band - which truly was a band, and not just a Steve Taylor vehicle. Songs like "Can't You Feel the Chains?", "Escher's World", "Play God" and others are brilliant rock songs. Steve did try to continue his solo career in this vein on Squint, with mixed results.

Reviewed August 17, 2001

1: Strength 2: So Far Away 3: C.T.C. 4: Masquerade 5: Without You 6: Something More 7: Lonely Guy 8: The Sounds 9: First Stone 10: Like Job 11: Candle 12: I.4.N.I.

Tunnel Vision is a fun, funky collection of songs I really wanted to like more than I did. Tim Bushong produced this one, and he also plays a wicked ass guitar and even lends a trombone solo here and there. Lead singer Jason Brown channels (hah a pun!) Anthony Kiedis, and in fact a lot of this has that Chili Peppers rock / funk groove before they became a ballad band.

As good as this is, and it is good – it has a strained paint by numbers feel to it. It just doesn’t have enough to put it over the hump into greatness – which is too bad. Since I was really rooting for this one.

Still for an album that’s pushing a decade out there, it’s better than some of the “new” crap I’ve had to subject myself to.

Reviewed April 8, 2005

Chaos Is The Poetry (©1996 Alarma Records)

The Songs: Why Buildings Fall Down / Dead Walking Cupie Doll / So Go I / Dumb It Down / Daisy Chain / Kill It / God's Empty Chair / The Longest Day In Mrs Evers' Life / Hell On High Water Son / Seashell / Trippin In The Darkness / Watershed

Sometimes I buy something just because I found it cheap, and I'll justify the purchase later. The cover was artsy fartsy, and the name even artsier and fartsier. It was also on Alarma Records – a now defunct label I still wrongly associate with Daniel Amos. So I figured it couldn't be too bad.

Well, I can’t begin to tell you how unimpressed I was the first time I listened to this album. It just sort of played in the background, and didn’t do much for me. My initial reaction was one of overwhelming ambivalence. However, I’m nothing if not persistent. So I played it, and played it again, and to make sure I wasn't missing anything I played it again. This album did have a couple of catchy tunes right off in the opening track and So Go I. Chaos Is The Poetry is a musically diverse album, some of the songs work really well, and some took some getting used to – like the Jazzy rap song.

The core band is made up of Lanny Cordola (guitar, vocals), Philip Bardowell (vocals, guitar), and Chuck Wright (bass). The musicianship is very strong – and the drumming is awesome. The boys had some budget on this one, as Gregg Bissonette is a great pounder (he probably cost a bit more than scale). And it’s not everyday you see a thank you note to John Stamos in the credits. The music is a weird mix of alternative, progressive rock, and jazz. The songs really do grow on you after a while. I’m glad I pushed on and let this one play for a while.

I really like albums like this, sadly this was the one and only release by this band. From what I gather this album would have gotten a decent push if not for the demise of the record company, and poor distribution. You can find it cheap on the net for about 5 bucks if you look around.

Reviewed June 3, 2002

Outside (©Reunion 1999)

1: Nothing Without You 2: I Will Wait 3: Daddy Cut My Hair 4: Outside 5: Hold On 6: I Love You, I Do, You Bet 7: Let Evening Come 8: As Good As Good-Bye Gets 9: Learning To Love 10: The Way You've Shown Me How

Outside is another solid record from Mister Chapman. While there is nothing overly groundbreaking here, Gary has an emotional quality to his singing and storytelling that puts him above a lot of performers. Outside is all about forgiveness, and a number of the songs balance precariously between cheesy and powerful. For me, when I’m in the mood I tend to lean toward powerful.

Musically Gary isn’t country and he’s not rock and roll (Donny and Marie eat your hearts out). He’s one of those strange Nashville guys who just sort of does his adult contemporary thing and is accepted by both camps.

I happen to like him, and consider him one of my guilty pleasures.

Reviewed April 7, 2005

Circles and Seasons (©2001 Crown Music Group)

1: Nothing To Hide 2: I Need Jesus 3: All I Ever Have To Be 4: Like I Love You Now 5: He Thinks I Hung The Moon 6: Leave What's Left 7: Jackson And Jesus 8: I Hear A Call 9: Walk On 10: 24/7

You have to feel for Gary Chapman. He’s one of those guys who appears to be near the front of the pack, but never seems to stand out from the crowd. He would be easier to spot the guy if he wore black glasses, a toque and a red and white shirt.

He has a great voice, is a solid songwriter, and is an “A” list guitar player. Have no doubt the man is a veritable talent. So how come the guy just can’t seem to catch a break and get the respect he deserves based on his own merits? Who knows. He’s released some pretty decent records, but this won’t be the one that widens his fans base.

Circles and Seasons is an intensely personal album, and was recorded on a Yamaha 16 track workstation. Home technology has come a long way, and you can tell that Gary is doing what he wants his way unfettered by any corporate interference. The performances are good, and the sound quality is crisp. Sadly, Gary utilizes some cheesy sounds, particularly with respect to percussion.

Speaking of cheese, he spreads it pretty thick on a number of songs. “Like I Love You Now” is a sappy wedding song – most likely his sappy wedding song after moving on from being the unfortunate Mister Grant. “He Thinks I Hung the Moon” is a happy version of “Cats in the Cradle” and as a father of three little ones, this song had me reaching for a tissue. Bastard. Sniff. There must be something in my eye.

For those who like Gary you’ll no doubt find a lot to enjoy here.

Reviewed May 8, 2006

Hope in Hell (©2002 Rubber-Buddha Records)

1: Ugly 2: Good Boys Go Insane 3: Cool Corner 4: Hold You 5: Who Pulls the Strings 6: Unexpected Moves 7: Angels Crying 8: Chemical Age 9: Just an Excuse 10: Flies

Neil Chapman is a focking monster player. How do you describe a guy who looks totally unassuming in a fedora with a beatup strat who literally rips the notes from the strings with more passion and energy than most of the young whipper snappers out there (now if that isn't one bad run on sentence I don't know what is)?

For those of you who haven't been keeping score at home, Neil Chapman is one of Canada's best little secrets. What? You've never heard of him. I know I said it was a secret but for shame I say, it doesn't need to be that big a secret. There was a time in the early 80's when The Pukka Orchestra (another secret), a band Neil was in, ranked as one of my favourite bands - Neil's playing being a large reason. His solo on "Might as Well Be On Mars" ranked up there with Hotel California for emotional punch. But time marched on, and the one and only album I had sort of faded into vinyl nostalgia - until the fine folks at Solid Gold remastered and reissued their debut. Once again kindling my affair with the Pukkas.

Then low and behold I discovered that Neil was alive and well, and had a solo album. I eagerly shelled out the cash and waited by my mailbox like a kid waiting for a cereal prize to arrive. It didn't take 6 to 8 weeks thankfully.

Neil has a limited vocal tool kit, but he knows exactly how to use what he has. This is a solid album, and I have to sheepishly admit it's better than I expected. Neil obviously has a wicked sense of humour and it's threaded throughout the album. He opens with "Ugly", and closes with "Flies", which is much meatier than I expected. The intervening songs aren't pretty pop songs, but they aren't noisy pieces of crap either which is a blessing.

Cause you don't want to be ugly ...

Hey, Neil - don't take 20 years for the next one.

Reviewed August 22, 2004

Sometime Anywhere (©1994 Arista)

1: Day Of The Dead 2: Lost My Touch 3: Loveblind 4: My Little Problem 5: The Maven 6: Angelica 7: Lullaby 8: Eastern 9: Two Places At Once 10: Business Woman 11: Authority 12: Fly Home 13: The Dead Man's Dream

This one clocks in at an hour and fifteen minutes – a typical Church service, but not your typical Church album. Now for many people, the Church are best known for their 80’s output – in particular Starfish but like many bands who have seen their popularity wane, they have survived lineup changes and musical fads – they have just been a bit under the radar.

Hard to reconcile the passage of time with these guys – 1994 seems like yesterday (when all my troubles did indeed seem so far away) but in fact is more than a decade in the past. So although this may be new to me, I’m blowing off some pretty serious cobwebs.

Apparently there was a bonus second disc which I'm tempted to send away for just in case Arista has any left lying around. Sometime Anywhere is a thickly textured disc that is at times bouncy, moody, and atmospheric. Marty Wilson-Piper and Steve Kilbey mesh elements of eastern music, Pink Floyd and their own distinctive brand of pop into an unique combination that's immensely pleasing. The songs are long expanded musical journeys, and if you like beautifully crafted pop songs you need to find this album. I’ve read that there’s a remastered version that has the bonus disc. Who knows, maybe someone will send me a copy one day.

Odd how The Church put out an album that should have seen a wider audience – I guess it’s true, you just can’t get kids to go to church.

Reviewed November 7, 2005

Pawnshop Guitars (©1994 Virgin)

1: Cure Me...Or Kill Me... 2: Black 3: Tijuana Jail 4: Skin & Bones 5: Johanna's Chopper 6: Let's Get Lost 7: Pawn Shop Guitars 8: Dead Flowers 9: Jail Guitar Doors 10: Hunting Dogs 11: Shut Up

Gilby Clarke is probably still best known as a member of GNR back in the late 80’s. He’s a better guitar player than he is a singer, but he sounds pretty good. Most of the GNR dudes pop in at some point. Slash cuts it up on a number of tunes including the albums two killers: Cure Me...or Kill Me, and Tijuana Jail. It's kind of weird to hear Axl wailing away on backing vocals on dead flowers behind Gilby's thin voice.

This is plain old barn burning rock and roll, and considering it’s over a decade old now, it’s still a fun listen.

Reviewed January 8, 2005

Begging At The Temple Gate Called Beautiful (©1995 Brainstorm)

1: Free 2: Save Me 3: Portrait Of A King 4: If It Were True ... It Wouldn't Be A Lie 5: Think It Over 6: Don't Look Away 7: Absurd 8: Red 9: All 10: Armistace Day 11: Ask 12: Tear 13: Banquet

When I first put this on, it grabbed me right off with "Free", but from there is meandered between outstanding, and not so outstanding. I was all set to trash it, and then a little bird chirped in my ear, "Why trash an album that's almost 10 years old? To what purpose?" I nodded sagely, and then flicked the little thing off my shoulder. As it fell stunned to the floor, Simi our half Siamese cat pounced on the poor thing. Still, it gave me something to think on. So I decided to give this one a real kick at the can.

Begging At The Temple Gate Called Beautiful is a strange and cool album. It's got more energy than a bag of Canadian gymnasts, but for all the good intentions it's a pretty uneven album - although it is pretty much consistently noisy. I guess a name like Clash of Symbols should sort of make that obvious.

Mike Stand fronts the band, and I've heard of him before, but not any of his previous stuff, so I'm not packing baggage for the guy. I've been playing this one off and on for a few months trying to "get" the album, and it does grow better over time. There are a handful of outstanding tracks like "Free", "Red", "Ask" and "Tear", which push this one over the hump. In fact this one has really grown on me.

So to the little bird who gave so much that I might learn, thanks.

Reviewed August 22, 2004

Watch Me Fall (©1996 Alarma Records)

1: Don't Tell Jude 2: Super Sucker Salvation 3: Squeaky Clean 4: Kiss And Tell 5: Copelandhagin 6: Still Human 7: Adam 8: Date Rape 9: Spacey Stacey 10: Shotdown 11: Seed 12: Rose Of Sharon 13: Watch Me Fall 14: Come To Thee

Fall is an intensely personal listen. I’ve been playing it off and on now for a couple of months trying to figure out what to say about a CD that was released years ago, that is new to me.

Not knowing anything at all about Kevin as an artist it’s hard to tell where artist expression crossed with his need to vent. Mike Knott produced this one, and Aunt Bettys provided the noise for those who care about that sort of thing.

This is a good album - which gets a little better each time I listen to it. There are times it flat out rocks, and the use of cello as a backing instrument is quite effective.

I hope somebody helped him up.

Reviewed February 24, 2004

Songs of a Circling Spirit (©1995 EMI)

the songs: Lunatic Fringe / Paper Tigers / Good Man, Feeling Bad / Brave And Crazy / All The Kings Men / Dreamers Dream / Human Race / Napoleon Sheds His Skin / White Hot / Boy Inside The Man / Washed Away / I Wish You Well

I remember first hearing White Hot when I was in my teens and thinking that this was a pretty cool song.  Then I remember being blown away by Lunatic Fringe.  Later, Napoleon Sheds His Skin, was one of my favourite songs the year it came out, heck that whole album was pretty great.  Then came Boy Inside the Man . . . Although a lot of people may only know him as the guy who did Life is a Highway.  This is album is one of those exercises in artistic hubris.  From the opening chords of an acoustic Lunatic Fringe, I figured that this was going to be one of those "I recorded this while sitting around in my gonch playing my old beat up 6 string" albums.  Good Man, Feeling Bad gave that argument some extra punch.  But the more I listened the more I liked.  This isn't a polished studio tricks album, just a collection of songs, some of them well worn, that have new life instilled in them.  A lot of the "new" versions are fresh, and the songs hold up well after all these years.  The stand out track for me on the whole album was Brave and Crazy.  This baby cooks.

Code of Ethics (©1993 Forefront)

Eden / Freedom / True Love / Something Real / Without Reason / World Machine / Waiting / Satellite Babies / Follow On / Pain / Chasing The Dragon / Sands Of Time / True Love (reprise)

The first thing I heard by these guys was their contribution to the Larry Norman tribute album back in 1995. Their version of Nothing Really Changes was the best song on the album in my opinion. Considering it was nearly dance music I was pretty disappointed in myself. Where was the rock? Still, I like bands like Erasure, Depeche Mode, Quickflight (oh there's a wish for a CD reissue) Rational Youth and Strange Advance, so I wasn't beating myself up.

The music is rich, full of hooks, with a guy who can actually sing. This is really great stuff. Musically I keep thinking they fall in-between Erasure and Thompson Twins, but you know how crappy I am at musical pigeon holing. All of the songs are fun, and have something to say.

This was the last of their albums to get into my collection, so it's been fun working backwards with them. This is the most techno-dance beaty thing-a-ma-jiggy of the lot, and it's also one of their best.

Reviewed January 2, 2003

Start The Car (©1992 Reprise)

1: Start The Car 2: Worlds Apart 3: Open Road 4: Just Another Night 5: Tell The Truth 6: Intro 7: Right There Now 8: First Your Money (Then Your Clothes) 9: It Comes Around 10: Blame It On Fate 11: A Place In The Line

I like Jude Cole. I'd been looking for this one for a few years, and just recently found a copy. Okay, so I'm not an uber fan, but I said I like him, and when I find his stuff I usually try and pick it up (If it's any consolation I love Rolene by Moon Martin and I don't have that on CD ... yet). He's got a distinct voice and can write a good hook. Jude writes straight ahead rock and roll, and doesn't try to follow the latest trends. Which would explain why his stuff holds up so well - he's not arena rock, or Americana, but there are elements of both in his music.

On Start the Car, the credits read like an A list dream: Lee Sklar, David Paich, Jeff Pocaro, Tim Pierce, and Lenny Castro. Not to mention the cast of characters who lend backup vocals like Sass Jordan, Tommy Shaw, Jack Blades, and John Elefante. The whole shebang was produced by Cole and James Newton Howard, and was mixed by Chris Lord-Alge. The guy's like a musician's flystrip. Which translates to a significant recording budget. This album should have been bigger than A View from 3rd Street.

The music buying public is fickle. This is what good old fashioned rock and roll should be: Songs full of angst, emotion, a good hook and a beat to make your foot tap. Considering that this came out just as glam metal was waining, and Seattle grunge was waxing, it's no wonder this didn't find a home.

Bummer.

Reviewed April 11, 2004

... Hits (©1998 Atlantic)

1: Another Day In Paradise 2: True Colors 3: Easy Lover 4: You Can't Hurry Love 5: Two Hearts 6: I Wish It Would Rain Down 7: Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) 8: Something Happened On The Way To Heaven 9: Seperate Lives 10: Both Sides Of The Story 11: One More Night 12: Sussudio 13: Dance Into The Light 14: A Groovy Kind Of Love 15: In The Air Tonight 16: Take Me Home

I have a lot of respect for Phil. From his work with Genesis to In The Air Tonight he's created some great music, and is truly part of rock's upper echelon. If I was to meet him, I'd probably been tongue tied. Then a strange thing happened: Phil turned into a caricature of a rock star in the 80's and he's drifted from one schmaltzy hit to another.

Which brings us to this collection of "Hits." Funny, but I think there's a spelling error on the title, the marketing guys accidentally put the "S" at the end of the word. If you're a big fan relax, I'm just joshin' ya. Would I give a load of hits three stars?

Calm?

Okay, where was I? Right - Hits. Sure they were hits, but that doesn't make them good, or even all that listenable over time. Now I covered myself earlier by saying I have a lot of respect for Phil, but I was really surprised by how ordinary this collection was. It was just so, what's the word I'm looking for? Bland? Yeah, bland will do. I mean it was one bland piece of hits after another. Lucky for us even the Phil Bailey stuff is here, along with the big Marilyn Martin (who?) hit is here.

There, I've vented my spleen. There is good stuff too: In the Air Tonight still rocks, and many of the songs from No Jacket Required (accept Sussudio, Phil does Prince - enough of that one) hold up nicely, as do a couple from But Seriously. It's not that this was a bad collection so much as a few great songs hidden amongst a pile of Hits.

Reviewed March 8, 2004

Delicate Fade by (©1997 Tattoo)

Tracks: Stains Of Time / Delicate Fade / Indiscreet / Eyes Of God / Burn / Firefly / So Dream / Pulse / Broken Smile (Reprise) / Whisper / Strange Rain / Drift / Blue Raft / Storm Boy / Eyes Of God II

Another one of my bin diving finds. I picked this one up because Steve Hindalong from The Choir produced it. When I opened it up more Choir references popped up. Derri recorded it, and Dan Michaels provided A&R direction.

Thankfully this isn't the Choir reincarnated. Now, I like The Choir, a lot, but we don't need two of 'em. Delicate Fade is a really good album, and gets better with each listen. If there's a down sides it's that these guys bear an uncomfortable resemblance to Goo Goo Dolls at times, and the occasional Collective Soul tune. I like those bands, so it wasn't a stretch to like Common Children.

There are a whole bunch of killer pop songs here. And one stinker: Burn. It must have been one of those method songs, since it sounds like Marc Byrd was lit on fire and asked to sing.

Reviewed November 12, 2002

The Inbetween Time (©2001 Galaxy 21)

1: Absence Of Light 2: Entertaining Angels 3: Last Display 4: So Mysterious 5: Celebrity Virtue 6: Morning Star 7: Always On The Outside 8: Free 9: How Many Times 10: Inbetween Time 11: Redemption 12: Crashing Down

The Inbetween Time has some absolutely stunning moments, but after a dozen wandering atmospheric jingle jangly songs it was all too much and the impact was lost on me. This album had the potential of being absolutely amazing – it just needed a little less. Which is an odd thing to say – but sometimes less is more. But the more I think about this album, there are just too many stellar moments to sink this thing with an average rating. After an hour it was so much of the same that the inherent beauty of the noise the band created lost its impact - It's best listened to in small doses.

I really liked Delicate Fade, and listening to it along side this album you can hear the band's development and them finding their own voice - there’s no denying Marc Byrd’s talent as a writer, singer, player and producer. These guys are off doing their own thing, and really don't sound like a lot of other bands out there. In terms of artistic expression and moments of sheer brilliance The Inbetween Time smokes Delicate Fade.

If I appear disjoined and unable to focus on a single point of view, it's true. I'm drawn to this album over and over again. When it's good it's amazing, when it's not it's so much noise - but it's art for all that.

Reviewed January 21, 2005

Mambo Sinuendo (©2003 Nonesuch)

1: Dru Me Negrita 2: Monte A Dentro 3: Los Twangueros 4: Patricia 5: Caballo Viejo 6: Mambo Sinuendo 7: Bodas De Oro 8: Echale Salsita 9: La Luna En Tu Mirada 10: Secret Love 11: Bolero Sonambulo 12: Maria La O

Ry Cooder again goes to the well, and comes up with legendary latin surf king Manuel Galbán. There's something unbelievable about the various collaborations that have come out of Cuba over the last few years on the Nonesuch label. I've snapped up a lot of them, and have been pretty impressed with just about everything I've heard.

Mambo Sinuendo, is a wildly creative album that at times blows me away, and at other times is as irritating as fingernails on a blackboard. Rather than come across as a pseudo intellectual musical snob who has to lord his musical arrogance over you like a Starbucks barista who denounces ordinary black coffee, I'll come clean and admit that I don't like some of this stuff, mainly because I don't "get it". It's at times atonal, irritating, annoying, and more often not wildly creative (look I said it twice, so it must be! Either that or I'm just being lazy), and occasionally wonderful.

This is a disc that really needs to be on vinyl, mainly because the first half on the album is where most of the musically odd moments occur, then some amazing happens, they turn it over and play side B. It's like Ry and Manuel decide to play it straight for the rest of the disc, and from "Bodas de Oro" to the end, the album is one killer after another. "Secret Love" is a song so beautifully executed it'll bring tears to your eyes. The guitar phrasings are almost surreal.

Make no mistake, this is amazing stuff. I know that this won't be everyone's cup of tea - but there are more than enough moments of brilliance to put this well and truly over the hump. Heck, even the weird pieces grow on you after a while.

Reviewed May 15, 2006

Free Fall (©2000 Narada World)

the songs:Switchback / Air / Virtue / Free Fall / Paloma / Incantation / All That Remains / On Walks The Night / Querido Amigo / Viva / Fall At Your Feet

This is one of those CDs I really wanted to like, and for the most part I really like it. It's a wonderful blend of flamenco, world with a dash of pop. At times I couldn't get over the Gypsy Kings feel to some of the songs. On some of the more eastern sounding songs I kept making comparissons to Peter Gabrial's work on Passion - from The Last Temptation of Christ. I wish that Jesse included the songwriting credits on the album.

Jesse's playing is wonderful, and you can tell he's a studio perfectionist. The only complaint I have is the use of electronic percussion - ack! Don't get me wrong, I am not blasting this album. It's currently spending a lot of time in my CD player. "Fall At Your Feet" is a great version of the Crowded House tune. Danny Wilde from the Rembrandts sounds eerily like Neil Finn.

Reviewed April 2, 2001

Nomad (©2003 Narada World)

1: Prelude 2: Qadukka-I-Mayyas 3: Surrender 4: Early on Tuesday 5: Beloved 6: Waiting for Tide 7: Down Like Rain 8: Leila 9: Maybe 10: Nomad 11: Worlds Away 12: Toca Orilla 13: Nothing

Nomad finds Mister Cook traipsing around the world recording and infusing his work with the Middle Eastern, Spanish, and Canadian influences. The results are very successful. This type of world mishmash has been done before, but Jesse's done a great job adding his own touches.

There are guest appearances by Danny Wilde from The Rembrandts, and from the Bodeans Sam Llanas and Kurt Neumann - their contributions are really cool. They're pop songs, but they have that little sideways twist Jesse's playing adds. Carlos Santana should take notes - Jesse doesn't sound like a session player on his own album.

If I have a criticism of the album, and Jesse's work in general, it's that his playing is great, but his repertoire of riffs seems limited. He repeats himself a lot, and although you don't notice it so much if you hear a song or two, it gets repetitive after an entire album. But who am I to whiz on an otherwise great album that has found a place to settle down in my CD player (note to the reader: wasn't that a great play on the nomad theme? Oh I slay myself at times ... hello? tap tap, is this thing on? Hello?)

Reviewed (sort of) December 16, 2005

The Last Temptation (©1994 Epic)

the songs: Sideshow / Nothing's Free / Lost In America / Bad Place Alone / You're My Temptation / Stolen Prayer / Unholy War / Lullaby / It's Me / Cleansed By Fire

It's been a while since I've listened to Alice. Back in the late 80's I really liked Trash, but Hey Stoopid didn't resonate and I more or less relegated Alice to the "whatever" bin.

A little while ago I happened upon some reviews of Alice's latest stuff, and they sounded pretty good, but I wasn't inspired enough to shell out money. Then the other day I was at a used record store and found a couple of the newer CDs so I plunked down a couple bucks and brought it home.

The first couple of times through I thought it was pretty good. Alice is actually sounding pretty good here, and he isn't sounding lie nails being dragged across a blackboard. In fact he sounds like he's singing (gasp). Chris Cornell kicks in some vocals too. What I like most is that this isn't just a pseudo hair metal rehash. It's just a rock album, and the tunes here are all pretty solid - songs like Nothing's Free, Stolen Prayer and It's Me are wicked tunes. The worst of the bunch is Lost In America which is a tongue in cheek nod to the Beastie Boys' Fight For Your Right.

All in all one of the better surprises I've listened to lately.

Reviewed April 17, 2002

Not a Pretty Picture (©circa 2004 Cosmic Bud)

1: I Was Only Wondering 2: I Don't Quiote Feel Anything Today 3: You Just Wouldn't Understand 4: Prayer 5: I Gotta Walk 6: Marsha's Theme/Addendum to Marsha's Theme 7: (I Wish I Could Dance Like) Elvis Costello 8: I Believe (Too Much) 9: Tell Me About It 10: Love Is Honestly Stupid 11: Absolutely Pastrami and Positively Jelly Sandwich 12: Land of the Oblique 13: the Idiot Girl and the Bastard Twon / 20 Years Later 14: Schooland 15: Folsom Prison Blues 16: Heavy Medley: You Got Me Ya Ya Ya / Hum Diddy Ho Ho Ho 17: Camper van Beethoven Goes to Ringwood 18: It Is Finished 19: A Nice Poem

The other day I received a CD-R from a band called Cosmic Bud and the Librarians. My stomach always does a little flip flop when I get stuff from people I know. Do I smile and nod like a friend who has to “ooh and aw” at the sight of an ugly baby, or do I call it ugly and run like hell? Mister Bud said he could take an honest review, so I’m going to unload on the poor man.

You have to understand that indie artists are a weirdly unique breed. If you only listen to major label music, there is no way on earth bands like Cosmic Bud, The Earworms, Jimsonweed or any other small (extremely small) market or sonically challenged band will ever grace your CD player. However, if you’re curious about what creative people do in the privacy of their basements there is a wealth of truly “interesting” stuff out there just waiting to be heard.

Which brings me back to Not A Pretty Picture. This is an anthology of 10 years of stuff, or as it states on the cover, “Who knows what.” I guess this makes the album a best of collection (oh boy). I’ll start with all of the negatives and then work my way to the nifty bits that are to be found on the recording. First off, the cover and insert are awful. But the notes inside are insightful and are as much fun (possibly more) as the CD. Second the actual disc is just a plain old CD-R without a label. The sound quality is occasionally a step above crap, mostly though it’s on par with crap, but there times it makes crap sound good (we all know what a good crap feels like, just imagine that feeling with sound). There were times when I felt like it would be more enjoyable hearing 60 minutes of nails on a blackboard. Truthfully this won’t get a lot of play – it’s just not something I can enjoy as a musical experience.

There, now I’ve been a dick and whizzed on the poor bastard’s musical efforts. Let me try and redeem myself by finding the positives here, and they aren't hard to find. Despite the quality of the performances (singing, playing – take your pick) and audio there is a rawness and emotional element you’re not going to find on the majority of commercial releases. The two opening cuts featuring a full band, are good songs buried in a bad recording. Captured properly these would make you sit up and take notice. The majority of the album falls into the pissed off singer with an acoustic guitar category. Many of the songs have a lot to say lyrically, and would make Billy Bragg feel depressed.

He’s got a twisted sense of humour, and I found Marsha’s Theme so absolutely horrible, I actually listened to it more than once. I would have played it a third time but my wife turned it off with a disgusted look and a acerbic comment about hoping I didn’t pay for the CD.

Yeah, he’s bad, but he’s confidently bad, which makes him kind of good in a bad way. Most of the acoustic songs are cowboy chord progressions and aren’t really all that special. The full band stuff is garage quality at best, and are among the more entertaining moments on the CD. Their Heavy Medley would make Spinal Tap hide in their dressing rooms.

The CD closes with an F-bomb laden poem, which pretty much sums up how I felt after listening to the album.

Bottom line, this is pretty terrible stuff no matter how you slice it, but it has a certain charm, and you have to give the man credit for not giving a shit about what I or anyone else thinks and is having a blast doing what he obviously loves doing. Hey, at least he took a chance and put himself out there.

Brave or stupid you decide.

Want your own copy? Write to Cosmic Bud (burninglight@"NOSPAM"earthlink.net) he may even autograph it for you.

Reviewed October 13, 2004

Made In Cape Breton (©2002 Bunnygee Music)

1: Sùilean Dubh 2: The Captain Campbell Medley 3: I Know Who Is Sick 4: The Boy's Lament Medley 5: Ballindarry 6: The Two Brothers Medley 7: Scarlet Ribbons 8: Ciaran's Piano Medley 9: The Coulin/Hornpies Medley 10: The Briar & The Rose 11: The Pleasures Of Home Medley 12: Here's To Song 13: Kitchen Racket

Okay, first off I’m not usually sucked in to go ooh and ah at little musical prodigies who can play a nearly in tune version of Smoke on the Water, or better still Stairway to Heaven (unless they're my little kids). Oh don’t get me wrong I think it’s cute, and will applaud and even be impressed. But if said performances were recorded, I would not buy them let alone listen to them. Imagine my surprise as I listen to a new Celtic flavoured album and find out that the oldest kid in the band is 14, and the youngest is 11. Okay, now this is something to go ooh and ah over. Because this is mature sounding talent.

The performances are worth listening to, and although you can tell that the lead vocalist is young, there’s a richness and sweetness to her delivery that is in a word, amazing. The recording is solid, and the performances are quite good, and the whole thing has a nice intimate quality to it that makes you feel like the kids are in the living room playing for you.

Their choice to include so many medleys is unfortunate, as I’ve never been a fan of song snippets – still having said that, they’re nicely done. Heck, they even do a Tom Waits song, so there you go. My kids really like I Know Who is Sick, and this was the song that initially got my attention, and why I searched out the album. As good as it is, it is only one of many solid songs. This is an independent release, and doesn’t have a date or label designation, but I got it new, so I know it came out in 2002. If the Cottars are this good now, just wait ...

Reviewed July 11, 2003

Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings (©2008)

1. 1492 2. Hanging Tree 3. Los Angeles 4. Sundays 5. Insignificant 6. Cowboys 7. Washington Square 8. On Almost Any Sunday Morning 9. When I Dream Of Michelangelo 10. Anyone But You 11. You Can't Count On Me 12. Le Ballet d'Or 13. On A Tuesday In Amsterdam Long Ago 14. Come Around

It's been years since I thought of these guys as relevant. I picked up Hard Candy a few years ago, and I thought it was okay - but really nothing that blew my socks off (I haven't listened to it for a couple of years). It was good solid middle of the road stuff. The band was known as much for Adam Duritz's hair as they were for their songs. I can't believe I am excited about an album by Counting Crows. Yes, Counting Crows. This album may be lyrically vacuous but the music kicks ass, and Adam is so sincere in his delivery I can forgive him for trying to tell me how much it sucks getting head on a dance floor.

Musically the album is a cooker, and really surprised me. The album blows (keeping with the theme I suppose) out of the gate with "1492" a song that has more edge and raw guts than anything I can remember the band pulling off. The band is really good, and doesn't get the respect they deserve. That other Crowes band can meander and jam and people go ga ga for it - these guy's pull of the same type of loose stream of consciousness jam and riff rock and it works like a hot damn.

Not content to rock out, the guys switch it up and take the piss out of the Saturday Nights section by sleeping in on the Sunday Mornings half of the record. This isn't to say it's boring, far from it - it's just a different take on the band's familiar style.

If you're like me, and you wrote the band off a while ago I'd encourage you to take another listen. Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings is probably the most cohesive album I've heard by the band, and frankly was a total surprise in a really good way. This is one of those releases that will no doubt breath new life into their old stuff for me as well.

Talk about a great weekend.

Reviewed April 7, 2008

Chronicle (©1976 Fantasy)

1: Susie Q 2: I Put a Spell on You 3: Proud Mary 4: Bad Moon Rising 5: Lodi 6: Green River 7: Commotion 8: Down on the Corner 9: Fortunate Son 10: Travelin' Band 11: Who'll Stop the Rain 12: Up around the Bend 13: Run through the Jungle 14: Lookin' out my Back Door 15: Long as I Can See the Light 16: I Heard It through the Grapevine 17: Have You Ever Seen the Rain? 18: Hey Tonight 19: Sweet Hitch-Hiker 20: Someday Never Comes

What a time the late 60's and early 70's were for music. In the space of a few short years CCR assembled a body of work that remains an impressive feat to this day. John Fogerty's muse was working overtime and of the 20 songs represented on Chronicle, there's a bevy of classic songs. Which in it's own way was the blessing and curse of CCR. They were dismissed as simply a singles band. And there's a degree of truth to that. I don't have any other CCR albums in my collection, I've got all the songs I wanted right here.

But the songs, "Proud Mary", "Bad Moon Rising" "Lodi" "Down on the Corner" "Fortunate Song" "Who'll Stop the Rain" "Up Around the Bend" "Lookin' Out My Back Door" "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" "Hey Tonight" are all classics. Some great bands are lucky to pull off one or two signature songs - these guys cranked 'em out like sausages.

Some of the songs are a bit dated now, but that's due as much to the quality of the original recording as it is the songs. There's a timeless quality to their music. I'm not sure how much the kids today appreciate the stuff that laid the foundations for today's music, but they could do worse than sitting down and learning a few good old CCR songs to appreciate the finer elements of crafting a great rock song. They're likely to be surprised that the songs aren't as simple as they appear to be.

Reviewed December 17, 2005

Ghettos By Design (©1997 EastWest / USG)

the songs: Push / Architects of Lies / Crimson Tide / Ghettos by Design / Criminals of the Century / Dangerous Times / Revelations / Procrastinator / Innocent Seasons / Cool Vibrations / Vision of Wonder

I have been a big fan of Saga since the early 80's, and have a lot of respect for Ian as a guitar player. I didn't know what to expect when I opened this up. The first song Push just about blew me out of my chair. This isn't Saga ladies and gentleman. This is hard aggressive music. The singer A.C. sounds a lot like Devin Townsend, which is impressive. Not an album you put on if you've had a hard day and want to relax.

This isn't an album that flows nicely from beginning to end, and my only real complaint is the sum of its parts is actually less than the whole. Still there are very good songs here.

Reviewed June 16, 2000

Live It Up (©1990 Atlantic)

Tracks: Live It Up / If Anybody Had A Heart / Tomboy / Haven't We Lost Enough? / Yours And Mine / (Got To Keep) Open / Straight Line / House Of Broken Dreams / Arrows / After The Dolphin

This is one of those albums that just proves my wife's theory that I'll buy just about anything that's on sale. The guys assembled a pretty amazing group of talent to help out, Roger McGuinn, J.D. Souther, Joe Vitale, Brandon Marsalis, Bruce Hornsby, Peter Frampton, Leland Sklar, Mike Landau.

Okay, they got a bunch of great musicians to help out, but how's the album? Well, it isn't a bad album, it's got enough nice songs on it to make for a nice listen. Hard to imagine that these guys are hall of fame bound. Like I said, it's full of nice songs, just nothing extraordinary.

Oh well, the times they have a changed.

Reviewed March 2003

Detours (©2008)

1: God Bless This Mess 2: Shine Over Babylon 3: Love Is Free 4: Peace Be Upon Us 5: Gasoline 6: Out Of Our Heads 7: Detours 8: Now That You're Gone 9: Drunk With The Thought Of You 10: Diamond Ring 11: Motivation 12: Make It Go Away 13: Love Is All There Is 14: Lullaby For Wyatt

Sheryl Crow is one of those artists who has a perky pop hit every couple of years - I've liked a lot of her stuff, but never picked anything up of her's until lasts years' Hits and Rarities. Which I liked a lot, so when Detours came out I figured I'd take a chance.

I know she's gone through a lot - and I'm always happy whenever anyone beats cancer. You go girl. She sings about it on the poignant "Make it Go Away". This is one of those albums that despite the crisp production from Bill Bottrell, suffers from Sheryl's banal political observations. I have no issues with Ms. Crow's opinions - I'm glad she has some and takes a stand. It's just that a lot of the songs kind of suck "Gasoline" is brutal. "Gasoline will be free, yeah yeah yeah" OMG. Pass me a pencil so I can poke myself in the ear. "God Bless This Mess" indeed.

Still there are enough pleasing moments throughout to make this an okay enough album - but if she wasn't already a big star, I'd be hard pressed to figure out what the big deal was. As she so poignantly points out, "Where there's shit, there's flies."

Reviewed February 10, 2008

Afterglow by (©1999 Capitol)

Disc One: I am In Love / Sacred Cow / You Can touch / Help Is Coming / I Love You Dawn / Dr Livingstone / My telly's Gone Bung / Private Universe / Lester / Anyone Can Tell / Recurring Dream / Left Hand / Time Immemorial

Disc Two: Neil Finn interview

Crowded House has been one of my favourite bands for a long time. Neil Finn is one of the best pop song writers around. His voice isn't hard to listen to either. Afterglow gathers up a lot of the odds and ends that have been floating around and gives fan 13 more reasons to lament the passing of a truly great pop act. There's a wonderful version of "Private Universe", and a demented Paul Hester tune called "My Telly's Gone Bung".

This is awfully good stuff for a collection of leftover bits.

Reviewed January 27, 2001

The Way Love Is (©1992 Reunion)

Tracks: What If / Can't Make Me Stop / Better Than I Ever / When Love Comes Home / Walk On Through The Fire / No Other Love / I Would've Waited Forever / I Believe / Make Time For Love / Loving You Has Made It Right

I remember buying his first solo album when he was still playing bass for the Outlaws, and over the years have picked up a few of Rick's CDs. Rick Cua is one of those artists who makes nice easy to listen to pop rock. The Way Love Is is full of good songs, with solid performances, and excellent production, but there really isn't anything here that jumps out and makes you go "Whoa, what was that?"

Still, if I was to find an album I didn't have and it was on sale I'd probably buy it.

Reviewed November 23, 2002

Electric (©1987)

1. Wild Flower 2. Peace Dog 3. Lil' Devil 4. Aphrodisiac Jacket 5. Electric Ocean 6. Bad Fun 7. King Contrary Man 8. Love Removal Machine 9. Born To Be Wild 10. Outlaw 11. Memphis Hip Shake

The Cult will always hold a place in my heart for "She Sells Santuary+ quite possibly the simplest rock song (and one of my favourite songs ever) since U2's "I Will Follow" - although The Cult song kicks its ass. Everyone always goes on about how great Love was, and frankly I haven't heard it in years. The only songs that truly impressed me back then were "Revolution", "Rain" and of course that other cool song.

When Electric came out back in '87 I took a pass. The only song I'd heard on the radio was "Love Removal Machine" which was so blatantly AC/DC-lite I couldn't bring myself to think of this as anything but a joke. For years I carried that opinion, and softened it a little in 1989 when my room mate at the time brought home Sonic Temple and I found myself enjoying a lot of what I heard.

Electric was an album that I'd not heard in its entirety until quite recently, and it's funny what a bit of time (in this case two decades) will do to one's perceptions. Oddly enough The Cult managed to do what few other bands from the 80's were able to do: Create something that has stood the test of time. Oh it's a riff fest full of Angus moments - but I'll give Ian and Duffy credit the arrogance and swagger of their testicular fueled rock still has a bite.

These guys will never be one of my favourite bands, but Electric is a good rock album, and even though they butcher the crap out of "Born to be Wild" they were having fun. They were pulling off retro before there was really a label for what they were doing.

These guys charted their own course and although the results weren't necessarily shocking, it was pretty bad fun (ar ar).

Reviewed January 12, 2008

Curious Fools (©1994 VIA Records)

1: Witness My Death 2: I Will 3: Pressure 4: The Fire 5: Tie-Dye 6: What You Got 7: Piece Of My Heart 8: Touch 9: Balance 10: You Kill Me 11: The Only One 12: Unbalanced

I stumbled upon this one by accident. Reading the back of the CD I saw that Steve Griffith helped produce and mix this one. Hmmm, wasn't he the guy that wrote some songs and worked with 77's once upon a time? Playing word association is a hobby, and it often leads to trouble with my wallet. On the plus side, given that this one was a decade old, I got it for a couple of dollars and it was still sealed.

Having never heard of the guys, I didn't have any baggage or expectations. So when it kicked out of the gate with Witness My Death, my ears perked up a little. I listened through the whole album a few times. The guitar player a guy named Troy Deaton is a really solid player, and the whole cast of players are pretty good. Stephen Murray has a good set of pipes, but his Bonoesque delivery was at times distracting. Thankfully musically they weren't ripping a page out of the U2 songbook. The only song that doesn't really work for me is their cover of Piece of My Heart, which is an interesting interpretation, but it's noisy and irritating. Maybe it was supposed to be.

On the whole the blending of hard rock with a fun beat and echoes of the better sounding 80's music there are more plusses than minuses on this album. Who knows where these bands come from, and I often wonder where they go. This was pretty good stuff. Nothing terribly original or unique, but that can be said of just about everything out there. They came, they saw, they left. Who knows, maybe they're still pounding away to a small but dedicated fan base.

Reviewed January 30, 2004

Also see The Dell Griffiths