Label: Full Breach Kicks Released: September 4, 2007 In their prime, Sweet was only about a half step from being the Bay City Rollers, but that half step made all the difference in the world and Sweet remains one of the best of the early glam bands. However, their close proximity to badness is a potential pitfall they pass on… Read more »
Label: Rhino Released: October 2, 2007 The trouble with this four CD box set is that it splits the difference between serious and cursory metal fans, probably only half-pleasing each camp. The serious metal fan is less likely to be interested, but may find a few gems over the course of the four discs. Certainly Tygers of Pan Tang or… Read more »
Label: Smithsonian Folkways Released: October 9, 2007 I recently read something that said the greatest threat to Christianity isn’t secularization or moral relativism, but lackluster sermons. People want to be moved. They want a conversion experience. Yet, so often ministers fail to deliver that. Gospel music is in a similar boat. So many gospel recordings sound more like R&B for… Read more »
Label: Black Hen Music Released: September 24, 2007 When gospel music is on, there’s almost nothing that can touch it, but when it’s off, it’s an awfully tough listen. When I first read about the Sojourners’ Hold On, I was intrigued. Here was a trio singing traditional gospel in a traditional style rather than the R&B for Jesus that typically… Read more »
Label: Cornerstone RAS Released: February 13, 2007 I once saw an interview with a pro surfer. When asked who was the best surfer in the world, she replied, “The one having the most fun.” Bert Susanka might be the musical embodiment of that surfing ideal. Onward Christian Slater takes the harmonies of the Beach Boys, the down-to-earth grittiness of the… Read more »
Label: Sinister Muse Released: October 30, 2007 In the late 80s, whatever charm hair metal had a few years before was evaporating quickly. Most bands were more interested in fitting the mold than in breaking it. Yet there were still a few bands that worked the formula well enough that they were fun even if they were almost entirely meaningless…. Read more »
Label: Atlantic/Rhino Released: October 2, 2007 Don’t miss the opportunity to win a copy of this CD. See the bottom of this review for details. Other than a song here and there, the Rolling Stones haven’t done anything worthwhile since 1972’s Exile on Main Street (don’t whine to me about Some Girls or Tattoo You, either). Their last album, seen… Read more »
Label: Rainman Records Released: August 21, 2007 Most people probably fall into one of two camps regarding their expectations for Blue Cheer’s latest album, What Doesn’t Kill You: One group expects this album, featuring 2/3 of the Vincebus Eruptum lineup, to be an amazing return to past form, proving that Blue Cheer is as vital today amongst their stoner rock… Read more »
Label: Image Entertainment Released: September 4, 2007 Live albums often fail to walk the fine line between “so live that I can’t hear it” and “so clean that it sounds like the studio.” Megadeth’s That One Night, recorded in Buenos Aires in 2005, is not one of them. It is the rare live album that walks that line almost perfectly…. Read more »
Label: Mars Hill Records Released: July 1, 2007 Concept albums are a difficult endeavor with a variety of pitfalls. Only the very best avoid all of them. Most of these complex albums fall into at least a few of these traps and Torman Maxt’s The Problem of Pain Part 1 is no exception. Nonetheless, that shouldn’t completely overshadow its strengths…. Read more »