Like Water

This is a review for the book, Rainwater by Sandra Brown.  I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.  http://www.amazon.com/Rainwater-Sandra-Brown/dp/1439172773/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

I have never read a Sandra Brown novel before so I din't know what to expect. I was happy to discover a novel with a lot of rich meaning and a nice story.
The book takes place in the depression era (1934 to be exact) where a hard working woman named Ella Barron struggles to take care of the tenants of her boarding house while dealing with a 9 year-old son with a severe case of autism. The novel begins with a new boarder moving in by the name of David Rainwater.

From there the novel follows an interesting path dealing with issues such as racism, bigotry, poverty, and even finding love when you have given up on it. The novel isn't a deep soul searching revelation by any means. But with fleshed out characters, exciting scenes, and triumph in the face of natural pains and the evil men do, the novel is a very satisfying read. Two thumbs up.

RATING 4 of 5

Stone Temple Pilot's Debut Album

This is a review I wrote for Stone Temple Pilots excellent Core album.  http://www.amazon.com/Core-Stone-Temple-Pilots/dp/B000002IU3/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_1   I gave it 5 stars out of 5.  Here's why:

Still one of my favorite albums of all time. In 1992 STP realeased this rock gem. It wasn't univerally aclaimed though that's for sure. While fans loved it enough to make it go 8 times platinum the critics dismissed it as just another grunge cd. Well, STP are still around making music, so what you got to say to that critics? Here's a song breakdown:

Dead and Bloated 5.0 Heck of a start to a cd. Scot Weiland's growling lyrics over a killer riff. Was never a radio single, but still gets a lot of airplay even today!
Sex Type Thing 4.9 A strong song condeming date rape. Pretty powerful stuff.  If you find the single for Plush ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000057W1V?SubscriptionId=0QCHRJVSKG6F3BRGBNG2&tag=pbs_00098-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B000057W1V ) it contains a swing type version to the song.  Pretty epic...
No Memory 3.7 Cool interlude that leads into....
Wicked Garden 4.8 Strong rock song. Another classic.
Sin 4.7 A very underated song. Weiland is here raging against sin and religion.
Naked Sunday 4.2 Interesting beat. Love the production on this song.
Creep 5.0 STP go acoustic on this one, and it is amazing. You can feel the intensity in Scott's voice too!
Piece of Pie 4.5 Interesting song. Not really in love with it though.
Plush 5.0 It doesn't get any better than this! The music, the lyrics, the singing, the baseline. Everything comes together in this one! Worth buying the cd just for this song!
Wet My Bed 2.5 Throw away track in my opinion. Very short and could've been left off.
Crackerman 5.0 My favorite song on the record! I saw Velvet Revolver play one time and they did this song. So good!
Where the River Goes 4.9 Good long ending song!

54.2 out of 60.0. Pretty awesome. If you don't have this cd but love rock, then you need to get this.  Classic 90s rock at it's finest.

RATING: 5 of 5!

Loves the Sound of Her Own Voice

This review is for the book for "Palimpest" by Catherynne M. Valente.  Audio Book version.
I gave it 1 star.

I found the premise of this book intriguing. Stripped down to the basic, it's the story of four people who end up having spontaneous sex with a stranger and enter Palimpsest. The experience will change their lives forever.... And that's it. There is no other scrap of plot in the whole story.

The only thumbs up I can give echos the other reviewers, Catherynne Valente has a truly musical quality to her writing. She can definitely turn a phrase. And it is a pleasure to read her construction. But it's not enough....

That being said though, that's all she does. Palimpsest is more like a drug trip hallucination than actual story. I'm not really sure she has a plot in mind at all. The problem is that while you at first enjoy listening to the musical quality of the story, you eventually become frustrated when you realize it's not going anywhere.
When I first started listening to it I tried to compare it to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. I figured I would appreciate it for the artistic quality even if I wasn't wowed by the story. But no, it's no Dark Side of the Moon either.

So overall I have to say I am really disappointed in the work. I would love to give it more than a 1 star, but a book has to have a plot that makes it worthy of reading. If not ultimately it ends up being a pretty little piece of garbage. And this is what Palimpsest is.

RATING 1 of 5

Album: Sucker Punch OST*  Artist: Various  Rating: 5 Stars

Amazing cd! Now while there is some previously released material on this album, don't let that discourage you. The remixes are dead on. Here's my thoughts on each track:

1. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - 5.0 Emily Brown, what can't she do? Act, and now sing? Yes she does a heck of a job on this song. A classic reworking that hits on all cylinders.
2. Army of Me (Sucker Punch Remix) - 4.5 Don't get me wrong, the song fits perfectly in with the movie. And the remix is cool.Not vastly different from the original song. Still nice to see it in here.
3. White Rabbit - 5.0 A song about Alice In Wonderland. It rocks. Emiliana Torrini's voice is perfect here. A dreamy rock/pop song.
4. I Want It All/ We Will Rock You (Mash Up) - 1.0 Ugh, this doesn't work with the rest of the cd in my opinion. It's a fist pumping mix of rap and classic Queen. But it sticks out like a sore thumb when compared with the rest of the dreamy rock and punk songs.
5. Search and Destroy - 4.5 Ah here we go. Jumps right back into the album's theme. Good song
6. Tomorrow Never Comes - 4.5 A very memorable song (on the movie it's the train scene/kitchen scene). This song get's stuck in my head every time I hear it. It is not dying....argh! See!
7. Where Is My Mind? - 4.5 Emily Brown sings backup to this song as well. Will stick with you long after the song ends.
8. Asleep - 4.0 Yet a third Emily Brown song! And she rocks this one as well. Slower and haunting.
9. Love is the Drug - 5.0 This song is from the final credits in the movie. And it fits in so well. Once you get done the movie you are kind of in a dark place by what you have just seen. This song is the perfect touch to bring you back up. It sounds like a big grand production. Great song and a great way to conclude the album.

Final Score: 38.0 out of 45.0
Not too shabby! With the exception of song number four this soundtrack doesn't miss a beat. I personally recommend it.

RATING 4.7 of 5

Pleasure For Your Ears

Artist: Rilo Kiley.  Album: More Adventurous.  Rating: (1 to 5 stars) 5

http://www.amazon.com/More-Adventurous-Rilo-Kiley/dp/B0002M5T7A/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top


It has been a long time for me. A long time since I popped a cd in my computer or car and was blown away. I have a lot of artists I like, but not necessarily in love with. My record was taken away by this cd. I put it in and listened to it three times straight. Yes, it's that good.
I won't add much to the biography of the band in this review. If you're familiar with Rilo Kiley or Jenny Lewis at all, then you know all about them, hers and Sennett's acting careers, their relationship, her solo career, etc. So let's just focus on the music. Probably the majority of people who were exposed to the band heard the song "Portions For Foxes" on Grey's Anatomy. But their music was used on The O.C. and Dawson's Creek as well. Uh oh, TV music. How good could it be?

Well, please don't let that throw you. This is a very talented band. Jenny Lewis' voice is amazing. She can belt it out, or croon. Either way she catches your attention and keeps you enthralled. Also Sennett's guitar work is fun as well. He's a talented musician and a good song writer to boot. The album moves along at a nice pace. The first song, "It's a Hit" is rocking and the second song, "Does He Love You" is truly heartbreaking. The third song "Portions For Foxes" is fun too.
Is this a perfect record? Not perfect. But pretty amazing for how it avoids duds. I mean there is not a weak track on it. Maybe "Ripcord"? And that's not even bad, just sticks out because the production sounds different. The music ranges from indie rock to a country sound. And by country sound, I don't mean Taylor Swift pop country. And I also don't mean bluegrass. More like the country sound Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot has attained. This album would never be mistaken for mainstream radio music. But maybe that's a shame all in itself.

 So there you go. If you've never had the chance to hear Rilo Kiley, now's the time. The music and production are great and the lyrics and musicianship are all top notch. I will go out on a limb and say this cd is going to be on my list of my favorite top 25 albums of all time. And this will be in the top 5 of that. Highly recommended!

The Very Best of the Doors

This review is for the cd: The Very Best of the Doors by The Doors.  Rating: 5 stars.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Very-Best-Doors-Version/dp/B000UCEJDC/ref=ntt_mus_dp_dpt_3

Lynyrd Skynyrd has Free Bird. The Eagles have Hotel California. And Led Zeppelin has Stairway to Heaven. It seems like every classic rock band has their over the top, get out the lighters, let's go to rock bliss, song. I submit Light My Fire as The Doors contribution to this list. Long, majestic, and heart wrenching. Oh, and it rocks hard. With a keyboard! But then again, when were The Doors ever conventional?

Still one of my favorite bands of the 1960s. They were loud, rude, and rocking. And Jim Morrison (Vocals) had the charisma of 5 people. He not only had a great voice, but his lyrics truly are poetry. They are dark to be sure. But they also cherish a sliver of optimism somewhere in each line.

This is a great CD to get if you have never really had much to do with The Doors. All of their hits are here, with a good mix of some songs that might have been lesser known. And my favorite Door's song of all time is on here too. People Are Strange. Indeed they are. Excellent set and it needs to be in every rock fans collection.  

Mediocre Spy Game

I realized that I'm really not giving enough product description on these reviews.  People probably have no idea what I'm talking about.  So I'm going to add a bit more to the start of every review.

PRODUCT: Death To Spies.  Video game by Atari.  For the PC only.  Need more info?  http://www.amazon.com/Death-Spies-Pc/dp/B000RPKCTC/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

REVIEW:

Crouched down in the bushes, you watch the guards pass. There are 3 of them, so you have to be careful. You reach into your backpack, and lob a gernade right in the middle of them, they try to scatter but in a suffocating blast all three of them are gone. You're next order of business is to carry the bodies off the road to hide them in the bushes. Next you confiscate the ammo, and disguise yourself with one of the uniforms that doesn't have blood on it. Now all you got to do is make it past the high ranking officer who will recognize you if you get too close....

So there you have it. Another level of Death To Spies. How is the game overall? To be honest it's a little bland. You take the role of a Russian operative. And you perform a number of missions. The game is cool because it does give you a number of real life options. You can sneak past guards, or try to knock them out, or use chloroform on them, or steal a uniform and walk past them, or you could whistle to distract them, or just steal a truck and run them over. The game does carry a lot of limitless possibilities.

That being said, the game is still pretty linear in the long run. You have a set number of goals you must accomplish with every mission. But at least the interface does a good job of keeping you informed so you're not lost as what to do next. There are a number of weapons to choose from, but at the same time stealth is usually your best bet. The game is realistic on the fact that even with your health you can't take too many bullets before you give up the ghost. The controls are a little too sensitive to me. So much that when I closed out the game my mouse felt slow on the desktop. But this doesn't detract from the game.

The story line is based off real events as well. But frankly I found the story really confusing. I do enjoy history, but I know nothing about Russian history during WWII so I was in the dark, and kind of bored watching the cut scenes. Although I do admit that the graphics are pretty good.

PROS: Good graphics. Tense missions make you feel like you're there. Good shooter scenarios mixed with stealth make the game work on more than one level.

CONS: Nothing makes the game stand out. Same old, same old. Hit detection is iffy sometimes. Story line is really obscure, and frankly kind of boring. Game is forgettable in the long run.

BOTTOM LINE: Game is very mediocre at best. It intrigued me for a while, but not for long. It's a nice little piece of fluff. But if you buy it, don't rush to the store, or pay full price. Try to get this one for cheap. Don't go looking for much here, and you won't be disappointed.

RATING: 2 of 5

Greatest Hits Lives Up To It's Name

Bryan Adams - So Far So Good

I wasn't too old when this cd came out. My brother was really into country at the time, but I was looking for something more exciting. I found this. And it was enjoyable back then and I still own it today. Bryan Adams is a pretty talented musician. He crafts good soft rock tunes. And I personally prefer him to Rod Stewart. The only problem he runs into is that starting his career in the late 70s/ early 80s, his sound on some of his tunes is very dated.

This cd avoids it pretty well though. Summer of '69 is a classic tune. Heaven and Please Forgive Me (recorded in 1993 for this album) are stirring love ballads that we have come to except from Mr. Adams. Granted there is a newer version to his greatest hits that has been released, The Best Of Me. And there is also Anthology. So this is a bit obsolete. But still a good addition to your collection, especially if you can find it cheap.

STP's Self Titled Album

Stone Temple pilots have never been able to please everyone. From their first album "Core" in 1992 when the critics bashed them (but the fans got it!) to their groundbreaking "Tiny Music.." and the style change, STP have been naturally progressing as a band.
I submit that this new record is an awesome next phase in their development as a band. Do I long for the harder edge sound from Core, Purple, and No. 4? Sure, I love the tunes from those cds. But at the same time it's not like I disliked Tiny Music... or Shangri-La Dee Da. Still there is something brave about the guys doing a 70s rock inspired record. It's bold. It's loud, and it's fresh.
Let's break it down:

Between the Lines (5/5) Excellent lead single from the record. Lyrics are meaningful if you know what kind of past Scott has had. Video is cool too.

Take a Load Off (5/5) Another fun 70s rock tune amd the second single. The chorus is jangly and poppy. By this time in the record you realize they are going to have a theme going...

Huckleberry Crumble (4/5) I can see Aerosmith writing this song. Has a dirty southern rock vibe. Excellent song.

Hickory Dichotomy (5/5) Another great bluesy rock tune. I agree with the other reviewer, could have easily been a single.

Dare If You Dare (3/5) A bit forgettable in my opinion. Not that it's bad or anything. Just a bit of a letdown after the first four tracks. Still a great chorus though.

Cinnamon (4/5) The third single off the record. People are split on this song, and rightfully so. On one hand it is a masterfully crafted sugary, poppy sounding song. Some people hate it, and would say this is why STP isn't very good anymore. I don't agree with that camp. While I don't normally like songs like this, it completely works. Sounds like a tune STP would have written if they had been a band in the 60s. And it's so darn catchy too! I give it two thumbs up myself.

Hazy Daze (5/5) Another dirty rock song in the vein of Huckleberry and Hickory. Love the sound of the guitar in this one. One of my favorite tracks on the album.

Bagman (4/5) It would surprise me if this song doesn't become a concert staple. I love the swagger in this song.

Peacoat (5/5) This song could easily have been a hard rocking song. The guitar riff that opens the song sounds so menacing. The chorus is a bit poppy, but I think it is a solid rock tune. Worth listening to 50 or more times.

Fast As I Can (3/5) One of the weakest tunes on the cd in my opinion. It's just a rock tune. Slightly boring even.

First Kiss On Mars (5/5) Love Weiland's vocals on this one. Another heavily inspired classic rock sounding song.

Maver (4/5) Solid song. Slower.

BONUS TRACKS from the deluxe edition:

Samba Nova (1/5) Ugh. I know why this song didn't make the regular edition of the album. In my opinion it might be the weakest song STP have ever made. Trippy sounding, and yet boring.

Vasoline - Live (5/5) I'm normally not a huge fan of live tracks. But it's such a good song, and the band sounds spot on. Good addition.

Hickory Dichotomy - Live (5/5) Being live only adds to how awesome this tune is!

Between the Lines - Live (5/5) They hit this song hard! Sounds great.

OVER ALL SCORE: 68/80. Pretty good. Definitely a 5 star cd. Don't listen to all the haters. They are the people who hate when a band evolves. And if you hate a band's sound evolving, it makes me wonder why you would be a Stone Temple Pilot fan anyway. Worth picking up.
For the next record I do hope they add a little more punch to it. But even if they made another just like this one, I would still love it. Good job guys. Thanks for the new album.

Welcome To The Company

We all have them, and they all stink.  No I'm not talking about butt holes.  I'm talking about opinions.  We love to read, discuss, and argue with people about what they think about things.  Frankly, it's a lot of fun.

I personally do a lot of writing of reviews on different sites.  Amazon.com, swapacd.com, ebay.com, Netflix, etc.  Since I enjoyed it so much, I thought I'd move it to a blog.  All my reviews, every site, collected here.  Feel free to read as much or as little as you want.  Comment if you feel like it.  If not, that's cool too.  The only thing I ask is not to be vulgar or imbecilic.  If you disagree with me, by all means post it.  But the comment section is for intelligent conversation.  Not foolish, vulgar hate jobs.  But I have faith in you guys, and know I don't have to worry about it.

Also please note that the blog is under construction right now, so you will see it change as the months go on. Hopefully changing for the better.  So anyway, let's get started with the reviews.  Welcome to the Opinion Company....