Get Moving!

Artist: Crash Kings
Album: Crash Kings
Rating: 4.5 of 5

Linda Perry is a pretty smart lady. Say what you will, the woman has an eye for talent. This is proved by this cd and many others. Sure we have all heard the #1 single Mountain Man, but how is the rest of the album?

Pretty darn good actually. The cd keeps the music upbeat and lively. Each song flows nicly into the next and keeps your foot tapping. It is piano driven and a little like The Fray, but has more rock injection in my opinion. How do the songs break down? Let's do the 1 to 5 scale (5 is the best).

Mountain Man - 4.8
Song speaks for itself. It's upbeat and will get you up and moving every time.

1985 - 4.2
Another upbeat song. This one could be a single as well.

It's only Wednesday - 4.4
This song is pretty cool for 2 reasons. One it shows off Tony Beliveau's vocal range nicely. And second, Ben Folds Five are back together! That's who they remind me of on this track.

Come Away - 4.0
You know, I am not a Crash Kings fanboy or anything. This album is just solid. Songs like this one are in the upper range because they are just that darn good!

Non Believer - 3.2
The third single from the cd. Good but nothing special in my opinion.

14 Arms - 4.8
Possibly the most rocking song on the whole cd. Listen to this and try not start bobbing to this one! I found this one of the most exciting songs on the whole cd.

Raincoat - 3.4
Another song that could have easily been a single.

You Got Me - 4.3
The second single. By this point in the record I decided I wanted to see them live. The energy is amazing.

Saving Grace - 3.6
It strikes me on this song how they are not just good songwriters, but also good musicians as well. Kudos!

My Love - 4.8
You might think the last song on the album would be filler, but it's honestly one of the best songs on the whole cd.


Total 41.5 / 50.0. Not too shabby! This cd is completely worth your hard earned money. No need to just buy single songs off amazon.com. Just fork the cash over for this great record.

And The Singer is Good

Artist:  Brendan James        Album: The Day is Brave          Genre: Piano pop.

Carly Simon has been quoted as giving Brendan James 2 thumbs up. (My words not her's.) And when you put the cd on you immediately agree with her. He has a voice that seems like it would be right at home on a country album but also equally comfortable with a jazz band too. But he thankfully has chosen neither. Instead we have a cd with 11 soulful tracks.
Now this is honestly not my style of music. I am more of a Rock and Roll guy. But at the same time I recognize a good artist when I see one, and Brendan James is going places. If you are going to do piano pop music this is what it should sound like......

Rating 4.3 out of 5

It's All Been Done Before

Artist: Amy McDonald       Album: This is the Life   Genre: Pop.  Folk.

Amy McDonald is a fresh faced new talent trying to make a name for herself. She has a couple things to help her out in this. 1. She has a great voice. This girl is quite talented and shows she does have some range. 2. She can play the guitar. Come on. Admit it. You're already more interested. Alright, to this point we have covered the only good things about this album. Unfortunately there is more wrong with it than right.

The thing that will grab you immediately is how every song sounds exactly the same. I'm not joking. They all start with a bit of jangly guitar and move into this really annoying up tempo beat. Think Brittney Spears trying to do an unplugged cd. Each song bleeds into the next and I found myself getting bored very quickly with this cd. Some songs started cool and then just fell apart under the same annoying beat. Hannah Montana would be proud. But for the rest of us who like real music this isn't just going to cut it. Do yourself a favor, avoid this one. And be sad, because here sits tons of potential...squandered.

Rating 1 out of 5

Lush - Spooky (Music)

Welcome back to the Opinion Company.  Yes I'm well aware no one at all is probably following this anymore.  Oh well, I'm going to start sticking new reviews on here.  And by reviews I mean they can be anything at all.  Hopefully you guys will enjoy it.  So let's start it all up again.

Lush - Spooky (Music)

The debut album of Lush. The cd was weird for it's time. And it still sounds weird and out of place now. But I'm not actually in any way demeaning the cd. That's actually one of the things I love about it. It's in many ways a timeless album. Think about how much music you can easily class which decade it came from. Or figure out what style it is. Lush worked hard to defy that. Oh sure, you know it's pop. But not Britney Spears pop. It's rock, but not Guns N Roses rock. It stuck between genres. And now has come to be called "Shoegazing."

And in case you're wondering, Shoegazing means bands who came from the late eighties, and reached it's height in the mid nineties. They played a brand of alternative pop rock. It was heavily effects laden. Lush were at the forefront of the movement. While the style has mostly died out, it's not done yet with a new crop of "nu-gaze" bands like Autolux. But anyway, what about this album?

Solid cd. Lush were still growing into their sound like wearing a shirt a bit too big. So sometimes the sound gets away from them. A good example would be the song Tiny Smiles in my opinion. But other songs they were able to nail, such as Covert, For Love, Superblast!, and my personal favorite Untogether.
Yes the shoegazing era is gone. But Lush left us with some very memorable records. Such as this moody gem.

RATING: 3.8 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