Gary Allan – Living Hard / 2007 MCA / 11 Tracks / http://www.garyallan.com / http://www.mca.com / “Living Hard†is the eight studio album for Gary Allan, and marks the second time that Allan has reached #3 on the US 200 charts (eir highest showing). While “Living Hard†did not top the US country charts as “Tough All Over†and “Greatest Hits†had done in 2005 and earlier 2007, this higher…
Cake – B-Sides and Rarities / 2007 Upbeat / 12 Tracks / http://www.cakemusic.com / As individuals may be able to figure out from the title, the latest Cake release is a collection of all of the tracks that were either b-sides or did not make it into a finished form on any of the band’s CDs over the years. While the songs on “B-Sides and Rarities†may be scraps from…
OST: The Kite Runner / 2007 Decca / 21 Tracks / http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/kiterunner / The Kite Runner was the first album that was produced by Khalid Hosseini, in 2003. The movie adaptation of the book will likely be out after Christmas, and features pretty much the same story as the book – after spending a long time on the West Coast of America, Amir returns to Afghanistan to go forth and…
John Coltrane – Interplay / 2007 Prestige / 34 Tracks / http://www.concordmusicgroup.com / This 5 CD set covers a 3 year period in John Coltrane’s career, when ey played with the Prestige Group; these fifty-year old recordings are given a 24-bit remastering from the original tapes. This remastering allows the recordings, feature also feature Kenny Burrell, Jimmy Cobb, Paul Chambers, and Red Garland, to shine in a way that they…
D.O.A. – The Black Spot / 2007 Sudden Death / 16 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/doapunk / http://www.suddendeath.com / While there are a number of fans of the music that D.O.A. has put out for the last twenty years, few individuals are familiar with the band’s work on “The Black Spotâ€. Originally released in 1995, this album marks a tempestuous time in D.O.A.’s life. This was due to the fact that this…
Insane Clown Posse – Jugganauts / 2007 Island / 18 Tracks / http://www.insaneclownposse.com / http://www.islandrecords.com / The Insane Clown Posse split off from Island Records a few years back to create their own record label. However, Island maintains the rights to all of the ICP’s albums up to a certain point, so it’s not that surprising to see a greatest hits album not come out from Psychopathic Records. In regards…
Doug Neumann – Does Decaydance / 2007 Decaydance / 14 Tracks / http://www.dougdoes.com / Do you remember all of those lounge singers that would go and put their own spin on popular songs? Well, Doug does that with a number of Decaydance artists, which means that “Does Decaydance†has Doug’s interpretation of Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes, Cobra Starship, Panic! at the Disco, and more. Educated at the Berklee…
Eazy-E – Featuring Eazy-E / 2007 Capitol / 16 Tracks / http://www.emicap.com / “Featuring Eazy-E†is an album that collects all of the different songs that were milestones of Eazy-E’s career, whether it be with other individuals or were songs that were hidden away for about the last fifteen years. This means that there are songs on here like “Automobile†(with N.W.A.), “Get Yo Ride On†(with Mack 10 and…
Black Tide – Shockwave / 2007 Interscope / 2 Tracks / http://www.blacktidemusic.com / http://www.interscope.com / This single is Black Tide’s first foray into the major label scene, and their brand of classically influenced metal will go over big with a populace that has been lusting after anything retro. “Shockwave†is so close to a Judas Priest song that I’m frankly afraid that Black Tide will be tapped as a copycat…
Koop – Koop Islands / 2007 Atlantic / 11 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/koop / Koop is an odd band. I believe, in the 2,500+ discs that I’ve reviewed in the last decade, that they are the first to link together the swing genre with a more Caribbean type of sound. Where I originally thought that the style would not work in the slightest, just listening to a few seconds of “Koop…
Brian Dewan – Words of Wisdom / 2007 Eschatone / 16 Tracks / http://www.briandewan.com / http://www.eschatone.com / Brian Dewan is one weird individual. The sing-song nature of “Words of Wisdom†(the opening track), could conceivably be on a Disney movie or some odd, out of the way, radio station. Dewan’s opening to the album “Words of Wisdom†is primarily vocal, with only the lightest in terms of instrumentation to fill…
Dri – Smoke Rings / 2007 Range Life / 11 Tracks / http://www.rangeliferecords.com / Do you remember the band The Anniversary? That act that got oh so freaking angry whenever an interview or review called them “emoâ€? Well, Dri was a member of that band. Dri is also currently a member of Art in Manila and Fourth of July. The songs that are present on “Smoke Rings†in no way…
Benzos – Branches / 2007 Stinky / 12 Tracks / http:/www.benzosmusic.com / “Branches†stars off with “Sell This Thingâ€, a track that has a heavy instrumental component to it. During this track, Benzos creates a style that touches upon acts such as Coldplay and Snow Patrol, while still having the jangly guitar work of an early Radiohead or Oasis. The result is something that has more than a little bit…
The Chinese Stars – Listen To Your Left Brain / 2007 Three One G / 9 Tracks / http://www.thechinesestars.com / http://www.threeoneg.com / This Rhode Island band was formed from the ashes of Arab on Radar and Six Finger Satellite. I was not familiar with the band before receiving “Listen To Your Left Brainâ€, even though this is their second full length and fifth release in total since the band’s founding…
Seven Mary Three has signed to Bellum Records (a division of ICON MES), and on February 19, 2008 will release their sixth album DAY&NIGHTDRIVING. The first single, “Last Kiss,†impacts Rock radio formats on February 4th, along with a music video to be serviced to all local, regional, and national broadcast outlets as well as online and retail. The band will host a record release show in their hometown of…
Opeth – The Roundhouse Tapes / 2007 Peaceville / 9 Tracks / http://www.opeth.com / http://www.peaceville.com /  Opeth have been making intense metal music since 1990, and they have been doing just that with singer Mikael since 1992. Since then, they have provided fans with 8 full length albums and a smattering of other material. “The Roundhouse Tapes†are recordings that were captured from a live performance at (you guessed…
Five For Fighting – Back Country Special Edition / 2007 Aware / 15 Tracks / http://www.fiveforfighting.com / http://www.awarerecords.com / Wow, did you know that Five For Fighting only had one individual? All this time, I guess I just presumed that there were five individuals in this band. John Ondrasik, the face behind Five For Fighting, has released four full-length albums to this point, and tracks representing these four albums have…
Anna Ternheim – S/T / 2007 Decca / 6 Tracks / http://www.decca.com Anna Ternheim has been around for a few years, releasing eir first EP in 1996 (“Sovaâ€) and eir first LP in 2004 (“Somebody Outsideâ€). It is just this year (and March 2008, when eir latest full length is released) that individuals in the United States will be able to hear the ability and talent of Ternheim for themselves.…
Dusty Rhodes and the River Band – First You Live / 2007 SideOneDummy / 13 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/dustyrhodes / http://www.sideonedummy.com / When I see the logo for SideOneDummy on a CD, I’m expecting some form of punk music to be assaulting my ears. This is not the desire of Dusty Rhodes and the River Band, as they provide a style of rock that is very linked into the overall sound…
Michael Hurley – Ancestral Swamp / 2007 Gnomonsong / 11 Tracks / http://www.snockonews.net / http://www.gnomonsong.com / Michael Hurley is one of the most storied folk musicians that is still around today. Songs of eir have been covered by bands such as Cat Power (“Sweedeedee†and Troubled Waterâ€) and the Violent Femmes (“Werewolfâ€).  In the years since ey released eir first album “First Songâ€, ey has been prolific – “Ancestral Swamp