V/A – Christmas Number Ones / 2007 Universal / 17 Tracks / http://www.ilovethatsong.com/numberones / As one can conceivably glean from this CD, these are the songs that have reached number 1 on the chart during the Christmas season. This means that there are tracks from Elton John, Dolly Parton, the Jackson 5, Louis Armstrong, and Bing Crosby on this album. To keep the cost down of the disc, the album…
Johnny Cash – Christmas 1976 / 2007 Shout Factory / 50 Minutes / http://www.johnnycash.com / http://www.shoutfactory.com / I really have to applaud Shout! Factory for releasing something like this. Every time one of these television specials or long forgotten releases is given new light, that is one less item that will be lost to sands of time. Who knows how many different shows, performances, and similar materials have been lost…
James Taylor – One Man Band / 2007 Hear Music / 19 Tracks / http://www.jamestaylorweb.com / James Taylor has been in the music industry for nearly 40 years. It is no surprise, then, that the music that is present on “One Man Band†is some of the most mature and strong of eir career. What “One Man Band†is is not a new album, but is rather an audio and…
Anchors for Arms – Listen.React / 2007 Oort / 11 Tracks / http://www.anchorsforarms.com / http://www.ortrecords.com / “The Roots†is the first track on “Listen.Reactâ€, and it shows the approach that Oort is taking in signing a number of these independent emo bands to their label (for those that do no know, Oort is an imprint of Lobster Records). What I mean with that is that Oort is bringing back the…
Oslo – The Rise and Fall of Love and Hate / 2007 Six Feet / 11 Tracks / http://www.osloband.com / I had a feeling that this was the case, but Oslo is a band from the United States. On “The Rise and Fallâ€s first track, “Slowdiveâ€, the band calls forth a very current, British sound to alternative rock. The track is catchy in the same neurotically-sung, neatly arranged style as…
Celtic Woman – A Christmas Celebration / 2007 Manhattan / 15 Tracks / http://www.celticwoman.com / http://www.manhattanrecords.com / In the last few years, Celtic Woman has taken the world by storm. Starting out with PBS specials and moving into selling out venues, going Gold and Platinum, and they have reached a level of fame high enough to merit recording a disc of Christmas tracks. The disc captures a perfect blend of…
Tender Forever – Wider / 2007 K / 12 Tracks / http://www.takemybreathaay.net / http://www.krecs.com / You know, the cover of “Wider†does not immediately give individuals a good sense of what the album will ultimately sound like. The lead singer is sitting in front of a cardboard (or paper) representation of a fire, in an meditative pose. When one actually puts the CD in, the cover of the album actually…
Michael Bolton – A Swingin’ Christmas / 2007 The Second Time Around / 10 Tracks / http://www.michaelbolton.com / http://www.concordmusicgroup.com / Ah, Michael Bolton. Your “A Swingin’ Christmas†has you covering some of the best known Christmas-themed songs. There are versions of “Walkin’ In A Winter Wonderlandâ€, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Townâ€, “White Christmasâ€, “Let It Snowâ€, and more. In fact, there is only one song that I did not…
Alter Bridge – Blackbird / 2007 Republic / 13 Tracks / http://www.altarbridge.com / http://www.universalrepublic.com / As most individuals may know, Alter Bridge consists of three-fourths of what was Creed. To those ranks, Myles Kennedy (formerly of The Mayfield Four) provides lead vocals and guitar. “Blackbird” is the band’s second album, and the disc’s first single is “Rise Today”. For those wrestling fans that happen to read NeuFutur, “Rise Today” was…
The Staple Singers – The 25th Day of December / 2007 Concord / 12 Tracks / http://www.concordmusicgroup.com / I must admit that I was not that familiar with The Staple Singers before receiving this CD. For anyone that is too young to remember The Staple Singers, they were a gospel group that released albums for over twenty-five years. It took them about 12 years to actually break onto the charts;…
Pink Floyd – Piper At The Gates of Dawn / 2007 Capitol / 11 Tracks / http://www.capitolrecords.com / Any Pink Floyd fan knows that “Piper At The Gates of Dawn†was the first album created by Pink Floyd. Casual fans that just know Pink Floyd from “The Wall†and “Pulseâ€-era recordings will struggle to find commonality between those albums and “Piperâ€. 2007 marks the 40th anniversary of the original release…
OST: Feel The Noise / 2007 Sony / 10 Tracks / http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/feelthenoise/index.html / Feel The Noise was the movie that featured Omarion and discusses the evolution of a young male that has to flee from gang violence to Puerto Rico, becoming taken up in the musical culture of Reggaeton. The character eventually strives to be a Reggaeton star, leading up to their performance at New York’s Puerto Rican Day Parade.…
Barenaked Ladies – Talk To The Hand: Live In Michigan / 2007 Shout! Factory / http://www.bnlmusic.com / I have been a fan of the Barenaked Ladies for well over a decade, ever since I first heard “The Old Apartment†on Muchmusic (back before it became a lame MTV knockoff here in the states). Their artist focus show (which had a half hour dedicated to videos by the band) turned me…
Kelly King – Live The Dream / 2007 TresKneeHows / 15 Tracks / http://www.kellykingsings.com / Kelly King provides a brand of pop music during “Tame Me†that does not really put anything forth that has not been done before in the genre. What is interesting about the track is the chorus, which will put individuals onto the dance floor in masses. The track rapidly slides back into its original state…
Amy Grant – Greatest Hits / 2007 Sparrow / 19 Tracks / http://www.amygrant.com / http://www.sparrowrecords.com / I know that for a while back during my senior year of high school and the summer before the first year of my undergraduate college career, I liked a lot of Christian music. I still never went (and really never have been) to church, but I liked the sound of sounds in that style…
Matt White – Best Days / 2007 Geffen / 11 Tracks / http://www.mattwhitemusic.com / http://www.geffen.com / Matt White is one of the few artists that we have reviewed that does not have anything in the way of a Wikipedia. This is odd, considering that the vast majority of individuals that have achieved prominence in music have one. This is not to say that White isn’t famous; a quick perusal of…
Liquid Jungle – Tiny Heaven / 2007 Self / 14 Tracks / http://www.liquidjungleband.com / This Atlanta, Georgia band has been around for quite a few years. It is not that much of a surprise that Liquid Jungle’s work on “Tiny Heaven†is smooth, polished, and shows that a tremendous amount of effort has been placed into the creation of the disc. “In Disguise†is the first track of “Tiny Heavenâ€,…
Plunky – Cold Heat / 2006 Self / 14 Tracks / http://www.plunkyone.com / J. Plunky Branch has been around for quite a long time. “Cold Heat†marks his thirty-five year in the music industry and his twenty-first album overall. Plunky’s horn on “Cold Heat†is placed alongside the rhythms of Setworkrz, which consists of his son and Al Dokes. Setworkrz steps up their game to the point that the masterful…
Kris Racer – Has A Banner Year / 2007 Self / 6 Tracks / http://www.krisracer.com / The name Kris Racer may not ring many bells. A few bells might be rung if individuals are told that the performer behind “Has A Banner Year†was the former lead singer for Tagline. However, fans of Tagline may not like the stylistic change that Kris Racer has taken over the last few years.…
The Rosewood Thieves – Lonesome / 2007 Self / 6 Tracks / http://www.therosewoodthieves.com / It seemed almost like The Rosewood Thieves would never get their “From The Decker House†released, last year. Originally signed to V2, the disc was only released after legal allowed them to. 2007 marked a new year, and an EP that was in no way held back or otherwise modified in regard to the context that…