This morning I woke up only to find that the other part of the fucking tree split and fell and took out another part of the fence. Of course my brother didn't know about it till I went up to his workplace to replace a burned out light bulb on my car.
Our luck has just been shit this year. As you can tell.
Review
LOS LONELY BOYS-Forgiven (epic)
Part of the joy of getting my car back is that I can now play cds on the discman and not to hear them on my brother's cd player which scratches them up and his speakers are lousy. Part of the fun of reviewing music is that I can hear them in the car and base a opinion there although driving condictions of having to deal with dumbass drivers and fucking red lights that i can't base a opinion without being pissed off at something.
Anyway, The Garza brothers are back with album number three of basically the same rock and blues that made them flavors of the month a few years ago with their self titled album. Actually Forgiven is more mainstream and they have cut out on the Spanish speaking songs. There's traces of Stevie Ray here and there (Heart Won't Told A Lie and Another Broken Heart), attempts to recreate a hit (Staying With Me), mellow love songs (Loving You Always, The Way I Feel) and a love of Santana (Superman). They also do a Hendrix like version of I'm A Man (The Spencer Davis version) which showcases Henry Garza's wah wah lead work. Dr. John appears on three tracks and the album is produced with Steve Jordan but there's seems to be a sameness of the songs that don't really make Forgiven stand out anymore than the previous efforts. Certainly Los Lonely Boys are a likeable band and most of the album makes a fun listen on the drive home. Forgiven isn't bad, but once the drive home is done, you'd probaly won't remember most of it.
Grade B
Pick Hits: Forgiven, Staying With Me, I'm A Man
THE HOLD STEADY-Stay Positive (Vagrant)
For those who love Born To Run, should check out this effort. After three albums, I really begin to find the appeal of this band beginning to wear off. Perhaps it is the Born To Run production that sets me off, or is it the unfinishness of the songs here. Starts out fine with the rip roaring Constructed Summer and failed single Sequenced In Memphis and then goes nowherefast. Perhaps we asked way too much of this band after the fine Boys And Girls In America. Or perhaps the media is trying to make them the next big thing after BS and The E Street Band. Any good bar band can do Springsteen rock and roll, even John Cafferty has succeeded at some point. Nevertheless Stay Positive lacks something that I can't put my finger .. hearing it in the car. It's fun in spots but after a while even I can't remember what I've just listened to. Fun but could be a bit memorable. PS this album came with 3 bonus tracks, but done as one long band. They go one for three in the bonus tracks department.
Grade B
Selected songs: Constructive Summer, Sequested In Memphis, Slapped Actress
The Roots-Rising Down (Def Jam)
This band with guest rappers do everything right in terms of presenting rap music as beats, poetry, commentary on the ways of the world. I can't tell you that I hate all rap, in fact I still get a buzz out of the first Last Poets album and part of the White Flag Wu Tang Clan album that was given to me on vinyl. The Roots have always been blessed with ?uestlove's back beat and instead of relying on beats to steal from other recordings, they do it their own way. Last album was a bit too much on the tribute to a dead producer but on this album, they seem to take a page out of the Last Poets style. Angry as hell but at the end of the album they tend to hold out some kind of home that things will get better. But in terms of rage against the world, certainly Rising Down remains their crown jewel. In fact, it's too bad that ?uestlove wasn't around when the Last Poets made their debut; he would have made that album an event to remember.
Grade A minus
Suggested Cuts: Criminal, I Will Not Apologize, Rising Down, Get Busy
RIP Jerry Finn, producer and choice recording engineer for the punk rock generation of the 1990s. He recorded Green Day, mixed the first Suicide Machines album, produced the best MxPx album and helped the Offspring likewise. He had a massive brain hemmorage over the weekend and was taken off life support yesterday. He was 38.
RIP Isaac Hayes who died of a stroke saturday. Best known as Chef on South Park, Hayes was famous for being a songwriter for Sam N Dave and of course, became one of the best loved soul men of the 70s with Theme From Shaft, Do Your Thing and a 16 minite version of By The Time I Get To Phoenix. He was 65.
kiss