Odds and Ends

Each week I use this space to post some mini-reviews, cool tracks, random thoughts, neat news, or whatever else I damn well please.

MiniReview

House of Lords “Big Money” - House of Lords debuted in 1989 with the release of the self-titled album, a record which is still regarded as one of the best arena rock releases of the 80s, up there with frontrunners like Whitesnake, Deep Purple, and Van Halen. The band has a varied and spotty catalogue ever since, with frequent lineup changes and oscillating musical styles to match. Some releases are downright catchy arena rock whereas others are less melodious prog rock. This month the band will add “Big Money” to its discography, which feels like a blend of their mixed melodic and prog rock past. The trademark vocals of James Christian sound finer than ever, and he is surrounded by updated guitar sounds and pounding beats. James teamed up again on the songwriting with long-time friend and partner Mark Baker along with the other band members Jimi Bell and BJ Zampa for this release. While “Big Money” rocks through and through, several of the tunes are overly long and burdened with less than compelling riffs. Standouts include “First To Cry”, “The Next Time I Hold You”, “Run For Your Life”, and “Once Twice”. More info on House of Lords can be found here.

Surprise of the week
Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars is recording with latest American Idol winner James Durbin. Get the scoop here.

News
R.E.M. has broken up. Hard to believe…read about it from the band member’s perspectives here.

New “best of” collection coming from Paul Simon October 24. Details and track listing here.

Get a taste of the Lou Reed and Metallica project, “Lulu” here. It’s only 30 seconds, but confirms my worst fears about this collaboration.

Love this article at Popdose about Survivor’s underrated ballad “Ever Since The World Began” (video below).

INXS have sacked their singer JD Fortune for the second time. Story here.

Where are they now? Colin Hay (Men At Work) released a new video. Check it out here.

Toto collides with Survivor – Kimball Jamison. Debut video!


Random iPOD song of the week
Survivor “Ever Since The World Began” from the album “Eye of the Tiger”


Reminder: we’re now on Twitter! Follow us for even more updates, news, and reviews!

Review: David Cook “This Loud Morning”

Torster is on holiday - more Best Albums You Never Heard will return soon! Until then, here is a review for you...





Modern rock

American Idol winner David Cook returns with his sophomore effort, “This Loud Morning”. The young singer/songwriter has experienced some unfortunate events amidst his raise to fame, the most tragic being the loss of his older brother to brain cancer in 2009. Like most artists, Cook incorporates his personal experiences into his art and the result in a deep and dark record, more reflective than most others out there at the moment.



While the lyrics and Cook’s vocals have never sounded more inspired, the music by and large doesn’t match this quality. The tunes rarely get out of second gear despite a lot of bombast and flare. In my opinion, these songs are way overproduced, and the tendency to throw everything into them including the kitchen sink distracts listeners from the heart of the song. The songs are generally cumbersome and slow, and the orchestration is just too over the top (the overzealous strings ruin “Fade Into Me”). Cook does sound terrific, rivaling the powerhouse vocals of Harry Hess (Harem Scarem), and he has some amazing moments scattered among these tunes, but they're just too much of a chore to get to. In short, the record is too ambitious for its own good and it sounds strained because everyone seems to be trying too hard.



Devoid of instantly irresistible hooks, the record takes several spins before they start to grab you. Songs that do this sooner rather than later include “Right Here, With You”, “We Believe”, “Hard To Believe”, and “Time Marches On”. A couple notable guests appear on this record, including contributions from Johnny Rzeznik (Goo Goo Dolls) and AOR master Marti Frederiksen. This record will appeal to fans of Alter Bridge, Big Wreck, and Switchfoot. It’s loud alright, but there is more mourning in this record than morning.



iPOD-worthy: 2, 3, 5, 7



David Cook – Official site



Check out the video for “The Last Goodbye”

Kneejerk: Bruce Springsteen – Lee DeWyze

Welcome to the latest edition of KNEEJERK, where we preview some new releases and give our short, "kneejerk" reaction...


Bruce Springsteen “The Promise”

“The Promise” is a time capsule – a massive collection of recordings from The Boss from the “Darkness On The Edge Of Town” recording sessions. Two discs hold 21 previously unreleased songs from the creative peak of a living legend – what more could Springsteen fans want? To be prolific is one thing, but to write so many songs that are this good truly speaks to the magnitude of this man’s talent. “The Promise” could have been one of the greatest rock albums of the late 70s. We finally get to hear Springsteen perform familiar hits like "Because the Night" and "Fire", songs he gave to Patti Smith and the Pointer Sisters, respectively. It is difficult to identify highlights from so many wonderful songs, but suffice it to say that you’ll find some of the jubilant Springsteen and the E Street Band on numbers like “Gotta Get That Feeling” and “Ain't Good Enough For You”, and the more contemplative balladeer on “Someday (We’ll Be Together)” and “The Brokenhearted”. I also really liked “Wrong Side Of The Street”, “One Way Street”, and “The Little Things (My Baby Does)”.


Lee DeWyze “Live It Up”

The winner of last season’s American Idol (season 9), and the last to make it through the Simon Cowell filter, Lee DeWyze offers “Live It Up” as his major label debut. Quite the departure from his pre-Idol singer/songwriter releases, “Live It Up” is predictably slick and hip, with DeWyze tweaked to sound like Jason Mraz. Recalling some of his standout performances on Idol, this is not quite the sound I was expecting from the raspy rocker with the humble guy next door attitude. The charm of his voice, even that rock-ready tone, seems to be vacant from this record. I am left wondering what happened, but it is obvious he’s been through the Idol processing machine. It is a shame…his vocals could have made a great modern rock record, but this pop rock fluff that tries too hard to sound like other artists besides himself is extremely disappointing. “Live It Up” will bore you to death.

Review: Jason Castro "Jason Castro"

I know what CD Paula Abdul is salivating over right now - the new release from Jason Castro, voted off during the final stages of the seventh season of American Idol. The bright-eyed, dreadlocked, easy-going singer-songwriter took it all in stride and patiently crafted this self-titled debut over the years.

While he doesn't have the vocal prowess and performance skills of most Idol wannabes, Castro did have an earnest charm and could more than carry a tune. His soft, understated tenor did a magnificent job with Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", which is justifiably included as the closer on this short 8 song CD (note: there is an Amazon.com-exclusive version of Jason Castro that contains six additional tracks not available on the standard release - but I've decided to boycott this "deluxe" and "expanded" edition nonsense).

Castro's potential has recruited an admirable base of songwriters and production expertise to his project. The result is rather pleasant and innocuous acoustic-based pop rock. Consistent with the personality he displayed during his tenure on Idol, the songs generally have a sunny disposition that makes you feel all warm inside. In many cases, you'll find that you can't help wanting to sing along. "Let's Just Fall In Love Again" is a bouncy power pop tune that sounds contemporary, but clearly has some 70s bubblegum pop influence. "This Heart Of Mine" is similar, with a breezy quality many will find refreshing. I wish there were more tracks like these, because from here the CD slows down fast and never picks back up. "That's What I'm Here For" is too generic and "Love Uncompromised" sounds like a Colbie Caillat reject. "Closer" is a melodic mid-tempo tune that teases the that pace will back up, but it is followed by another ballad called "You Can Always Come Home", which features some sweet harmony vocals from Serena Ryder. "It Matters To Me" is yet another ballad, but one of the stronger ones in my opinion. As mentioned, "Hallelujah" is the closing track - nicely done, but yet another ballad. I would have preferred a few more upbeat tracks to make this CD more well rounded - maybe they are all on the expanded version, which is a shame.

While lyrically simplistic and heavy on the ballads, Castro's debut is pretty fun and catchy. Check him out if you like Matt Nathanson, Jason Mraz, or Colbie Caillat.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 5, 7, 8

Jason Castro on MySpace. Official site.

Check out the video for "Let's Just Fall In Love Again":