Sponsored by the Letter B
Barenaked Ladies surprised me with the album Barenaked Ladies Are Me. On their other albums I can only find one or two songs worth listening to, but this album is full of good tracks. "Home", "Bull in a China Shop", "Peterborough and the Kawarthas", "Maybe You're Right" and "Take It Back" are great. Barenaked Ladies Are Men is the same album with just a couple of extra tracks.
The Be Good Tanyas have the same name as our ex-maid, for some reason that intrigued me. They mix bluegrass, country, and folk influences in a way that doesn't overwhelm the vocals, but definitely carries the songs. Unfortunately, the album is full of mediocre songs that have signs of life, but then the ladies pull the sheets over their heads. "Opal", "What Are They Doing in Heaven Today", and especially their cover of Prince's "When Doves Cry" standout on the album.
Pet Sounds is The Beach Boys landmark album, but it annoys me. I sat down and listened to the whole thing and I was really disappointed. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows" beat out the rest, but this album can't touch the album it partially inspired and is compared against, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band which leads us directly into The Beatles.
The Beatles are one of my favorite bands and are responsible for where modern music is today. The Anthology albums had some different versions of classic songs which are worth hearing and a couple of new songs including "Free as a Bird", but were a little too much for a casual fan. I kept some of the music from part I and III, but never got around to II. Help! was the beginning for me with the band. "You've Got to Hide Your Love away", "Yesterday", "Help", and "Ticket to Ride" are great pop songs worth listening to again and again. Past Masters Part I is a disappointment. It's mainly a collection of early songs, which is not my favorite Beatles period. "She Loves You", "I Feel Fine", and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" are my favorites on the album. I have most of their albums, but not that many in my iTunes library for some reason.
Belle & Sebastian's The Life Pursuit is great background music with "Another Sunny Day" being my favorite track.
Deluxe is one of the best alt.rock debut albums. Better Than Ezra runs through "In the Blood", "Good", "Southern Girl", "Rosealia", "Porcelain", and "Heaven" while just stumbling on a couple of tracks. Too bad the band got away from this sound. How Does Your Garden Grow? features "One More Murder" and one of my all time favorite songs, "At the Stars".
Blue Merle reminds me of what would happen if Coldplay lost the piano and hooked up with a bluegrass band. "Burning in the Sun" and "Lucky to Know You" are awesome songs and overall the album is a Sunday afternoon drive masterpiece.
Bob Dylan is one of the most important people ever in music. His voice may sometimes be annoying and difficult to understand, but he defined what folk music should be and then turned around to revive what rock and roll is supposed to be while men were starting to poof up their hair and match their makeup to their guitars. The last 3 albums he has put out Love & Theft, Modern Times, and Time out of Mind are new classics. I don't see how he can keep coming up with relevant music after being around as long as he has. The Rolling Stones and The Who try, but fall way short in my opinion.
"Don't Worry Be Happy" is one of my favorite songs; pathetic, but true. Bobby McFerrin did each track with his mouth and that was almost 20 years ago, that just wows me.
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" is one of the those songs that gets stuck in my head for abnormally long periods of time. It's not that Bonnie Tyler has some great voice, it's that the song is just way too catchy and one of the best for karaoke ever.
Boston was one of the best classic rock bands around in the 70's and early 80's. "More Than a Feeling", "Peace of Mind", and "Rock & Roll Band" are the best on Greatest Hits, but the album is a scary one. It is dedicated to Alcoholics Anonymous and even features the song "Higher Power". I know AA works for some, but they don't release statistics so studies can prove it.
Brandi Carlile's "Thrown It All Away" is one of my favorite songs. Her voice and the rock/country sound draw me in and I just love it.
Bread's Anthology is camping out on my laptop because my friend told me that all the guys she knows like it a lot. I haven't made it all the way through, but chances are I won't agree with them. I'll find out for sure when I make it through, 20 tracks is enough to know for sure.
Brendan Benson's The Alternative to Love was a disappointment. "Cold Hands (Warm Heart) is one of the best pop songs I have ever heard, but Benson doesn't maintain enough momentum to make it through the entire album. "Spit It Out" and "Gold into Straw" standout amongst the others.
Brian McKnight's self-titled debut has been his best album. I spent many hours attempting to sing his songs correctly, but struggled because I am just too white and have no soul. His Take 6 roots predicted how some of the songs would flow, but overall "One Last Cry", "After the Love", his remake of Hall & Oates' "I Can't Go for That", "Never Felt This Way" and "Is the Feeling Gone" are great and some of the only r & b I can listen to and enjoy.
Bruce Cockburn's "Open" is one of those songs with a catchy bass line worth hearing. "Different When It Comes To You" is another well written song, something I have noticed a lot from him.
Born in the USA is one of those albums that has so many good songs on it that it's hard to remember what's on there. "Born in the USA", "I'm on Fire", and "Dancing in the Dark" are three of my favorite songs from the Boss. I didn't really listen to another Springsteen album until after 9/11 when Lonesome Day came out. I ended up liking this album more than the prior one. It's hard to find a bad song on this album because it is overrun with songs like "Empty Sky", "Waitin' on a Sunny Day", "Lonesome Day", "You're Missing", and "The Rising". It's amazing how such a horrible event and The Boss dealing with it through haunting visuals can actually turn out a positive vibe.
Bryan Adams' So Far So Good was one of the first albums I ever bought on compact disc. There are only a few disappointments and if you actually listened to music in the late 80s to early 90s, there's no reason to not have this album in your collection. The updated version has some songs not included on this album, but it gets so diluted that it's hard to have the will to make it through the album. So Far So Good is missing "All for Love" featuring Sting and Rod (Gag!) Stewart and "Have You Really Ever Loved A Woman", but has the best including "Everything I Do, I Do It For You", "Heaven", "Can't Stop This Thing We Started", "Please Forgive Me", "It's Only Love", and my favorite, "Do I Have To Say The Words".
Bush closes the B's out with "Glycerine", their song with the most 'buzz'. Time to bring on C.
The Be Good Tanyas have the same name as our ex-maid, for some reason that intrigued me. They mix bluegrass, country, and folk influences in a way that doesn't overwhelm the vocals, but definitely carries the songs. Unfortunately, the album is full of mediocre songs that have signs of life, but then the ladies pull the sheets over their heads. "Opal", "What Are They Doing in Heaven Today", and especially their cover of Prince's "When Doves Cry" standout on the album.
Pet Sounds is The Beach Boys landmark album, but it annoys me. I sat down and listened to the whole thing and I was really disappointed. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows" beat out the rest, but this album can't touch the album it partially inspired and is compared against, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band which leads us directly into The Beatles.
The Beatles are one of my favorite bands and are responsible for where modern music is today. The Anthology albums had some different versions of classic songs which are worth hearing and a couple of new songs including "Free as a Bird", but were a little too much for a casual fan. I kept some of the music from part I and III, but never got around to II. Help! was the beginning for me with the band. "You've Got to Hide Your Love away", "Yesterday", "Help", and "Ticket to Ride" are great pop songs worth listening to again and again. Past Masters Part I is a disappointment. It's mainly a collection of early songs, which is not my favorite Beatles period. "She Loves You", "I Feel Fine", and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" are my favorites on the album. I have most of their albums, but not that many in my iTunes library for some reason.
Belle & Sebastian's The Life Pursuit is great background music with "Another Sunny Day" being my favorite track.
Deluxe is one of the best alt.rock debut albums. Better Than Ezra runs through "In the Blood", "Good", "Southern Girl", "Rosealia", "Porcelain", and "Heaven" while just stumbling on a couple of tracks. Too bad the band got away from this sound. How Does Your Garden Grow? features "One More Murder" and one of my all time favorite songs, "At the Stars".
Blue Merle reminds me of what would happen if Coldplay lost the piano and hooked up with a bluegrass band. "Burning in the Sun" and "Lucky to Know You" are awesome songs and overall the album is a Sunday afternoon drive masterpiece.
Bob Dylan is one of the most important people ever in music. His voice may sometimes be annoying and difficult to understand, but he defined what folk music should be and then turned around to revive what rock and roll is supposed to be while men were starting to poof up their hair and match their makeup to their guitars. The last 3 albums he has put out Love & Theft, Modern Times, and Time out of Mind are new classics. I don't see how he can keep coming up with relevant music after being around as long as he has. The Rolling Stones and The Who try, but fall way short in my opinion.
"Don't Worry Be Happy" is one of my favorite songs; pathetic, but true. Bobby McFerrin did each track with his mouth and that was almost 20 years ago, that just wows me.
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" is one of the those songs that gets stuck in my head for abnormally long periods of time. It's not that Bonnie Tyler has some great voice, it's that the song is just way too catchy and one of the best for karaoke ever.
Boston was one of the best classic rock bands around in the 70's and early 80's. "More Than a Feeling", "Peace of Mind", and "Rock & Roll Band" are the best on Greatest Hits, but the album is a scary one. It is dedicated to Alcoholics Anonymous and even features the song "Higher Power". I know AA works for some, but they don't release statistics so studies can prove it.
Brandi Carlile's "Thrown It All Away" is one of my favorite songs. Her voice and the rock/country sound draw me in and I just love it.
Bread's Anthology is camping out on my laptop because my friend told me that all the guys she knows like it a lot. I haven't made it all the way through, but chances are I won't agree with them. I'll find out for sure when I make it through, 20 tracks is enough to know for sure.
Brendan Benson's The Alternative to Love was a disappointment. "Cold Hands (Warm Heart) is one of the best pop songs I have ever heard, but Benson doesn't maintain enough momentum to make it through the entire album. "Spit It Out" and "Gold into Straw" standout amongst the others.
Brian McKnight's self-titled debut has been his best album. I spent many hours attempting to sing his songs correctly, but struggled because I am just too white and have no soul. His Take 6 roots predicted how some of the songs would flow, but overall "One Last Cry", "After the Love", his remake of Hall & Oates' "I Can't Go for That", "Never Felt This Way" and "Is the Feeling Gone" are great and some of the only r & b I can listen to and enjoy.
Bruce Cockburn's "Open" is one of those songs with a catchy bass line worth hearing. "Different When It Comes To You" is another well written song, something I have noticed a lot from him.
Born in the USA is one of those albums that has so many good songs on it that it's hard to remember what's on there. "Born in the USA", "I'm on Fire", and "Dancing in the Dark" are three of my favorite songs from the Boss. I didn't really listen to another Springsteen album until after 9/11 when Lonesome Day came out. I ended up liking this album more than the prior one. It's hard to find a bad song on this album because it is overrun with songs like "Empty Sky", "Waitin' on a Sunny Day", "Lonesome Day", "You're Missing", and "The Rising". It's amazing how such a horrible event and The Boss dealing with it through haunting visuals can actually turn out a positive vibe.
Bryan Adams' So Far So Good was one of the first albums I ever bought on compact disc. There are only a few disappointments and if you actually listened to music in the late 80s to early 90s, there's no reason to not have this album in your collection. The updated version has some songs not included on this album, but it gets so diluted that it's hard to have the will to make it through the album. So Far So Good is missing "All for Love" featuring Sting and Rod (Gag!) Stewart and "Have You Really Ever Loved A Woman", but has the best including "Everything I Do, I Do It For You", "Heaven", "Can't Stop This Thing We Started", "Please Forgive Me", "It's Only Love", and my favorite, "Do I Have To Say The Words".
Bush closes the B's out with "Glycerine", their song with the most 'buzz'. Time to bring on C.
posted by Ryan @ 7:41 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home