Album Review

Ever since I really started listening to music, Everclear has been my favorite band. Their perfect mix of rock, alternative, and pop combined with straightforward honest lyrics covering a full span of raw emotions makes their music applicable for any mood. Art Alexakis is the only remaining member of the original band, but as lead singer and songwriter, for all intents and purposes he IS Everclear.

“In A Different Light” features re-recordings of many of Everclear’s best songs from the 90′s and 00′s. It’s somewhere between a greatest hits album and a remix album, but rather than completely overhauling each song, the sound has been ‘tweaked’ to give a slightly different feel. In general, the lyrics to all the songs are identical (save for a few minor word changes), but the timing, tone, and emphasis are completely new. Most songs have a softer, stripped down feel compared to the originals, yet no so much so that they become dull. It is also refreshing to hear cleaner, polished versions of older grungy songs such as Santa Monica and Fire Maple Song, even if they don’t seem to convey as much emotion. Really, none of these updated versions can compare to the originals, but they are still very nice to listen to, especially for Everclear fans such as myself. This collection is almost a curiosity, but one that does not disappoint. Two new songs also accompanied on the album, At The End Of The Day & Here Comes The Darkness, and these are also pleasant to listen to. Everclear’s “In A Different Light” is a unique type of album, and those who are familiar with the songs reworked here will surely enjoy it.

I’d like to think I was the very first person to purchase this album, since I was able to buy it one day in advance of its release at the first show of Everclear’s latest tour, and I was pretty much the first person to arrive at the venue. Being the first to arrive also meant I was front row center for the concert and got to take home a guitar pick and set list as souvenirs. The next best thing about concerts, after seeing your favorite band play, is taking home memorabilia! Art Alexakis was also available to meet and give out autographs (he signed my album cover, as you can see above), which was actually really cool of him. Of all the concerts I have been to, the main act has never been available to meet. And as it turns out, he’s a really friendly guy. In all, it was an excellent concert, and I was glad I finally got to see them live, despite that the lineup is different than the Everclear I grew up on.

Album Review

From the echoing beginning to its overall airy, uplifting sound, this band is like the Angels & Airwaves of 2001. Certain songs had parts I didn’t like, parts that seemed random & out of place. But often this was quickly offset by something cool which made me like the song again. Songs tend to start off slow, but quickly gain momentum, like “Smile”. “Chloroform The One You Love” is a nice catchy single overall. It ends in a mess of sound, and I’m not sure about how I like the lyrics either, but again, it’s a pleasant listen. This album definitely has a grungy, alternative rock feel, very typical of the 90′s. It almost feels underproduced, but is quite nice to listen to. “Got A Feeling” is an amazing song.

Album Review

I must begin this by saying that Celine Dion is simply an amazing singer. She can express power and emotion more than any other female solo singer I have heard. Her 1996 album, Falling Into You, is one of my all time favorites. While not at the same level as that previous album, One Heart is still a decent album. Some songs stand out, some songs are just average, some songs feel lacking. The album seems to have roughly the same number of songs in each category.

The one song that stands out the most is the A Cappella version of I Drove All Night. If anyone doubts Celine’s singing ability, just listen to this song. As an a cappella song, it lacks background music so all there is to listen to is her voice, and wow is it impressive. Her amazing vocal range is demonstrated by the crisp high notes reached with such seeming ease. As the final song to this mostly mid range album, it just seems to prove all she can do to those that may doubt.

The handful of the “stand-out” songs that are present on the album are certainly worthwhile to listen to, but like most of her albums, other songs don’t feel as strong & just aren’t worth the listen. Even still, given Celine Dion’s ability to express such uplifting feelings in her songs, it would be a shame to overlook the good ones present here.

Album Review

“Music From Big Pink” starts off with a sad sounding first song, and never really lets up. Every song has a slow, saddened, bluesy, southern feel to it. The music is very good for what it is, but there is very little “rock” here. “The Weight” is an excellent song, one which I highly recommend to all; this was the song which made me listen to the entire album in the first place. “Lonesome Suzie” is not bad listen either. Overall, the songs are very emotional and mellow, perfect for laid back background music that doesn’t require much mental work.

Album Review

Further along on my Eric Clapton musical album tour, I took a listen to “Fresh Cream.” Released in 1966, it most definitely has a 60′s sound to it, which I can only best describe as “strange.” As is typical for this era of music, the guitars sounded great. There are many excellent solos throughout many of the songs, but none of them really dominate the song, nor are they very memorable afterward. The album may have been noteworthy at the time, but now it simply sounds like generic 60′s music. The band is most definitely talented, and certainly distinguished themselves from the other “pop” artists at the time, but listening to it now in 2008, there isn’t anything here that amazed me.

Album Review

Up until only a few months ago, the only Eric Clapton songs I was familiar with were the overplayed popular hits of his solo career during the late 90s: Wonderful Tonight and Tears In Heaven. While both are amazing songs, I never gave the artist usually associated with my parents generation much further interest. However, after reading Eric Claptons autobiography this weekend, I was inspired to listen to some of his older material. From my reading, Claptons time playing under the band name Derek & The Dominos seemed to be a highlight of his career, a time when he was able to have the most fun and musical creativity just carelessly jamming with fellow musicians.

And of course, I already loved the song Layla. Layla is one of my favorite songs of all time and as a result I didnt expect the rest of the album to live up to quite that level, but I was hoping to hear at least a few more decently good songs. Much to my excitement, the album exceeded my expectations. Overall, the album is excellent. There are some very good tracks here. Some are slower like Bell Bottom Blues and Nobody Knows, but these are balanced by much faster ones such as Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad. The guitaring, needless to say, is amazing. On the Keep On Growing solo, the last two minutes are full of such quality sound & depth that I wish the solo wouldnt end. It is surely a treat to listen to. Similarly, Key To The Highway is basically one non stop solo that stretches on for nearly ten minutes, yet, I hardly noticed the lengthiness at all because it was so captivating.

Derek and the Dominos was formed in 1970 by Eric Clapton along with Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle, and Jim Gordon, who had all played in the band for Delaney & Bonnie. Duane Allman, of The Allman Brothers Band, joined as well later on. It is a shame that the band dissolved due to band member differences soon after this album was released, because I would have loved to hear more of what they could have produced.

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs is an excellent 70s album, highly recommended for any true fan of rock.