Bradley's Buzz

Random CDs

It's that time of the week again, where we look at a few random CDs - being inspired or uninspired I'm still not quite sure by last week's MTV Awards, we have a few winners and losers and nominees in the bunch this week, but being a Brad blog, it's MY choice of CDs so it's not exactly like a nominees special...

JAMES BLUNT - Back To Bedlam (2005; Atlantic/Custard)
I didn't want to like James Blunt, I don't know why but I didn't. Perhaps it was the Leivas loving the video so much - I do get jealous still when he notices other men exist in the world, or maybe it was the fact he was a crictical and air play darling, but once I just gave up and bought the CD I realized for once in the world of music, the people were right. Back To Bedlam is a really good album, clocking in under 40 minutes, it's just enough heartbreak, mourning and the like; any longer and you may want to kill yourself or someone near you. The lead single "You're Beautiful" and its haunting video is what captures the world but I ended up liking every single song on this album. The opening "High" is a bit of an inspiration at mid tempo acoustic guitar and drums, then onto the single, the beautiful and painful "Goodbye Lover" which is so simplistic yet so compelling. Those two words could pretty much some up Back To Bedlam and for anyone who thought the hype was well just that, I would ask you to check out the album. It's not just the ballad heartbreak mania of a "sensitive" guy but rather some really interesting if not random words and thoughts. A song called "Goodbye Jimmy" seems to be bidding goodbye to the good ol days of recording in your living room before stardom hits you, which seems a tad premature on a debut album but what do I know? There's sarcasm and bitterness thrown in almost everywhere and you know how much I like that. Definitely worth getting if you haven't already.

TYLER HILTON - The Tracks Of... (2004; Maverick)
This is a perfect combination with James Blunt; I first discovered this hottie (Yes I said it, this boy is HAWT)on MTV one night right after an Ashlee Simpson video ended. I thought for sure I was in for more pretty kid crap when his voice rang in and the song was not only good in a teeny way but actually excellant in an adult world. So I ran out to buy the album and found out everything I could about this young man who had my heart all in a tither. Finding out he was signed to Madonna's label and had secured that deal by calling into an LA radio show and performing only made me realize more how talented he is. Combining the sensitive yet so misunderstood trauma of the latest slew of pop punk boys and the like, his music is more lyrically driven, with acoustic guitars, a handful of real players, real drums, real guitars, you get it? It's for real man! The single "When It Comes" is what grabbed me but the humor of "The Letter Song" keeps the momentum going through the album. It's true, his sound is geared toward the top 40 of say 1991 perhaps, that doesn't mean the songs aren't catchy as all hell and not only is the music in a league so much more than teen pop, his voice full of scratches someone so young shouldn't have, makes you completely forget that this kid is on "One Tree Hill."

NELLY FURTADO - Whoa Nelly! (Dreamworks; 2000)
Whoa Nelly! was one of the very first CDs I bought when I got my first CD car stereo in my little blue Escort; I had loved the song "Turn Out The Lights" which I had heard on a magazine compilation then by the time I knew all the songs her real single hit the airwaves "I'm Like A Bird" and she was every where and the CD was put to rest. Now that she's all promiscuous with Timbaland, I thought I'd revisit the CD that made me a fan and wonder what went wrong with the girl. From the debut album I would never have seen her heading to the trip hop slutty imagery she's so happy carrying now, back then she was actually taking real chances by using her voice and some strange effects to create a new world of music; using bared soul for lyrics despite how young or ill effected that soul was; the songs were good and I was singing along through her pain, her sassiness, her beat changes and recollections of how life should be. If you want to hear the kootchy koo world of Nelly find her new album if you actually want to hear an actually interesting little album get this one.


DONNA SUMMER - The Wanderer (Geffen; 1980)
Ms. Summer was high and mighty in 1980 having just left long time label Casablanca and being signed as the second (behind John Lennon) at the newly formed Geffen Records. In tow with Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellote she kept up the momentum of her previous album Bad Girls, by moving into a rock direction. Realizing perhaps that disco was indeed gone and the dance floor was moving in a new direction, the trio kept it up. Opening with the poppy synth laden "The Wanderer" and weaving in and out of electronic pop/rock through the next songs, The Wanderer was another hit for Donna. The thing that had changed the most in her music however was what had changed in her own life, sometime between the recording of Bad Girls, a double album ode to the working girl of the streets, and the recording of this album, Donna found Jesus and became a Born Again Christian. The new found faith is found on this album, though probably only if you're looking for it - "Breakdown" and "Looking Up" both tell the tales of being/feeling awful and finding the light. In fact a lot of the songs find the woman as the protaganist in the song, my ultimate fav "Stop Me" changes melody a few times within it's 3 minutes as Donna tells her man, "I didn't know, I couldn't guess, If I only would've known, I never would've been in this mess.. stop me, stop me if you've this all before..." and the real lyrical throw back to earlier Donna is in "Nightlife", a synthy rock song about celebrating the only time she comes alive. The real rock song on the set "Cold Love" ended up being a single and I read not too long ago that it was voted one of the best rock songs ever. With full on guitars, Donna growls and cries through the song wondering where real love is. The album closes with an actually inspiring little ditty called "I Believe In Jesus" for any who may not have caught her little nods to the big JC through out the first few songs. When I was a kid I wasn't too big of a fan of this but now it kind of grows on me, it's not a full on gospel song by any means, instead it's a poppy retelling of Mary Had A Little Lamb ("wherever he goes, this lamb is sure to follow...") and it's actually not a bad way to end a pretty good record - though the slutty sassy Donna of Bad Girls is still missed.

HEART - Jupiter's Darling (2004; Sovereign Artists)
Opening with a rousing acoustic guitar, you are ready to hear the old world winds of "Magic Man" as Ann kicks in to sing, alas it's not "Magic Man" but for the sisters who have been making power packed rock since 1976, this is still a really welcome comeback. At 16 songs, the power and passion that is the Wilson sisters can end up being a little intimidating but for anyone who ever sang along with the likes of "Barracuda" or even "Dreamboat Annie", Jupiter's Darling is a great place to go. Ann proves she hasn't lost a bit of her vocal chops as she punches through "Make You" and then takes it down four notches for "The Perfect Goodbye", and ever since she proved what she can do on a lead with 1985's "These Dreams" Nancy (Mrs. Cameron Crowe if you're nasty) gets a few songs of her own, most notably on the acoustic "Things".
OK GO - Oh No (2005; Capitol)
One night very late I got a video for a song called "Get Over It" by OK Go, it was the perfectly produced pop punk that so many mans are doing in the wake of Green Day and I didn't really expect much but as the video continued, I became a tad bit interested. I liked it and I couldn't believe it. Then a few months later I was at Amoeba Records (Heaven on Earth) and bought a bunch of CDs including many discounted CDs, when I got to the counter they informed me that I got another discounted CD for free because of the amount of items I had, not wanting to wade through the gazillion CDs again, I remembered that I had seen the OK Go album so I ran back and got it. I was more than pleasantly surprised to find out that that debut CD was the best album I had heard in a long time. Completely blown out of the water. The single was just as good as I remembered, but that was only the beginning. Someday I'll review that one but for today, we're here at their second album and because I loved the first one so much I did run out and buy Oh No the minute it came out. But I must admit I wasn't as interested as I had been. The same feelings are still there for the most part - a power produced bunch of punky pop talking about girls, bad girls, good girls, the girls who done wrong, the girls who were done wrong and the like but it didn't strike me and pin me up against a wall like the first one. But then they did that clever video for "Here It Goes Again" and I brought this CD out of the dust bin and what do you know, now I really like it and can't stop listening to it. Opening with "Invincible" - the first single, and moving on one pop punky gem after another, the album has suddenly grown on me. Now I'm not saying this is classic by any means, and to me it's not even as good as the first one, but for pure power pop this is great to hear with the wind blowing through your hair and your fist in the air.

and the CD highlight award goes to:

P!NK - Try This (Arista; 2003)
For Try This, P!nk opted to continue in the vein of previous singles like "Don't Let Me Get Me" and bring her music up a rocking notch or two, so she took the help of Tim Armstrong of Rancid, and came up with a damn fine album. Not quite as meandering as her latest album, this album does have the hippity hoppity fun of dance in songs like "God Is A DJ" but with the opening rock hit of "Trouble" and the poppy stylings of "Walk Away" and "Save My Life" this isn't anywhere near that first album she put out there. There's even a Peaches duet for crying out loud on the soothing and oh so gritty "Oh My God"; and of course Pink's raspy laced attitude is everywhere from the searing opener to the ballady closer. To me, Pink is the talent that is going to outlast them all and this is the album that everyone should own.

posted by swivek @ 11:50 AM