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Recently, I was all a ga-ga about the bounty of new music from Madonna, Cyndi, Alanis and Aimee. I said I would post a review of all, after I listened to them for a while.
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Cyndi Lauper ~ "Bring Ya To The Brink"
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This is one of the best albums that has come out in years and I have already listened to it more the 40 times. (according to the track counter on my ipod). The songs are instantly memorable and you want to hit repeat right away. It is a mix of 70's and 80's disco with the music of today and Cyndi went to the "It" DJs and collaborated from the start. It seems very familiar and fresh all at the same time. The best uptempo tracks are: "Into the Night Life", "Echo", and "Grab A Hold". The two ballads "Rain On Me" and "Can't Breathe" bring chills and are as fantastic as any of her classic ballads she did from the early years. All you need to do is click play and you just feel like dancing all the way 'til the end. Look for it on my end of the year "Best Of Everything Awards". Something groundbreaking would have to come out to top this. It's pure energy and fab-freaking-tastic.
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5 stars / 5 stars
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Alanis Morrisette ~ "Flavors Of Entanglement"
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Alanis makes great music when she sings about heartbreak and disappointment. This album has turned out to be very much like "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie" (my favorite of her album) It is moody, thought provoking and epic in scale. Stand out tracks are: "Underneath", "Moratorium" and especially "In Praise Of The Vulnerable Man". I have always said that Alanis writes more like a poet than a songwriter and in my opinion this album takes her back to when she was at her best. Great all around and I am loving it more with each play. Rating will probably go up over time.
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4.0 Stars / 5 Stars
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Aimee Mann ~ "@#%&*! Smilers"
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First off, let me state that I love everything that Aimee does. Some of her stuff gets played more than others but it is always great. This album reminds me of "Bachelor # 2 (or the last remains of the dodo)." Another step back to a better time and sound. Like that album from 2000, I have a feeling that this album will be getting a lot of airplay at my house over the next couple of years. It is classic Aimee. Some of her last few albums, while great, didn't have the same feel or energy as her best work. Stand out tracks is hard to pick because they are really all so great. Aimee's albums tend to work best as a story that you start from the beginning and listen til the end. That being said, the best are: "Freeway", "31 Today" & "Columbus Avenue".
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4.5 Stars / 5 Stars
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Madonna ~ "Hard Candy"
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Where do I begin? When I heard over a year ago that Madonna was producing tracks with Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell, I was very skeptical. I really can't stand the music that has been popular on the radio over the past few years. I feared that this new album would be a generic hip hop mess. And it is. Granted, there are some catchy songs here, but the element that seems missing is Madonna. She always seems to be right ahead of the curve and works with the most up and coming people. This times it feels like a giant step back and there seems to be a lack of soul to it all. The first single "4 Minutes" is very catchy and the follow up singles "Give It To Me" will be rocking the dance clubs for a good while. There is only one song that feels like a Madonna song and that is the lovely "Miles Away". The rest of the album seems like demo tracks, that are not finished, or are b-sides. Two of the tracks are atrocious and laughably bad. ("Candy Shop" & "Spanish Lesson") "Spanish Lesson" is quite possibly Madonna's worst song ever. The biggest problem with this album is that you could simply slip any one of the generic female singers into these tracks. They could just have easily had been done by Nelly Furtado, Rhianna or Fergie. Always, in the past a Madonna album has always distinctively been a Madonna album. Where Cyndi, Alanis and Aimee stepped back and relived some of their best work, Madonna stepped back and stepped in it. Just get the 3 tracks: "4 Minutes", "Give It To Me" and "Miles Away" and skip the rest. Over time, this could easily become my least favorite Madonna album. That is a shame, coming right after her fantastic 5 Star "Confessions On A Dance Floor."
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2 Stars / 5 Stars (Due, to the only three songs that do work)
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Kaskade ~ "Strobelite Seduction" + His Entire Catalog
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Kaskade is the performing name for Ryan Raddon, a dj from San Fran. I got the new album "Strobelite Seduction" about a week ago and thoroughly enjoy the entire thing. He uses both male and female guest vocalists and the songs are both rhythmic and soothing at the same time. He remind me of Delerium and ATB. I have a few tracks of his, that I got over the past few years. After I listened to this new album and discovered how consistent his work was, I went on a hunt. I tracked down his other four albums. All I can say is WOW. Every track on every album is really good and original. A lot of DJs or professional remixers have a small bag of tricks that get played out over and over. Kaskade is a true original and is very talented. This is no faker. What is so great about his music is that, you can turn it up loud and bop out around the room or you can play at a lower level and it would be great mood music in the background of a cool cocktail party. On top of every thing else, he is totally HOT, too. Instead of picking out a few standout tracks, I want to suggest getting his entire catalog and put all 5 of his cds into a play list on whatever mp3 player you use and hit shuffle. You'll have over four hours of continued bliss, I promise. His other albums are: "Love Mysterious", "The Calm", "In This Moment" and "It's You, It's Me".
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All 5 Albums
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4.5 Stars / 5 Stars (Across The Board)
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