Reviews Written by Sam
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April 27, 2007
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April 27, 2007
... MOST UNDERRATED BAND OF ALL TIME ...
Pros: ... Best Steely Dan Album ...
Cons: ... Least-Lauded Steely Dan Album ...
... Of all the albums Steely Dan, my favorite artist PERIOD, has released, The Royal Scam is my favorite ... Unfortunately, the only credit this album seems to reel-in is the amazing guitar solo of "Kid Charlemagne" often cited on top-10 lists ... However, this album holds much more for those willing to listen past all the hype ...
... I guess it's the breadth of subject material that amazes me so much; yet even still, they manage to pull-off a cohesive album with ebb & flow; From the historical marveling of "The Caves of Altimira", to the emotional frenzy of "Don't Take Me Alive", to the tounge-in-cheek "The Fez", and the zany "Green Earings" (with that incredible drum-break), into the exotic "Hatian Divorce", onto the hillarious-twist-at-the-end of "Everything You Did", and the mystic "The Royal Scam": this album has it-all ... And I didn't even mention any lyrics ... ...
... Lyrical Mastery is what keeps Steely Dan ahead of any artist, any day ... Many of their lyrics are based in historical events and places ... They know how to keep a story open to interpretation without being obvious: making what may be an otherwise dated story immortal ... And if this weren't enough, their musical arrangments and execution are second-to-none ... They've always employed a Jazz-Based chord vocabulary in their writing which seales their lyrics extravagantly for generations to come ...
... In all honesty, I adore all of Steely Dan's Albums; it's just that I think this one exemplifies them at their most diverse and is therefore 'the album' to introduce people to ...
... I believe much of the reason Steely Dan never became the premier pop group of the 70s was in-part due to the vocals of Donald Fagen ... His voice is: say, unique, with raspy overtones ... However, I've always enjoyed it's yearning and wheeling qualities ... Unfortunately many people of my parents' hey-day didn't agree ...
... I can't reccomend this album enough ... It's among the best values in recorded music ... -
April 27, 2007
... AGAINST THE ODDS ...
Pros: ... Unmatched Lyrical Density ...
Cons: ... Leaked Album Hurt Playlist ...
... This album is my favorite Hip-Hop Album of 2006 ... Actually, with one leaked album, and this studio production, this artist is now my favorite Hip-Hop artist PERIOD. [His raw energy gives him an edge on Common] ...
... I have never heard an artist with so much lyrical depth; I am still deciphering metaphors, laughing at imagery, subdued by deep connections and floored with homonym-use ... This man is something like A GENIUS ... All the hits you may have heard on-air like "Kick-Push, I Gotcha, and Daydreamin'" are just the tip of this lyrical lancet ... Songs like "Just Might Be Okay" and "Pressure" really put his deft lyricism on display ...
... Unfortunately, the album leaked and many of the songs I was hoping to hear released, were never put on the album ... These include "The Alternate "Intro"", Ghetto Story", and "A Hustlaz Song" ... These are now delegated to the realm of underground-classics ... ...
... This is still a very strong album that will stand the test of time; However, with the inclusion of a handful of leaked songs, especially the original "intro", this album may have come-in second on my list of top Hip-Hop albums: Right after Common's Resurrection ... -
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road [Deluxe Edition]
by Elton John | MusicPrice: $16.98 to $23.99 Compare PricesApril 27, 2007
... AMONG THE GREATEST ...
Pros: ... Surround Format Is Amazing ...
Cons: ... Have Only Heard Surround In 48khz ...
... Although I don't own this title on SACD (I have the DVD-A version) I've been hearing that the 2 formats are pretty similar in sound with minor differences in overall texture [SACD - More bloom: a smoother sound; DVD-A - Punchier Bass, More Analytical Sound]; Both versions are very poplular, with SACD having the edge, so for the sake of novelty, I'll be reviewing the DVD-A version ...
Basically, this album is Classic ... There isn't too much that can be said about the music containted that hasn't already been said ... However if you've owned the Vinyl LP and/or the CD verison (I have), you're in for a real suprise ...
The album's 96khz stereo track sounds almost like an analog recording !! ... a real standout is the beautiful timbre of the brass synth in the song "All The Young Girls Love Alice" ... The emotion conveyed in "I've Seen That Movie Too" is almost too-moving ... This album just drips with lyricism ...
However, the real treat here is the surround mix ... The synths that blare from the center channel of "Funeral For A Friend" (the opening track) are a real ear-opener ... They foreshadow something really-special to come ... This is some of the best surround-mixing I've heard period ... The engineers basically created a new piece of art from a classic album ... And the clarity is astounding [that's only in 48khz !!]
... I discovered this album in my father's LP collection a long time ago, and it has remained one of my favorite pieces of art ... The difference in hearing the CD v. Surround Mix are like night & day ... I was actually dissapointed with the CD mix after listening to the LP for so long, but it seems that this album has finally gotten it's digital justice ! ... If you love the CD, you will adore this Mix ... Do yourself a favor, and put it on your list !! ...
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... A NEW LANGUAGE ...
Pros: ... A NEW LEVEL OF MODALITY ...
Cons: ... MAY BE A PUT-OFF THE FIRST FEW LISTENS ...
... This Album has created a new language for me ... I haven't heard any other Allan Holdsworth albums, so maybe this is nothing new for those who've been following him; but just-as John Coltrane and Kenny Garrett basically created new languages or dialects within Music, I feel this album presents another landmark ...
... There are no words to describe this music ... You must hear it and internalize it ... It's from another place ... ...