Category: CD Reviews (Page 354 of 399)

American Idol: And Then There Were Three

May 17, 2006 / Mike Farley

Three contestants left, only four episodes remaining of one of the most popular reality TV shows, and thankfully, only one more week of Ryan Seacrest….that is, until he pops up somewhere else. I’m guessing the folks at “Wheel of Fortune” are waiting for Pat Sajak to retire already so they can stick someone like Seacrest in his place.

Anyway, last night the final three performed, and each did three songs chosen by different people. Legendary music industry executive Clive Davis was on hand and chose the first song for each of them. Then each judge chose one song for one designated Idol. Finally, they each were able to choose their own song. So how did it shake out? Let’s go to the Marley Videotape……

Elliott Yamin

I’ve been writing this blog for four months and I still don’t know for sure if Elliott’s name has one “t” or two. Do I care? No. If I did, I’d probably be wearing a suit and telling people what to write in this blog instead of writing it myself. But anyway…

Elliott started out with Journey’s “Open Arms,” the Clive Davis choice….it was a pretty good selection but Elliott seemed to try a little too hard. Simon even suggested that Elliott needs to loosen up a bit. Paula Abdul got to pick Elliott’s second song, which was Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do For Love”…and what I thought was the perfect song for Elliott. Randy said it was sharp in spots, but Simon declared it as “really good.” His last selection was “I Believe in My Soul,” the old Ray Charles song that was re-cut by one of Elliott’s heroes, Donny Hathaway. Randy said it wasn’t perfect but that there is not doubt Elliott can sing well. Simon said it was good but predicted that this would be the end of the competition for Elliott.

Katharine McPhee

Katharine started out with Clive Davis’ choice, R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly.” For some reason it seemed a bit disjointed but we all know Katharine can sing her ass off. Randy even said it wasn’t quite right and Simon made mention that he’s still waiting for Katharine to create a special moment on the show. Paula Abdul was once again drunk. Katharine’s second song was “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” which Simon Cowell chose for her. Simon wanted his moment, and Katharine delivered it. Holy crap, was that awesome. Randy and Simon both said it was the best vocal so far of the entire competition….that’s a stretch, but it was damn good. Katharine finished with Ella Fitzgerald’s “I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But the Blues” and while it was a bit of a reach, she pulled it off okay. Look for Katharine to make it to the final based solely on her second performance last night.

Taylor Hicks

Taylor started out with Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” and you could almost see the expression on his face toward Clive Davis, saying “Come on, old man, that’s the best you could do?” Instead he did the right think and respectfully thanked him, then went out and did the song and Davis proud. He had a lot of fun, as always, and even dragged Paula up to dance ala Springsteen and Courtney Cox in the video. Did I mention Paula was drunk? Randy Jackson chose Taylor’s second song, Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful,” and it was the perfect song for him. Simon said it was his best performance yet. He closed with “Try a Little Tenderness”…..which Paula said was incredible and to which Simon declared, “See you next week.”

So there you have it….it appears, at least on paper, that Elliott Yamin will finally be exiting “American Idol” after hanging in there for so long. But we’ve all been wrong before, so you really never know. Let’s remember that we all thought Chris Daughtry would surely be in the finals and got booted off last week. Mrs. Marley kept reminding me of that during the show, just in case I had forgotten.

I still think Taylor Hicks is going to be the next American Idol, but if he doesn’t stop that “Soul Patrol” thing, I’m going to drive Buffybot to the river to drown those kittens. Dude, is someone pulling a string every time you finish a song? “Soul Patrol, Soul Patrol, Soul Patrol!” Okay, we GET it.

See you all tomorrow, and till then,

Marley, OUT.

American Idol, Pop, Rock

“Chrs wuz robd”: American Idol fans smell conspiracy

May 13, 2006 / David Medsker

Rumors are swirling that callers who intended to vote for Chris Daughtry this week received a personal thank you…from Katharine McPhee. While I’m the first to admit to having a conspiratorial, paranoid mind, I also think that there’s something to this one.

Here’s the way I see it: the producers of “AI” were facing the possibility of three white males in the finals, as McPhee had begun to falter week after week. Knowing that having three males in the finals would bring claims from numerous groups that they’re chauvanist white devils, not to mention the possibility of low ratings as a result of the finals being a landslide, the producers took the show’s best candidate for Idol winner and threw him under the bus. According to my wife Happy Goth, they’re doing something similar in “The Amazing Race.” Whenever the hippies finished last — which has happened twice — it just so happened to be a non-elimination round. They are now one of the final three teams. The hippies are supposedly great television. Their survival cannot be a coincidence.

But here’s the part the “AI” people didn’t consider: if Taylor Hicks wins — and for God knows what reason, he is now the odds-on favorite — it will kill the show, because they will lose any and all credibility they may have had. The only way the show survives at this point is if Elliott goes the distance. Still, even if does win it all, he’ll be the Ruben to Chris’ Clay.

Really, Mr. Fuller. Would it have been so bad for three dudes to be in the finals?

American Idol, Pop

A perfect reason why even indepedent labels sometimes deserve a punch in the nose

May 12, 2006 / Will Harris

Lost Highway Records is, on June 27th, reissuing Van Morrison’s “Pay the Devil” album, adding a bonus DVD which features Van the Man performing four songs live.

Hey, great! Thanks, Lost Highway! Oh, and a very special thank-you for doing that LESS THAN FOUR MONTHS after the album was initially released! That way, you’ll make sure to totally fuck over the fans who bought the album when it came out in the first place…!

Okay, I admit it, this shouldn’t bother me as much as it does, given that I got a promo copy so that I could review it; really, this’ll be the first time I’ve actually put money in Van’s pockets…or, more realistically, Lost Highway’s pockets. This isn’t the first time they’ve pulled a stunt like this; they did the same thing with Elvis Costello’s “The Delivery Man,” although at least they waited six months to do it, and they included seven extra tracks and a DVD. But no matter how much more you add, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s totally fleecing the fans who went out of their way to support one of their favorite artists as soon as the album hit stores. (I had to laugh when I looked at the Amazon listing for the expanded version of “The Delivery Man,” where someone commented, “I think I’ll wait for the Rykodisc reissue, which should be out in time for Christmas 2005. Rumor has it that it will include the little-heard Elvis demo entitled, ‘Shilling the Rubes Was Never This Fun.'”)

So, seriously, Lost Highway: why do you do this? We love the music, but this treatment is simply unacceptable.

Artists, Music Labels, Rock

It’s a good summer for fans of old-school country

May 12, 2006 / Will Harris

If you’re an aficionado of the outlaws of country, you’re probably already psyched about the two Johnny Cash sets scheduled to come out between now and the 4th of July…but here’s another release to get you going: Atlantic Records is releasing a 3-CD box set of Willie Nelson’s work for the label.

First, there’s Shotgun Willie, which was recorded in Atlantic’s Broadway studio, in New York City and features Nelson’s legendary recording of “Whiskey River,” as well as two Bob Wills songs, “Stay All Night (Stay A Little Bit Longer)” and “Bubbles in My Beer.”

The follow-up, Phases and Stages, was knocked out in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, produced by Jerry Wexler, and it’s a classic Nelson concept album about the end of a marriage…half from the man’s point of view, half from the woman’s.

The third disc is a live album taken from performances recorded at the Texas Opry House; journalist Chet Flippo attended the shows in question, and he declares that “they remain probably the highlights of any Willie concert I have ever seen. The audience was raw and eager for whatever Willie could throw at them, and he did just that. He was at the absolute height of his powers and clearly savored his newfound sense of freedom, and he threw down song after song with defiance and total confidence.”

Man oh man, I can’t wait to hear this stuff…

Artists, Concert CDs, Country

American Idol: The Rocker Goes Home

May 11, 2006 / Mike Farley

I don’t think any of us saw this coming. Not me, not Mrs. Marley, and not any of the judges on “American Idol.” Chris Daughtry, the resident rocker on the show, was sent home last night after two really good performances on Tuesday night.

It just goes to show a few things…..America is in love with Taylor Hicks and he’s still the favorite to win…..Katharine’s hotness saved her because her singing sure didn’t…..and Elliott came to bat twice on Tuesday night and twice hit the ball way out of the park. (Did Barry Bonds loan Elliott some of “the clear” this week?)

Seriously though, I think everyone was sure it would be Elliott before Tuesday, then everyone had to shift that thinking to Katharine, because she just didn’t bring it on Tuesday.

Before they got to the results, they had to, as usual, fill up like 25 minutes. So they showed more of the Idols at Graceland with Priscilla and with Lisa Marie. Yesterday I commented on the grape-by-way-of-raisin face on Priscilla…but yesterday noticed the outfit and her bulging belly coming through it. What was that exactly? Beer? A baby? Or is she hiding Elvis in there? Either way, it was a little disturbing.

Then the top two were announced, Taylor and Elliott…..and Katharine and Chris were the bottom two.
But for some reason, you had to believe it would be Katharine, and it was a bit shocking when Ryan Seacrest sent Chris home. I think even Chris was in shock, and he should be……he had to know he blew Katharine off the stage on Tuesday. But oh well….the bottom line is that some label is going to sign Chris anyway, probably in the next 10 days if they are able to.

So your remaining 3 are Taylor Hicks, Elliott Yamin and Katharine McPhee…….wow, it’s hard to believe that Mandisa and Chris didn’t make it this far, but great voices aren’t everything….sometimes it’s looks, and sometimes it’s how you perform on any given night or nights.

We’re almost there folks…..from thousands of hopefuls down to just three. And one of them will be crowned the fifth American Idol in a couple of weeks. Who will it be? The way things are going, you just never know….so see you all next week.

Marley, OUT