Category: Pop (Page 100 of 216)

Great Big Sea: Fortune’s Favour

November 24, 2008 /

Newfoundland’s finest return for their 10th album, this time with producer Hawksley Workman in tow, and though nothing on Fortune’s Favour is unexpected – the band long ago got its act down to a science, if not an art – none of it disappoints, either. Since making its American “breakthrough” in the mid-to-late ‘90s, Great Big Sea has occasionally seemed unsure of which direction to follow – some sets found them tilting a little too heavily toward the pop end of the spectrum at the expense of the trad-folk elements of their sound that make them so unique – but as their U.S. sales have dwindled over the last five or six years, their focus has improved, and this album is as sure-footed as anything they’ve released since Turn. It does present a somewhat mellower picture of the band than some longtime fans may be comfortable with, but that’s appropriate; Great Big Sea’s music has always played on the tension between love of home and love of the road, and if their songs get sweeter and softer with age, it’s probably only par for the course. The album is bookended with a pair of killer cuts (“Love Me Tonight,” “Straight to Hell”), and manages to get through 14 tracks without ever really sagging in between. A no-frills DVD of studio footage is thrown in as a value-added bonus, but unless your idea of fun is watching the band fart around between takes, there’s no reason to buy this other than the music – and thankfully, it’s more than strong enough to stand on its own. (Great Big Sea 2008)

Great Big Sea MySpace page

CD Reviews, Folk, Pop, Rock

Leo: Leo

November 24, 2008 /

This export from Sweden may have a hard time finding wide acceptance over here in the States. There’s something about the three songs on this debut EP that just doesn’t seem to translate well over the speakers. Leo Nielsen’s voice is fine and strong enough, but he seems to be squandering his talents on overdone performances. The first track here, “Let Go (John’s Song)” is a dramatically sappy piece of pop vocalizing, and by the time it’s all over, Leo’s pleading may have you ripping your hair out. “Don’t Ask” really pushes the meters into the red, while Nielsen’s voice misses many notes consistently, while his own layered backing vocals continue to bring down the song. If ever you wanted to hear a guy really try way too hard, then this is your chance. On the other hand, “Fade” is syrupy enough that it seems like it would strike the right chord in the heart of a gal in her late teens. That’s not saying much, considering we already have enough of that kind of stuff (and far better, for that matter) already clogging the charts. (self-released)

Leo MySpace page

CD Reviews, Pop, Soul, Videos

Popdose’s Top 100 songs of the past 50 years: less vomit-inducing than Billboard’s list

November 24, 2008 /

It started as a simple “can you believe this?” post and soon morphed into a battle cry. Billboard announced their all-time songs of the Billboard era, and Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” topped the list (the song actually topped Billboard’s singles chart twice), followed by such timeless classics as “Smooth,” “How Do I Live,” “Macarena,” “We Belong Together” and “Un-Break My Heart.”

The Popdose staff, needless to say, was not amused.

And so, we (ESD writers David Medsker, Will Harris, Jeff Giles, Michael Fortes and Mojo Flucke, PhD are all Popdose contributors) set off to create our own list, one that would surely be just as flawed as Billboard’s list – women and non-whites are woefully underrepresented – but would have infinitely better taste. In the end, I think our list is a grand example of our extreme whiteness, but also a damned fine list. I’m still pissed that “The Air That I Breathe” didn’t make the cut, though.

To view Popdose’s Top 100 songs of the past 50 years, click here.

Alternative, Americana, Artists, Blues, Dance, Lists, Metal, Pop, Power Pop, R&B, Rap, Rock, Songs, Soul

Taxi Doll: Here and Now

November 14, 2008 /

Taxi Doll combine rock music (and a hot female lead singer) with electronica in a way that may draw comparisons to Garbage. In fact they describe themselves as “Garbage meets Blondie.” However, the reality is that they are more like Garbage minus Blondie in that they have much of the electronic sound and high production quality of Garbage, but forgot to add the edgy attitude and dark side that Shirley Manson and company are so well known for. Not only does the band lack attitude on their debut album Here and Now, they are also lacking anything that remotely resembles something close to memorable, good or bad. This album is the sound of “blah”, sonic beige wallpaper, utterly forgettable and harmless. It lacks the punch of better electronic pop music like Robyn and also lacks the ear-splitting awfulness of over-produced debacles like Katy Perry. If you hate pop music you’re not going to be driven crazy by Taxi Doll, and if you like pop music there’s nothing you’ll go crazy over. Taxi Doll is a suitable name, because this is a group that has about as much emotion and depth as a plastic Barbie doll. (Antidote 2008)

Taxi Doll MySpace Page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Electronica, Pop

Sandra McCracken: Red Balloon

November 14, 2008 /

Derek Webb’s better half has raised her Q factor considerably this year, first with the dazzling Ampersand EP with husband Webb and now Red Balloon, her sixth solo album. Split into two sides – literally, the album contains two CDs, each housing five songs – the album features the kind of wistful acoustic pop that Sheryl Crow might make after listening to a bunch of Sarah McLachlan records, though Crow hasn’t written a song as catchy as “Lock and Key” or “On the Outside” in years. Sometimes the album gets a tad too maudlin, as on “Saturn’s Fields,” but there is no denying that McCracken is a gifted singer and songwriter in an age where anyone with a guitar and a notebook filled with Dear John letters fancies him or herself a gifted songwriter. That she’s not playing these songs on a larger stage is borderline criminal. (Sandra McCracken Music)

Sandra McCracken MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Folk, Pop

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