Eminem - Recovery

When wickedplaylist.com author Lucy Gray first told me Eminem’s new album Recovery was his best ever I was certainly a little skeptical. 8 Mile was an amazing album and if you didn’t like it, you probably just don’t like the genre. Can I get a “I like everything buy rap and country” up in here?

Needless to say, I was interested in hearing the album based on Lucy’s comments so I transferred it to my DROID to check out. The first time I listened to Recovery it was me and my almost two year old daughter in the kitchen. I plugged the DROID in to the kitchen system and started listening. I was cooking along and my daughter was dancing to the beat. It was a great time. A great time until my wife walked in and heard the lyrics and then, well we decided this album should get a “older than 2″ rating.

In the short amount of time I heard Recovery I knew it had some songs I liked. The next attempt to listen to it was during a Sunday afternoon yard work extravaganza. The temperature was a cool 97 degrees and the breeze was absent like a football player with 9 kids. What, you pictured me doing this in a music studio with strippers dancing behind me as I listen to music and artists tossing 100’s at me while chanting “wicked rain”? Yea, sorry, that is only in my head, not in the real world.

Anyway, as I am listening to Recovery, I hear some pretty good stuff. You know, I just heard Pink and now Eminem is sampling some Ozzy “Changes”. At this point, it is already better than his last CD. But then something interesting happens. “Not Afraid” comes on. For me, the entire album changes now. “Not Afraid” and Seduction are pretty good but then we get to stretch of 3 number 1’s in my opinion. The first is No Love featuring Lil Wayne and sampling Haddaway’s “What is Love”. Amazing song and equally amazing sample of “What is Love”, which is a song I remember sitting in my bedroom, listening to radio station recordings, hoping I could find it.

The next song up is “Space Bound”. An ode to love and pain and all the things that come with being vulnerable. The difference here is the phenomenal hook sung by Steve McEwan and Eminem’s usual lyrical prowess. “Love is Evil, spell it backwards and I’ll show you” is just one of his thought provoking and moment of clarity type lyrics.

As much as I liked those two songs, I almost missed the third one in the group because I kept hitting rewind. “Cinderella Man” is a great song with Queen type beat, amazing hook and some really truthful lyrics from Eminem. Not many musicians will basically apologize for their last CD. Eminem does just that with the line, “fuck my last CD that shits in the trash”. This is the kind of lyric I personally expect from Eminem. He has always been truthful in his rhymes even if that truth isn’t the easiest thing to say.

This all comes back to the question, is this Eminem’s best album? Well, best is a pretty subjective term. I mean reviewing and critiquing art is really nothing more than one persons opinion anyway. Short of divulging my cd buys, single buys, current economic climate, and record company hype dollars formula, I will just say this. If Recovery is Eminem’s best album, it isn’t far off. If you like Eminem, you should like Recovery.

I have been listening to a ton of The Avett Brothers lately. They are currently resting comfortably in my list of top 5 bands of all time. They are way to complex to dissect in this quick post, but damn I love them.

I am also looking forward to the new Kings of Leon album. I have been listening to the song “Southland” from it, thanks to our good friend Lucy Gray.

The new Band of Horses album, Infinite Arms, is also very intriguing. It has some really good songs. The last song on it, “Neighbor”, is currently my favorite. Hard not to like a song with the line, “If Bartles and James didn’t need no first names, we could live by our own laws and favor”.

Some really good music coming out lately, check them out. If you aren’t gonna buy an album, buy a ticket, a t-shirt, or maybe even a beer glass.

Train Company

The first time I heard Train Company was about 7am one morning while driving in the cold and pouring rain. The windshield wipers and blurry red brake lights in front of me, combined with the silky saxophone whispers jumping from my speakers, reminded me of walking out of a smokey downtown club, flipping up my collar against the cold night air, and strolling down the boulevard to my next haunt. That was a pleasant distraction from rainy Atlanta traffic and an introduction to an interesting new band, Train Company.

Working their way around the Chicago music scene, Train Company is headed by the unique and memorable vocals of John Zozzaro and the perfect accompaniment of Mark Alletag’s sax. Not to be outdone, Train Company is rounded out by Mike DeWitte on Bass and Rob Lejman on drums. Their sound is more of a upbeat rock/jazz infusion with the sax and flute in more of a support role. The sax is used very similar to older O.A.R stuff but that isn’t to say the music from the two bands is similar. Train Company’s sound is more of a quicker burst of energy than the jam type feel of an O.A.R song. This is definitely evident when you notice half of the songs on their self titled debut are under 2 minutes and 50 seconds long.

Their first release from Train Company’s self titled debut is “A New Kind of Home” and it really sets the tone for the beginning of the album. A quick stepping cymbal really sets the pace and continues on through “Lovely Lady” and “Do You Really Wanna Know” but then we slow down a little for one of my favorites from the album, “Clementine”. Every album needs a song about a girl and this one showcases Alletag on the sax and is the perfect lead in to one of Zozzaro’s songs from his days, finding his own sound, in New York. That song, “Forest”, is one of the other songs on Train Company that slows the percussion down a little and really lets the Jazz vibe breathe. Part of the credit for this has to go to Train Company’s producer on this album, Patrick DeWitte. Producers don’t always get mentioned in album reviews, but the quality of this debut, self released album cannot be ignored. Pleased trust me on that, I have heard a lot of shit over the years.

One of the last songs on Train Company is “I’ll Keep Walkin’” and it kinda sums up my impression of this new Chicago band. Not in the way of I’ll keep walkin on by them, but in the way that this group of early 20 somethings has managed to put out a pretty good album, they are going to keep on and there ain’t no stopping them.

Click the link below to hear Train Company’s new single, “A New Kind of Home”.

Train Company – A New Kind of Home

That sink in yet?  I did however respect the musical tastes of my friend that suggested them so I decided to look them up on youtube.  I was stunned when I saw this live version of the song I thought was over produced.  I had no idea Bon Iver was three people singing in absolute perfect harmony.

Much Beauty….

Click to Buy

The Sons of Anarchy musical department had another solid outing with last nights episode. The first song we heard, when the club was packing up their guns and getting ready for war, was “Someday Never Comes” performed by Billy Valentine and The Forest Rangers. The Forest Rangers are showing up on several of the amazing covers Sons of Anarchy is producing. This cover was very good and a great rendition of the song, but I have to admit I prefer the original version. The original is by Creedence Clearwater Revival and is definitely one of my all-time favorite CCR songs. There is just something about hearing John Fogerty sing it that makes it that much more powerful. The song is also a lesson we all need to learn. Don’t put things off because someday never comes.

I really enjoyed Sons of Anarchy’s use of “Someday Never Comes”. While not exactly an anti-war song, I have always referred to it as the blueprint for writing such a song. It deals with a child losing a parent and the reality that understanding one someday never comes. This song was a perfect fit with the motorcycle club heading off to battle.

The second song, from the episode Culling, to catch my attention was “Hands in the Sky” by Straylight Run. This song was new too me but I did enjoy it. “Hands in the Sky” is a single released in 2005 you can buy on Amazon or Itunes.

Big shot screaming, “Put your hands in the sky,”
He says, “Give it up boy, give it up or your gonna die,
You’ll get a bullet in the back of the neck,
In the back of the neck right between the eyes.”
Big shot screaming, “Put your hands in the sky,”
He says, “Give it up boy, give it up or your gonna die,
You’ll get a bullet in the back of the neck,
In the back of the neck right between the eyes.”

Culling had two more great additions to the growing Sons of Anarchy music catalog.

Devi’s debut album, Get Free, bursts out of the gate with the exhilarating powerpop gem “Another Day” and closes with a six-minute cover of “The Needle and the Damage Done” that ranges from dreamy to ferociously jamming. This is pure rock fudge played by a contemporary Cream at the top of its game – led by a woman.

“Debra has a compelling voice—a mix of Sheryl Crow and PJ Harvey—while her guitar playing reminds us of the incomparable Jimi Hendrix.” – Metal Hammer (Italy)

Devi is a rock trio from Hoboken NJ, led by a woman NYC blog Lucid Culture calls “one of the great guitar players of our time.” This is “an utterly bad-ass power trio,” says Midwest Record, with “a sense of humor, swagger, blistering guitar chops, looks, and the smarts to fuse niche with mass market.” Italy’s Audiovideofoto adds “something tells us we’re witnessing the birth of a rock star.”

Devi (”Davey”) is Sanskrit for “the Goddess”– nature in all her forms, including sound. The band got its start when Deb saw John Hummel playing drums in a tiny Hoboken NJ bar. John had played with Keith Mannino in Black Market Radio, the heavy rock band led by Peter Cornell (Chris Cornell’s brother), so when original Devi bassist Dan Grennes was hired by Toxic Avenger: The Musical, John and Deb asked Keith to play bass.

“Something tells us we are witnessing the birth of a rock star” – Audiovideofoto (Italy)

The band’s debut album, Get Free, is digitally distributed by Redeye USA and is starting to get airplay on college and AAA radio. After some rave reviews in Italy, Get Free was featured on the iTunes Italy homepage for 2 weeks in June.

Devi roped some talented friends into the Get Free sessions, including keyboardist Rob Clores (Black Crowes, Blues Traveler), jazz clarinetist Perry Robinson, sarod player & singer Wynne Paris (Krishna Das), Michael W. Dean (Bomb), and Wiser Time vocalist Carmen Sclafani.

“Get Free is about the longing for love and the longing for God, and the crazy things we pursue-from sex to drugs to relationships-to try to appease those longings,” says Debra, a Jivamukti yoga practitioner. “All our efforts to escape from being human help us evolve,” she adds, laughing, “whether we like it or not!”

Live, Devi adds album guests like Rob Clores and Wynne Paris to the mix whenever possible, “edging ever closer to the wild psychedelic jam band inside,” says Lucid Culture, adding, “if adrenaline, crescendos and heart-wrenchingly beautiful playing are something you would enjoy, get your ass down there.”

Hopefully this new release is just a first step toward universal recognition for Debra and her fabulous band. – Crusher Magazine

You can download the album’s title track for Free, and check out a stream of the rest of the album below.

Click to Buy

Most television shows don’t have music guides for each episode on their websites. Finding the music you happen to hear, on your favorite show, usually involves a trip to Google and a prayer you don’t get an STD from a lyrics website. Then again, most television shows aren’t even playing the same game as Sons of Anarchy. The best show on TV is redefining the music soundtrack and it struck again last night.

Over the past few months, I have heard three songs while watching Sons of Anarchy that absolutely stopped me in my tracks. Each was that rare combination of lyrics, sound and in the perfect moment. I went out to my usual places to see if I could find them and listen to them. I found one of the songs on an artists Myspace page, one of the songs was recorded straight from someone’s TV on youtube and the third one was absolutely nowhere to be found. I had pretty much given up on the first two songs by the time I started looking for the third one. I happened to head to Itunes looking for it and low and behold there was a five song Sons of Anarchy soundtrack for sale. The most amazing part of that discovery? The soundtrack had five songs and yes, the three I wanted were there.

I am not sure if this is a brilliant marketing strategy on the part of the person in charge of music for Sons of Anarchy or just a case of wow we have the exact same taste in music. Either way the sound track has some amazing songs on it.

The first song I was looking for is “John The Revelator” by Curtis Stigers & The Forest Rangers, the same group that performs the Sons of Anarchy theme song “This Life”. “John The Revelator” is the song that was playing at the end of season 1 during Donna’s funeral. It is a bluesy track shrouded in religion and darkness. Originally recorded in 1930 by Blind Willie Johnson the song underwent a transformation in 1965 by Son House. House’s version is the one used in Son’s of Anarchy.

The second song was “Forever Young” by Audra Mae. It is a Bob Dylan cover and I can’t listen to Mae’s version without getting choked up. I have a one year old daughter and the lyrics to “Forever Young” say everything I feel as a dad when I look at her.

May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young. – Bob Dylan “Forever Young”

The third song is also a Bob Dylan cover. I mean, if you are gonna cover the same person multiple times, you could do a lot worse than Bob Dylan. “Girl From the North Country” by the Lions is just another amazing song. Dylan’s lyrics always paint such amazing pictures and this tribute to a former girlfriend is no exception.

Remember me to one who lives there
she once was a true love of mine – Bob Dylan “Girl From the North Country”

They really are three amazing songs and I highly encourage you to check them out or buy it on Itunes like I did. Sometimes something is just so good, you have to spend some money. This soundtrack was definitely worth a few bucks. You can bet I will be buying the next one and I will go ahead and tell you now. The next Sons of Anarchy soundtrack will have “Mary” by Patty Griffin on it. Mark my words.

Purchase Sons of Anarchy: North Country Soundtrack

While surfing the Internet I came across another music blog that I have really been enjoying. It is run by James Marshall, a former WFMU deejay and author for numerous music mags. Known as “The Hound”, Marshall is an interesting writer with some very unique first hand stories.

Tom Delonge of Blink 182 gave an interesting interview to At Guitar Center, in which he discusses how bands should give music away for free and make money with other avenues. This is the model I am supporting. I listen to my music using Napster so I don’t buy many CD’s anymore. I do however support the bands I love and enjoy by buying merchandise, DVD’s and concert tickets. As fans, you will have to do the same thing if you want the free music model to work. So the next time you hear of a band giving away free music, download the music and take the 15 bucks you saved on a CD and buy a shirt. Who knows, my Dropkick Murphy’s beer glasses may be collectors items one day.