Music » Pop Music

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Media Type: CD
Artist: DIAMOND,NEIL
Title: STONES
Street Release Date: 03/21/2006
Domestic
Genre: VOCAL

After taking five leisurely years to follow up on 1996's Pinkerton, Weezer are apparently on a roll. Arriving just over 12 months after The Green Album, Maladroit finds the Los Angeles power-pop band in the midst of a particularly fertile creative period. "Dope Nose," which is easily stronger than anything on the last album, flexes a sinister shout-along chorus and vintage Van Halen riffs, while the potent garage-punk blast of "Fall Together" wipes out any lingering discomfort over the thoroughly Sugar Ray-sounding "Island in the Sun." In a sense The Green Album was just a taster for this, the blissfully thunderous main dish. Sure, there are some deadpan emo moments ("Death and Destruction") littering the course, but mostly Maladroit is Weezer doing what they do best--inverting and embracing dumb rock stereotypes and somehow making them sound smart. --Aidin Vaziri

The best from this gospel-influenced pop vocalist of the late '60s and early '70s...first time on CD!

Release Date: 2003-05-20, Audio CD, 4ad / Ada

The major-label debut from ska punks Save Ferris isn't exactly a classic, but it is a lot of fun. There's no middle-ground reaction to their cover of "Come On Eileen"; everyone seems to either love it or hate it. If you're in the latter group, skip it and listen to "The World Is New," "Superspy," "Goodbye," and "Little Differences." Save Ferris are at their best when they're up-tempo, and fortunately there are plenty of up-tempo songs on this album, peppered with catchy hooks, the requisite horns, and Monique Powell's considerable voice (one of Save Ferris's major strengths). While not fantastic, It Means Everything is a promising album, with several moments that verge on brilliance. --Genevieve Williams

Edwin McCain struck gold with his 1997 release, Misguided Roses, which sold half a million copies and spawned the Dawson's Creek-driven hit single "I'll Be," so he's probably earned the right to think big. That's what he does on Messenger, attacking his new set of songs with fleshed-out arrangements, several of which involve string sections and horns. Fans of McCain's more stripped-down fare will be disappointed by his rather bold-faced move toward the middle of the road, the most egregious example being the Diane Warren-penned ballad "I Could Not Ask for More," which is typically syrupy and overwrought. McCain's acoustic-driven "Ghosts of Jackson Square" is more on target, as is the soulful "Wish on the World" and the bouncy "Beautiful Life." Fans of "I'll Be" will enjoy hearing it again here, this time in a hushed vocals-guitar-sax version that's even more direct and affecting than the original. --Daniel Durchholz

Here's another ultra-high quality collection from Eric, the first to venture into the SEVENTIES. Seventeen of these songs made the Billboard Top 20! As usual all recordings have been digitally re-mastered from the best available sources in true stereo. Includes detailed 8-page booklet with notes on each song by Paul Grein (who wrote the notes for Rhino's "Have A Nice Day" series).

Release Date: 2002-03-26, Audio CD, EMI Special Products

Maybe hanging out with Jello Biafra put the fun-loving spring in Offspring's step. Or perhaps it was just the royalty checks, hot babes, and fast cars. Whatever the case, the band's fourth record, Americana, is its most lively offering to date, replacing angst and rage with energy and sarcasm. The novelty single "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" matches infectious riffing and shout-along vocals with fly-girl chants of "Give it to me, baby" and lyrics about wannabe scenesters; and a storming punk-rock version of Morris Albert's "Feelings" sees the band hitting a new level of, er, (in)sensitivity. Elsewhere, the humor is slightly more subtle; "She's Got Issues" cops a new-wave guitar line from the Cars songbook, "The Kids Aren't Alright" opens like an Iron Maiden anthem, and "Why Don't You Get a Job?" is a blatant reggae-style spoof of the Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da." Musically, Americana offers no real revelations, but the songs are a bit craftier and more diverse than the rest of the Offspring oeuvre, veering haphazardly between anthemic punk metal, blistering hardcore, and near-psychedelic experimentation. --Jon Wiederhorn

Release Date: 2003-07-22, Audio CD, Compass Records