Reviews Written By: A2XC0XDO7B7HBVprovided by Amazon.com |
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 | George Harrison - Living in the Material World | |
 | "Accessible Spiritual Refreshment" | 2006-06-15 |
| If all you've heard off this album is 'Give Me Love', you need to buy it and listen to the rest. I realize that some people may be put off by spirituality, but the music here is not preachy or utopian (listen to Lennon for that). Rather, it's peaceful and personal. Even on the sardonic 'Sue Me, Sue You Blues', you get the feeling that deep inside, George is laughing at the absurd legal wrangling.
Some tracks are close to the late Beatles sound. 'Don't Let Me Wait Too Long' would have been an easy hit if it was on a Wings album and the Phil Spector produced 'Try Some Buy Some' expands on 'I Me Mine'. In truth, these two tracks sound a little out of place compared to the rest. The other tracks would have been ruined by Spector's wall of sound approach. Delicate spiritual affairs don't need grandiose orchestration and Harrison takes advantage of the freedom to produce music that is personal and more natural. The result is an LP that blends folk with pop and cleanses the soul. | ||
 | Alice In Chains - Alice in Chains | |
| "A Career Considered" | 2005-02-22 |
| I'm still not sure how we should feel about AIC. If this album is the final chapter in the story of their career, then it was probably too short. Part of me believes this was meant to be their final album, because they've really perfected their signature sound. Jerry's accessible melodies and Layne's odd sense of rhythm are the backdrop for the haunting harmonies.
More realistically, I feel betrayed because they had 1 or 2 more great albums left in them that could have put a final statement on their unique brand of metal. Behold the thickly layered guitars accompanying Layne's prose on the outro of "Sludge Factory", a 7 minute monster that "Dirt-heads" decribe as weird and drawn out (Actually "Rain When I Die" is comically drawn out). Or listen to "Frogs" through a pair of headphones. How can Dirt-heads protest that the album is under-produced? Cantrell/Staley are clearly establishing themselves as the best songwriting team since Lennon/McCartney. With "Heaven Beside You" and "Over Now", Jerry is coming into his own as a quasi-frontman. One more soft album, (Unplugged doesn't count) and one more hard album would've cemented the band's legacy. Some touring would have been nice too. What if Layne wasn't too smacked up to record music? (I assume he wrote and took some great songs to the grave). What if Jerry brought his awesome solo material to the confines of AIC? Of course, personal rivalries and drugs cut the band short. So instead of closing out their part of the brilliant "grunge" era, we have to suffer through a billion AIC knockoffs attempting to do it for them. Ditto Nirvana. Well, at least Soundgarden and Pearl Jam closed out their careers nicely. (Although someone forgot to tell Pearl Jam to break up after "Yield"). RIP AIC | ||
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