Hemingway's Whiskey

Kenny Chesney has played NFL football stadiums by the dozen, received 4 Country Music Association as well as 4 consecutive Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year Awards, had nineteen #1 singles, and has sold over 27 million albums and is the only artist in any genre to sell over a million tickets each of the past eight summers. When he made the decision to scale back from touring this year, it was in large part so that he could take the time he wanted to really enjoy the process of making a new studio record. Now, Chesney has released what will perhaps become his most enduring album, Hemingway s Whiskey.
With the lead single "The Boys of Fall," a song that encapsulates the potency of the high school football experience for anyone who s ever put on pads and played under the Friday night lights, Chesney started looking at the themes that have always marked his music and sought to make the songs richer, more nuanced and perhaps offer deeper insight to how they feel or shaped the singer (and the audience s) life.
Having recorded seven albums since his first Greatest Hits, now certified quadruple platinum, Chesney has sung a lot of songs, covered a lot of ground musically and defined a genre that celebrated growing up in small towns, loving the beach and knowing how to kick back. His records are not only the soundtrack of country radio in the 21st century, but are the sound of summer for people who plan their vacations around trips to go see Chesney somewhere each year. read more..

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Chesney Returns by Emgee
Let's face it: Lucky Old Sun (Snys) was crap. Aside from "Down the Road," there wasn't one truly standout song on the album (George Strait's version of "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven" was so far superior, it's not even a contest) and "I'm Alive" is perhaps one of the dullest and most boring songs ever. Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates had standout tracks with "Don't Blink" and "Better as a Memory," but those were the highlights and the abysmal cover of Dwight Yoakam's "Wild Ride," just...ugh.



But for the first time since Road & The Radio, Chesney has put out an album that is worth paying the price of a CD for. Perhaps it is because the CD has something that MOST of Chesney's CDs have been lacking since When the Sun Goes Down: depth and variety. Not that "When The Sun Goes Down" didn't have some great moments: "Anything But Mine" and "There Goes My Life" are still great songs to this day. But let's face it: since the release of his first Greatest Hits CD, Chesney has been a beach-comber through-and-through. Which is fine, but it doesn't provide the variety that "Hemingway's Whiskey" finally provides us with.



Chesney mellows himself on this CD. Not "lay out on the beach mellows" or "party all night mellows" but rather takes a bit more of a mature approach, similar to what Brad Paisley did with American Saturday Night. There is something more reflective about the album while Chesney still allows himself to have fun and throw in a good party song ("Coastal"). But he allows himself to learn ("Where I Grew Up"), to think fondly of the past ("The Boys of Fall") and to reflect (the title track).



Well done, Kenny. Keep it up. 4.5 stars.

You Get What You Give

'You Get What You Give' features a genre-defying collection of songs that the band has been testing on the road over the past year.

Praised for the ability to blend 'down-home country with bits of reggae, bluegrass and rock to create a high-quality musical stew' (USA Today), front man Zac Brown notes that the new album 'is representative of where we are right now. It combines elements of our southern rock and country roots, but also stays true to our jam-band style musicianship from the live show.'

'You Get What You Give' is the follow up to the band's double platinum-certified, major label debut 'The Foundation' (Atlantic), which is one of Billboard's Top 20 albums of 2009 and features the band's first four #1 singles.

Also available in a Deluxe Edition with 2 bonus tracks and special embossed packaging. read more..

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Wow! And I thought the first album was good! by Kirk Larsen
I loved The Foundation. I'm not a music critic. I like what I like and I don't think about it too much. Zac has a singing style that appeals to me and the whole band seems to work well together. They are truly great musicians. I didn't think that there was any way they could outdo their last album, but they may have just done it! From the first time that I listened to You Get What You Give, I was hooked. I love every song on the album. I'm thankful for digital music, because if I had a physical copy of this, it would surely get worn out!

Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time

The longest-running, most successful partnership in the history of rock takes flight anew, as legendary Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inductees Carlos Santana and Clive Davis collaborate on the brand new concept album, GUITAR HEAVEN: THE GREATEST GUITAR CLASSICS OF ALL TIME. The album was co-produced by Carlos Santana and Clive Davis with tracks produced by Matt Serletic and Howard Benson.

Working from their collective encyclopedic knowledge of rock, Carlos Santana and Clive Davis devised a list of guitar-centric titles and then invited a Who s Who of guest vocalists to perform on every track. Singers range from Chris Cornell (on Led Zeppelin s Whole Lotta Love ), Pat Monahan (on Van Halen s Dance the Night Away ), Chester Bennington and Ray Manzarek (on The Doors Riders on the Storm ), Rob Thomas (on Cream s Sunshine Of Your Love), Scott Weiland (on the Rolling Stones Can t You Hear Me Knockin ), Chris Daughtry (on Def Leppard s Photograph ), Gavin Rossdale (on T. Rex s Bang A Gong ) to rapper Nas (on AC/DC s Back In Black ), veteran Joe Cocker (on Jimi Hendrix s Little Wing ), and more.

A very special dedication to George Harrison comes together on GUITAR HEAVEN..., with While My Guitar Gently Weeps, featuring singer india.arie and master cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Listening to the song, Olivia Harrison told Carlos, it made me jump for joy and cry at the same time.
DVD includes the making of Guitar Heaven and an interview with Carlos Santana and Clive Davis. read more..

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Le Noise

This eight-song album is a collaboration between the acclaimed rock icon and musician, songwriter, and producer Daniel Lanois, known for his work with U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, The Neville Brothers and many others. As producer or co-producer Lanois won Grammy Awards in 1987, 1992, 1997, 2000, and 2001.

Young and Lanois have crossed paths musically over the course of many years, including Lanois' performances at Young's Bridge School Benefit Concert and Young's performance at Farm Aid when Lanois was Willie Nelson's music director, but this is the first time the two have recorded together. Recorded in Lanois' home in the Silverlake area of Los Angeles, ‘Le Noise’ features Young on acoustic and electric guitars with Lanois adding his trademark sonic textures, creating one of the most sonically arresting albums Young has ever recorded. No band, no overdubs, just ‘a man on a stool and me doing a nice job on the recording,’ as Lanois puts it.

‘Neil was so appreciative of the sonics that we presented to him,’ Lanois says. ‘He walked in the door and I put an acoustic guitar into his hands - one that I had been working on to build a new sound. That's the multi-layered acoustic sound that you hear on the songs 'Love and War' and 'Peaceful Valley Boulevard.' I wanted him to understand that I've spent years dedicated to the sonics in my home and that I wanted to give him something he'd never heard before. He picked up that instrument, which had everything - an acoustic sound, electronica, bass sounds - and he knew as soon as he played it that we had taken the acoustic guitar to a new level. It's hard to come up with a new sound at the back end of 50 years of rock and roll, but I think we did it.’ read more..

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Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time

The longest-running, most successful partnership in the history of rock takes flight anew, as legendary Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inductees Carlos Santana and Clive Davis collaborate on the brand new concept album, GUITAR HEAVEN: THE GREATEST GUITAR CLASSICS OF ALL TIME. The album was co-produced by Carlos Santana and Clive Davis with tracks produced by Matt Serletic and Howard Benson.

Working from their collective encyclopedic knowledge of rock, Carlos Santana and Clive Davis devised a list of guitar-centric titles and then invited a Who s Who of guest vocalists to perform on every track. Singers range from Chris Cornell (on Led Zeppelin s Whole Lotta Love ), Pat Monahan (on Van Halen s Dance the Night Away ), Chester Bennington and Ray Manzarek (on The Doors Riders on the Storm ), Rob Thomas (on Cream s Sunshine Of Your Love), Scott Weiland (on the Rolling Stones Can t You Hear Me Knockin ), Chris Daughtry (on Def Leppard s Photograph ), Gavin Rossdale (on T. Rex s Bang A Gong ) to rapper Nas (on AC/DC s Back In Black ), veteran Joe Cocker (on Jimi Hendrix s Little Wing ), and more.

A very special dedication to George Harrison comes together on GUITAR HEAVEN..., with While My Guitar Gently Weeps, featuring singer india.arie and master cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Listening to the song, Olivia Harrison told Carlos, it made me jump for joy and cry at the same time.
DVD includes the making of Guitar Heaven and an interview with Carlos Santana and Clive Davis. read more..

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Clapton

Co-produced by guitarist and long-time collaborator Doyle Bramhall II, ‘Clapton’ features an all star cast of musical collaborations started with the legendary JJ Cale, drummer Jim Keltner, bassist Willie Weeks, and keyboardist Walt Richmond - and the sessions later added guests including Steve Winwood, Wynton Marsalis, Sheryl Crow, Allen Toussaint, and Derek Trucks. Clapton created a collection that touches on everything from century-old traditional brass bands to little-known country blues to brand-new originals. The result is both relaxed and revelatory, and unlike anything the guitarist has done in his legendary career.

‘This album wasn't what it was intended to be at all,’ says Eric Clapton. ‘It's actually better than it was meant to be because, in a way, I just let it happen. It's an eclectic collection of songs that weren't really on the map - and I like it so much because if it's a surprise to the fans, that's only because it's a surprise to me, as well.’ read more..

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God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise

Grammy nominated and critically acclaimed, Ray LaMontagne returns with his anticipated fourth studio album, God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise. Entirely self produced (for the first time) the album was recorded in two weeks at LaMontagne's home in the woods of western Massachusetts. The newly restored historic home served as a homemade recording studio for Ray and his fellow musicians. With Ray's vocals at the forefront of the songs and a loose, almost live sounding recording, the album stands as a testament to a band at the height of their powers. The newly coined 'Pariah Dogs', consists of Jay Bellarose (drums), Jennifer Condos (bass), Patrick Warren (keyboard), Eric Heywood (guitar) and Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar). Individually these musicians have contributed to the live work of such heralded musicians including Beck, Joe Henry, Tom Waits, Lucinda Wlliams, Ryan Adams and Joe Cocker to name a few of their career highlights. Together with Ray they shared a sense that the sessions for this record were rare and extraordinary. read more..

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Best music I've purchased in a long time. by Daniel
Exactly what I would expect from a Ray cd, plus some twang. Full of beautiful, emotion filled songs that grab you and don't let go. There's also a few kick ass funky jams book ending the mix.

The Guitar Song

The Guitar Song. is a 25-song, double album with thematically linked sets of songs dubbed the "Black Album" and the "White Album."

"The original idea was always to do a double album," says Jamey. "The album is a tale. The first part of it is a very dark and sordid story. Everything after that is progressively more positive, reassuring and redemptive."

The "Black" songs include the menacing, "Poor Man Blues," the defiant "Can't Cash My Checks," the sighing and bluesy "Even the Skies Are Blue" and the chilling "Heartache." The lighter, "White" songs are highlighted by the strongly autobiographical "That's Why I Write Songs," the languid "Front Porch Swing Afternoon," the rocking "Good Times Ain't What They Used to Be" and the easy-going groove tune "Macon."

The ambitious project's textures are many and varied. "Baby Don't Cry" is a lullaby. "I Remember You" is a gospel song. "That's How I Don't Love You" is a deeply sad power ballad. "By the Seat of Your Pants" tells of life's lessons. The title tune, "The Guitar Song," is told from the point of view of two forgotten guitars hanging on a pawn shop wall. "Playing the Part" and "California Riots" come from feeling out of place as a country boy in Hollywood.

As a lover of classic country sounds, he regularly performs oldies in his stage shows. The Guitar Song contains "For the Good Times,", "Set `Em Up Joe" and "Mental Revenge". "Lonely at the Top" is an undiscovered Keith Whitley song. read more..

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This is REAL Country Music by Martin Bishop
Its refreshing to see Jamey release a new cd loaded with great songs. This guy is the real deal. This is country music as it was in the past. You can keep your Sugarland, Rascals Floots and Brad Paisley. This is good old outlaw country music. The music speaks for itself. This is what my grandfather would like if he were still around. It touches the soul and lets you know your not alone in the crazy world. Its the first cd I have paid for in over two years. I will buy everyone this guy puts on the market. Good man good!

Kaleidoscope Heart

Sara Bareilles returns to center stage with her sophomore album Kaleidoscope Heart featuring the hit single, “King of Anything.” The album is the follow up to Sara’s massive debut, Little Voice which spawned the double platinum selling track “Love Song." read more..

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My Favorite New Album since Little Voices and probably going to be until her 3rd one comes out! by Leah C.
Well, my husband will be happy to get some new Sara B songs b/c I know he is sick of the Little Voices Album, which I have played and sang to more than is probably a healthy amount since it was first released! :). I wasn't too worried album #2 because her talent is so huge...but I was wondering if the energy required of a new artist (constant touring and self promotion) might not leave enough time for living and experiencing things that would inspire her to write well. But after one listen...hell, after I heard the first TRACK!!!....she clearly found her muse. Something about her tonation, her inflections, the deep, touching and well-thought lyrics, the arrangements...I can go on..! Sorry dear..prepare for plenty of Kaleidoscope b/c you are going to be hearing A LOT of it :). Sara, please don't EVER stop writing. I intend to buy every album you ever produce!

God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise

Grammy nominated and critically acclaimed, Ray LaMontagne returns with his anticipated fourth studio album, God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise. Entirely self produced (for the first time) the album was recorded in two weeks at LaMontagne's home in the woods of western Massachusetts. The newly restored historic home served as a homemade recording studio for Ray and his fellow musicians. With Ray's vocals at the forefront of the songs and a loose, almost live sounding recording, the album stands as a testament to a band at the height of their powers. The newly coined 'Pariah Dogs', consists of Jay Bellarose (drums), Jennifer Condos (bass), Patrick Warren (keyboard), Eric Heywood (guitar) and Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar). Individually these musicians have contributed to the live work of such heralded musicians including Beck, Joe Henry, Tom Waits, Lucinda Wlliams, Ryan Adams and Joe Cocker to name a few of their career highlights. Together with Ray they shared a sense that the sessions for this record were rare and extraordinary. read more..

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Brilliant by Casey
Loving the new album. "New York City's Killin' Me" gets me every time. Super emotional lyrics, a great sound with interesting structure and transitions... It's an excellent demonstration of his musical range and raw talent.

The Guitar Song

The Guitar Song. is a 25-song, double album with thematically linked sets of songs dubbed the "Black Album" and the "White Album."

"The original idea was always to do a double album," says Jamey. "The album is a tale. The first part of it is a very dark and sordid story. Everything after that is progressively more positive, reassuring and redemptive."

The "Black" songs include the menacing, "Poor Man Blues," the defiant "Can't Cash My Checks," the sighing and bluesy "Even the Skies Are Blue" and the chilling "Heartache." The lighter, "White" songs are highlighted by the strongly autobiographical "That's Why I Write Songs," the languid "Front Porch Swing Afternoon," the rocking "Good Times Ain't What They Used to Be" and the easy-going groove tune "Macon."

The ambitious project's textures are many and varied. "Baby Don't Cry" is a lullaby. "I Remember You" is a gospel song. "That's How I Don't Love You" is a deeply sad power ballad. "By the Seat of Your Pants" tells of life's lessons. The title tune, "The Guitar Song," is told from the point of view of two forgotten guitars hanging on a pawn shop wall. "Playing the Part" and "California Riots" come from feeling out of place as a country boy in Hollywood.

As a lover of classic country sounds, he regularly performs oldies in his stage shows. The Guitar Song contains "For the Good Times,", "Set `Em Up Joe" and "Mental Revenge". "Lonely at the Top" is an undiscovered Keith Whitley song. read more..

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Mean Old Man [Deluxe Edition]

Deluxe edition includes nine bonus tracks. 2010 release from the Rock 'n' Roll legend. Mean Old Man was produced by Jim Keltner and Steve Bing in Memphis and LA, and features guest appearances from Solomon Burke, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, John Fogerty, Merle Haggard, Mick Jagger, Kid Rock, Kris Kristofferson, Nils Lofgren, Shelby Lynne, Tim McGraw, John Mayer, Willie Nelson, Keith Richards, Robbie Robertson, Slash, Mavis Staples, Ringo Starr and Ronnie Wood. This is Lewis's much-anticipated follow up to his 2006 release Last Man Standing, which continues to sell consistently with sales of over 500,000 worldwide. read more..

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Most Original American Treasure by Gary Birshtein
The Killers new album release is an event on itself and I give it all the stars that I can.

As any JLL album this is a must have for all the fans. After listening to the album I tend to think of it as "Last Man Standing 2" with all the cuts that didn't make it in to the 2006 recording. My personal favorites are: Mean Old Man and Roll Over Beethoven. I am glad that this compilation has some of the less known tracks (to the general public, not to the fans) that include such gems as - Middle Age Crazy, Railroad to Heaven and Will the Circle be Unbroken. Why to this day Jerry Lee Lewis is not part of the Country Hall of Fame remains a mystery. After listening to the last track - Miss the Mississippi and You, I realized that all I want is the Killer on the piano, raw and unplugged. This is one of the most original, unique and genius performers that America has ever produced. Long live the Killer.

Band of Joy

Robert Plant's Band of Joy reflects his unquenchable thirst for new songs and new sounds. Not satisfied with his stature as one of the great innovators and heroes of pop music, he continues to let his curiosity guide him to unexplored territory. Building on the roots-imbued sound he achieved with Alison Krauss on the wildly successful Raising Sand, Plant's song selection and incomparable vocals make Band of Joy a new triumph. read more..

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Interpol

The long-awaited fourth album from New York s INTERPOL finds them exploring dark musical landscapes of layered depth and intensity. In contrast to 2007 s Our Love To Admire, this self-titled opus hangs together as an album, a set of very different songs that thematically connect. From the highly melodic Barricade and Lights through the snarling Memory Serves and the extraordinary triptych of connected tracks that close the album, Interpol have never made work this emotionally resonant or packed with crescendos.



Mixer Alan Moulder has brought the rhythm section back to the fore, anchoring a thicket of orchestral sound that brings to mind touchstones from black metal to 70s art rock, but always remains identifiably Interpol. Hypnotic, bizarre, always indelible, Interpol is the band s magnum opus. read more..

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Complex fourth record, not for everyone by vedderoh1
It seems like an eternity since we last heard of NYC darlings Interpol. After releasing two solid (considered classics by some) albums and a third that was greeted with mixed emotions, they are back with a fourth in which they put to rest the constant echoes of a revival scene that disappeared as fast as it flashed into the spotlight.



Recorded again with Matador Records, Interpol is a masterful hybrid of their journey to date. One can hear shoegaze and primal rock riffs mixed with orchestral arrangements, a composition at times overloaded yet intricately woven. Genders mash up and give birth to an album as complex as it is interesting to explore.



To the ephemeral fan, the obvious singles Lights and Barricade will be the only rescuable bits in a big mess, but to the patient listener the richness of textures and the unclassifiable tunes are the result of minuscule details that add up to an expansive landscape. The concept of an unraveling relationship may contribute to the overall darkness and apparent lack of focus of Interpol. In fact, it is impossible to grasp every detail and taste every turn they take on a first listen; it is simply an album that demands to be ingested, ruminated and digested to better understand it.



Bassist Carlos Dengler last contribution with the band is present here - he left shortly after the recording sessions ended - and it never becomes ostentatious although omnipresent. Always malaise (the man I am) marks the switch in tempo halfway through the album's length. It also provides a gradual disengage from the "what's expected" from them and turns it into the "what we mean to do here" results.



It is Paul Banks' vocals trying to convey all the desperation, frustration and despair the narrative describes, that make it hard to follow the sequence at times. His interpretation is not devoid of emotion, but unfortunately it misses the mark when it becomes apparent his range does not work along with the versatility of the music and the storyline.



Interpol is not a record for everyone. It takes time to comprehend and even more dedication to look clearly into what they've attempted with it. To approach it with a mind set on finding a continuation to the atmospheric tone of their debut (I have read "tepid"), the catchiness of their follow up (I have read "boring"), or a drastic turn from their latest, (I have read "standard") is a great let down. To accept that they have moved on from the search engine tag that grouped them with other bands circa early 2000s is a step forward to embracing a project as bewildering as themselves.

Recovery

The much-anticipated new album - EMINEM RECOVERY

On Recovery, his seventh major label studio album, EMINEM has reached out to an exciting list of first-time collaborators, including DJ Khalil, Just Blaze, Jim Jonsin and Boi-1da, among others.

EMINEM releases Recovery just over a year after his last album, 2009's Relapse. Relapse put the cap on an impressive ten years of recorded output, and contributed to EMINEM being the biggest selling artist of 2000-2009. In recognition of this, Neilsen SoundScan named him their Artist of the Decade. Relapse entered the charts at #1 and, at nearly double platinum, was the best selling rap album of last year. It also earned EMINEM his 11th Grammy award, winning in the Best Rap Album category. Relapse's first single, "Crack A Bottle" from EMINEM, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, soared to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (Eminem's second #1 after 2002's "Lose Yourself") and set a SoundScan record at the time of its release for opening week download sales (418,000). The album also spun off two other hits; the Top 10 "We Made You" and Top 20 "Beautiful."

"I had originally planned for Relapse 2 to come out last year," remarked EMINEM. "But as I kept recording and working with new producers, the idea of a sequel to Relapse started to make less and less sense to me, and I wanted to make a completely new album. The music on Recovery came out very different from Relapse, and I think it deserves its own title."

EMINEM has sold more than 78,000,000 albums worldwide. After 1999's quadruple platinum The Slim Shady LP, The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and The Eminem Show (2002) became two of the Top 5 best selling albums of the 2000s, with approximately 10,000,000 copies of each sold in the U.S. alone. 2004's Grammy-nominated Encore reached #1 and was certified quadruple platinum. The #1, double platinum, 2005 greatest hits collection Curtain Call: The Hits and #2, platinum, 2006 various artists compilation Eminem Presents: The Re-Up followed. read more..

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Not His Best But I Will Take It by a b b y
Okay so lets be honest. Will Eminem ever make an album that tops the Marshall Mathers LP or Slim Shady? Probally not. But if he feels like making some solid albums I am happy with it.



Sure this album isn't going to be remembered as one of the best of all time but it is good and he is working his way back up. I am excited to see what happens next.



4 / 5 stars