The first album called In My Own Words was a major hit and it launched the singer into the big world; it was a a number one album supported by two Top Ten singles and a third that peaked in the Top 20. Working for others like for Rihanna’s Top Ten “Unfaithful” and Beyonce’s number one “Irreplaceable” kept his profile there.

This album shows that he still has quality material to spare and shows the talent of the singer/songwriter/producer who needed a little after a year after his debut to deliver something new. He is also helped by others such as the Norwegian StarGate team (his partners on “So Sick,” “Sexy Love,” “Unfaithful,” and “Irreplaceable”) and Ron Feemster, the key to the album’s potency and freshness is its differences from In My Own Words.

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Tags: because-of-you, Beyonce, in-my-own-words, Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Rihanna, unfaithful

Until about ten years ago, metal meant just hardcore instrumental and fast guitar playing. Mostly, it is the same today, but some changes in the genre delivered albums which in the early ’90s would just not be possible.

A thing which probably nobody could have predicted is for a band to merge heavy metal with a symphony orchestra. Today “Symphonic metal” bands seemed to be growing by the day — as the genre was being spearheaded by such acts as kamelot (with most of symphonic metal bands hailing from Europe, Kamelot is an exception — they’re natives of Florida). Most such acts sound good but they just do not bring anything new. Kamelot does bring something new, just maybe not so much as we would expect.

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Tags: ghost-opera, kamelot, kamelot-metal, Symphonic metal

It sure took Daddy Yankee a long time to follow up Barrio Fino (2004), the most successful and influential reggaeton album to date but the wait was not in vain. The album takes his style even closer to the edge, making it a leap forward for the artist.

He has some duets with singers like Fergie and Akon and as he is influenced by pop-rap household names he does not move away from the hybrid Latin style which has made him famous. The lyrics are typical Latino-specific and are as conducive to body language as they are to Spanish, speaking to club-bangers from every corner in the world.
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Tags: Akon, Daddy-Yankee, daddy-yankee-cartel, Fergie, nicole, Nicole-Scherzinger

Band name: Incubus
Album name: Light Grenades
Label: Epic/Immorta
Gender: Rock/Alternative
Release date: Nov 28, 2006
ZMErating: 4/5
Website: www.enjoyincubus.com

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I’ve heard some tracks of Incubus on the radio a while back, i’ve always fancied their style, their lyrics, i virtually liked them a lot as artists, so I decided to review one of their albums, namely their last one “Light Grenades“.

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Tags: A-crow-left-of-the-murder, album-review, alternative_rock, Incubus, light-grenades, Mike-Einzigier

The singer Björk could be described as a true alchemist as she finds harmony and balances the most pure feelings with fear and destruction; she does everything. What makes it special is the her way of singing, strong yet delicate.

The opening track is “Earth Intruders” and the beat is also good, courtesy of Timbaland and Konono No. 1’s electric thumb-pianos. The track includes some incantations and the way she sings harder and louder is just breath taking. You can see some original ideas also in The Anchor Song which is somewhat the opposite, being more contemplative and soft. These two set the tune for the entire album.

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Tags: Björk, bjork-volta, earth-intruders, volta

This year coincides with the 30th anniversary reunion tour in 2007. The band prepares a tour and they have also released a double compilation called “The Police”.

The quality can not be denied but but this set falls just a bit short of being the definitive Police double disc. It feels a bit slim at 28 tracks. But the bad thing is not that it is slim but rather that some definitory tracks are missing.

The missing ones are “Born in the ’50s,” “The Bed’s Too Big Without You,” “Shadows in the Rain,” and “Rehumanize Yourself,” and the heavy emphasis on Synchronicity (all but three songs from the LP are present; yes, Andy Summers’ bizarro “Mother” is one of the tunes missing in action) harms the album equilibrium.

Still, it is has most of the best work and it covers all the familiar hits. With the second-tier classics it would be almost flawless, but as it is it leaves just a little sour taste. None the less, it stands as simply an excellent overview.

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Tags: anniversary-album, The-Police, Tours

Band name: Queens of the Stone Age
Album name: Era Vulgaris
Label: Interscope
Gender: Rock/Heavy Metal
Released on: Jun 12, 2007
ZMErating: 4.5/5
Website: www.qotsa.com

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I gotta tell you guys i’ve been waiting for Queens of the Stone Age new album to come out, for like forever and when i finally got the leaked version i began to feel aching in my stomach and a chilling sensation down my spine, just the sheer anticipation of hard rocking overwhelmed me. I had a lot of great time with Lullabies To Paralyze, their last album, with tracks that will forever remain in my heart: “Everybody Knows That You’re Insane” or “In my head”, now they’ve reached their fifth album release: “Era Vulgaris“.

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Tags: Era-Vulgaris, Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, The-Strokes, ZZ-top

Band name: The Fratellis
Album name: Costello Music
Label: Interscope
Gender: Rock/Indie
Released on: 11 September 2006, in the UK
ZMErating: 3.5/5
Website: www.thefratellis.com

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Listen up folks, for the new British revolution is coming. Admist the Paul Weller inspired bands, that have worked their way into producing music steeped in disco badness, there is one group that has successfully “gone retro”, without any more a due i present: The Fratellis!There have been quite a few retro-inspired British indie rock bands jostling for attention lately (The Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs and Bloc Party to name just a few). You might even be thinking that you’re just about done with all of them and it’s time to move on. Well, the three pseudo brothers from The Fratellis (Jon Fratelli – vocals & guitar, Barry Fratelli – bass guitar, Mince Fratelli) are here with their debut CD Costello Music to prove you wrong.

We could say that The Fratellis has been rather fortunate, as their album benefited from some nice promoting with a prestigious headlining tour and support slot with Kasabian when the album was early launched and with the latest iPod ad, which featured “Flathead”.The fantastic opening cut, “Henrietta”, fast-paced tale of lusting after a married woman, as upbeat guitar stabs pin down glammy melodies and some nifty rhythm breaks courtesy of bassist Barry Fratelli (his actual former surname, or so he claims) and drummer Mince Fratelli (Gordon McRory). Henrietta we got no flowers for you / Just these three miserable cunts / Sitting on the back seat banging on the off beat / We know you love us and you probably do

The “Whistle For The Choir” track has a nice style that resembles fellow Brit rockers The Libertines in its downbeat and provides a little downtime before “Chelsea Dagger”, which marks the beginning of wave of glam-rock inspired series of tracks, disrupted only by slower-paced “Doginabag. “For the Girl” gives lead singer Jon Fratelli a chance to reminisce on failed romances and throws around more “la la la”s, with its jumpy rhythm giving Jon many winking takes on the trials of love. I was into the Stones when she was into the Roses / She was breaking my bones when I was busting their noses

Track list:

1 Henrietta (3:31)
2 Flathead (3:17)
3 Whistle for the Choir (3:35)
4 Chelsea Dagger (3:35)
5 Gutterati? (2:28)
6 For the Girl (2:48)
7 Doginabag (3:20)
8 Creepin Up the Backstairs (3:06)
9 Vince the Loveable Stoner (3:14)
10 Everybody Knows You Cried Last Night (3:54)
11 Baby Fratelli (3:57)
12 Got Ma Nuts from a Hippy (3:10)
13 Ole Black ‘N’ Blue Eyes (3:14)

The Fratellis’s style may seem crude, maybe even juvenile, but their catchy and passionate tunes with nervous energy may cause some of you to keep playing their records for a long time ahead. Their new fresh sound helps revive the British Indie rock scen, taking its wearying routines to new places and infusing its sounds with much-needed energy, i guarantee we’ll be hearing a lot more from The Fratellis!

Tags: Indie, retro, The-Fratellis