Ac/Dc [2008] Black Ice

[01] Rock 'n' Roll Train
[02] Skies On Fire
[03] Big Jack
[04] Anything Goes
[05] War Machine
[06] Smash 'n' Grab
[07] Spoilin' For A Fight
[08] Wheels
[09] Decibel
[10] Stormy May Day
[11] She Likes Rock 'n' Roll
[12] Money Made
[13] Rock 'n' Roll Dream
[14] Rocking All The Way
[15] Black Ice



amg: Unlike any other band of their stature, AC/DC truly don't care about the world at large. They see no triumph in their longevity, they long ago dismissed not only the idea of artistic statements but the very notion of artistic growth: they aren't good or bad, they simply are. They have nothing left to prove, so perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that their albums lack any sense of urgency or motivation. AC/DC never rush to cut a record; they wait until Angus Young has collected enough riffs to hammer out an album's worth of songs, then they file in one by one to lay down their tracks with a big-budget producer, who inevitably gives them a clean, mammoth sound that's no different than what came before. Rick Rubin couldn't change this pattern on 1995's Ballbreaker and Brendan O'Brien can't change it on 2008's Black Ice. He encourages the band to add a bit of color here and there, so they grace "Stormy May Day" with some sloppy slide guitar and turn "Rock N' Roll Dream" into an expansive neo-ballad cousin of Bad Company's "Rock N Roll Fantasy," but O'Brien's crisp, colorful production only emphasizes how AC/DC could stand to be a little less careful on record. It's the eternal AC/DC paradox: at its core, their music is brutal and primitive, but their records are slick, overly cautious, and bloated, stretching out to 15 tracks when they should be no longer than ten. AC/DC haven't lost their knack for great, simple rock & roll and Black Ice is graced by a few terrific tracks. In fact, as it opens with the "Highway to Hell" boogie of "Rock N Roll Train," the stuttering "Skies on Fire" and "Big Jack," it seems that Black Ice might be the great latter-day AC/DC record the group has yet to deliver, but as the next 12 tracks spool out over the next hour, the album slowly slides into a too-comfortable groove, fueled by too-tight rhythms and guitars that sound loud but not beefy. This polished, precise rock & roll is good enough, at least in small doses, but Black Ice delivers a whopping dose, puffed out to nearly an hour, running so long it all kind of washes together — a problem that is endemic to all AC/DC albums after Back in Black. This shift can't be placed on the shoulders of Brian Johnson, who may never have been able to match Bon Scott no matter how much he mimics the man, but it's simply a symptom of the band's massive popularity, where they have no compelling reason to release a record every other year, so they make albums twice a decade, inevitably spending too much time sculpting their recordings when they'd be better off bashing them out. At their peak, AC/DC recorded their albums quick 'n' dirty and the music felt that way, too. Age has turned their tasteless insurgence into vulgar tradition but that's not the problem, nor is it the band's refusal to change because, let's face it, when a band does one thing this well there's no need to change. AC/DC can still sound invigorating — and make no mistake they do here, as much as they ever do on a latter-day record — but they just need to tighten up, cut back, crank it up, and sound a little rude again. After all, what's the point of being the filthiest band in rock & roll if you're going to make albums as polite as Black Ice?
(amg 6/10)

Antony And The Johnsons [2008] Another World

[01] Another World
[02] Crackagen
[03] Shake That Devil
[04] Sing For Me
[05] Hope Mountain



amg: The 2005 Mercury Award-winning I Am a Bird Now launched avant-garde/cabaret/chamber pop king/queen Antony into the near mainstream with its lush and heavily orchestrated outsider torch songs. Three years later, fresh from projects with Björk, Todd Haynes, and Charles Atlas, Antony and the Johnsons return with Another World, a five-song teaser EP for the group's forthcoming Crying Light album. As usual, Antony's gorgeous, mournful voice is the centerpiece, especially on the EP's namesake, a sparse, piano-led ballad that finds the singer spilling a list of his "favorite things" that he'll regret not being able to take with him into the next life. From there it's a typical "kitchen sink" EP, stocked with enough stabs at bawdy blue rave-ups ("Shake That Devil"), oddball narratives ("Hope Mountain"), and plaintive reveries ("Crackagen" and "Sing for Me") to tide fans over until the headliner arrives.
(amg 6/10)

Athlete [2007] Beyond The Neighbourhood

[01] In Between 2 States
[02] Hurricane
[03] Tokyo
[04] Airport Disco
[05] It's Not Your Fault
[06] The Outsiders
[07] Flying Over Bus Stops
[08] Second Hand Stores
[09] In The Library
[10] Best Not To Think About It
[11] This Is What I Sound Like



amg: Athlete can't quite manage to figure out what they want or what they are. Their 2003 debut, Vehicles & Animals, was a fun, poppy album that earned Athlete a Mercury prize nomination, but their sophomore effort, Tourist, moved away from the indie feel of their first record toward mainstream and network television-friendly material, and garnered the band a lot of comparisons to Coldplay. For their third record, they continue to explore the brooding, effected-guitar layering that they had previously done, pushing a little bit into the "experimental," with curvaceous instrumental lines, echoing keyboards, and a bit of electronic percussion, but Beyond the Neighbourhood is still very much an album for the mainstream. It's very cleanly produced and nothing ever gets too loud or out of place; even the distorted guitar that introduces "Second Hand Store" is controlled, blended softly into the background and melodically based, lead singer Joel Pott trying his best to find the correct amount of affected quaver and Bono/Chris Martin-inspired sentimentality needed to stir his listeners appropriately. Not that every song here is about love or one of its many guises -- "The Outsiders" contains the lyrics "Let's pick a fight on whoever we like cause we're never wrong/Nobody likes us, we don't care, so let's lose ourselves...Can you spot the English here?," while the single "Hurricane" is about, well, hurricanes ("Is it something we gotta get used to?/But we're not giving up the coastline so easily") -- but the album is mostly about emotion and expressing emotion, and finding the right driving piano hooks and reverbing guitar chords to enhance such feelings. All of which means that Beyond the Neighbourhood is not particularly extraordinary. This kind of thing has been done before (and as with the case of Coldplay, done better: catchier, more sincere, and seeming less contrived), and reinforces the idea that Athlete are still trying to decide what they want to be, and at this point, three albums in, it may be that they never quite learn what that is.
(amg 6/10)

Aretha Franklin [2007] Jewels In The Crown - All-Star Duets With The Queen

[01] Jumpin Jack Flash
[02] Sisters Are Doin It For Themselves
[03] I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)
[04] What Now My Love
[05] Put You Up On Game
[06] What Y'All Came To Do
[07] Never Gonna Break My Faith
[08] Through The Storm
[09] It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be
[10] (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
[11] Doctor's Orders
[12] Ever Changing Times
[13] Chain Of Fools
[14] Don't Waste Your Time
[15] Love All The Hurt Away
[16] Nessun Dorma

Featuring [01] Keith Richard, [02] Eurythmics, [03] George Michael, [04] Frank Sinatra, [05] Fantasia, [06] John Legend, [07] Mary J. Blige, [08] Elton John, [09] Whitney Houston, [10] Bonnie Raitt and Gloria Estefan [11] Luther Vandross, [12] Michael McDonald, [13] Mariah Carey, [14] Mary J. Blige, [15] George Benson, [16] New York Recording Orchestra



amg: There are duet records, and then there is recording "Jumpin' Jack Flash" with Keith Richards. A 16-track compilation of Aretha Franklin's duets from the '80s and '90s, Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets with the Queen benefits from the high-profile partners that the Queen of Soul has been able to hook over the years (plus a trio of new tracks featuring sympathetic partners: John Legend, Mary J. Blige, and Fantasia). Spanning her Arista years, the collection runs the gamut of studio techniques from the '80s to the 2000s. Six songs come from the '80s, including the Keith Richards feature, which is a little too pristine to suit a version of "Jumpin' Jack Flash." Others from the same era sound better, such as "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" with Eurythmics (which benefits from David Stewart's digital studio knowledge), and Franklin's hit duet with George Michael on "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)." The '90s duets are also mixed, including a lackluster pairing with Frank Sinatra on "What Now My Love" (from the original Duets album), but also an energetic live performance of "Chain of Fools" with Mariah Carey that works much better than could be expected. Of the new tracks, John Legend's "What Y'All Came to Do" is the best, an upfront and testifying jam with deft vocal freestyles from Legend and Franklin.
(amg 6/10)

Alanis Morissette [2005] Jagged Little Pill Acoustic

[01] All I Really Want
[02] You Oughta Know
[03] Perfect
[04] Hand In My Pocket
[05] Right Through You
[06] Forgiven
[07] You Learn
[08] Head Over Feet
[09] Mary Jane
[10] Ironic
[11] Not The Doctor
[12] Wake Up
[13] Your House (Hidden Track)



amg: There's an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm from 2002 where Alanis Morissette is performing at a benefit concert that's eventually held at Larry David's home, where she sings a stripped-down acoustic arrangement of "You Oughta Know" with guitarist David Levita for an audience of wealthy Hollywood liberals. This may not have been the genesis of her 2005 album Jagged Little Pill Acoustic — initially for sale only in Starbucks stores, but released to mass retail in late July — but that performance not only offers a clue to the sound of this acoustic-based reinterpretation of her blockbuster breakthrough, but also to its target audience. Unlike the 1995 original, this is not a dense, glossy pop album that slyly co-opts and repackages ideas from the musical fringe for a mass audience, nor is this akin to her 1999 acoustic album Alanis Unplugged, where Morissette was still sorting out exactly which direction to take in the aftermath of her phenomenal success. Jagged Little Pill Acoustic is the sound of an artist who is comfortable and settled, fondly reminiscing about her crazy past for an audience that is also comfortable and settled. This is sepia-toned music (which is appropriate, since the cover itself is a sepia-toned replication of the original's artwork), with all of the excesses and eccentricities of youth either romanticized or dismissed with a soft chuckle. Alanis marvels at how crazy she was back then, as she and her audience both congratulate themselves on surviving ten years while reflecting on how much they've personally grown in that decade. All of this is captured in the lone lyrical change: "Ironic" now concludes with Alanis meeting the man of her dreams and meeting not his beautiful wife, but his beautiful husband (she's no longer pronouncing "figures" as "figgers," either). This doesn't change the song or its intent, but it does signal that Morissette has a slightly different perspective, one that is self-congratulatory, more tolerant, and more self-consciously urbane. And that pretty much summarizes the music here, too: it's deliberately mature and certainly more tasteful than the original Jagged Little Pill, the kind of music that would sound good playing in, well, the background of a coffee shop. While there are acoustic guitars at the foundation of each of the 12 tracks here (plus the unlisted 13th bonus track), this isn't strictly acoustic, at least by most standards: with original JLP producer Glen Ballard, who never met a production he couldn't overdub a few more times than necessary, on board as well, it's not surprising that Acoustic winds up being a subdued adult alternative pop album filled with strings, keyboards, and production instead of a stark acoustic record. Since Ballard is a pro and since Alanis has lived with these songs long enough to find different, yet comfortable, ways to rephrase these familiar melodies, it's a pleasant enough listen, but it's hard to see the point of the album. That is, unless it is really for the kind of crowd she serenaded in that episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm — a very satisfied, very comfortable audience that prefers to see the past only through rose-colored glasses that present their history in terms that are more acceptable to who they are now than who they were back then.
(amg 6/10)

Alanis Morissette [2002] Feast On Scraps

[01] Fear Of Bliss
[02] Bent For You
[03] Sorry To Myself
[04] Sister Blister
[05] Offer
[06] Unprodigal Daughter
[07] Simple Together
[08] Purga Torying
[09] Hands Clean (Acoustic)



amazon: This isn't quite a live album, greatest hits, or rarities package, although it contains plenty of material that falls under all three columns. Rather, Feast on Scraps is a generous serving of everything Alanis. Its centerpiece is a CD featuring eight previously unreleased songs that were recorded during the Under Rug Swept sessions, plus an acoustic take on the hit "Hands Clean." Among the highlights here are a nasty Jagged Little Pill throwback called "Sister Blister" and a warmly seductive folk number approximating Joni Mitchell called "Offer." Then there is the DVD, brimming with superb live performances of sleek, dark pop hits such as "You Oughta Know," "Head Over Feet," and "Thank U." The set is rounded out with some delightfully candid behind-the-scenes footage (watch Alanis break down in tears during the writing of "Surrendering") that will make her fans gasp in delight.
(amg 6/10)

Audioslave [2002] Audioslave

[01] Cochise
[02] Show Me How To Live
[03] Gasoline
[04] What You Are
[05] Like A Stone
[06] Set It Off
[07] Shadow On The Sun
[08] I Am The Highway
[09] Exploder
[10] Hypnotize
[11] Bring Em Back Alive
[12] Light My Way
[13] Getaway Car
[14] The Last Remaining Light



amg: It's subtle, but telling, that the cover of Audioslave's eponymous debut is designed by Storm Thorgerson, the artist behind Pink Floyd's greatest album sleeves. Thorgerson, along with Roger Dean, epitomized the look of the '70s, the era of supergroups, which is precisely what Audioslave is — a meeting of Rage Against the Machine, minus Zack de la Rocha, with former Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell. Though both bands were leading lights of alt-metal in the '90s, the two came from totally separate vantage points: Rage Against the Machine was fearlessly modern, addressing contemporary politics over Tom Morello's hip-hop-influenced guitar, while Soundgarden dredged up '70s metal fueled with the spirit of punk. That these two vantage points don't quite fit shouldn't be a surprise — there is little common ground between the two, apart that they're refugees from brainy post-metal bands. Of the two camps, Chris Cornell exerts the strongest influence, pushing the Rage Against the Machine boys toward catchier hooks and introspective material. Occasionally, the group winds up with songs that play to the strengths of both camps, like the storming lead single "Cochise." For Cornell fans, it's a relief to hear him unleash like this, given the reserve of his brooding solo debut, but this is hardly a one-man show. The Rage band, led by the intricate stylings of guitarist Tom Morello, gets their chance to shine, including on numbers that are subtler and shadier than the average Rage tune. Which brings up the primary fault on the album: Perhaps Morello, and perhaps the rest of RATM, are technically more gifted than, say, Soundgarden, but they never sound as majestic, as powerful, or as cinematic as what Cornell's songs need. His muted yet varied solo album proved that he needed muscle, but here it's all muscle, no texture or color. Consequently, many of the songs sound like they're just on the verge of achieving liftoff, never quite reaching their potential. There are moments, usually arriving in the first half, where Audioslave suddenly, inexplicably clicks, sounding like a band, not a marketer's grand scheme. Still, these moments are few and far between and it's hard to get through this album as a whole. By the end, it's clear that this pairing was a clever idea, but not an inspired one.
(amg 6/10)

Alanis Morissette [1999] Alanis Unplugged

[01] You Learn
[02] Joining You
[03] No Pressure Over Cappucino
[04] That I Would Be Good
[05] Head Over Feet
[06] Princess Familiar
[07] I Was Hoping
[08] Ironic
[09] These R The Thoughts
[10] King Of Pain
[11] You Oughta Know
[12] Uninvited



amg: Often, artists embrace Unplugged as an opportunity to stroll through their back catalog. Not Alanis Morissette. Instead of concentrating on the familiar (only four songs from Jagged Little Pill are here, and neither of its sequel's hits, "Thank U" and "So Pure," are performed), Morissette uses Unplugged as a way to reintroduce Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie to an audience that largely ignored it the first time around. It's easy to see why Morissette is so intent on selling these songs. Although their meaning may be elusive at times, they're extremely personal songs, which benefit from the stripped-down arrangements and intimate surroundings. Even so, the songs require close, careful listening before they truly catch hold, and even then, they're often easier to admire than love. By closing the performance with the non-LP soundtrack contribution "Uninvited," Morissette unwittingly highlights the reason why Supposed failed to gain a large audience. Like much of that album, "Uninvited is also heavy on mood and cryptic lyrics, but the song is blessed with an indelible melody and haunting atmosphere. Compared with that song, the Supposed tunes, plus the three previously unreleased songs (including "No Pressure Over Cappucinio and "Princess Familiar"), are all intriguing but never as compelling, largely because they demand that the listener meet them on their own terms. Here, they're a bit more accessible, but it makes Unplugged just slightly less elusive than Supposed itself.
(amg 6/10)

Ash [1997] Live At The Wireless

[01] Darkside Lightside
[02] Girl From Mars
[03] Oh Yeah
[04] T. Rex
[05] I'd Give You Anything
[06] Kung Fu
[07] What Deaner Was Talking About
[08] Goldfinger
[09] Petrol
[10] A Clear Invitation To The Dance



amg: A limited-edition, semi-official bootleg released on Ash's own label, Live at the Wireless is a vigorous but curiously unengaging live recording that just misses its full potential. Recorded live in a radio studio during the group's 1996 Australian tour, the record does crackle with energy, but the lack of a studio audience is a mixed blessing. While the sound may be clearer than an audience recording, the lack of interaction with a crowd prevents the album from being truly transcendent. Even so, Ash are a powerful live band and their exuberence is infectious, whether it's on hits like "Girl from Mars," "Goldfinger" and "Kung Fu" or their punked-up cover of Ween's "What the Deener was Talking About." That alone makes Live at the Wireless worth seeking out for dedicated fans.
(amg 6/10)

Ali Farka Toure [1994] Talking Timbuktu

With Ry Cooder

[01] Bonde
[02] Soukora
[03] Gomni
[04] Sega
[05] Amandrai
[06] Lasidan
[07] Keito
[08] Banga
[09] Ai Du
[10] Diaraby



amg: Guitarist Ali Farka Touré has repeatedly bridged the gap between traditional African and contemporary American vernacular music, and this release continues that tradition. The CD features him singing in 11 languages and playing acoustic and electric guitar, six-string banjo, njarka, and percussion, while teaming smartly with an all-star cast that includes superstar fusion bassist John Patitucci, session drummer Jim Keltner, longtime roots music great Ry Cooder (who doubled as producer), venerable guitarist Gatemouth Brown, and such African percussionists and musicians as Hamma Sankare on calabash and Oumar Touré on congas.
(amg 6/10)

Asia [1994] Aria

[01] Anytime
[02] Are You Big Enough
[03] Desire
[04] Summer
[05] Sad Situation
[06] Don't Cut The Wire (Brother)
[07] Feels Like Love
[08] Remembrance Day
[09] Enough's Enough
[10] Military Man
[11] Aria
Bonus Track
[12] Reality



amg: Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, and Carl Palmer surprised everyone when they re-formed Asia in 1992, with a new singer (John Payne) and a second guitarist (Al Pitrelli). Even more surprising was the fact that Aqua — the album no one had been expecting — was quite impressive, arguably superior to its three predecessors. What could easily have been an isolated one-shot experience turned into a continuing success story when Downes returned to the studios two years later, but without Howe and Palmer. The latter was replaced by drummer Michael Sturgis. Howe, of course, could not be "replaced" (that would have been an insult to his talent) — so Pitrelli thus became the sole guitarist of the band. Asia, now a quartet, nonetheless managed to release yet another amazing album. This is in most part due to Payne's vocals and Downes' creative mind. The album does start off with a few weaknesses, but as the music flows and you move deeper into the tracks, melodies become richer and more intricate, and the lyrics more interesting. The fourth track, "Summer," is a great song; "Sad Situation" is a marvel; and "Don't Cut the Wire" a work of art. The second half of the record is near-perfect, from the romantic "Feels Like Love" to the symphonic "Aria," which makes for a great finale. The weakest part is the chorus of "Enough's Enough." A great investment, if you like this type of music.
(amg 6/10)

Aztec Camera [1993A] Dreamland

[01] Birds
[02] Safe In Sorrow
[03] Black Lucia
[04] Let Your Love Decide
[05] Spanish Horses
[06] Dream Sweet Dreams
[07] Pianos And Clocks
[08] Sister Ann
[09] Vertigo
[10] Valium Summer
[11] The Belle Of The Ball



amg: Whoever got the idea of putting erstwhile lo-tech pop hero Roddy Frame in the studio with the legendarily hi-tech keyboardist/composer/producer Ryuichi Sakamoto ought to at least get credit for thinking outside the box. And if the experiment wasn't an unqualified success, well, that's what usually happens when you think outside the box. Dreamland is far from a failure; by this point in his career, Frame's pop craft is too instinctive to permit that. But Sakamoto does occasionally threaten to overwhelm the songs with his patented super-smooth production and studio fripperies (those strings! those backing vocals!), and in a few cases the songs themselves aren't structurally capable of supporting all that added weight. Several tracks, in particular the rather silly "Spanish Horses," will leave you thinking "Gosh, that was pretty. How did it go again?" And "Safe in Sorrow," a gorgeous pop/soul ballad, feels like it wants to go twice as fast as it does, but can't. All that said, there are some great moments here, including the aching "Let Your Love Decide" and the slightly creepy "Valium Summer"; fans of the Camera should like this album just fine.
(amg 6/10)

Asia [1992] Aqua

[01] Aqua
[02] Who Will Stop The Rain
[03] Lay Down Your Arms
[04] Heaven On Earth
[05] Someday
[06] Crime Of The Heart
[07] A Far Cry
[08] Back In Town
[09] Don't Call Me
[10] Love Under Fire
[11] The Voice Of Reason
[12] Aqua II



amg: Asia hadn't released an album of new music since 1985, so changes were to be expected. But changes for the better — well, that was a pleasant surprise. Aqua found the band infused with new energy, represented by a younger generation of arena rockers in bassist/vocalist John Payne and guitarist Al Pitrelli. Although Payne doesn't invite comparison to John Wetton or Greg Lake (his voice tends to get rougher as it gets louder), he gets the job done and turns out to be a pretty good songwriter in the bargain. Pitrelli, who had recently worked with Alice Cooper, knows his rock guitar; he's no replacement for Steve Howe, but he doesn't have to be — Howe makes guest appearances throughout the disc. Aqua is an amalgam of arena rock and hair metal that avoids sounding sappy or self-pitying, two adjectives that would describe Alpha or Astra. Geoff Downes (who continues to write much of the material) keeps the music punchy and professional; gone are the dated synthesizers of the '80s, replaced by cutting-edge keyboards and savvy production. The opening and closing instrumentals, "Aqua I" and "Aqua II," show just how far Downes had come since Astra. The rest of the songs are pretty much of a piece; written with outside collaborators in many cases, they tend to be either moody ballads or hard-driving numbers about love and war (some things never change). "Who Will Stop the Rain?" was chosen as the single; it didn't chart (neither did Aqua), but it's as good a track as you'll find here. "Heaven and Earth" (apparently tested as the second single) is another standout track, shifting from a ballad to an all-out rocker that sounds like Yes' music from the '90s. "Someday" and "The Voice of Reason" are other tracks that represent the album well, and have since been added to their concert repertoire. After ten years and two label changes, Asia finally produced a suitable follow-up to their first album. Few fans remained in the seats to hear it, but those interested in a delayed encore from the band should skip to Aqua.
(amg 6/10)

Ac/Dc [1990] The Razor's Edge

[01] Thunderstruck
[02] Fire Your Guns
[03] Moneytalks
[04] The Razors Edge
[05] Mistress For Christmas
[06] Rock Your Heart Out
[07] Are You Ready
[08] Got You By The Balls
[09] Shot Of Love
[10] Let's Make It
[11] Goodbye And Good Riddance To Bad Luck
[12] If You Dare



amg: Although AC/DC's popularity had decreased by the early '90s, the band still had a lot of life left in it. Arguably the Australian headbangers' strongest album in over half a decade, The Razor's Edge is quintessential AC/DC — rowdy, abrasive, unapologetically fun metal full of blistering power chords, memorable hooks, and testosterone-driven lyrics. Lead singer Brian Johnson sounds more inspired than he had since 1983's Flick of the Switch, and lead guitarist Angus Young isn't about to take any prisoners on such hard-hitting material as "Shot of Love," the menacing title song, and the appropriately titled "Got You By the Balls." Although not quite in a class with Back in Black, Highway to Hell, or Let There Be Rock — all of which would, for novices, serve as fine introductions to the distinctive band — The Razor's Edge was a welcome addition to AC/DC's catalog
(amg 6/10)

Asia [1990] Live In Moscow

[01] Time Again
[02] Sole Survivor
[03] Don't Cry
[04] (Keyboard Solo)
[05] Only Time Will Tell
[06] Rock And Roll Dream
[07] Starless
[08] Book Of Saturday
[09] The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
[10] The Heat Goes On
[11] Go
[12] Heat Of The Moment
[13] Open Your Eyes
[14] Kari - Anne



amg: Well played, fresh sounding, and highly energetic, Asia's Live in Moscow proved to be their best on-stage album, captured during their 1990 European tour. Featuring John Wetton, Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes, and newcomer Pat Thrall (most notably from the Pat Travers Band) replacing Steve Howe on guitar, the band sounds enthusiastically sharp where it matters most. Howe's absence is indeed apparent, but the band comes through on the biggies like "Heat of the Moment" and "Only Time Will Tell," while giving secondary hits like "Don't Cry," "Go," and "Time Again" new life. Geoff Downes teases the audience throughout his keyboard solo, playing an acoustical version of "Video Killed the Radio Star" from his days with the Buggles. Renditions of King Crimson's "Starless" and "Book of Saturdays" pass the test, and "Kari-Anne," a new track, is par for the course. Live in Moscow became the last solid effort from Asia, since it was followed by disasters like Aqua in 1992 and Aria in 1994, as the band's lineup was repeatedly inconsistent.
(amg 6/10)

Alison Moyet [1987] Raindancing

[01] Weak In The Presence Of Beauty
[02] Ordinary Girl
[03] You Got Me Wrong
[04] Without You
[05] Sleep Like Breathing
[06] Is This Love
[07] Blow Wind Blow
[08] Glorious Love
[09] When I Say (No Giveaway)
[10] Stay



wiki: Raindancing is the title of the second solo music recording/album of singer/songwriter Alison Moyet. The album includes four single releases; "Is This Love" (co-written by the Eurythmics' David A. Stewart under his 'Jean/Manu Guiot' pseudonym), "Weak in the Presence of Beauty", "Ordinary Girl" and "Sleep Like Breathing", a duet with David Freeman of the band The Lover Speaks. The US version of Raindancing was released with a different cover and the tracks in re-arranged order.
(amg 6/10)

Arcadia [1985] So Red The Rose

[01] Election Day
[02] Keep Me In The Dark
[03] Goodbye Is Forever
[04] The Flame
[05] Missing
[06] Rose Arcana
[07] The Promise
[08] El Diablo
[09] Lady Ice



amg: Arcadia was the arty quarter of Duran Duran's side project. Members Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes were left to complete it after Roger Taylor left the group. They still strove to create the "western evocative of east" blueprinted by Japan's Tin Drum. They didn't achieve it with this, but it's certainly the best album Duran never made. Like earlier work Rio, the sleeve perfectly describes the record inside. The opener "Election Day" is darkly romantic irking toward erotic and has brass stabs not dissimilar from their Bond score View to a Kill. The following songs are lighter: "Keep Me in the Dark" and the U.S. single "Goodbye Is Forever." "The Flame" has a sharp beat and sultry bass groove that nods at Nile Rodgers. Two dream works, "Missing" and "Rose Arcana," precede "The Promise," which guests Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour, Sting, and Herbie Hancock. "El Diablo" has a latin flavor but still sounds like two Englishmen daydreaming of an escapade to El Salvador. Finally, to the dramatic splendor of "Lady Ice," a fantastic conclusion to a very good album. Thankfully, Arcadia chose not to pursue this album like their other Duran offshoot.
(amg 6/10)

Alison Moyet [1984] Alf

[01] Love Resurrection
[02] Honey For The Bees
[03] For You Only
[04] Invisible
[05] Steal Me Blind
[06] All Cried Out
[07] Money Mile
[08] Twisting The Knife
[09] Where Hides Sleep



amg: Alison Moyet's solo debut moves away from the all-electronic backing of her two-album partnership with Vince Clarke in Yaz, but ironically, those two albums sound much less dated in retrospect than Alf itself. Hooking up with Bananarama's producers, Tony Swain and Steve Jolley, Moyet delivers an enormous, walloping mid-'80s pop sound that constantly threatens to overwhelm both the songs, which are a mixed bag, and occasionally even the formidably voiced singer herself. Several tracks make it through the production mill unscathed, notably the singles "All Cried Out" and "Love Resurrection," but the album's pinnacle is the remarkable "Invisible," a soulful shouter penned by Motown great Lamont Dozier that's among the great R&B pop singles of the '80s. Moyet tears into the song's emotional chorus with more ferocity than on the rest of the album, and the song is as melodically sturdy as any of Dozier's previous hits. Some of the other tracks would benefit from less-overbearing production, most notably the chilling "Where Hides Sleep," making Alf one of those albums that sounds better once the listener has mentally undressed the songs a bit.
(amg 6/10)

Al Jarreau [1984] In London

[01] Raging Waters
[02] Black And Blues
[03] I Will Be Here For You
[04] Let's Pretend
[05] High Crime
[06] Roof Garden
[07] Teach Me Tonight
[08] We're In This Love Together



amg: This is a snapshot of Al Jarreau a few years after achieving pop stardom, caught live before a large crowd at London's Wembley Arena. In contrast with the lean, dynamically subtle backup band on the earlier live Look to the Rainbow, here Jarreau arms himself with a flashy, heavily electronic R&B/funk band with horns, and subtlety often goes out the window in favor of high-energy showmanship. Unlike his studio albums from this period, though, this concert allows him a little bit of room to display glimpses of his famous vocal acrobatics. The set starts with a burst of high-tech pizzazz on "Raging Waters" and "Black and Blues" and ultimately settles into a partying groove with "Roof Garden" and "We're In This Love Together." Though the concert makes for a pleasurable listen in the home, Warner could not capture the intimate connection that the live Jarreau made with his audiences in any of his periods, so one feels a bit removed from the action. The video version of the concert, by the way, contains a few songs that were not available on the audio release
(amg 6/10)

Ac/Dc [1981] For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)

[01] For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
[02] I Put The Finger On You
[03] Let's Get It Up
[04] Inject The Venom
[05] Snowballed
[06] Evil Walks
[07] C.O.D.
[08] Breaking The Rules
[09] Night Of The Long Knives
[10] Spellbound



amg: AC/DC's hot streak began to draw to a close with For Those About to Rock We Salute You. While Back in Black was infused with the energy and spirit of paying tribute to Bon Scott, it became apparent on the follow-up that the group really did miss Scott more than it initially indicated. Brian Johnson's lyrics started to seem more calculated and a bit clichéd, lacking Scott's devil-may-care sense of humor. And the band itself slowed down the tempo frequently, sounding less aggressive and inspired. There is still some decent material here — the title track, for example, which became a concert staple with cannon-firing sound effects.
(amg 6/10)