To switch things up a little on you I decided to feature my normal Face-off Friday from Drug of Choice Beauty on DOC Music today and have a little extra fun with it. Enjoy!
This one stumped me a little bit. I don't know a lot about label politics but I imagine it had something to do with this switcheroo. Years ago I heard this awesome Santana song featuring Chad Kroeger from Nickelback and fell in love with it. Fast forward a few months and I was hearing the same song on pop radio with the vocal stylings of Alex Band (formally of The Calling, now a solo artist). I love Alex and The Calling so I like this version of the song just as much. I'm not sure what happened but now we have two versions to enjoy of the song. Now all you gotta do is decide which you like more. Do let me know.
Chad Kroeger-
Alex Band-
I have to say that even though I heard the Chad Kroeger version first (and got pretty sick of hearing the Alex Band version 200 times a day) I still think I like the Alex Band one better. Alex is just a phenomenal singer with such a huge range for a man, he can go deep, he can go high, he can do it all. Plus, he's freaking adorable with his blonde hair and scrawny frame. Chad seems to be a little more one-note and have you noticed that every SINGLE Nickelback song has the exact same melody? Well, I take that back. There are two melodies, one for the rock hits and another for the poppier slowed down songs. So weird and frankly a little sickening that people fall for it every time and don't realize that it's so similar. Same goes for Santana. There, I said it, I've heard much better guitarists than Santana (Zoltan Bathory from Five Finger Death Punch, Zakk Wylde from Black Label Society) that don't need to look at the guitar to play LOL.
What do you think? What's your favorite version of this song? Agree or disagree with my critiques of Santana and Nickelback? I'd love to hear your opinion.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
ThemeSong Thursday Top 10: Shinedown- Sound of Madness
You never know the power of music until a good song changes your mood for an entire day. After a mentally exhausting morning/early afternoon I knew I had to let it all out by blaring some good tunes and singing along. It doesn't always work but I'd be willing to bet that for me 90% of the time music can shift my mood. Yesterday it happened when listening to Shinedown's "If You Only Knew." A lot of you may be familiar with the song because it was a huge hit recently, crossing over onto pop and adult contemporary stations. I love when a band I've loved since day one finally gets the recognition it deserves and no one deserves it more than Shinedown.
You may recall the lyric "It's 4:03 and I can't sleep..." The hour of 4:03 will never be the same and every time I see it on the clock I remember this song that I'd long played out before most people had even heard it. Yesterday just as the last note of the song played my car's clock turned to 4:03. It might sound silly but I'd been waiting for that day to happen for years and it finally did. It picked my mood up instantly. How could you not love that? I literally whooped a little in the car.
Of course that is not the only good song on the CD or else it wouldn't have made my Top 10. It's pretty hard to narrow down my music collection to the 10 Best CDs but this one easily made the cut. The other singles on the album "Second Chance" and "The Crow & The Butterfly" are just a selection of the greatness that is the album. I'll be sharing with you my two other favorite songs and giving you a broad overview of the rest of the album.
The first of my favorite songs is called "What a Shame". It's one of those beautiful story songs that tugs at your heartstrings even if you haven't been through anything like this. When I saw Shinedown in concert a couple years ago to support this CD Brent Smith, the singer for the band, shared a little bit of the story of this song with the audience and it nearly had me in tears. It's a song about death, specifically cancer related deaths but beyond that, I think, it's a song about human acceptance, just listen to this. "What a shame, what a shame to judge a life that you can't change. The choir sings, the church bells ring so won't you give this man his wings. What a shame to have to beg you to see we are the same!" My favorite line of the whole song, possibly the album is "never knew how much the broken heart can make a sound and change the seasons. Now the leaves are falling faster, happily ever after. You gave me hope through your endeavors and now you will live on forever." How beautiful is that?
My absolute favorite song on this CD is "Call Me." This song resonates with me so deeply that it's moving every time I hear it, no matter what. At first listen it sounds like your typical breakup song but once you listen closer you may detect something a little more, divorce with a child involved perhaps. I don't know the exact story behind the song but Mr. Dudesday and I both gather the same thing from this one. This song just makes me want to be a better person, to hold onto those that I love and do everything in my power to be the best person I can be for them because only you have the power to change yourself. Also, it happens to be perfect for my Jag, You're It Novels that I'm writing, specifically the breakup between my main characters Elli and Jagger, now I think of them when I hear it.
If you've heard Shinedown on the radio you've probably only heard one side of the band. They are genuinely multi-talented and the other half of their sound is more fast paced, workoutable tracks. The singing is fast with lots of lyrics that are great for getting out your aggression and are more like their original rock single "Fly from the Inside."
If you're looking for an all around excellent album, part of my Top 10, pick up Shinedown's Sound of Madness and enjoy everything Brent and the gang have in store for you! I recommend picking up the deluxe version with 9 bonus tracks and a DVD disc.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
ThemeSong Thursday: Evanesence- What You Want
Hey guys! Jaime again. I know I've left you hanging on what artist I'd be featuring today but I couldn't be more excited to announce that it's Evanescence. You may have heard the new single "What You Want" on the radio by now. I'll admit it took a while to grow on me but now I can't live without it.
I'm so excited for this CD that today's ThemeSong Thursday is going to be featuring not only the song but the whole album. Make sure you pick it up in stores or legally download to support Amy and the gang. Don't miss the deluxe version with four bonus songs and an exclusive DVD.
Amy Lee has spent her band hiatus well, writing poignant tracks that immediately grab your attention and force you to hold on for dear life. Her haunting voice can soar into the high octaves or slip deeply into a lower range but you're never going to be able to ignore it. The enchanting melodies of such songs as Sick, Made of Stone and The Other Side will worm their way into your head and stay there for days. Not to be ignored are the deafening guitar licks, piano instrumentation and the addition of Lee on the harp, a hobby she's since added to her musical repertoire.
If you're a fan of the band's harder hitting songs like Going Under and Bring Me to Life you're sure to love Erase This, a track that is equal parts dance along and anger filled rock song. Fans of My Immortal and Lithium will instantly fall in love with Lost in Paradise. The haunting lyrics really dig deep into your soul and implant themselves in your heart. There's no denying the emotion coursing through Amy's body every time she performs this ballad. Another sure to be fan favorite is My Heart is Broken. As a slow introduction builds into a harder rock song fans may recognize the style from many songs on the first CD. If you were put off by the bands experimental sound on 2006's the Open Door you'll be glad to know that side has been scaled back significantly, allowing the band to grow as unit.
Perhaps the most important part of the whole album is the addition live violins, violas and cellists from the 11 musicians adding backing instrumentals to the five member band. If you've been watching the behind the scenes Tweeting, Facebooking and industry insider gossip you'll know that the band recently recruited their former guitarist back from the clutches of Seether much to the chagrin of Mr. Shaun Morgan, Amy's former love and lead singer for Seether. Rounding out the lineup are Terry Balsamo, former guitarist from Cold, Will Hunt, most recently from Black Label Society, on drums and bassist Tim McCord.
As the band continues to change and develop, fans are experiencing a new side of Amy Lee, a side that is visibly comfortable in her skin, apparent in both media interviews and stage performances. Lee says that this band is the best version of Evanescence yet and she's confident that the music will show just how cohesive they are as a unit. Evanescence (the album) sounds much more thought out than The Open Door though it doesn't quite live up to Ben Moody's vision on Fallen but definitely gets a dose of creativity and spirit from the talented front-woman.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Five Finger Death Punch: American Capitalist
It's rare that two of your favorite bands release CDs on the same day, both their 3rd CDs at that. If you know me you'll know that Five Finger Death Punch is right up there on my list of favorite bands, I'm not even sure I could put them in order at this point because it depends on my mood. On 10.10.10 I saw Godsmack, Five Finger Death Punch (5FDP) and Drowning Pool in concert and I would have to say that those 3 are my Top 3, in which order I'm not sure. Now at the very tale end of 10.10.11 (technically 10.11.11 but close enough) I'm able to listen with wonder at every single word uttered by this amazing band. I've listened to the entire CD twice, it's now almost 3:00AM but I had to share it with you.
For the first time in my life I waited in line at midnight for a CD release, I've never waited for the newest gadget, for Black Friday sales or to see a public appearance by a band, this was huge for me. You'll see my other purchase on ThemeSong Thursday but for now we're going to discuss Five Finger Death Punch American Capitalist. I thought it would be tough to beat War is the Answer but it looks like 5FDP has topped even themselves. I'm sure my neighbors are wishing I wouldn't listen to this hardcore metal music at midnight on a Monday but hey, they'll get over it and I'll never have the chance to listen to it on release day every again. Suck it!
I want to give you a song by song breakdown of the whole album, my likes, dislikes (not that there really are any) and urge you to pick this album up. As a responsible blogger I have to ask nicely that you LEGALLY download this one or buy the actual version in the store, no pirating! Just think about your favorite band being dropped from their label for poor sales because no one spent actual cash-money on the CD. Makes you sad, doesn't it?
As much as I love the vocals on this album I have to say that the music on this one is the most rocking I have EVER heard. Zoltan Bathory and Jason Hook are 100%, no doubt the BEST GUITARISTS EVER. I could listen to instrumentals from Five Finger and if you love Canto 34 as much as I do you know you agree. What other band could have an instrumental track on their modern album?
First up is the title track American Capitalist. Honestly in the Amazon preview I thought the guitar was too thrash and hard to hear over but I'm loving it on the actual song. I love that the band can write hard hitting songs that actually mean something and are profoundly deep and still appeal to the masses as much as they do. As always the guitar solo rocks my world. I could listen to it on repeat. "I don't wanna believe I'm empty. I don't want to admit I'm wrong. I don't want to regret who I've become, where I belong. I'm an American Capitalist." Perfection!
The first single is Under and Over It. I have to say that I'm amazed by the chorus of this one, the perfect melodic, easy to sing along with chorus that accompanies hard hitting verses. This is what 5FDP fan wants to hear, it's the style they've made famous and their true identity as a band. It's not the best song on the album but it certainly showcases their style. It's a very screw you kind of song and it's perfect for those days you just want to say "fuck the world!"
The Pride astounds me. How a band can write a song with every popular brand as the main words of the verses just astounds me. It really makes a point about people being scared of the things they don't understand and satires the American Dream. Of course the music is cool as hell too. Ivan Moody has the perfect voice for creepy voice-over work, he could star as the bad guy in an animated flick. Deep, raspy and hard hitting it's sheer perfection.
Coming Down is 4:08 of pain and anguish. I love when Ivan uses this voice, the shaky, raw voice that just gives you a complete understanding of his feelings. I think every single person can relate to the emotions in this song, how people bring you down and don't understand you and the way it makes you feel. It conjures up memories of high school, past lovers and perhaps childhood nightmares. This one is more melodic and slightly slower tempo'ed than the rest. If you liked Far from Home put Coming Down on your playlist now! The 30 second guitar solo alone is enough to make this an instant classic for any Knucklehead.
Just when you think they went soft the first drums of Menace hit and you know they'll never lose the sound you've grown to love. "I'm tired of trying to please the world that spins around me. This time I'm doing it for me and me alone. I don't need anyone, don't think I ever did. Not trying to be selfish, just doing what I know. I'm a menace." Truest words ever spoken and in an odd way, the perfect breakup song.
As much as I adore Ivan's melodic sing-song voice I adore the deep, insane speaking-like voice he uses on Generation Dead. Again, this one has a great chorus that is easy to sing along with even if you can't quite keep your words straight to recite the verses. This one is very reminiscent of their first album The Way of the Fist. Sick guitar solo on this track too. I love that the band can grow and progress with the times but never forget their original fans, that just goes to show how great being on a small label is for the fans!
Back For More reminds me of a heavy metal cheerleader. It's uplifting in a fight for your right kind of way and I can just see some sexy, goth cheerleaders piling up in pyramids and tossing their fists in the air as this song plays in the background. I can't foresee that happening in the near future but hey, a girl can dream. For that reason alone this one is instantly going on my workout playlist. "It's time to rise up, man up, get back up, never bend and won't be broken. Dust off and then come back for more. You gotta reach down, dig deep and break ground. Show them you won't be beaten. Brush it off and then come back for more!" I can see the elliptical machine air guitar now (oh yeah, I seriously do that, it can get dangerous!)
My favorite song on the album (and I'm sure Mr. Dudesday agrees with me on this one) is Remember Everything. It's one of those songs that just hits you hard, right in the gut. You feel the pain even if you haven't lived through it. Those are the songs that I love. If you feel the emotions of the person through the speakers and you've never even been through them yourself you know that the music is truly speaking to you. I'd give anything to touch people the way this song touches me, it's intense, seconds from tears emotional to me. If this song doesn't become a single someone is seriously sleeping on the job. The 80s inspired guitar solo both makes me want to learn to play and to quit before I start because I could never hold a candle to Mr. Bathory or Mr. Hook, or Zoltan and Jason to you and I.
Wicked Ways is the epitome of a scorned lover song. It hits deep; we've got a character assassination on our hands. Again, I can't truly relate to these feelings but with a little imagination you can project Ivan's words on your wicked boss, your mother (or mother in law) or that bitch who pushed you in the mud in third grade. You know there is someone you feel this way about. It's empowering to force the anger out and know that someone else has been in the exact position as you.
Don't let the intro fool you If I Fall is a strong rock song, the gentle instrumental at the beginning gives way to a hard as hell epitome of 5FDP song. The drums really steal the show on this one and I love that. I used to be the girl who only listened to the words and never really heard the music but you can't ignore Jeremy Spencer on the drums or Chris Kael on the equally heavy bass line. "If I fall, if I fall, I'm dragging everybody down!" Love it!
Rounding out the album is 100 Ways to Hate. It's these type of songs (along with War is the Answer, the title track from album #2) that just crack me up. They are FULL of curses and anger and they make me feel better just hearing them. This is definitely a song that would instantly de-stress you after a bad day. It'll wind you up, exhaust you and make you 100% calmer by the end. Try it and let me know how it works!
How's that for a blog launch? One of my favorite bands and their simply divine new album. If you pick it up you gotta let me know and we can rejoice in being Knuckleheads together (the bands mascot, the masked man with the brass knucks is Knucklehead for those not in the know). PS- Loving the comical, sarcastic graphic novel artwork on the cover and promotional material and especially love that Zoltan is the art director for the CD, talk about multi-talented.
For the first time in my life I waited in line at midnight for a CD release, I've never waited for the newest gadget, for Black Friday sales or to see a public appearance by a band, this was huge for me. You'll see my other purchase on ThemeSong Thursday but for now we're going to discuss Five Finger Death Punch American Capitalist. I thought it would be tough to beat War is the Answer but it looks like 5FDP has topped even themselves. I'm sure my neighbors are wishing I wouldn't listen to this hardcore metal music at midnight on a Monday but hey, they'll get over it and I'll never have the chance to listen to it on release day every again. Suck it!
I want to give you a song by song breakdown of the whole album, my likes, dislikes (not that there really are any) and urge you to pick this album up. As a responsible blogger I have to ask nicely that you LEGALLY download this one or buy the actual version in the store, no pirating! Just think about your favorite band being dropped from their label for poor sales because no one spent actual cash-money on the CD. Makes you sad, doesn't it?
As much as I love the vocals on this album I have to say that the music on this one is the most rocking I have EVER heard. Zoltan Bathory and Jason Hook are 100%, no doubt the BEST GUITARISTS EVER. I could listen to instrumentals from Five Finger and if you love Canto 34 as much as I do you know you agree. What other band could have an instrumental track on their modern album?
First up is the title track American Capitalist. Honestly in the Amazon preview I thought the guitar was too thrash and hard to hear over but I'm loving it on the actual song. I love that the band can write hard hitting songs that actually mean something and are profoundly deep and still appeal to the masses as much as they do. As always the guitar solo rocks my world. I could listen to it on repeat. "I don't wanna believe I'm empty. I don't want to admit I'm wrong. I don't want to regret who I've become, where I belong. I'm an American Capitalist." Perfection!
The first single is Under and Over It. I have to say that I'm amazed by the chorus of this one, the perfect melodic, easy to sing along with chorus that accompanies hard hitting verses. This is what 5FDP fan wants to hear, it's the style they've made famous and their true identity as a band. It's not the best song on the album but it certainly showcases their style. It's a very screw you kind of song and it's perfect for those days you just want to say "fuck the world!"
The Pride astounds me. How a band can write a song with every popular brand as the main words of the verses just astounds me. It really makes a point about people being scared of the things they don't understand and satires the American Dream. Of course the music is cool as hell too. Ivan Moody has the perfect voice for creepy voice-over work, he could star as the bad guy in an animated flick. Deep, raspy and hard hitting it's sheer perfection.
Coming Down is 4:08 of pain and anguish. I love when Ivan uses this voice, the shaky, raw voice that just gives you a complete understanding of his feelings. I think every single person can relate to the emotions in this song, how people bring you down and don't understand you and the way it makes you feel. It conjures up memories of high school, past lovers and perhaps childhood nightmares. This one is more melodic and slightly slower tempo'ed than the rest. If you liked Far from Home put Coming Down on your playlist now! The 30 second guitar solo alone is enough to make this an instant classic for any Knucklehead.
Just when you think they went soft the first drums of Menace hit and you know they'll never lose the sound you've grown to love. "I'm tired of trying to please the world that spins around me. This time I'm doing it for me and me alone. I don't need anyone, don't think I ever did. Not trying to be selfish, just doing what I know. I'm a menace." Truest words ever spoken and in an odd way, the perfect breakup song.
As much as I adore Ivan's melodic sing-song voice I adore the deep, insane speaking-like voice he uses on Generation Dead. Again, this one has a great chorus that is easy to sing along with even if you can't quite keep your words straight to recite the verses. This one is very reminiscent of their first album The Way of the Fist. Sick guitar solo on this track too. I love that the band can grow and progress with the times but never forget their original fans, that just goes to show how great being on a small label is for the fans!
Back For More reminds me of a heavy metal cheerleader. It's uplifting in a fight for your right kind of way and I can just see some sexy, goth cheerleaders piling up in pyramids and tossing their fists in the air as this song plays in the background. I can't foresee that happening in the near future but hey, a girl can dream. For that reason alone this one is instantly going on my workout playlist. "It's time to rise up, man up, get back up, never bend and won't be broken. Dust off and then come back for more. You gotta reach down, dig deep and break ground. Show them you won't be beaten. Brush it off and then come back for more!" I can see the elliptical machine air guitar now (oh yeah, I seriously do that, it can get dangerous!)
My favorite song on the album (and I'm sure Mr. Dudesday agrees with me on this one) is Remember Everything. It's one of those songs that just hits you hard, right in the gut. You feel the pain even if you haven't lived through it. Those are the songs that I love. If you feel the emotions of the person through the speakers and you've never even been through them yourself you know that the music is truly speaking to you. I'd give anything to touch people the way this song touches me, it's intense, seconds from tears emotional to me. If this song doesn't become a single someone is seriously sleeping on the job. The 80s inspired guitar solo both makes me want to learn to play and to quit before I start because I could never hold a candle to Mr. Bathory or Mr. Hook, or Zoltan and Jason to you and I.
Wicked Ways is the epitome of a scorned lover song. It hits deep; we've got a character assassination on our hands. Again, I can't truly relate to these feelings but with a little imagination you can project Ivan's words on your wicked boss, your mother (or mother in law) or that bitch who pushed you in the mud in third grade. You know there is someone you feel this way about. It's empowering to force the anger out and know that someone else has been in the exact position as you.
Don't let the intro fool you If I Fall is a strong rock song, the gentle instrumental at the beginning gives way to a hard as hell epitome of 5FDP song. The drums really steal the show on this one and I love that. I used to be the girl who only listened to the words and never really heard the music but you can't ignore Jeremy Spencer on the drums or Chris Kael on the equally heavy bass line. "If I fall, if I fall, I'm dragging everybody down!" Love it!
Rounding out the album is 100 Ways to Hate. It's these type of songs (along with War is the Answer, the title track from album #2) that just crack me up. They are FULL of curses and anger and they make me feel better just hearing them. This is definitely a song that would instantly de-stress you after a bad day. It'll wind you up, exhaust you and make you 100% calmer by the end. Try it and let me know how it works!
How's that for a blog launch? One of my favorite bands and their simply divine new album. If you pick it up you gotta let me know and we can rejoice in being Knuckleheads together (the bands mascot, the masked man with the brass knucks is Knucklehead for those not in the know). PS- Loving the comical, sarcastic graphic novel artwork on the cover and promotional material and especially love that Zoltan is the art director for the CD, talk about multi-talented.
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