SGTC: Mach II, Round 6

[murlough23]

Well, I think that last round was a good morale booster for most of us. On to the next "normal round":

bdg: Charlie Peacock, Love Press Ex-Curio (Clips)
bloop: Mariah Carey, The Emancipation of Mimi (Clips)
Brenden: Bart Millard Hymned #1 (Clips)
Danny: The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds (Clips)
Josh: Elton John, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (Clips)
murlough: Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic (Clips)
NinjaRob: Demon Hunter, The Triptych (Clips)
plvarona: Kendall Payne, Grown (Clips)
Wildcat: Eric Clapton, Unplugged (Clips)
worldofcm: Derek Webb, Mockingbird (Clips)

Y'all have until midnight on Thursday, November 17 to register your predictions.

[danny316]

bdg: Charlie Peacock, Love Press Ex-Curio 3 stars
bloop: Mariah Carey, The Emancipation of Mimi 2 stars
Brenden: Bart Millard Hymned #1 3 stars
Danny: The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds 1 star (too short for him!)
Josh: Elton John, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy 3 stars
murlough: Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic 2 stars
NinjaRob: Demon Hunter, The Triptych 3 stars
plvarona: Kendall Payne, Grown 4 stars
Wildcat: Eric Clapton, Unplugged 3 stars
worldofcm: Derek Webb, Mockingbird 4 stars

[bloop]

Danny: The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds 1 star (too short for him!)

? (Guessing for yourself?)
! (Now that's just wrong!  Do you want me to have a conniption?)

[Wildcatblue7]

I know certain players hate this, but I'm giving a three to everybody except Ninja, who I'll guess four, and except bloop, who I'll guess gives out a two.

<--Watches as score plummets to the bottom...

[eatahouse]

bdg: 4
bloop: 4
Brenden: 3
Danny: 3
Josh: 3
murlough: 4
NinjaRob: 4
plvarona: 4
Wildcat: 3
worldofcm: 5

[Josh]

bdg: 4
bloop: 3
Brenden: 4
Danny: 4
murlough: 3
NinjaRob: 4
plvarona: 5
Wildcat: 4
worldofcm: 4

[bdg13disciple]

bloop: Mariah Carey, The Emancipation of Mimi (3)
Brenden: Bart Millard Hymned #1 (4)
Danny: The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds (4)
Josh: Elton John, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (3)
murlough: Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic (3)
NinjaRob: Demon Hunter, The Triptych (4)
plvarona: Kendall Payne, Grown (4)
Wildcat: Eric Clapton, Unplugged (3)
worldofcm: Derek Webb, Mockingbird (2)


peace... love... bdg...

[plvarona]

bdg: 3 stars
bloop: 2 stars
Brenden: 4 stars
Danny: 3 stars
Josh: 3 stars
murlough: 3 stars
NinjaRob: 4 stars
Wildcat: 3 stars
worldofcm: 3 stars

[worldofcm]

bdg: Charlie Peacock - 4 stars
bloop: Mariah Carey, The Emancipation of Mimi - 3 stars
Brenden: Bart Millard Hymned #1 - 4 stars
Danny: The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds - 4 stars
Josh: Elton John, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy - 4 stars
murlough: Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic - 3 stars
NinjaRob: Demon Hunter, The Triptych - 4 stars
plvarona: Kendall Payne, Grown - 4 stars
Wildcat: Eric Clapton, Unplugged - 3 stars
 

[NinjaRob17]

bdg: Charlie Peacock, Love Press Ex-Curio - 4 Stars
bloop: Mariah Carey, The Emancipation of Mimi - 3 Stars
Brenden: Bart Millard Hymned #1 - 4 Stars
Danny: The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds - 4 Stars
Josh: Elton John, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy - 3 Stars
murlough: Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic - 2 Stars
plvarona: Kendall Payne, Grown - 4 Stars
Wildcat: Eric Clapton, Unplugged - 3 Stars
worldofcm: Derek Webb, Mockingbird - 4 Stars

[Brenden]

bloop: 3
BDG: 4
Danny: 3
Josh: 3
murlough: 3
NinjaRob: 4
plvarona: 4
Wildcat: 4
worldofcm: 4
 

[bloop]

bdg: Charlie Peacock, Love Press Ex-Curio 4 stars
Danny:  The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds 3 stars (Yes, I realize that would be heresy, but it really is quite short.  Sublime, but short.)
Brenden: Bart Millard Hymned #1 3 stars
Josh: Elton John, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy 3 stars
murlough: Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic 3 stars
NinjaRob: Demon Hunter, The Triptych 4 stars
plvarona: Kendall Payne, Grown 4 stars
Wildcat: Eric Clapton, Unplugged 3 stars
worldofcm: Derek Webb, Mockingbird 4 stars

[murlough23]

bdg: 4 stars
bloop: 2 stars
Brenden: 3 stars
Danny: 4 stars
Josh: 3 stars
NinjaRob: 4 stars
plvarona: 4 stars
Wildcat: 3 stars
worldofcm: 4 stars

[worldofcm]

I believe it is close enough to midnight - and I'm going out of town tomorrow afternoon - and I don't want to forget.

Let me preface this review by saying that I love Derek Webb.  I think he's got some great ideas for the church.  

However, I'm highly disappointed in Mockingbird - not lyrically - but musically.  I know Webb is more than capable of creating a musically engaging album - he proved it on She Must and Shall Go Free.  I See Things Upside Down was merely OK musically, but Mockingbird is just plain bland and insipid.  Lyrics couldn't save this album.  My rating is 2 1/2 stars - rounded down to 2 stars.

[murlough23]

Wow. I never thought a smartly written album could rank so low for you. Though I agree that lyrics alone can't save an album if the music sucks.

I really struggled between 3 and 4 stars for Alanis Morissette. I really had to give some of these songs another chance, after being haunted by spectres of the original album that was being redone. (Bad memories are what kept me from giving Alanis a chance on her subsequent albums for a while.) I have to give her credit for revisiting these songs in more of a thoughtful manner - her voice isn't nearly as grating as it was in the original versions. But some of the songs lose their energy in the more laid-back setting - they're less irritating, but also less noticeable. What's good is that because I'm not as ticked off by songs like "You Oughta Know", I get chance to notice the excellent songwriting in songs that I hadn't really noticed before like "Perfect", "Forgiven", and "Wake Up". While she might have not done such a hot job redoing her hit singles, she really helped her lesser-known songs to shine. This one falls as about as close to 3.5 stars as you can get, but because of the lack of momentum and the fact that there are still some very immature lyrics in places, I'm going to go with 3 stars.

[Brenden]

I was surprised by this album. I've never been a MercyMe fan, so I never would have checked it out if I hadn't heard good reviews on here about how the album was better than a MercyMe album.

I was not dissapointed. Bart's vocals are excellent, and the music on many of the songs is great as well. Sweetest Name I Know, My Jesus I Love Thee/Tis So Sweet, Precious Lord, Take My Hand, Do Not Pass Me By, all draw me in and hold my attention.

The downside is there's a couple moments, and one song (Maw Maw's Song) that lose my attention, and Maw Maw's Song is one that I always feel the urge to skip.

I'll go with 4 stars for this album.

Next round I'll do Kevin Max - Holy Night

[Wildcatblue7]

Short story: Eric Clapton is a guitar god.

Long story: he's also incredibly solid live.  while some of the song choices and covers he did didn't quite jive with me, overall, Unplugged has a gorgeous audio aesthetic--likely due in part to dual production and Clapton's signature sound.  He skillfully covers some great old blues tunes, some other songs unknown to me, and then some of his own.  The standout is obviously Layla, and yes, murlough, this version is ridonkulous.  I really prefer the more shredding version done by Derek and the Dominoes back in the day (Duane Allman + Eric Clapton = !!!) but acoustically, it loses none of the emotion or impact.  

Now, what would have been REALLY cool would have been if he had adapted some of his other songs, like Cocaine, or some with his bands, like Sunshine of Your Love, to an acoustic setting.  Here's betting it would have been super cool.

As it is, four stars for ol' Slowfingers.

Next week is the Christmas round, right?  Off the top of my head . . . I'll do whatever the name of the Point of Grace Christmas CD is.  A Christmas Story, says Amazon.

[Josh]

This round, more than any other that we've played, baffles me. Apparently, you all think I must be pretty ambivalent toward Elton John-- almost all of you guessed 3 stars for me.

Maybe it's because I have developed a reputation for bashing classic albums. And there's some truth to that-- I'm not about to give an album high marks solely because it has the status of a classic, as some critics are prone to doing. But I'm also not going to automatically write something off just BECAUSE it's a classic-- I mean, c'mon, my favorite album of all time is The Joshua Tree!

So maybe it's because you all think I'm a homophobe. Well, I'm not.  =)  (Remember, one of my all-time favorite bands is REM-- led by the notoriously bisexual Michael Stipe!)

Or maybe it's because Elton John has developed something of a bad reputation for writing sappy, sentimental, melodramatic love songs. Hey, no arguments there. But he wasn't ALWAYS like that, you know. Sure, he's cut some really lousy music, but he's also released some truly artful, poetic, adventurous music.

Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy fits into this last category. It's a thoroughly enjoyable collection, marked by strong musicianship, indeliable melodies, and crisp, clean production. John's arrangements are complex and full of surprises, but they're also highly accessible and melodic (think Sufjan Stevens, maybe). The prodution utilizes strings and horns very tastefully, enhancing the music without ever distracting or becoming bombastic. And the lyrics... well, it's a concept album, and thus it's all very thematically cohesive, and it's also full of vivid imagery and great lyrical zingers. It's poetic, idiosyncratic, moving, and profound-- in other words, this is a great album from start to finish.

5 stars!  

(Next time I'll do Harry Connick, Jr.-- Harry for the Holidays)

[plvarona]

Here's my verdict:

Album Reviewed: Grown (re-release) - Kendall Payne

Pros: The highlights on this album are better than those on her previous album, Jordan's Sister.  Standout tracks include the Simon & Garfunkel influenced "Ups and Downs", acoustic-rocker "Happy", Narnia-based "Aslan" and the two quiet songs at the end of the CD, "Twenty Three" and "Pray."  Speaking about "Aslan", I think the people who put together the Narnia CD really dropped the ball by not including it, because it would have been one of the best songs on the CD had it been included.  There are also many thoughtful lyrics throughout the CD, which makes sense given the introspective nature of many of the songs.  Musically the CD is fairly competent - nothing overly embarassing here.

Cons: I would have liked to have seen more instrumental variety on the CD.  It's not that I'm looking for a radical change in sound - rather just some subtle variations would suffice.  On the plus side, the use of a beat box on "Little Things" was interesting, although I thought that could have been fleshed out more.  There are a few songs that are a bit dull musically (most notably "Superstar" and "Backwards.")  Even though the lyrics are improved from her last CD, there are a few songs that still are annoyingly repetitive in that department (e.g. "Johnny", "Little Things.")  Additionally, I thought the arrangement of the CD was quite awkward.  Case in point, the CD started with one of its slowest songs "Scratch", and then next jumped into one of the fastest ones "Rollercoaster", which didn't work for me.  Overall, I think this CD works better as a collection of individual songs than it does a coherent CD, mainly due to the awkawrd arrangement.

The Bottom Line: I do think this is a step forward from Jordan's Sister.  There are enough highlights to show that Kendall has a great album in her, although these are balanced out by the moments that show us that she's not there yet.  Still, all things considered, even though this album has its share of flaws, it's still a good album.

Rating: "B", which for the purpose of this game is 4 stars.

On Deck For The Next Round: Avalon's Joy - A Christmas Collection

[NinjaRob17]

It's really quite odd how Demon Hunter's "ballads" are, for the most part, better than their harder songs. In fact, most of their harder songs are pretty boring in the fact that they follow the same formula over and over again. Guitar intro, Ryan Clark trying to sound mean while metal-rapping the verses, a (usually sung) pre-chorus, then a chorus which is half sung/half screamed. Add a bridge in the middle that takes a "sudden twist in the music", then repeat the chorus a couple more times. That's the formula for every single "metal" song on this album. It gets very boring very fast.

However, the ballads save this album from total mediocrity by adding new flavor to the otherwise bland album. "Deteriorate" sounds a bit like "My Heartstrings Come Undone", while "One Thousand Apologies" is a mix between a ballad and one of their "harder" songs.

Anyway, I'm going to give this one 3 Stars. A mediocre rating for a mediocre album.

"Happy Christmas 4" is going to be my Christmas album for next week.

[bloop]

I don't have much time for detail, but Carey's album is an admirable R&B effort, but it's definitely a song-oriented kind of album and, as such, the highlights are few (Snoop Dogg's cut is the best - and I'm not usually one for too many guest spots).  A C's fair, and it's a fair enough album, so 3 stars.

Next time, I'm doing John Denver's "Rocky Mountain Christmas".  I picked it up from the Salvation Army store just for this game.

It never crossed my mind that you were a homophobe or anything Josh.  I just wasn't sure what you'd do with it, I don't feel strongly about the album one way or the other, so I just went with the generalized safest choice.  

I didn't even know of your classic-bashing proclivities.  I do know that I don't share them, but rather, "classic" status makes me look at an album pretty closely before I decide to criticize it too harshly.  There are a few, though, that don't deserve their place to be as high as it is (Nirvana's Nevermind comes immediately to the front of my mind - there are at least 3 albums better than that one from the same year, probably more if I really thought about it).

[Josh]

It never crossed my mind that you were a homophobe or anything Josh.

Yeah, that part was a joke.  =)  

[worldofcm]

Put me down for The Martins' Light of the World.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&s...10:dzfuxqljldke

[murlough23]

I think the people who put together the Narnia CD really dropped the ball by not including it, because it would have been one of the best songs on the CD had it been included.

I don't think thoughtful songs that actually had anything to do with the topic at hand were what they had in mind for that Narnia CD, quite frankly.

[danny316]

Danny: The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds 1 star (too short for him!)

You're funny, really. If only somebody else got the joke!

? (Guessing for yourself?)
! (Now that's just wrong! Do you want me to have a conniption?)

Exactly.

I'm giving a three to everybody

Too low.

Danny: 3

Still too low.

Danny: 4

OK, so you're the other one here who doesn't always jump when an album's considered a classic by most people. C'mon though, this one's easy to see! And the liner notes specifically outline how the way it's recorded was ahead of it's time! And Paul McCartney refers to it as the greatest thing ever, and says that "God Only Knows" is the best song, and, and, and, ah, nevermind.

Danny: The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds (4)

You people, really, you have no faith in my tastes in music.

Danny: 3 stars

Noooooooo! Don't you get it?!?

Danny: The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds - 4 stars

This is the LAST time I try to give you people an easy round.

Danny: The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds - 4 Stars

So close, but so far.

Danny: 3

Really now, this is just insulting. The album's an undisputed classic, for pete's sake! Wait a second, who's Pete?

Danny: The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds 3 stars (Yes, I realize that would be heresy, but it really is quite short. Sublime, but short.)

Agreed, somewhat. That is heresy. It is quite short, and I don't generally like short albums....but I'd be an idiot to say that the Beatles, the Beach Boys, etc, were bad just because they couldn't hit 70 minutes. The quality of what is there is certainly deserving of the five-star rating, and I can't be that picky about my personal preferences....this is "Second Guess the Critic", after all, not "second guess my first gut-level reaction".

Danny: 4 stars

COME ON! THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE CLASSIC!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!??!

This is insulting, really, but I suppose I set myself up for that one. Really, I was just kidding when I guessed for myself. I've done that before, you know. Sure, I don't always spot an absolute classic on first listen, but this one is rather obvious, and it's a amazing set of songs even before you take cohesion, recording methods, place in music history, etc into account. 5 stars, and nobody gets 10 points.

I'll pick a harder one for next round - Threefold's "Tidings" EP. I'm pretty sure the majors don't stock it, but clips are available here.

[murlough23]

I am so gonna bomb the next round. People's critical perceptions seems to get blown to hell when it comes to the sentimental Christmas dreck.

NP: "Just the Same", Big Dismal

[bloop]

You played us well, Danny.  I'll admit it.  I'm glad you gave the album its correct rating, however damaging it is to my score in this game.   =D

[murlough23]

^ Even if something's a classic, does there have to be one "right" rating? I mean, it may not be the case for the Beach Boys, I don't know, but couldn't an album have a wealth of "classic" songs but also a number of lesser-known songs that are largely unmemorable? Such an album would likely rank as a 4 in my book, even if the classic songs were freaking awesome. I don't think it's that unlikely that something like this could happen to an artist.

Anyway, I'm just waiting for bdg's score so that I can tally this round's scores.

NP: "All This Time", Delirious?

[bloop]

^ Even if something's a classic, does there have to be one "right" rating? I mean, it may not be the case for the Beach Boys, I don't know, but couldn't an album have a wealth of "classic" songs but also a number of lesser-known songs that are largely unmemorable? Such an album would likely rank as a 4 in my book, even if the classic songs were freaking awesome. I don't think it's that unlikely that something like this could happen to an artist.

Well, the Beach Boys album is strong throughout, but I'm of the philosophy that if an album's highlights are very strong, to the point where it influenced a ton of music through the ages, then I think it's strong enough to earn some variety of an A, if not an A+, 5 star rating (there is some disconnect between the whole star system used here, and the half-star system that deals better in the nitty-gritty).  

Also, I think we become a bit too biased toward our particular day in age, being more keen on album-oriented records, and against the song-oriented philosophy that dominated in the past if we become too attached to the way quality albums are built now, but that's probably a different discussion (has more to do with age-related bias than anything else).  Maybe sometimes, only a few songs are at very high level, but they are at such a level that 5 stars is more than warranted, and going with less than that is just too stingy.

So, yes, 5 stars for Pet Sounds is very sound as an evaluation, and, arguably, the only sound evaluation at the end of the day.

(just a little aside, really.  I'm more interested in reading people looking into today's albums as they don't have that historical value to take into account - but "the canon" is mostly a wonderful thing in itself)

[bdg13disciple]

sorry, i've been mia all day...

jazz is one genre you really can't "Fake" too well...
Charlie Peacock gets it... and Love Press Ex-Curio is a solid 4 stars...

next week Behold the Lamb - Andrew Peterson and friends...

peace... love... bdg...

[murlough23]

I keep starting new rounds a day late! Sorry. Anyway, here goes Round 7.

NP: "Back of Yer Head", The Electrics