Music Reviews: More Good albums

courtesy of my blog: http://cjferrara.blogspot.com/

Ian Axel reminds me of Ben Folds SO MUCH. Maybe it's the happy peppiness of his songs juxtaposed against sadness in the lyrics that give it just a hint of sarcasm. Maybe it's the piano riffs that bring the song together. Maybe it's his voice. For some reason I can't put my finger on, I absolutely LOVE his debut album, "This is the New Year." It's a contender for beating Greg Jasperse's "Tournesol" for happiest album on earth. You just can't feel bad listening to this stuff. Even the "Waltz" which goes into a random, minor-key, French, Carousel type of rhythm which borders on maniacal, you can just sense the humor behind it, and that's all you feel. Try out the opening song, "Leave Me Alone," and just enjoy the ride.

Adele - "21" I'll be honest, I resisted Adele's first album. It was such a gimmick. Like Joss Stone and Natasha Bedingfield before her, Adele fell into the "She's white and British, but miraculously sounds like an American R & B singer" type. And like Susan Boyle, you didn't expect this voice to come out of someone with, shall we say, less than sellable looks. The thing is, and many gimmicky groups fall into this trap; once the gimmick wears off, it all comes down to the music. That's why millions of American Idol fans who rabidly call in and support their favorite "singer" on the popular "music" "reality show" never seem to show up to buy the album. Because AmId has a bad reputation of picking horrible songs for their superstars to sing.

So, I followed my project's rules and listened to Adele's first track "Rolling in the Deep." I kinda got into it. It's nice, and hey, follows the genre nicely. So, I moved on to the other tracks. And with each one, I loved it more and more. Yeah, she can sing, of course. That's what brings you to the table, but the songs are good, and her performances and arrangements are solid. I didn't think I'd be an Adele fan, but now I might just go back and check out "19" and see what I've been missing.

Stryper - "The Covering" - I may have surprised a few regular readers, (snicker!), with my selection of "Murder By Pride" as one of my favorites of 2010. First off, who the hell is still a Stryper fan? But I'm going to stand by my review, and what I've always believed about this group: Christianity aside, they're a great freakin' band. And they got better with maturity. Now their new release is an album of covers. You'd think they'd go for covering Christian groups, or stick to the metal songs that can reference God with a simple change of lyric. "Dr. Feelgood," for example? "Heaven" by Warrant? "Signs" by Tesla, but change the ending? Nope. They cover Sabbath, Judas Preist, Kiss, Scorpions, Kansas, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Ozzy, Led Zeppelin; and they do it well! Like "Against the Law," their secular album from 1990, "The Covering" shows off their chops as a metal band, and it doesn't disappoint. For nothing more than the selection of songs, it's worth checking out.