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Time the Conqueror

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Adult Contemporary
by: Jackson Browne

September 22, 2008
I've been listening to Jackson Browne since the sixties (yes, I'm really old), and first encountered him with blonde chanteuse Nico. Since then, I've seen him in concert many times, and enjoyed his music constantly, so you could say I'm an admirer. I still like to think I have critical faculties, and I was a bit concerned when I read early reviews of this album. However, now having bought it and played it a few times, I needn't have worried. No-one can capture the mood of a time like Jackson Browne. He has a conscience, a soaring voice, and even with sparse arrangements, a rare power in his song writing. I hope we don't have to wait another six years for his next studio album. This is just great.

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Once: Music From The Motion Picture

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Adult Contemporary
by: Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova

October 01, 2007
I saw the film first and bought myself this cd afterwards. I love every song on it. If it's the music from the film that you want it's all on here. I'd highly recommend this cd.

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Hand Built By Robots

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Adult Contemporary
by: Newton Faulkner

July 30, 2007
I bought this album on the strength of Dream Catch Me, something I don't usually do without hearing more, but a decision I certainly don't regret in this case.

Vocally, he has hints of Jack Johnson and Adam Levine, and delivers each song with soul, energy and enthusiasm. There are no bad, weak or filler tracks on this album, which sounds polished but still raw.

Despite the similarities I mentioned earlier, Faulkner still sounds totally unique and has a lot of talent. I enjoy this album, which manages to relax me when I need relaxation, as well as stimulate me when I need an energy boost.

One of the best debut albums in recent years.

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Revolver

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Adult Contemporary
by: The Beatles

November 01, 1998
Nowadays critical consensus often ranks this as The Beatles' best album, and indeed one of the best albums ever made. While it's only my second favourite by them personally (The White Album being first), this is still one of the greatest albums I own.

Revolver is the point where The Beatles ceased to be a pop group and became something else entirely. Shortly after its release they gave up touring, having tired of performing to screaming fans when they'd much rather be holed away in a recording studio making new music. This also allowed them to be more experimental, recording sounds that could never have been recreated in stadiums and arenas at the time. Importantly they had all begun to experiment with drugs as well, witnessed by some ... Read More:

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Complete Clapton

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Adult Contemporary
by: Eric Clapton

October 08, 2007
As I've posted some complaints on Amazon about incompleteness of compilations (missing an artist's best-known track, apparently just to hack people off), I'd like to go the other way on this one.

Obviously this compilation is not "complete". That would require not two CDs but, er, an awful lot of CDs. It is a very fair cross-section of Mr C's career from Cream onwards, charting his emergence as a solo artist, the relative blandness of the early 80s, and his return to form from the late 80s onwards.

To be more comprehensive, it should include the early era as well, i.e. Yardbirds and Mayall. This doesn't bother me, but the blues fans might object. The Cream tracks are a mite superfluous; if you want Cream material, you probably want ... Read More:

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Dreaming Out Loud

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Adult Contemporary
by: One Republic

March 10, 2008
I know that this band has influences from Coldplay and Keane, but they are much better than those bands in my opinion. I thought Keane's singles from the last album were great, especially Crystal ball, so I think this is more like the new Keane than the old Keane. Although I think OneRepublic is their own individual band and maybe they shouldn't be compared.
When I first heard this band's song re-mixed by Timbaland, I wasn't expecting the band to do any solo songs because I thought it was sort of organised by Timblalnd, but it turns out that Timbaland re-mixed OneRepublic's version of Apologize and made it sound better. There was just something about that song that attracted me to the band. When Stop and stare was first released, it took me a while to realise ... Read More:

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Blues Breakers

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Adult Contemporary
by: John Mayall, Eric Clapton

December 15, 2000
I was going to mention Clapton's christening of the Les Paul, Marshall setup, but others have beaten me to it. I liken it's impact to what happened to harp playing when Little Walter and other's deciding to blow through the PA or an early guitar amp. They REDEFINED the sound of the instrument.

So all I'll add is the rhetorical question...can you imagine being a teenage Brit, having been reared on the sounds of the Beatles, Jerry and the Pacemakers, or even the Dave Clark Five, wandering into a London club because someone had recommended the Bluesbreakers, and hearing THIS STUFF? Probably as epiphanic as being a white guy in mid 50's Chicago and having the nerve to wander into the Dew Drop Inn and hearing Muddy, Wolf, or later, Otis Rush and Buddy Guy. ... Read More:

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Fearless

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Adult Contemporary
by: Taylor Swift

November 11, 2008
Taylor Swift's Fearless debuts at No. 1 on Pop & Country Charts
Taylor Swift owns the charts this week. Her sophomore release Fearless debuts at No. 1, with 592,304 copies sold. This is enough to earn her a No. 1 at the Billboard Top 200 albums as well. This is the largest opening U.S. sales week for a female artist in all genres of music, and puts her at No. 4 behind Lil Wayne, AC/DC and Coldplay for the biggest debut this year. Lastly, her single "Love Story" holds the No. 1 spot on the Country Singles charts for a second week.

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Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Adult Contemporary
by: Foo Fighters

September 24, 2007
This is a brilliant album, perhaps even the Foo Fighters most complete album so far. I own every Foos album and although I love them all, I feel that there are generally a few filler songs on each album among the gems. However I find it difficult to pick faults in this album. As soon as 'The Pretender' bursts into life you are carried on a monumental journey of rock brilliance. The album flows so beautifully throughout with that raucous opening continued through to the middle of the album when a change of tone occurs and the lighter yet fantastically well thought out anthems of 'home', 'statues' and 'but honestly' give a nice sort of contemplation time at the end of the album after a good 7 or 8 songs of jumpy rock. It is difficult to pick favourite songs on this album but I think 'The ... Read More:

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You've Got A Friend: The Best Of James Taylor

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Adult Contemporary
by: James Taylor

April 02, 2007
I bought this album on the strength of the song You've Got A Friend, having thought there must be more to his brilliance than just this one song. I wasn't wrong. When I heard this album, there were many songs I already knew...I just did not know, for some reason, that James Taylor was behind them.

Overall, this has been a brilliant re-introduction and introduction to the best of James Taylor's music. It's very easy to listen to and to relax to, despite being moving and having lyrics which make you think.

My personal favourite tracks are: Fire And Rain, You've Got A Friend, Handyman, Shower The People, although most people know Carolina In My Mind and Something In The Way She Moves. There are no bad, weak or unworthy tracks on this compilation, and there is even a brand ... Read More: