Category: reviews with a 3 of 5 rating

video review : Warrior

video review : Warrior

I want my money back! I paid top-dollar for in-ring seats at the biggest MMA event of the year and all the fights are rigged! That’s all I have to say about this brutal lovefest, which follows two fighters on the road to “Sparta”, a multi-day tournament in which the winner gets a whopping five-million dollars to spend on whatever he needs.

The woes of their lives, the financial and psychological misfortunes that are supposed to make us cheer them on, serve as the hook. And the twist, the one and only aspect of the plot that makes it different than all those other fight flicks, is that they share the same father; a former alcoholic abuser trying, unsuccessfully, to mend his past.

The fighting; the actual in-ring combat; is entertaining and realistic. Ringside commentators make it almost like watching real UFC fights, but the movie’s emotional element is anything but tough, so the crowd-pleasing outcomes of those matches are unrealistic and anticlimactic; cliché and predictable; all the way to the scripted end.

my rating : 3 of 5

2011

audio review : 4 ( album ) … Beyoncé

4

The title is stupid. It’s Beyonce’s fourth solo album, but so what. Naming an album after its numerical order makes little artistic sense, especially when the three previous albums don’t share the same concept. Of course, it’s the music that matters most. In that category, there are barely four good songs. Track one, One Plus One, which equals a romantic two, may have a number of things going for it and the Miss You song, despite its irksome snare drum, may sound gorgeous before it suddenly fades away, but that’s not really saying a lot. Beyonce’s first album, Dangerously In Love, has a lot of good songs on it. Not to mention the Destiny’s Child albums. These days the girl is drowning in mediocrity and has been for years.

4 throws itself back three decades to the 1980s for some vintage vibing, and that part of it; the retro music production that makes most of these songs sound as if they could’ve come out in that decade; sort of works. A sample from Slick Rick’s La-Di Da-Di evens shows-up in an old-school-synth-laced Party mix. It’s the album’s vocal melodies, and sometimes the words themselves, that fail to live-up. Listen to the chorus on I Care. It just sounds silly. And the Run The World anthem, with all its bombastic sound effects, is hollow and annoying; almost as annoying as the Countdown song. Composer Diane Warren does better with a power ballad entitled I Was Here, but it’s not nearly enough to match the album’s rating with its title.

my rating : 3 of 5

2011

audio review : Soldier Of Love ( album ) … Sade

audio review : Soldier Of Love ( album ) ... Sade

Songstress Sade has a thing for Love. This is her third album in a row with that word in the title. For her, it’s a catch-all for romantic allure, which this time comes with the theme of war. Even the Babyfather ballad, presumably dedicated to her own daughter, has “troops and extra backup standing by”.

It’s a waste of resources though. The one place Sade needs back-up is on the hooks of these songs, which rarely sway from the narrow melodic range we’ve come to expect from her. It, along with the smooth jazz grooves it’s presented upon, represents her comfort zone. But neo-soul only goes so far.

There’s some impressive, subtle yet sporadic, instrumentation happening during the last third of the title track, which marches like the beat of a military band. The best song though doesn’t come until the album’s end. “In my heart, your love has found the safest hiding place,” she sings to her soldier.

my rating : 3 of 5

2010

audio review : Reveal ( album ) … REM

audio review : Reveal ( album ) ... REM

As far as choruses and drumbeats go, REM’s Reveal is a step down from Up. That’s despite the titles of the first two songs, which seem to imply further artistic elevation. High, with a dreamy snare and hazy chords, conjures 1980s Phil Collins. That’s a good thing. The Lifting, even with a rhythm section pleasantly reminiscent of Can You Feel It by The Jacksons, never really gets off the sand.

There’s a Beautiful Beach Boy ballad on the last album, but this entire Reveal has a warm summer atmosphere. There’s a Beachball flying thru the sky. The shiniest gem, Beat A Drum, has the sun reflecting in the back of Michael Stipe’s eye. Cool in contrast are the spacey sound effects on Saturn Return, which throws what sounds like a referee’s whistle into the mix, and the album’s Rain song.

my rating : 3 of 5

2001

audio review : Part Lies Part Heart Part Truth Part Garbage ( album ) … REM

audio review : Part Lies Part Heart Part Truth Part Garbage ( album ) ... REM

I don’t know why I consider REM one of my favorite bands. They’ve made some great songs, sure, and a few are included on this compilation; an album-to-album collection of mostly popular singles, along with three new songs. But they’ve also made songs that aren’t so great. A lot of those are also included here. There’s no “garbage”; that’s a joking display of modesty; but compared to personal favorites that aren’t included on this consumer-focused set, like Up‘s Sad Professor, some of what is emit a rather unpleasant odor.

The One I Love is the template for a generic “love” ballad and Everybody Hurts has always been overrated, but Shiny Happy People is better than bitter angry people say it is and I consider the second half of this chronological set; the era in which REM’s music supposedly began to decline; much better than the first. End Of The World, from that first half, is their best song, but the inclusion of Bad Day; their second best; a reworked demo-child of End Of The World; makes for an off-putting clash. They should have chosen one or the other.

I like that there are three songs from Collapse Into Now; a decision that serves as a free promotional plug for their last (final) album, released only a few months ago. Überlin, despite the silly stylization of its title; the “Ü” means “thru” and “berlin” is the capital city of Germany; soars. That’s thanks partially to the harmonic background vocals of Mike Mills, which also help make Leaving New York the best cut from Around The Sun. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite is another major stand-out and I have nothing but praise for Country Feedback.

Driver 8 is tired. New Test Leper, which sounds beautiful enough during the verses, falls under the weight of its deadpan chorus. How fitting is it then that the three new songs are also a mixed bag. A Month Of Saturdays is as lazy and unproductive as the title suggests. Hallelujah is comparatively enjoyable. Nicer still is We All Go Back To Where We Belong, which shines like the sun on a warm summer day. It’s a pleasant song; the kind of melodic dream music this band should’ve focused more on during their twenty-nine years.

my rating : 3 of 5

2011

audio review : Collapse Into Now ( album ) … REM

audio review : Collapse Into Now ( album ) ... REM

There’s a song here entitled It Happened Today featuring Eddie Vedder. It’s a sing-a-long of sorts, though lyrics lead way to a wordless chant about a third of the way in. There are rock guitars, stomping drums and what sounds like rusty church tambourines. It’s a marvel that exudes the kind of folky party vibe you haven’t heard from REM in a long time and I wish the other melodies on this album were as uplifting.

This is their best album since Reveal; it’s peppier than Around The Sun and easier on the ears than Accelerate; but half of its songs fall short at the chorus, where melody counts the most. Oh My Heart, on which the band sound like old men having heart attacks, is a grower, but Michael Stipe yelling “Discoverer” over and over again sounds silly and Andre 3000 sang “Hey Ya”; Every Day Is Yours To Win; better years ago.

ÜBerlin flies high, thanks mostly to Mike Mills harmonizing Michael Stipe’s vocals in the background; a technique the band should make use of a lot more often. Blue, on which Stipe talks his poetry instead of singing it, is a cool showcase for Patti Smith, but, even with an escalator at her feet, Peaches can’t help lift Alligator Aviator Autopilot Antimatter and Mine Smell Like Honey is more bitter than sweet.

There aren’t any major musical calamities. Nothing even comes close to countering It Happened Today on the low end of the spectrum. It’s just that, as is the case with REM’s last few albums, there are simply too many mediocre songs. I guess that gives some unintentional meaning to the Now bit. The band is merely another group of aging rock stars trying, only almost successfully, to revive their former glory.

my rating : 3 of 5

2011