To celebrate twenty years of being one of the best known DJs in the biz, PvD releases his sixth studio album.
Jeez, I really feel old now with the realization that PvD has been around for twenty years. I remember seeing him live back in mid-to-late 90's when he and DJs like Oakenfold and Tiesto were bringing trance to a more mainstream audience.
This release features guest vocalists like Adam Young (from Owl City) and Plumb, among others, on all but one or two tracks of the disc. All of the tracks, as you would expect, feature tunes falling mainly in the trance genre.
Overall, it's a decent album from the DJ that will bring bouts of pleasure to both longtime fans and newer ones that are just getting into trance music. Some of the tracks don't bring a lot of freshness to the genre but the beats are solid, the samples are lively and the guest vocalists are a welcome addition.
Score: 7.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "I Don't Deserve You" and "A Wonderful Day"
Chynna Phillips and Carnie and Wendy Williams are back with an album that covers the hit songs their parents recorded back in their The Beach Boys and The Mommas & The Poppas days.
Even before listening to the album, I found the concept behind it to be one that was long overdue.
As the daughters of Brian Wilson or of John and Michelle Phillips, I can understand trying to get out from under the long shadows of their famous parents especially in the band's earliest years. But it has been nearly a quarter of a century since the band began and the ladies are no longer spring chickens so it seems like an apt time to release an homage to their parents' prestiges works.
The band's still sunny vocal harmonies really shine on the majority of the album although the concept of the album is far greater than the execution of it. Their arrangements of the songs (when the arrangements vary from the originals') show little imagination and turn the tunes into fluffy folk-pop songs.
This might come down to personal preference, but I definitely think the band's unique vocal harmonies work a lot better on The Mommas & The Poppas' songs than on The Beach Boys' songs.
Unfortunately, the overall bland feeling this album leaves you with makes it hard for me to recommend it despite the brilliant and long overdue idea behind it. If you are interested in picking up a disc of new cover songs, go with the Macy Gray album released last week over this one unless you plan on sharing the album with your own momma and poppa.
Score: 5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "God Only Knows" and "Monday Monday"
I'm not sure what Maseo (aka Plug 3) has been up to but the other two members of De La Soul, Pos (aka Plug 1) and Dave (aka Plug 2), get back together to release their first collaborative work since the band's 2004 album, The Grind Date.
The album contains 16 topical tracks, three of which are interludes. At times the progressive hip-hop duo will sample or play homage to bands they have collaborated with in the past like A Tribe Called Quest but this only enhances their sound rather than making it seem dated or derivative.
The overall theme of the album is two musicians whose partnership and friendship are being torn apart by the heartless music industry. This is actually a giant step of growth for the band whose past albums (specifically Prince Among Thieves) seemed to focus more on the standard ganster-turned-rapper scene and the melodrama that involves rather than telling an overarching opus like they do on this release.
First Serve is a silky disk that keeps the listener enthralled from start to finish. The two bandmates blend hardcore raps with upbeat piano loops, soaring horns and even the odd harmonica and they manage to make it all sound wonderful. Even Kanye West would be impressed.
Score: 8.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "The Work", "Must B the Music" [sample it below] and "Pop Life"
No comments:
Post a Comment