10 Songs That Should Be On Everybody's I-Pod

I think since its summertime right now I'll put up some of my favorite summer feeling songs.

10. I'm A Believer by The Monkees
09. No You Girls by Franz Ferdinand
08. Walk In The Country by The Ranch
07. Forever In Blue Jeans by Neil Diamond
06. And We Danced by Deana Carter
05. All In by Better Than Ezra
04. Twistin' The Night Away by Rod Stewart
03. The Good Life by Three Days Grace
02. Three Strange Days by School Of Fish
01. How Your Love Makes Me Feel by Diamond Rio

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Check Out Bush

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King Kobra - King Kobra

King Kobra has risen from the grave attempting a comeback. Well it's not a comeback considering they never really made it back in 1985. The band this time seems to have a lot right in their sound with the albums opening cut "Rock The House" that does do exactly that. As the album progresses the songs stay pretty solid for the most part and one of the worlds best drummers does his best on the AOR styled album. This is a far better record than any of their previous stuff and I recommend it to the AOR/Hair Metal fans.

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Mickey Thomas - Marauder

The once king of AOR pop who fronted Jefferson Starship and the shortened Starship hasn't been around much in the rock n' roll world over the last decade of so. He returns with a cover song album that is about typical for older artists living in the past. Mickey does his version utilizing a lot of newer songs as well as rehashing some classics. At first glance you can tell that no money was spent on the cover art. It's terrible and that is being nice.

To the music we go and it all begins with a fourth rate cover of "Gimme Shelter" that sucks major donkey dick. This song has been done many times before better just about everytime as well. The cover version of "Sledgehammer" takes a great song and turns it into a fiery turd bomb. The record really doesn't do Mickey justice and his versions of these songs are pretty lame. His hip-hop tinged "Life Is A Highway" isn't the worst possible idea I've heard but it misses the mark as well. This one is a pass and it's a shame too because Mickey is better than this album. He really needs to re-think his career path and what his next step will be because another mistake of this magnitude. will be his end.

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Retro Rewind Track: Jetboy - Feel The Shake

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George Lynch - Kill All Control

The once credible and mighty axe man from Dokken drops another album post Dokken glory days. So far he's really been a misfiring maniac. Outside of the first two Lynch Mob albums from '90 and '92 he's really dropped a ton of crap music. This isn't the case with Kill All Control as I play this album with no expectation of it being remotely listenable. The album isn't a total wash and does have some good songs now and again.

The album has multiple vocalists one of being Marq Torien of the Bullet Boys and he's another of the hair metal alumni that hasn't done much worth listening to himself. Here he does a fairly good impression of Don Dokken and Jeff Pilson on two of his three tracks. The last of his songs "Here Comes The Sun" sounds more like his Bullet Boys wail but its really produced well and kept in control. A pretty slick hard rocker with his other two being a little more modern sounding but his vocal on the title track is awesome and one of the best he's ever recorded.

London LeGrand plays a part on this album as well, his stint working with Nikki Sixx's Brides Of Destruction didn't make me go ooh that guy cool it was more like oh that guy sorta sucked. His first track on the album is a modern rock snoozer ballad type song and then I listened to another of his efforts where he sang better but again another mid-paced melodic modern rock tune. Nothing great just bland which brings us to his final vocal "Go It Alone" which is a snotty sleaze rock tune that has a bit of a punk feel mixed in for good measure.

Will Martin of Earshot and Keith St. John of Montrose both make appearances. Neither are stellar nor are they terrible. It's a pretty average affair and if you've got money to spend it could find a better investment for sure.

Song Highlights: Kill All Control, Son Of Scary, Resurrect & Sun

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Check Out Emphatic

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Retro Rewind Track: Damn Yankees - Coming Of Age

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Yes - Fly From Here

Being another revised line-up of Yes this one not including Jon Anderson does a brilliant job of maintaining all of what Yes fans love about the band. I find this album very solid for a band that has been around almost as long as I've been alive well their debut album arrived when I was an infant. This new album includes David Benoit handling the vocal duties and I'm not going to say he's better or worse than Jon because he's neither. In the live arena David can hit the notes with power and energy unlike Jon was able to the past few years he was in the band.

The "Fly From Here" suite is pure and epic without going overboard. I really enjoy the vocal passages as much as the instrumental passages which hasn't been the case on many later Yes records it was either one or the other. I can here Downes influence on the album, even if he isn't the main writer on the album he's merged with Steve Howe after all these years. Chris Squire the greatest bass player to ever strum a four string is more than just tossing incredible note combinations out he's nearly telling the story as the music plays. His frenetic and precise playing is magical specially on part IV "Bumpy Ride" where you might not really notice but what he's doing in all that is astounding because he's actually the lead instrument.

I haven't been so driven to listen to a Yes album over and over for a very long time maybe since ABWH's one off Yes album not using the Yes band name. This is for sure the first album in many years I've actually listened to twice in a row all the way through. After the excellent "Fly From Here" completes the band have some songs of lesser length and one of their best in twenty years "The Man You Always Wanted To Be" is a glorious listen. I love Howe's tone on the solo bits and flourishes it's one of his best tones on record. Now being a fan of the band and progressive rock I love all the time changes and big chorus's with layered vocals and multi-textured instrumentation. If you want to lay back close your eyes and go on a musical journey unlike anything you've experienced before than put Fly From Here on and I promise the band won't disappoint creating a brilliant soundtrack to whatever your mind will come up.

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Fountains Of Wayne - Sky Full Of Hearts

Considering how long and how many albums this band has released you'd think they would have a huge foothold on success and sales by now. But really they live in One Hit Wonder land for the awesomeness named "Stacey's Mom". Power Pop to the max is Fountains Of Wayne and they don't change for anybody or for the charts and that is why this band keeps itself in my favorites list. On their latest full-length album Sky Full Of Hearts the boys pretty much stick to their guns as one would expect. The album has some excellent pop rock tunes that will probably die in obscurity which is sad but lets be honest intelligent music doesn't really hit the mainstream as often as we'd like it too.

The song "Richie & Ruben" is a charming slice of power pop with a nice light airy Brit pop sheen. The band get a little funky on "Acela" which has a swinging groovy that harkens back to the late 60's early 70's. Just a fun mood altering song that is much better than almost everything I heard on the Sirius XM Pop station countdown this week. Of course this type of music is not meant for that format but it doesn't change the fact its better. Another of the albums better tracks is "A Dip In The Ocean" that is instantly charming and wiggles its way into that part of your brain that stores the really good stuff forever. This album has some weaker material but as you listen to it as an album without pulling out one or two for a mix or the I-pod the album is completely enjoyable front to back. FOW is not for everybody and is not for the thin skinned pop kids who only like whatever is popular for fifteen minutes but I really dig this band and get great enjoyment out their power pop goodies.

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Burn Halo - Up From The Ashes

Eighteen Visions frontman making another attempt at stardom with Burn Halo and honestly he's in a better band this time around. They still sound similar to his previous band but have a little better idea of what direction the bands sound is going to take. This was supposed to be more metal but it isn't really metal at all. It's more modern rock sounding than classic 80's in its aspirations. I don't hate the album but I can't say I'd listen to it regularly either. So really its a wash when it comes to Up From The Ashes. Some good ideas and some really cool aggressive sounding riffs and power chords but it all just sits stale lacking a huge hook laden chorus or a pop charm. Even a kick ass metal thump would have made some improvement but over and over it's all start/stop rhythms that never catch fire or pay off. I say pass on this album because there is better doing similar styled stuff.

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Blondie - Panic Of Girls

Considering the last new material Debbie Harry released I wasn't even remotely excited for this album and well maybe that's why I don't completely dismiss it as crud. The punk/new wave opening cut "D-Day" has a quirkiness to it that makes it somewhat enjoyable. What the hell a second song that doesn't suck! Hmm, maybe this might be a return of sorts for the name of Blondie. "What I Heard" is a decent pop song that you'd even find on say a Miley Cyrus or Selina Gemez or even Kelly Clarkson record where they do that odd ball nod to the 80's track. Funny part is the song after a couple of listens sounds even better and earned it a place on my I-pod which I am very picky with selecting songs to be apart.

As the album continues along I'm beginning to smile because its becoming a modern day come back while being as true to the original sound of the band as possible this far past Blondie's heyday. The band pull out the reggae timing for "The End, The End" which stretches to their last real hit "The Tied Is High" for inspiration. The song actually works really well and I would listen to it again for sure. The real sugar comes in on track six "Love Doesn't Frighten Me" where Debbie Harry sounds like we all expect and the songs production is flat-out perfect. Her voice shows some of its again on this song but nothing overtly bothersome. I'd love to hear this song get some airplay because its deserving.

The album has thirteen tracks and I would consider that long but overall it plays well. It could have ended somewhere around nine tracks which would have been more than enough for even the most devoted Blondie fan. The last really good song is "Horizontal Twist" which has some more of the classic era sound. I don't really enjoy the reggae styled stuff as much on the album but others might as they aren't terrible songs. A surprising comeback for Blondie but nothing that will make them a household name again.

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Blake Shelton - Red River Blue

Here we go again with a Blake Shelton record and thank you for that! Country music has so much garbage music coming down the pipe now that great songs are not finding their way out of the commercial sludge of 70's styled AM pop or R&B ballads that are being coloured with a twang. Blake's new album has a little of that stuff but the major difference is that you get a song like "Sunny In Seattle" which eclipses rotten cabbage like "Need You Now" by the untalented piece of shit trio Lady Antebellum.

The album is chalk full of strong songs that outside of the overwrought and unnecessary "God Gave Me You" which by a million miles is the worst tune on Red River Blue. Blake's character and sense of humor lends itself well to "Get Some" and "Hey" a couple of fun country songs that will be getting lots of plays on the I-pod this summer. I deem this album a complete winner and thank Blake for being true to himself and not selling out and recording faceless drivel just to make sure that those moron's at country radio will play his music.

Song Highlights: Hey, Drink On It, Get Some, Honey Bee & Good Ole Boys

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Theory Of A Deadman - The Truth Is...

This band really stepped it up with their last album Scars & Souvenirs and living up to the success of that record was going to be hard to achieve. The band took the best from their past and put most of it together in a nice package called The Truth Is... giving Theory Of A Deadman their most complete and enjoyable long player yet. When the band takes the catchy pop side of their sound the songs are instantly memorable and ones you just want to sing to before even knowing the lyrics.

The power ballads are typical fare from them but the quality is good and should garner some success at radio. It takes a long time to get to a more metallic aggression but on "Drag Me To Hell" they drive it home nicely. This album has a ton of good songs that probably won't be played in their unedited state. I'm ok with that my kids old enough to know better than to sing the curse words aloud so I don't take issue with too much of what is being said.

As the album plays through I was a little worried that the best songs were in the beginning but the train never leaves the track. This album sticks to the successful formula of their best stuff and I'm very happy that they chose to make an album like this. I don't care about being artistic or creative outside the box. I don't listen to this band for that sort of music, I want catchy hard rock tunes and catchy power ballads to sing a long to while the volume dial is turned up way past disturbing the neighbours level. The Truth Is... has achieved the hype I had built up in my mind and gave me everything I hoped for on this album something that I didn't get from Saliva or Rob Zombie on their last records.

Song Highlights: Easy To Love You, Bitch Came Back, Drag Em To Hell, Lowlife, Gentleman & Careless

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