Bring 'Em In - Buddy Guy

Advantages: Makes you realise just how cool Blues can be
Disadvantages: The sound quality though not bad might put some people used to 'polish' off

...get a record deal. Blues was out of favour and so he accepted the offer, and Live At The Checkerboard Lounge was the result. The club, incidentally, Buddy Guy himself owned. What's fascinating about Live At The Checkerboard Lounge is that unlike a lot of Blues albums where standards are wheeled out (not that I'm saying that this is a bad thing) most of the songs are Buddy's own compositions. And they're really raw blues, both traditional and modern yet never watered down as some can be. Perhaps this is because Guy's so on form. His vocals are impassioned and his guitar work exceptional. You feel here is Guy given the opportunity to let loose and bring his and Blues reputation back into favour. Whether he did or not, well, I'm inclined towards doubt but he does himself and the genre more than proud. We open with Buddy's Blues... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: everything!
Disadvantages: nothing!

...Ochrasy is a world made up by Mando Diao theirselves, a world between the end of a concert and the sunrise. A world where they meet a lot of different and strange people - who later appear in their songs then. On Ode To Ochrasy you can find three of them: Killer Kaczynski, Tony Zoulias and Herr Horst, a homeless guy who appears in the song "Welcome Home, Herr Horst". As they already proved on their first two albums Bring 'Em In and Hurricane Bar, they also show on that album that they totally rock! Amsterdam, Long Before Rock'n'Roll or TV and Me just make you wanna jump and dance! But there are also calm songs, on top of all the wonderful ballade Ochrasy, that just make you feel calm and relaxed!... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Great production
Disadvantages: Basic rapping

...I thought "College Dropout" was overrated and I think the same of this album. Kanye is a PRODUCER. It's what he's good at and what he should stick to in my opinion. I certainly have no complaints about the production on this album that for sure. I do have complaints about the rapping though. His flow is appalling and seems to be getting worse not better. The lyrics are very basic. I guess it doesn't include any of the oh-so common ganger rap that rappers are increasingly putting out. In all honesty, I think 'Crack Music' was the worst track I heard all year. Both The Game and Kanye were weak, even more so than I expected of Kanye. On the flip side, "Bring Me Down" is a great track in my opinion. Ok, so the singing on the intro and outro is excessive, much like it is on "Heard 'Em Say". Someone needs to tell this guy it's ok to have... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful