Observation Station - Niney The Observer

Advantages: Sharp lyric.
Disadvantages: Corny lyrics.

...Jewel's voice may be on the sunny side, but her music and lyrics are sharp. the songs are predominately accostic and are full of wry observations such as, "you wake up making love to a wall. The album starts strongly with Drowning in Deep water and Hands, but towards the middle she seems to lose her way a little with songs like Fat Boy. The message she is trying to put out is clrear - too clear, so that the lyrics are corny and overly sentimental. However she makes up for these with the last listed song - The Absense of Fear, with a memorable piano part and her voice put to its best effect by singing softly but at no time weakly.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Great South style and flair
Disadvantages: nothing

...This album is the best for a long while! It is absolutely classic Beautiful South stuff, with nearly every song being fabulous! The mix of the male and female vocals blends perfectly in true South style, and the song writing is as crazy as ever, with lyrics that will baffle. It's good to see that since Carry On Up The Charts was so successful they can still deliver the quality of music that everyone loves from them! This has to be a definite album for any fan of The Beautiful South or any casual observer of the good music they can produce!... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: it gives a neat summary of the Kinks colourful and varied career
Disadvantages: Being a 'Best of' you only get to scratch the surface

...One of the gems of British rock music, the Kinks helped define our little island in the 6o's as the epicentre of the most exciting cultural revolution of the the 20th Century. This album charts their progress, starting with the gritty rock n' roll of 'You Really Got Me' to the more quirky and observational pieces such as 'Sunny Afternoon' and 'Apeman' to the more risque and sexually ambiguous 'Lola'. This album by no means gives the full flavour of the Kinks, but it is a very useful starting point for a Kinks beginner. It can be seen as a contents page with each song acting as the title of a chapter, charting their progress and maturation over the years.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful