Save The Children (Live In Concert) - Gil Scott-Heron

Advantages: Losing My Edge
Disadvantages: I found the rest quite dull

...James Murphy certainly has a way with words. Although I'm not particularly a fan of this type of music, there is one track in particular that stands out for me. 'Losing my Edge' is like a shopping list for the terminally hip - namechecking a wide range of seminal recording artists from Catain Beefheart through to Gil Scott Heron by way of Talking Heads and Lou Reed. The song is a light-hearted piss take of every music snob everywhere ever, and the lengths they go to in outdoing each others musical expericences, all put to a driving electroclash backbeat. I have to be honest, I paid zero attention to the music, but the lyrics had me laughing my head off. As for the rest of the album, well, if you like a singer to sound like a New Yoik Version of Mark E Smith, churning out electronica with fairly wry lyrics then he's your man. But don... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Beautifully Soulful, written beautifully and tells a story of Lyfe Jenning's life from his crime days to rehabilitation and real instruments played by Lyfe himself!
Disadvantages: No Prologue or introduction to the background story of the album

...A great debut from a not very well known upocoming soul artist. The title reflects Lyfes prison number when incarcerated in prison for grand theft auto charges. In prison Lyfe was rehabilitated and turned to music. Opening with an intro and going right into a talky interlude, you just know Lyfe 268-192 is a heavy-with-message. Jennings' honest, poignant, and warm writing, is empowering at times and occasionally heartbreaking. "Made Up My Mind," "She's Got Kids," and "Must Be Nice" all display the kind of Gil Scott-Heron realism and are all great tracks that you can real feel and experience what he is going through. The song Hypothetically also features American Idol winner Fantasia, and is a great song and one of my personal favourties with a simple guitar tune played by Lyfe himself, the track is extremely mellow and touching... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Singles, good guitar work, lyrically interesting
Disadvantages: A bit too rocky, second half of the album not as good as first

...Document is the first of many Scott Litt co-produced REM albums, which are for most people their greatest works. The album itself shows partially why they made such a great combination, as it includes many of the band's longest surviving songs. The One I Love and It's The End of The End Of the World were brilliant singles and still entertain live crowds today. The album also has a number of other highlights, including the jangly Disturbance At The Heron House and the rocking Exhuming McCarthy. However, the "Rock Feel" to the album is one of its flaws, as the songs do sound a little overblown and dated. The end of the album also doesn't live up to the album's beginning, with less committed listeners possibly turning off after The One I Love at track seven. Overall Document does have enough good songs on it to keep you interested... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful