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54th Grammy Awards – Feb 12, 2012 – CBS Music has fragmented into so many sub-genres that the Grammys have recently become one trainwreck after another. But, something was different on this night; an energy surrounding the event that hasn’t been there in a long time. There was the question of whether heavily-favored Adele would be able to still sing following her throat operation. The inclusion of so many legendary performers (Springsteen, McCartney, reunited Beach Boys, Glen Campbell) ensured that even those who had given up on new music would tune in. And, the recent death of Whitney Houston, who had dominated these same awards, seemed to bring everyone together.
Madonna – Halftime Show - Super Bowl XLVI While attending a Super Bowl party, I was intrigued by the comments that were made during Madonna’s halftime performance:
“Wow, she looks great”
“Man, she must work out a lot”
(and after being turned upside down): “Ouch, I would’ve pulled something doing that.”
Not once did anyone mention how great she sounded. The fact is, with Madonna it’s always been about the total package. She’s never been a great singer, or dancer, and she really isn’t overly attractive. But, she’s been able to utilize every ounce of talent that she has and exploit it into one of the most successful careers in music.
Van Halen's A Different Kind of Truth comes out Feb 7 (preorder here from amazon), but we've got our hands on it already. Here's our thoughts on the last few tracks of the new record:
Track 11 – “Stay Frosty” Wanna dedicate this one to the ladies. Yeah, it’s a re-write of “Ice Cream Man” complete with the acoustic guitar (the picking is even similar). But, you know what? It works. It’s fun – Dave’s not pushing his voice – and he even gives a good scream at the 3:29 mark. This is some vintage Diamond Dave-era VH.
Van Halen's A Different Kind of Truth comes out Feb 7 (preorder here from amazon), but we've got our hands on it already. We'll give you a track by track review of it as we listen.
Track 7 – “As Is” Yikes, this is a little too close to “Hot For Teacher.” I mean, you can actually sing it to the melody, especially the “when I think of all the education that I missed” section. After promising verses, the chorus just kind of sits there. It morphs into some kind of hoedown thing with a Roth spoken part. Another really cool ending, how it all kinda melds as it fades.
Van Halen's A Different Kind of Truth comes out Feb 7 (preorder here from amazon), but we've got our hands on it already. We'll give you a track by track review of it as we listen.
Track 5 – “Blood and Fire” A very pop-leaning opening guitar line. Kinda has a “Panama” vibe…apparently this melody was a leftover from that album, with maybe some “Little Guitars” thrown in for good measure. Roth says “I told you I was coming back” before Eddie launches into another guitar freak-out. Every solo so far is go-for-broke good. He knows he’s got something to prove and, so far, he’s proving it.
Track 6 – “Bullethead” Another fast one – not as tuneful as “Chinatown.” Roth doesn’t have that high-register scream, which would’ve worked here. Maybe showing their age a little here. Clocking in at a mere 2:25, it’s short.
Van Halen's A Different Kind of Truth comes out Feb 7 (preorder here from amazon), but we've got our hands on it already. Here comes our take on tracks 3 & 4:
Track 3 – “You and Your Blues” the opening riff seems somewhat familiar, possibly “Aftershock”? Moody verses – and a great big chorus, background vocals, nice middle eight. Dave’s screamin sounds good here with the “ahhhs” in the background. Another winner.
Track 4 – “Chinatown” holy crap, this one’s fast – even faster than “Atomic Punk” or “Hang ‘em High,” but the same kind of attitude. Jesus, Eddie’s soloing is mind-blowing. There are a lot of bands of their age that would sound old playing this fast, but they actually pull this off
Van Halen's A Different Kind of Truth comes out Feb 7 (preorder here from amazon), but we've got our hands on it already. We'll give you a track by track review of it as we listen.
Track 1 – “Tattoo” From the very first notes, you know it’s Van Halen. Alex’s signature drum sound and Eddie’s squealing guitar are intact. Keyboards on top give it a 1984 flavor. Kind of plods along like “Don’t Tell Me What Love Can Do.” Not much melody, chorus isn’t real strong either - kind of spoken rather than sung. But the song does have some pretty clever lines: “Why is the crazy stuff we never say / poetry in ink?” It’s good to hear Eddie actually doing his trademark two-hand tapping – he got away from that during the Hagar years. The slow-burn ending is nice too. But, not sure this was the best song to release first, and start the album.
We're giving away a remastered copy of Billy Joel's landmark"Piano Man" album from Sony/Legacy Recordings. It's a 2-CD set with a bonus live concert on disc two. Just click the link below - "Like" us on Facebook, then click "enter" for a chance to win. Drawing is Fri February 3rd.
Click here to enter the Billy Joel "Piano Man" CD Giveaway from Icon Fetch
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