Month: December 2020

Categories
Country, Folk, & Bluegrass Individual Tracks (CD's) Music & Radio Shows

ELEVEN ROSES (by Crystal Bernard: The Girl Next Door)

SUMMARY:                                    RUNNING TIME: 4:00 Min.

From her 1996 The Girl Next Door album, Crystal Bernard from NBC TV’s Wings performs this country-western tune.

REVIEW:

To her credit, Crystal Bernard delivers a polished vocal performance on the bittersweet “Eleven Roses.”  The song itself, however, doesn’t stand out all that much.  One can attribute it to a standard-issue country-western melody that sounds merely sufficient.  Bernard’s endearing voice makes up some of the difference, as “Eleven Roses” should be a fine choice for country playlists.     

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  6½ Stars

Categories
Individual Tracks (CD's) Music & Radio Shows Rock, R&B, Pop, Soul, & Metal/Symphonic

ELEVATION (by U2: All That You Can’t Leave Behind)

SUMMARY:                              RUNNING TIME: 3:45 Min.

As part of their hit 2000 album, All That You Can’t Leave Behind, this U2 song was eventually released as among its singles.

REVIEW:

This one literally makes no sense. First digging a ‘hole like a mole,’  but then now there’s an elevation? The worst part about this one isn’t the ridiculous lyrics, sadly.  “Elevation,” on top of having one of the most expensive music videos of all time, is a hot mess that never seems to have a true meaning.  Bono himself even said that it was just a song to let loose, making listeners wonder if “Elevation” maybe came straight out of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

ROSCOE’S ODD MOON RATING:            6 Stars

Categories
Individual Tracks (CD's) Music & Radio Shows Rock, R&B, Pop, Soul, & Metal/Symphonic Soundtracks (CD's)

DON’T YOU [FORGET ABOUT ME] (by Simple Minds: The Breakfast Club movie soundtrack)

SUMMARY:                                   RUNNING TIME: 4:21  Min.

Simple Minds performed this pop tune for 1985’s The Breakfast Club soundtrack.  Among the subsequent ‘80s anthology albums this song appears on is VH1: The Big 80’s The Big Movies released in 1998. 

REVIEW:

Not only is this signature Simple Minds hit synonymous with The Breakfast Club, it remains a fond reminder of mid-80s high school pop.  Its poignant lyrics re: remembering all of your friends is just timeless.  The ‘la-la-la’ chorus becomes perhaps too repetitive late in the song, but the distinctive melody alone is a gem.  For any 80’s pop or movie tunes playlist, Don’t You (Forget About Me) is really a ‘can’t miss’ prospect. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:              9 Stars

Note: An ideal companion download would be John Parr’s “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” from 1985’s St. Elmo’s Fire movie soundtrack.  This tune also appears on various 80’s compilations. 

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Categories
Individual Tracks (CD's) Music & Radio Shows Soundtracks (CD's)

GETTYSBURG – MAIN TITLE (by Randy Edelman: Gettysburg movie soundtrack)

SUMMARY:                                RUNNING TIME: 4:36 Min.

For the 1993 Gettysburg film, composer-conductor Randy Edelman’s epic opening credits anthem accompanies black-and-white photos of the real-life battle participants fading into portraits of those actors portraying them.  Suffice to say, its combined audio-visual effect is stunningly poignant.  

REVIEW:

While much of Edelman’s Gettysburg score is relatively subdued, this instrumental delivers a sense of dramatic immortality.  Decisively representing the film’s historical accuracy, Gettysburg’s “Main Title” is a gripping theme worthy of its place among the best-ever for Hollywood’s war films.  Highly recommended!         

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  10 Stars

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Categories
Country, Folk, & Bluegrass Individual Tracks (CD's) Music & Radio Shows

GET SOME (by Blake Shelton: Red River Blue)

SUMMARY:                            RUNNING TIME: 3:31 Min.

It’s the fourth track of Blake Shelton’s 2011 album: Red River Blue.

REVIEW:

Until his back-up chorus chimes in, Shelton’s low-key vocals don’t sound particularly appealing.  The song progressively gets better, but the ultra-folksy “Get Some” is really more of an acquired taste.  It’s an okay inclusion for the album – however, “Get Some” likely isn’t one of Shelton’s better download options.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                5 Stars

Categories
Music & Radio Shows Rock, R&B, Pop, Soul, & Metal/Symphonic Soundtracks (CD's)

GARDEN OF EDEN (by John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band: Eddie and The Cruisers II movie soundtrack)

SUMMARY:                                   RUNNING TIME: 4:47 Min.

This track was recorded by John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band for 1989’s Eddie & The Cruisers II soundtrack.  For the film, Cafferty handles actor Michael Paré’s vocals.  In addition to briefly appearing in flashback as the Cruisers’ ‘Wendell Newton,’ Michael “Tunes” Antunes covers actor Anthony Sherwood’s on-screen saxophone work.

REVIEW:

Including some well-scripted lyrics, this bar band-style track is fine for what it is.  Yet, it’s not anywhere close to remarkable.  “Garden of Eden” is a decent song that’s marginally better than filler material. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:              5½ Stars

Categories
Individual Tracks (Digital Albums & Singles) Music & Radio Shows Pop, R&B, Soul, & Dance

GLOWING IN THE DARK (by The Girl and The Dreamcatcher: single)

SUMMARY:                                 RUNNING TIME: 3:56 Min.

Performed by The Girl and The Dreamcatcher (a duo consisting of actors Dove Cameron and Ryan McCartan), this upbeat 2016 romantic pop track is also included on their album, Negatives, released the same year.

REVIEW:

Buoyed by an exuberant melody, this youthful love song is ideal for a Disney Channel movie, i.e. Descendants, which isn’t likely a coincidence.  The peppy instrumental work adds another nice touch for undemanding kids.  However, despite pleasant chemistry shared between Dove Cameron and Ryan McCartan, “Glowing in the Dark” won’t likely age well in a decade.  Considering its intended audience is strictly pre-teens and maybe some middle schoolers, parents hearing this bubble-gum tune once or twice will be plenty before the excessive perkiness starts grating fast.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                    4 Stars

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Categories
Individual Tracks (CD's) Music & Radio Shows Rock, R&B, Pop, Soul, & Metal/Symphonic

GOLD RUSH BRIDES (by 10,000 Maniacs: MTV Unplugged)

SUMMARY:                              RUNNING TIME: 4:11 Min.

This live 1993 performance of 10,000 Maniacs comes from their MTV Unplugged album recorded from the same-named cable TV series.  Natalie Merchant was still the group’s lead vocalist at the time.  The track leads with Merchant’s brief spoken intro, as if reading from a young woman’s mid-19th Century journal traveling across the American West.      

REVIEW:

Including spot-on instrumentals, “Gold Rush Brides” offers a contemplative slice-of-life re: American pioneer women taking their own leap of faith as expectant mothers in the Old West.  What brings the poignant subject matter to life is Natalie Merchant’s sympathetic, down-to-earth vocals.  Poetically conveying this often-overlooked aspect of Old West history, she sounds very much in her creative element. 

Through this song, Merchant elegantly helps one imagine sights and feelings experienced by these lonely young women traveling long days by caravan — clearly far from home, a supportive bond of sisterhood becomes imperative.  This track further demonstrates the same kind of narrative magic Merchant infuses her subsequent 1995 solo album, Tigerlily, with.  “Gold Rush Brides” proves an underrated gem worth re-discovery. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                           8 Stars

Categories
Digital Songs & Albums Individual Tracks (Digital Albums & Singles) Music & Radio Shows Pop, R&B, Soul, & Dance

FIGHT SONG {Instrumental Cover} (by Abtmelody: single)

SUMMARY:                                 RUNNING TIME: 3:24 Min.

Released in 2016 as a single, this instrumental cover of Rachel Platten’s 2015 radio hit, “Fight Song (This is My Fight Song),” is from Abtmelody.

REVIEW:

For a karaoke rendition of Platten’s “Fight Song,” this energetic cover by Abtmelody makes a solid choice.  Boasting excellent production quality, this cover its most of the nuances of Platten’s signature hit.  Abtmelody’s version also contributes a somewhat generic dance-flavored remix to the tune.  

BRIAN & JAYNA’S 10-STAR RATING:                 7 Stars

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Categories
Country, Folk, & Bluegrass Individual Tracks (CD's) Music & Radio Shows

GOOD OLE BOYS (by Blake Shelton: Red River Blue)

SUMMARY:                                 RUNNING TIME: 3:08 Min.

It’s the sixth track of Blake Shelton’s 2011 album: Red River Blue.

REVIEW:

This upbeat dance hall tune sounds somewhat reminiscent of Kid Rock’s cover of “Sweet Home Alabama” – then again, this song’s own references to Alabama may just be coincidental.  Including the rollicking instrumentals, it’s also the type of radio-friendly tune that Tim McGraw might well come up with.  Even if this song doesn’t seem original, “Good Ole Boys” is still pretty entertaining for what it is.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:               7 Stars