I would like to start by writing about a couple of albums that I have heard this year. So far, it’s been a great year for all kinds of music, and many of the albums that I have been anticipating have met expectations. In this, my first entry, I will discuss the best and most dissapointing albums I have heard thus far this year.
Best:
American Saturday Night- Brad Paisley
I was shocked when I heard that this album would be released in late June as Paisley’s third album in just over two years, and his second in approximatly eight months. Though his most recent album, Play, was more experimental then anything else (it contained mostly instrumental guitar numbers- a testament to Paisley’s skill with the six-string), it was still quite soon to give the fans a follow-up project, and I assumed at first it would be rushed. My fears were all but eliminated after the first listen- which was six weeks after its release, due to my being away for a large majority of the summer. The album is a bit different then his previous albums, as for the first time, a ballad (the good-enough “Then”) was released as a debut single, and one of the top tracks (“Everybody’s Here”) was a heartsick ballad, never Paisley’s forte. In addition, there are bona fide political statements on this album, ones that he often shied away from on previous works. They’re good, too- the second single, “Welcome To The Future” is, in my opinion, the best song he’s every released. This does not mean that there isn’t some good old-fashioned Paisley humor on the album, though it is less prominent, in later tracks such as the side-splitting “Catch All The Fish”, and “The Pants”. In the end, Paisley enters into a more rock-and-roll feel with this album, with excellent results overall.
Grade: A
Get These: “Welcome To The Future” & “Anything Like Me”
Worst:
“21st Century Breakdown”- Green Day
Before I start, I would like to mention that I love Green Day. I consider the album precdeding this one, 2004′s American Idiot, as one of my favorite albums of all time, and certainly their best work. Thus, after buying this album, without a prior sampling, two days after its release, I was extremely dissapointed. Instead of the more mid-tempo, classic rock feel of American Idiot, which retained some punk-rock anthems while keeping those less in favor of punk entertained with more soft and mid-tempo numbers entertained. 21st Century Brekadown eliminates those almost completely, and by the end leaves the listener with a headache, from wondering “What happened to these guys??”, and for listening to over an hour of sometimes pure screaming. The album is not without highlights, as the title track and the excellent “Know Your Enemy” and “Viva La Gloria” harkening back to the days of American Idiot. While there are bright spots, the album left a bitter taste in my mouth, and hopefully I can help you avoid purchasing the whole album in favor of just two or three tracks.
Grade: C
Get These: “21st Century Breakdown” & “Know Your Enemy”
