Christmas CD Reviews

I just took a trip up to St. Louis to visit some friends and it was a blast. One of the great things about the trip was the drive gave me an opportunity to listen to all 13 of the CDs I got for Christmas all the way through. In honor of that, here are my reviews:

Fountains of Wayne - "Out-of-State Plates" (2 discs): An interesting collection of B-sides and covers...I was excited to here a cover of Burt Bacharach's "Trains and Boats and Planes," but not quite as much for Brittney Spears's "...Baby One More Time" since Travis had already done a good cover of it several years ago. It's pretty solid, not as good as some of their other albums, but still good. I'd have to say they are one of my favorite bands right now. Their musicianship is excellent and their lyrics are clever. They are what Soul Asylum could have been if they had witty and intelligent lyrics.

Ben Folds - "Songs for Silverman": To me, Ben's solo stuff is kind of hit or miss. I either really like it or really don't. This stays pretty consistent with that. There are a few songs I really like a lot (Landed, Gracie, Late...) and a few I don't care for much at all (mainly Bastard...). Landed is awesome, but I prefer the version "Give Judy My Notice" on "Speed Graphic." In fact I prefer "Speed Graphic" to this album.

Ben Folds - "Songs for Goldfish": Again, some live performances and b-sides. Nothing too exciting here, but the Tokyo radio jingles are pretty funny.

Wilco - "Kicking Television: Live in Chicago" (2 discs): I like this one probably a lot more than most would. I really like Wilco. I actually saw them on this tour in Nashville and my memory of that show was even better than what is recorded on this album. Their last couple of albums have been kind of experimental, with weird noises and such...it grows on you. The cool thing from a musical standpoint is that they actually recreate all of these noises live, without the aid of computers or effects. If you know their songs and appreciate musicianship, it is really impressive. If not, it's just noise. I for one am impressed.

Belle & Sebastian - "Push Barman to Open Old Wounds" (2 discs): This is a collection of songs off their early EPs and singles. I already had all the songs off the first disc, but not the second. It's pretty standard B&S, which means I loved it immediately. They also keep their tradition of giving great instrumentals unfortunate titles (disc 2-track 6, see also: track 4 on "Storytelling"). This is another one of my favorite bands.

By the Tree - "Root": I got this as a collection filler. Their first album was a really good rock album, but their second and fourth were both a little more pop than I usually care for. On this one, I was glad to hear that on their third album they returned to their "roots" of putting together a strong rock album with edifying lyrics. (Sorry, I couldn't resist that one)

Third Day - "Live Wire": I mainly got this because it was recorded at the Palace here in Louisville. I've seen Third Day a couple of times in concert and they were solid both times. I kind of wish the guitarist would have played something different then the canned album solos, but if I were recording a live DVD, I would probably want to play want to play what was most comfortable as well.

Third Day - "Offerings II": Another solid album of worship songs. I think I like the first "Offerings" better though. Not much new here.

Chris Rice - "Smell the Color 9": I heard this album about five years ago and I remembered liking the title track. Now many years later, I still like the title track, but not too many of the others. "Life Means So Much" and "Home Tonight" are also really good songs. Still, I would have to say this is my least favorite of his albums, but that won't keep me from buying more.

Jamie Cullum - "Twentysomething": This was my experimental CD. My friend Adam let me hear his cover of Radiohead's "High and Dry" on our trip to Chicago, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I'm glad I did because I really like it a lot. He makes a great blend of Jazz and pop that is both easy-going and fun. This album has a mix of obscure covers, standards, and originals, but it all flows. I've had "Singing in the Rain" stuck in my head for days now, but that is a good thing. Thanks, Adam!