Papa Roach - lovehatetragedy download album

Papa Roach - lovehatetragedy

Artist: Papa Roach

Album: lovehatetragedy

Release Date: June 18, 2002

Genre: Pop/Rock

Format: mp3 / FLAC

Within the context of its times, lovehatetragedy is a gamble of sorts, as Papa Roach abandons their affiliation with rock/rap fusion (except for one highly effective moment on "She Loves Me Not") and hies back to their original pure metal- and punk-inflected hard rock stance. Lead singer Coby Dick certifies the change by reverting to his birth name, Jacoby Shaddix, but in other respects his performance sticks to its formula of gut-busting delivery and lyrics whose candor can get a little embarrassing. (On "Decompression Period," for instance, he essentially tells his band as well as his beleaguered wife that he's sick of being around them.) A few tracks, most notably "Singular Indestructible Droid," struggle toward metaphor, with mixed results. What can't be denied is that Shaddix's woes connect directly to a large and equally confused audience, and that nobody this side of Kurt Cobain communicates them with as much power. As always, his message rides a turbulent current of guitar/bass riffs whose militaristic precision only enhances their intensity.

Rev. Gary Davis - Little More Faith download album

Rev. Gary Davis - Little More Faith

Artist: Rev. Gary Davis

Album: Little More Faith

Release Date: July 13, 1999

Genre: Blues

Format: mp3 / FLAC

Gary Davis' second album for Prestige Records is a confusing affair, at least as far as its title -- Little More Faith is how it's listed in lots of reference sources, but its front cover calls it A Little More Faith, while its spine (at least for the CD issue) calls it Have a Little Faith. But by whatever name it's called, it's a masterpiece: its dozen songs recorded on one day in August of 1961 are nothing less than priceless. Davis presents an easy virtuosity on his solo guitar, and runs his voice across a surprisingly wide range in what is mostly gospel repertory. Not that any blues fans will mind his approach: Davis was one of those figures where the sound and feel of blues becomes indistinguishable from those of gospel. He was just doing what came naturally on this record, laying down 12 songs he knew well from across decades of performing, including a raw and affecting "Motherless Child" and the upbeat, inspiring "There's a Bright Side Somewhere." And his easy, unselfconscious approach demonstrates that he never once thought twice about his contributions to an already classic body of music. Included among the jewels here are some of the roots of the blues revival of the next generation, including Davis' rendition of "I'll Be All Right Some Day," a song that Jorma Kaukonen parlayed into a killer opening for his solo magnum opus, Quah, about 13 years later. And speaking of natural, the stereo mastering of this album works amazingly well, despite the fact that it puts Davis' voice on one channel and his guitar on another; mono sound might be more authentic, but this way you can fully appreciate his playing and his singing, each on its own terms.

The Last Poets - The Last Poets download album

The Last Poets - The Last Poets

Artist: The Last Poets

Album: The Last Poets

Release Date: 1970

Genre: Jazz

Format: mp3 / FLAC

If rap could be traced to one logical source point, this exceptional piece of vinyl would be it, without question. Though the strict adherence to syncopated rhythms and standard song structures are absent, all the elements that would later become the hallmarks of hip-hop by the early 1980s (and predictable fare by the 1990s) are here: vivid depictions of street level violence, vivid apocalyptic predictions of racial genocide. All that is missing are pointless party anthems. But running through all the songs on the Last Poets' debut is an urgent sense of the need for radical action in the nation as well as the black community. In addition to railing against the injustices perpetrated by white America, the Poets' comment on the economic and social devastation of drugs ("Jones Comin' Down," "Two Little Boys"), complacency in urban families ("Wake Up Niggers," "When the Revolution Comes"), the emotional release of sex ("Black Thighs"), and the weight of oppression that leads to hopelessness ("Surprises"). At the same time, they warn of the dangers of half-hearted commitment to revolutionary change: "don't talk about revolution until you are ready to eat rats." In the same manner that Marvin Gaye's landmark album What's Goin' On depicted the problems that doomed black culture, the Last Poets are now seen by many as prophets. But also like Gaye, the realization that the problems depicted on The Last Poets are now much worse marks the record as an unheeded warning, far more than just a piece of Black Power kitsch.

Ruby Braff - The Concord Jazz Heritage Series download album

Ruby Braff - The Concord Jazz Heritage Series

Artist: Ruby Braff

Album: The Concord Jazz Heritage Series

Release Date: August 25, 1998

Genre: Jazz

Format: mp3 / FLAC

Cornetist Ruby Braff recorded so many rewarding albums for Concord that it must have been quite difficult to put this single-disc 1998 sampler together. Braff is heard in his popular quartet with guitarist George Barnes, in duets with pianists Dick Hyman and Roger Kellaway and interacting with such players as tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton, guitarist Howard Alden, clarinetist Ken Peplowski, and pianist Dave McKenna, among others. Most of the dozen selections are hot swing standards (including "A Sailboat In the Moonlight," "Shoe Shine Boy" and "Dinah"), along with a few slightly later show tunes and Braff's original "Here's Carl." An excellent buy for mainstream jazz fans with a limited budget, although all of Ruby Braff's numerous Concord sets are well worth acquiring.

Pennywise - Land of the Free download album

Pennywise - Land of the Free

Artist: Pennywise

Album: Land of the Free

Release Date: June 19, 2001

Genre: Pop/Rock

Format: mp3 / FLAC

Pennywise themselves are calling Land of the Free "a wake-up call," aimed at the slumbering masses of America -- an attempt to shake people out of their lethargy, and prod them into thinking about the world. It's also a clarion call to action, made most forcibly on "Fuck Authority," via its demand that "it's time we had our say." However, given the opportunity, Pennywise isn't quite sure what it is they want to say. The songs throw out concerns and reactions, opinions and questions, ideas and concepts, unleashing their own mixed emotions along the way. The quartet's frustration with the current state of affairs singes the tracks, yet solutions and causes by and large evade them. At times it's evident the group feels like they're calling to the deaf while stumbling blindly around in the dark. "Is there anyone listening?" they inquire at one point, half in plea, half in defiance. Pennywise is high enough up in the punk hierarchy to know the answer is yes. Wrapping their message in a barrage of melodies and pummeling beats insures that at every show hundreds of kids will parrot back Land's lyrics, fists punching the air. But will these fans seriously ask themselves the same questions the band are posing? The group hopes so, for the album is obviously meant as a starting point for discussion, raising issues, and consciousness, in hopes of encouraging an eventual grassroots revolution. It's the beginnings of a manifesto, delivering up discussion points for the interested to mull over, then respond with their own ideas via the band's website. From these beginnings Pennywise is determined to forge a plan of action for the future, one that everyone can make their own.

Neil Diamond - Tennessee Moon download album

Neil Diamond - Tennessee Moon

Artist: Neil Diamond

Album: Tennessee Moon

Release Date: February, 1996

Genre: Country

Format: mp3 / FLAC

Neil Diamond mounted a major comeback with Tennessee Moon, his first collection of new material in nearly five years. Instead of capitalizing on the psuedo-hipster status he had acquired with the early '90s alternative rockers, particularly Urge Overkill, Diamond headed to Nashville to write and record Tennessee Moon. Appropriately, the album is rooted in contemporary country, spiked with hints of the pop craftsmanship that made him popular in the '60s. Not all of the songs were written by Diamond or his collaborators, which included Raul Malo of the Mavericks; the combination of originals and professionally-written made-to-order songs works well, leaving the overall quality of the material rather high. Tennessee Moon suffers from an overabundance of songs, as well as a slightly sterile production, but it remains one of Neil Diamond's most successful records of the '80s and '90s.

Airto Moreira - Life After That download album

Airto Moreira - Life After That

Artist: Airto Moreira

Album: Life After That

Release Date: September 30, 2003

Genre: Latin

Format: mp3 / FLAC

U.S. jazz audiences know this legendary Brazilian percussionist best from his gigs with wife Flora Purim and his storied history with Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Lee Morgan, and fusion pioneers Weather Report and Return to Forever. Drawing upon every type of world groove and drum pattern under the sun, and adding liberal doses of the sultry sambas of his homeland, the legendary sideman steps out here with his first U.S. solo recording in 20 years. Fans of exotic, anthemic exoticism will dig heartily into the hypnotic tribalism of the opening track, "Ritmo Do Mundo," which bangs along joyfully as a choir of young singers chant along. Just as things are getting too bouncy, however, Airto shows the softer side of his artistry with the gentle acoustic guitar-driven mood piece "O Tunel." Then it's back to the wild rhythms with the all-percussion (laid on thick), voice, and whistling "Baba and Malonga Went Home." The pattern is set, alternating vast rhythmic excursions and crazy experiments with more mainstream tastes of home. The basic concept behind the adventurous project is summarized by the lyrics of the powerful vocal and percussion-based closer, "Let It Out, Let It In," which urges the listener to "Take a chance, move your body and dance...." Fans of Brazilian music will enjoy it, but it will hold the most appeal for those fascinated by the possibilities of a master percussionist's huge arsenal.

The Doors - Strange Days download album

The Doors - Strange Days

Artist: The Doors

Album: Strange Days

Release Date: October, 1967

Genre: Pop/Rock

Format: mp3 / FLAC

Many of the songs on Strange Days had been written around the same time as the ones that appeared on The Doors, and with hindsight one has the sense that the best of the batch had already been cherry picked for the debut album. For that reason, the band's second effort isn't as consistently stunning as their debut, though overall it's a very successful continuation of the themes of their classic album. Besides the hit "Strange Days," highlights included the funky "Moonlight Drive," the eerie "You're Lost Little Girl," and the jerkily rhythmic "Love Me Two Times," which gave the band a small chart single. "My Eyes Have Seen You" and "I Can't See Your Face in My Mind" are minor but pleasing entries in the group's repertoire that share a subdued Eastern psychedelic air. The 11-minute "When the Music's Over" would often be featured as a live showstopper, yet it also illustrated their tendency to occasionally slip into drawn-out bombast.

Roy Wood & Wizzard - Best of Roy Wood & Wizzard download album

Roy Wood & Wizzard - Best of Roy Wood & Wizzard

Artist: Roy Wood & Wizzard

Album: Best of Roy Wood & Wizzard

Release Date: 1996

Genre: Pop/Rock

Format: mp3 / FLAC

This 17 song Dutch import, running nearly 75 minutes, is a very comprehensive compilation of tracks by Roy Wood and his band, drawn from the EMI and Trojan Records libraries. "Ball Park Incident" is the lead-off track, and "See My Baby Jive" is here, along with numbers like "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" and "When Grandma Plays The Banjo." Overall, it is fairly representative of the different facets of Wood's music, but that may also be a problem--most fans of "Ball Park Incident" will not want to bother with the wind and reed instrument digressions of "Bend Over Beethoven," or the Portsmouth Sinfonia-like marching band driven "Jolly Cup Of Tea." It is mid-priced, however, and the sound quality is fairly good.