A Lifetime-Plus of Music

     This next album is not on the list because it made anyone’s “Top Anything” list, nor is it some artist that connects me to the amazing people in my life.  This one is a personal choice, and to my knowledge, I’m the only person I know within my expansive friend and family group who even remotely cares about this group.  They are another Louisiana act, although my interest in them has nothing to do with their origin.  Quite simply, I heard a song on the radio once upon a time, “A Lifetime”, and I liked it enough that I bought the CD and loved the rest of it.  To be more specific, I think it was some alternative station on XM Radio, and I remain grateful to this day for Better Than Ezra, even if nobody else around me cares about them at all.  My friend Jim once said to me, “I think I like Ezra better than Better Than Ezra”.  I know my son isn’t a big fan, and I have never really pursued this interest with any of my other music friends.  And honestly, I’m ok with that.  As much as I love the communal spirit as we gather around our favorite artists, I also savor the personal moments where a song or record can mean something to me, without caring what anyone else thinks.

     After seeing them once at the House of Blues in Orlando many years ago, I was given a second chance more recently.  Of all places, they played a pre-game concert at a UCF football game.  As I gathered around the tens of other fans who showed up to see them play, by myself once again, I sat back and enjoyed the entire set, oblivious to anything else around me.

     Why do I like Better Than Ezra so much?  It starts with the high-tone voice of singer-songwriter Kevin Griffin.  It is extremely unique, and I love how he transitions from his primary voice to falsetto with such ease.  As I mentioned, the song that first pulled me in is “A Lifetime”, a sad-but-melancholy reflection on losing a close high school friend to a car accident, something we knew way too much about growing up in Parker, Colorado.

     My favorite song on the album after all of these years remains “Daylight”.  I’m drawn mainly to the melody and chord progression, along with Griffin’s vocals, but if you listen to the lyrics, it is a pretty powerful song about imperfect love that is ultimately unbreakable, regardless of the perils along the way.

     There are several other songs on this album that I really, really like.  The opener, “Burned” is a great album kick-off and a good, standard driving rocker.  “It’s Only Natural” is an intriguing slow-groove that grows on you quickly.  “Overcome” is a more distant and cosmic trance that I had almost forgotten how much I enjoyed.  “American Dream” has always been another favorite, with a sadly poignant story about how our bright-eyed optimism of youth can quickly fall to the side with the realities of adulting.  “Our Last Night”, another of their singles from the record, is a very lush melody that is quite appealing.  I never knew this before tonight, but apparently Taylor Swift frequently covers this song in concert, which I absolutely take as a bit of validation for my BTE mini-obsession.  She has also covered “Breathless”, the last song on the album.  “A Southern Thing” is a much funkier rock track that completely taps into to their southern heritage in the best way.

     Oddly enough, my least favorite song on the album is probably “Juicy”, which was one of the most successful tracks on the record.  It sounds a little too much like Jagger’s falsetto on “Emotional Rescue”, and I just prefer Griffin’s more natural singing voice on the rest of the album.

     Better Than Ezra had their biggest hit early on in their career with the song “Good”, which was released in 1996, but by random circumstance I found this record, and to this day, it remains a favorite of mine and always will be.

     As you read this blog, it doesn’t take long to realize that modern R&B is not my favorite genre, and today’s album “Confessions” by Usher is no exception.  That being said, there are a few good takeaways for me, and of course one of the most iconic songs in the history of club and dance music, “Yeah!”.   Knowing that most of this album doesn’t do too much for me, I will focus on my favorite tracks as well as some stories on “Yeah!” and Usher himself.  “Confessions” is rated #432 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Albums of All Time, and was the #1 selling album of 2004.

     This huge record, featuring Jermaine Dupri, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on the production team, covers all the bases in pace and style.  After the album opens with “Yeah!”, I really liked the next track “Throwback”, featuring Jadakiss.  It has a great melody and the opening reminds me of a good Jay-Z tune, which I know is somewhat of an oxymoron for me in the first place.  There is a two-part set next, “Confessions” and “Confessions Part II”.  The second track was released as a single, and even though it is on the slower side, I do like it a lot.  It does sounds like Usher had some work to do on his personal life, but clearly his lifestyle as one of the world’s most famous singers is not one that I can remotely relate to in any way.  “Caught Up” is an up-tempo dance tune that is near the top of my list as well here.

     Back to “Yeah!”, it is an incredible song and one of the all-time dance floor classics.  Many like me will recall that “Yeah!”, which features Lil John and Ludacris, serves as the backdrop in the movie “The Hangover” as Phil, Stu, Alan and the groom-to-be Doug begin their infamous night.  Another memory of this tune is a personal moment of amusement for me and my son.  In high school, he was a part of a very successful performance troupe for the Orlando Repertory Theater, known as the Power Chords.  They even opened once for another rapper, Chingy (“Right Thurr”), but that is a story for another time.  Anyway, at one point, they added “Yeah!” to their set list, and as good as they were, this urban classic may have been just a step or two far for these talented kids.  Enjoyable memories nonetheless…

     One other great Usher memory comes from a June night in 2019, when my son and I fulfilled one of his life dreams by seeing Stevie Wonder in concert at Red Rocks.  Somewhere in the middle of the set, out came Usher, and he took the vocal lead on “Ribbon in the Sky”.  It was amazing to see those two legends from different eras come together on that historic stage.  After that, it really got interesting.  Usher was clearly there to do one song only, but Stevie was not having any of it.  Stevie started “Overjoyed”, and tried to feed a clearly confused Usher the lyrics.  It was a bit of a hot mess, but hilarious to watch.  Still not ready to let Usher off the hook, Stevie then kicked into “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours”.  Usher tried and failed to keep up vocally, and then just gave up and jumped on Stevie’s piano and did some serious dancing, including some moonwalk action.  A memorable night for many reasons, not the least of which was this one of kind collaboration.

     I came in to today’s album with a lot of uncertainty.  Kanye West is a polarizing and controversial artist, and one who isn’t easy to like from afar.  That said, his career has been remarkably successful, so I knew there had to be more than meets the eye.  His debut album, “The College Dropout”, is rated as the #74 album on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.  I have had a lot of hip-hop albums recently for comparison, and with that in mind, I have no reservations saying this absolutely one of my favorites.

     Kanye toiled for a long time as producer, and was a big contributor to the success of Jay-Z, who appears on this album, but he struggled to find his breakthrough for a long time.  This record proves that persistence pays off.  As one would expect, the production quality is outstanding, and the hooks and accompanying tracks are very easy to embrace.  As an MC, I also appreciate his talent and just find the music immensely listenable in all aspects.

     I have several tracks I will call out as my favorites.  The first song after the intro, “We Don’t Care” is a highly infectious lead-off.  The militant and haunting “Jesus Walks” is as powerful as the title would suggest, and I really think it highlights the blended talent of Kanye as a producer and rapper.  “Get Em High” is on the funkier side, and I can only imagine the bass thumping in clubs around America when this song came out.  “Through The Wire” apparently has Alvin of the Chipmunks on backing vocals, but it is a quirky song that is a fun listen.  This was the first single, and a song he had been pushing for some time.  There are others I like better, but it is representative of his overall talent and the sound of this album.

     I’m sure there will be more Kanye to embrace on this journey, and I now approach that with a much more positive outlook and attitude.  Once again, this journey has forced the issue for me to give music a chance that I would have otherwise dismissed, and that is the best outcome I could have possibly hoped for.

     Today is an eclectic but interesting album, “Elephant” by the band the White Stripes.  They were a two-person act, Jack White and Meg White who were former spouses who represented themselves as brother and sister.  I’m not sure what to make of any of that, but it is an intriguing album that has grown on me over several listens.  This record is rated as #449 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

    The record opens with their most well-known song, “Seven Nation Army”, which has transitioned from a definitive rock track to an omni-present stadium chant along at sporting events around the world.  The main riff of the song is recognizable to all generations, whether or not they have any actual recognition of the White Stripes or this song.  Oddly enough, it isn’t one of my favorites and I actually like many other songs on this record better, but it certainly is a career-changing song for the band and their primary creative influence, Jack White.

     “Black Math” is a more intense and punk-ish track that is a great rocker.  “There’s No Home For You Here” reminds me a lot of “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked”, by Cage the Elephant, which didn’t come out until 2009.  I didn’t expect to see Burt Bacharach in the songwriting credits for this album, so I suppose Austin Powers would be very proud, but “I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself” is an enjoyable and slow wander.

     “In The Cold, Cold Night” is a very cool and subdued track, that features drummer Meg White on lead vocals.  “I Want To Be the Boy to Warm Your Mother’s Heart” reminds me a little of Meat Loaf and/or Three Dog Night with its organ-based opening, but it is a pretty warming song regardless of its legacy or origin.  “Ball and Biscuit” is a “Exile on Main Street” feel blues track that really showcases Jack White and his talent as a guitarist.  If you have never seen “It Might Get Loud” and you enjoy the art of playing guitar, I highly encourage this documentary that features White alongside Jimmy Page and The Edge as they compare notes and sounds and talk and play through their thoughts on rock guitar.  It is a must-watch for all rock guitar fans, and all three of them shine with their talent and diverse sounds.

     The album has several other good songs, and it concludes with the happily ridiculous “It’s True That We Love One Another”.  Featuring vocalist Holly Golightly along with Jack and Meg White, they channel the Mamas and Papas for this hilarious acoustic story-song.  It took a few listens to really dig in, but this album reinforces that some music is more of an acquired taste than an immediate home run.  I enjoy both experiences, just as I really liked this album.

     A long weekend winds down with a return to the wave of hip-hop and the #1 selling album of 2003, “Get Rich or Die Tryin’”, the debut album from 50 Cent.  This album is the next extension of the hip-hop lineage from Dr. Dre, with a significant assist in production and performing from Eminem, who embraced 50 Cent and helped him move this album forward after a controversial shooting.  There are some iconic songs on this record, and in general, I enjoyed it a lot.

     “Patiently Waiting” and “Don’t Push Me” are the two tracks that feature Eminem, and the two of them blend together well.  He is a co-producer on several other tracks, and in general his presence adds to the style of the album.  As an MC, I find 50 Cent to be fairly high on my list.  He’s not quite Snoop or Rakim level, but I find his flow and tone to be pretty solid. 

     The second-most successful single on this album was “21 Questions”, which is a slightly bizarre and unusually placed rap love song.  Supposedly Dre didn’t care for this song either, but it did go to #1 and apparently it did very well, even if neither Dre or I really love it.

     To me, the second-most recognizable song on this album is “P.I.M.P.”.  It has a very infectious steel-drum hook, and as far as brag rap goes, this one is pretty good.  I think I like the backing track and the chorus more than the rest of the song, but overall, it is a favorite.

     The definitive track of this album and 50 Cent’s career is the smash hit “In Da Club”.  Dre and 50 Cent created one of the most recognizable hooks in all of hip-hop, and this song remains a true classic today.  We have all heard this song countless times, but I do have one memory of this song that stands out.  The year was 2017, and I was in Miami for the MLB All-Star Game.  I was at a bar that I believe was called The Batting Cage after the Home Run Derby on Monday night, and the bar was pretty full with baseball fans.  The music playing was a steady stream of hip-hop, and there was one “round-ish” middle-aged white guy sitting in the corner at a table by himself.  John Candy in National Lampoon’s Vacation is a good starting point for who this guy looked like.  He was absolutely euphoric, grinning ear to ear with the selection of music, and was bouncing up and down on his bar stool and rapping perfectly in sync with each song.  At no point did he seem to be having more fun than when 50 Cent came on with “In Da Club”, and he was grooving and rapping “Go shorty, It’s your birthday, we gon’ party like it’s your birthday, we gon’ sip Bacardi like it’s your birthday, and you know we don’t give a fuck it’s not your birthday.”  Music is truly a universal language and common bond, and that night, The Batting Cage was Bouncing Rapping White Dude’s world and we were just living in it.

     We have a pretty significant change of pace today, with a brief departure from the ever-expanding world of hip-hop for an album that is pretty much the direct opposite of hip-hop, “A Rush of Blood to the Head” by Coldplay.  I always assumed that Coldplay was pretty much a shell operation for Chris Martin, and I was pleasantly surprised to see all of the band members listed with credits for songwriting and production.  I remember my boss at the time, Jim, who was a big music fan, giving me a “burned” copy of this CD, among others.  I always enjoyed it, but somehow expected more from their sound, given how much hype they were getting at the time.  I think I still feel the same way, roughly twenty years out.  This very successful record is rated #324 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

     Even before Jim gave me this CD, my first exposure to Coldplay was when I heard the song “Clocks”, one of the big hits from this record.  As I listened to it on the radio, based on both the vocal performance and the repetitive piano sequence, I was pretty convinced this was a new U2 song.  Even as I learned the real source, I always enjoyed that song a lot.  Today’s listen pointed out several more that I might like even more.  I think my two favorites are probably “In My Place” and “The Scientist”.  I find them to be the most compelling melodies on the record, and it isn’t surprising that these were the first two singles released, even ahead of “Clocks”.  If I had to pick one other favorite, it would be “Green Eyes”, which is a sweet and simple song, backed primarily by acoustic guitar.

     I was driving home late last night, and I was concerned this album might not be the pick-me-up I needed after a long day, but I did enjoy the peace and serenity of this record on a relatively empty highway.  It has never been, and probably will never be, an album I go out of my way to seek out, but I’m glad I came back to it and picked up at least three new and old favorites I will add to my playlist.

     Just yesterday I highlighted the relative rapping skills of Eminem in comparison to Jay-Z, and today we have the next release from Eminem, his fourth album “The Eminem Show”.  Continuing to expand his reach and grasp on his audience, this album was the #1 selling album of 2002.  In general, I remain a fan of Eminem as he again partners with Dr. Dre, although Eminem takes on more of the lead production here, and the overall music quality on this record is pretty impressive once again.  I do have one criticism of Eminem that applies to most of his music, but it really rises to the surface on this album.  Before I get to that, I will accentuate the positives.

     Eminem remains pretty angry at the world, and at various times we hear him lashing out at his parents, his wife/ex-wife, his management, the U.S. government, seemingly most females, and the general public at large.  This fury is well captured on many of these tracks, and it is paired up well with his typically outstanding MC efforts and some really bouncy and catchy tracks.  I saw a clip yesterday from Fifty Cent (stand by for more on him), and he was talking about the fact that even though hip-hop is primarily a black music phenomenon, there are few rappers of any race who can stand toe-to-toe with Eminem, and I think he’s absolutely right.  Go back to the track “Forgot About Dre”, released in 1999, if you need any more evidence to his clear and demonstrated talents.

     Among my favorite tracks on “The Eminem Show” are “White America”, “Cleanin’ Out My Closet”, which is particularly personal and intense, “Square Dance”, “Sing for the Moment”, which is set to the accompanying Aerosmith song “Dream On”, and another great collaboration with Dr. Dre, “Say What You Say”.  I didn’t know this in advance, but once I heard the extended guitar solo on the song built around Aerosmith, it isn’t surprising at all that it is performed by Joe Perry.

     In summary, this is another really good product from Eminem (and Dre), and if you liked his previous records, you probably loved this one as well.  My issue with this record and in some ways, the music world and certainly hip-hop music in particular, is the extreme amount of misogynistic content on this record and beyond.  If your “schtick” is to constantly trash women and call them bitches, whores, and sluts, I suppose that is the prerogative of any artist to produce that content.  Music has always playfully poked at the love-hate relationship between the genders, and the boundary of acceptability and range of tolerance is different for everyone.  Where I take issue here is Eminem’s prominent feature of his young daughter Hailie on this record.  There is one song named for her, she is mentioned in several others, and she even is prominently featured in the song “My Dad’s Gone Crazy”.  If the female gender in total is so incredibly offensive and objectionable, so be it, but to me he should probably realize he’s setting the expectation that it is ok to think and talk like this, and he can’t have it both ways when that cruel women-hating world reflects the same behavior and language back at his own growing daughter.  I’m not a father of women or girls, but I obviously know many who are, and I don’t think I would appreciate such references towards the many women and growing girls I know in my life.  My guess is that the common defense of “it’s a joke, don’t take it seriously” would be applied by Eminem and his most supportive fans, but to me, I think it goes a bit too far and it really isn’t that entertaining at all.  If he wants to pick on the industry or the government or other select and deserving targets, fine by me.  However, if I had my way, I would ask him to leave the 99.99% of the female gender that he targets out of his verbal range-finder.

     Every now and then, I come across an album here I just can’t get on board with, no matter how many times I try.  Yes, I know Jay-Z is one of the most successful artists in hip-hop history.  I also understand that he is one of the most successful producers and business icons in the music industry.  The guy even landed Beyonce, what more could you want?  And yes, I recognize that “The Blueprint” is the #50 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.  Even with all of that… I just don’t like it.

     My primary concerns carry over from his last album to this one, and it all centers around his style as an MC.  I don’t really enjoy the tone of his voice; I’m not sure if it is too high but it just isn’t an easy listen for me.  As many times as he proclaims on “The Blueprint” that he is the king of flow, I find his rapping style to be very halting and stuttered, and as I told my son, it reminds as if he is reading the lyrics for the first time.  And again, as I noted previously, he drives me a bit crazy with his constant grunting and “uh..mmm..uh..mmm” at the beginning and end of every song.  I’m sure he would gladly laugh me off with his billion-dollar portfolio, but his music just isn’t for me.

     I feel like my point is best proven during the song “Renegade”, featuring Eminem.  Once Mr. Mathers takes the microphone, the contrast in rapping “flow” could not be more notable.  This is my favorite song on the record, but that interest is spawned 100% by Eminem delivering us some top-shelf rapping after listening to Jay-Z for most of this album.

     Even Timbaland can’t save this record for me.  His beats were a major factor in the greatness of many records, but the song “Hola Hovito” is just flat-out annoying.  “Girls Girls Girls” and “Song Cry” are two other songs I would quickly point to as exhibits of my frustration.  Jay-Z proclaims that “If I ain’t better than Big, than I’m the closest one…”.  He also spends time taking on Nas among others for supremacy in the New York City rap scene, but in my mind that is a complete mismatch, and not in Jay-Z’s favor.

     I’m a big fan of hip-hop music, but as with every genre of music that exists, there are artists I enjoy more than others.  Clearly Jay-Z isn’t for me, but I’m fine in knowing that I’m clearly in the minority here.  Music appreciation is a subjective art, so I will wrap things up and move on to the next album with an open mind.

     We have another variation of indie rock today, this time with a much harder edge and more to my liking.  “Is This It” is the debut album from The Strokes, and this was definitely an album that was a quick favorite of mine, even as I had not heard much from this band before.  Any modern rock fan will recognize “Last Nite”, but the best part of this record for me were two songs I haven’t heard before, which is always a nice and unexpected outcome.  “Is This It” is rated #114 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

     The creative force and lead vocalist for the band is Julian Casablancas, with two leads on guitar, Nick Valenti and Albert Hammond, Jr.  I’m more familiar with Hammond for a reason I will note later.  What I love about this record is that it has an urgency and up-tempo drive to most of the tracks that is compelling.  Honing their craft in the clubs of New York City, this album represents the primary mix of songs that served as the live set they used to make a name for themselves, and based on this record, it would have been an outstanding show to see.

     The title track is an appealing opener, with the metered and pained vocals straining through what I learned would be a familiar and recurring guitar drone.  I really enjoy the first seven songs on the album the most, but my two favorites are tracks 4 and 5. “Barely Legal” isn’t quite as controversial as the title suggests, but it is a phenomenal up-tempo rocker that is a mandatory add to several of my playlists.  “Someday” is a more melodic twist with the same distorted vocals and driving drum beat.  I can see why this one was released as a single, and I love both the chorus and main verses of this track.

     “Last Nite” is instantly recognizable, and a song I even anticipated and expected as I listened to this record.  The sound is very much in step with the rest of the album, and this tortured love song is definitely a signature rock radio song from this era.

      I come back to Albert Hammond Jr. as he made a guest appearance in 2020 on an album by a band we will discuss down the road that is an all-time favorite for me, The Struts.  The song that Hammond played on, I now realize, is very much in sync with this sound of The Strokes, and I love hearing the connection in musical style almost twenty years apart.  The Strokes were a pleasant revelation for me, and I’m sure some may be surprised I wasn’t more familiar from the beginning.  Their album was actually released on vinyl in America on September 11, 2001, and particularly for a band from New York City, this created challenges in not only their song selection (they removed a track from the CD release titled “New York City Cops”) but their initial path forward in the world we all tried to make sense of at the time.  Between that and my overall place in life, I missed out on a lot of good music for several years, but I’m grateful for a second chance with this band.

     “Hybrid Theory”, the debut album from Linkin Park, is another one of those albums that just completely captivated me upon its release.  I remember that my friend Barrett burned me a copy on a gold CD, and said, somewhat jokingly, “I think you will like this a lot, but whoever wrote these songs has some issues”.  Sadly, we learned eventually that it was no joke, and in 2017 we lost singer and key creative force Chester Bennington to suicide.  I will never forget how impactful this album was for me.   Simplistically, it seemingly blended hard guitar rock with hip-hop, and although they weren’t the first to make that connection, the melodic choruses and chord progressions on this album were remarkably infectious.  Released in late 2000, this was the #1 selling album of 2001, and many of the songs remain radio mainstays to this day.

     The album is front-end loaded with the best songs on this record, and the first eight in a row are all big favorites of mine.  Even though it wasn’t the biggest hit on the record, the lead-off tune “Papercut” will always be my favorite among the favorites.  Starting with its quirky beat and a precarious single riff, buried under the intense chords from Brad Delson on guitar, we are first introduced to the vocal duo of Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington.  Shinoda covers the rapping, along with the keyboards and most of the electronic production, while Bennington is full-on with his rage singing.  This song has such a great build, and the ride to the end on the outro of this song is amazing to me.

     The paranoia continues to build with “One Step Closer”, which is truly Bennington on the edge.  I love not only the guitars, but the booming, box-like drums on “With You”, and the hook on this song is just as present as the other early tunes on this album.  “Points of Authority” is an excellent combination of electric rhythm and crunchy chords, and Bennington shines once again.  In particular, these first four songs are about as strong of an opening to an album as I have heard in a long time.

     The pace slows, then accelerates again as Bennington cries out again on “Crawling”.  I love how this pace repeatedly flips the switch between an almost-terrified and lost ballad and an explosive scream for help.  This alteration of pace continues on “Runaway”, and sometimes I forget about this one in the rush of the first five tracks.  “By Myself” is probably the rawest and most intense song on the album; it certainly is from a vocal perspective.  The hauntingly sad piano opening of “In the End” bleeds into a great vocal give-and-take between Bennington & Shinoda, and this might be the most popular song from this powerful collection of songs.  I don’t always make it to the last four songs, and I don’t find any of them to be quite as memorable.  In kind, none of them are among the singles released from the album, but they play out the theme and sound of the album very consistently.

     In the early 2000s, I didn’t have the time, attention span or bandwidth to stay on board with a new act like Linkin Park, so even though I enjoyed subsequent releases and tracks they produced, I slowly lost some connectivity with their recording and touring.  I would have liked to witness them live at their peak and understand how they successfully incorporated all of the sampling and digital instrumentation into a live show.  This album will always be one of my all-time favorites, and I was and am grateful for another friend who took the time to help me preserve my fragile connection to the world of modern rock music.