My Favorite Songs Of All Time

Making lists is sometimes hard, because trying to sort between the levels of affection we have for pieces of music can be like taking a taste test between brands of bottled water. It can be done, but the differences are nearly negligible, and at some point the comparison only starts to make you doubt your own senses. Ranking albums is easier, and I have done that several times over the years, but only once before have I sat down to try to decide my favorite songs of all time. That list has gotten lost, so I was in no way effected by the inertia of my previous decisions. I started from scratch this time, which is both a blessing and a curse.

While I do love all of these songs, and I have no hesitation about any of them, I have a lingering feeling that I have missed some important songs. Either they didn't carry over as I moved from one computer to another, or my memory is failing me after years without hearing an old favorite. Those will be my excuses when I inevitably smack myself in the forehead for forgetting something that should have been obvious to me. With the caveat that I'm limiting this to one song per band/artist for the sake of keeping this from being overrun by a few favorites, let's get started.

In quasi alphabetical order:

Dilana - Falling Apart

Here's the exception. This is my favorite song, as I have previously written about. From the very first time I heard a low-quality live performance, I was swept up in this song. I love its power, its emotion, its versatility, and of course Dilana's majestic vocals. It is an anthem for the broken, those matching the edges to see if the pieces of themselves still fit together. Listening to this song, they always seem to.

Tonic - If You Could Only See

The other exception. This is the song that gave me the idea to become a musician myself, and it was my favorite song from the time I heard it until it got replaced by the song above. There are plenty of other Tonic songs I love just as much, but the importance of this one to my life gives it the edge.

Avantasia - The Story Ain't Over

The best Meat Loaf song that never was. The string arrangement is lovely, and accentuates the dramatic swells that lead into that epic chorus. The twinkling piano, and the massive hook are pompous and grandiose, but that's what makes it so great. As it was said, if you don't go over the top, you won't know what's on the other side.

Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way

This is one of the best written pop songs, even if it may not be cool to admit. It really is an infectious song, and I have memories of my college friends doing sing-alongs to this one all the time. That was silly and stupid, but I laugh a little bit to myself every time I hear this song.

Blues Traveler - Hook

I can't tell you how many times in my younger days I recited the rapid-fire bridge, only to want to do it again right afterward. I memorized the harmonica solo, and could at one time whistle it note for note. I've never understood the fascination with Peter Pan, and I didn't at the time get the cynicism of the music industry, but that just means the song has been able to evolve with me.

Bon Jovi – Livin' On A Prayer

If you had to sum up 80s rock in one song, it might just be this one. It's everything good about that decade, without any of the bad. It's the stadium anthem of all anthems, and there are few things as rousing as when that chorus hits, whether you can hit that note or not.

Dave Matthews Band - Grey Street

This song is one of the few times Dave wrote a lyric that really caught my ear. Some of the imagery spoke to me, but the key has always been that four-chord riff. The voicings are unique, and I've stolen from them on more than one occasion. Dave is hit-and-miss, but this one is a grand slam.

Elton John - I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues

One of the few timeless songs from the 80s, which is a decade I continue to hate the sound of. My favorite Elton albums would actually come much later, not earlier, but the slow bounce of this song has been a favorite since I heard it on the radio as a kid. The passion in it shines through.

Gin Blossoms - Til I Hear It From You

Was there ever a more fitting title for a time than "New Miserable Experience"? While not from that album, everything the band did embodied that sound, with this song being my favorite example of it. It's a perfect little pop song, wrapped up in that 90s detachment. Man, I miss those days.

Graham Colton - Can't Stand Here Waiting

This is an odd one, since I can't point you toward the version of the song I am referring to. It doesn't exist on the internet, as far as I know. I found this by chance, when a different song of his was mislabeled as a Tonic song, and I have never been able to forget this one. I borrowed ideas of how to build chord progressions from it, and it remains a magical few minutes, even if I share the experience with no one.

The Heights - How Do You Talk To An Angel?

I shouldn't like a song put together for a tv show, but I always have. There was something in the longing sound of this one that I connected to, so it has always been a favorite. Nowadays, I have a different reason for embracing the song, since the title is a question I ask myself on a fairly regular basis.

Jim Steinman - Bad For Good

I have always loved Steinman's sense of drama. His voice is unique (both singing and writing), and it's one of my formative musical memories. This multi-part mini-epic is everything I love about his music, and it always feels triumphant when it builds us back up after we fall.

Matchbox Twenty - Bent

My memories of the "Yourself Of Someone Like You" album are stronger, but "Bent" was always such a searing song. The biting guitar leads make the most out of those bent (sorry for the pun) notes, and the chorus is darkly lush. It spoke to a younger me.

Meat Loaf - Couldn't Have Said It Better

Not at all one of the famous Meat Loaf ballads, this one is my favorite. It rocks harder than just about anything else he's done, Patti Russo is my favorite of his partners, and damn if it doesn't sound epic when they belt out the chorus. I don't think I can listen to this song without smiling by the time it's over.

Michelle Branch - All You Wanted

If it seems like I love semi-forlorn pop/rock songs, yeah, I totally do. I was a big fan of the show Daria, and songs like this give me the same feeling. It was a very late 90s thing, and maybe you had to be there to understand.

Mr Big - To Be With You

As a sucker for ballads, and a lover of acoustic guitars, this song was always right up my alley. Yes, it's hokey. Yes, it's wuss-tastic. I don't care about any of that. It brings me immense joy. I'm the type of person who enjoys these sorts of things.

Natalie Imbruglia - Torn

Maybe I'm weird, but if you ask me for a song that embodies sex appeal, it would be this one. There's something about the pulsing acoustic guitar, the ecstatic moaning of the electric guitar, and Natalie's breathy voice that does it for me. I must have watched the video hundreds of times back when it came out, and now I get a nostalgic rush from the song.

Opeth - Bleak

Here's how I know this song is special; I've never once thought it would be better without the growling. The death metal verses accentuate the beautiful melody the song spins into, as well as the complicated dissonances of the chords. It's a visceral song that becomes a stirring song, and I love the dichotomy.

Richard Marx - Take This Heart

If I could choose to have someone's voice, Richard Marx would be on that list. I love the slight rasp he has, which makes everything sound heart-wrenching even when there isn't much meaning behind it. So when it comes to soft rock, I can't think of anything better than this song.

Robbie Williams - Angels

If you ask me for a list of my favorite vocal performances (which I may do at some point), this would be on the list. A glorious song already (I'm a sucker for ballads), the strain in Robbie's voice as it sounds close to breaking on the choruses is sublime.

$ign Of 4 - Dancing With St Peter

I am not a spiritual person, but some songs have that feeling of being a rock and roll hymn. This is one of those for me. It's a sad, somber track that still manages to lift my spirits. Balancing on that knife's edge is difficult, and I'm awed when it's pulled off so well.

The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

This song is hard to listen to, both because Morrissey has shown himself to be an awful human being, but also because this song is tied to the memory of a certain person. The good parts of those memories are brought back every time I hear this song, and even if that's unhealthy, I like having the option.

The Thorns – I Can't Remember

Without a doubt, my favorite aspect of this song are the warm, wonderful harmonies. The three voices blending together are a glorious sound, and hearing this on VH1 in the old days was probably the first time I heard anything quite like it. It's a sound I love, and the genesis of that is always going to remain a favorite.

Tom Petty - Walls (Circus)

No one did laid back quite like Tom Petty, who could always make more from less than almost anyone. Maybe I'm just being a contrarian taking this song over "Free Fallin", but there's an extra nudge of pop to the melody that kills me.

The Wallflowers - Letters From The Wasteland

When does a song that isn't heavy still sound overwhelmingly powerful? This one does, and it's because of the ties between the band's Americana rocking and Jakob Dylan's poetry. The song feels to me like an anthem for a certain type of outcast. It's always stuck with me.

And here are some of the songs that either just missed the cut, or would have made it if I didn't limit things to one per artist:

Air Supply - Making Love Out Of Nothing At All (Not every great Jim Steinman track went to Meat Loaf)
Avantasia - Dying For An Angel (Stickier than gum in your hair)
The Beatles - In My Life (Their most beautiful and haunting song)
Billy Joel - A Matter Of Trust (A tough choice over "For The Longest Time")
Blues Traveler - Canadian Rose (Another song I used to have the harmonica solo memorized for)
The Darkness - I Believe In A Thing Called Love (My one and only karaoke performance)
Dilana - Dirty Little Secret (Raw, searing beauty from Dilana)
Edguy - Tears Of A Mandrake (Showing the gloriously fun side of metal)
Elvis Costello - Indoor Fireworks (Perfecting the beauty of sparse simplicity)
Emerson Hart - If You're Gonna Leave (Optimistic in the face of negativity. I've always liked that)
Goo Goo Dolls - Here Is Gone (Johnny was always so good at selling sad songs)
Graveyard - The Siren (Finally, I understand rock's blues obsession)
Green Day - Deadbeat Holiday (From their best album, no matter how few people agree)
Halestorm - Innocence (That moment when Lzzy lets loose gets me every time)
Heart - Alone (Manufactured or not, I love 80s ballad Heart)
Huey Lewis & The News - Do You Believe In Love? (The best kind of 80s cheese)
Kelly Clarkson - Because Of You (I loved Kelly at this time, and of course it's the ballad I pick)
Meat Loaf - Blind As A Bat ("Your heart is kind, mine's painted black." I've said that before)
Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten (Everyone needs some sunny pop in their life)
Nevermore - The Heart Collector (Crushing, dramatic metal that twists the knife)
REO Speedwagon - Take It On The Run (Cheesy, sure, but it rocks more than stereotype would indicate)
Rob Thomas - Lonely No More (I think I like this one more than "Smooth" with Santana. Not entirely sure why)
Savatage - Believe (Cinematic and overwrought, but in all the right ways)
The Spider Accomplice - Butterflies In A Beehive (The newest entry on the list. I love the gorgeous, forlorn melody, even if I'm more of a pale moth)
Tom Petty - Free Fallin (A classic for a reason)
Tonic - Take Me As I Am (An anthem for me, for many years)
The Wallflowers - One Headlight (A song that sounds perfect for driving by a cemetery at night)

And even a few more:

A Perfect Circle - Judith
Ben Folds Five - Brick
Billy Joel - For The Longest Time
Bruce Dickinson - A Tyranny Of Souls
Bruce Springsteen - You'll Be Comin' Down
Dave Matthews Band - Crush
Dilana - Maybe Just A Little
Dio - Don't Talk To Strangers
Elton John - Original Sin
Elvis Costello - Man Out Of Time
Foo Fighters - Everlong
Graveyard - Slow Motion Countdown
Guns N Roses - Rocket Queen
Halestorm - Private Parts
H.I.M. - Rip Out The Wings Of A Butterfly
The Jayhawks - Take Me With You (When You Go)
Kelly Clarkson - Behind These Hazel Eyes
Killswitch Engage - Lost
Meat Loaf - Read Em And Weep
The Offspring - Self Esteem
Stone Temple Pilots - Interstate Love Song
Taylor Swift - Blank Space
Tonic - Roses
Vertical Horizon - Everything You Want
Weezer - Hash Pipe

Quick Reviews: Issa and Chez Kane

Not every album gives me enough to talk about to fill up an entire review, but they still contain some point or idea worth mentioning. Today, we're going to give shorter consideration to two new albums I don't have enough to say about to fill an entire review.

Issa - Queen Of Broken Hearts

The melodic rock factory keeps producing new albums, and this one is another very solid release. Issa has a powerful voice to belt these songs out, and there's a slight bit more dramatic flair put into these songs than some of the similar records. This is still 80s inspired melodic rock, but without quite as many synth tones all over the place, Issa's sound is classy for the genre. This album is well performed and produced, which makes it an enjoyable listen. It's also no different than Issa's last album, or so many other we're going to hear this year. That makes it much more difficult to feel passionately about.

Everything is good on this record, but nothing is great. There isn't a song I can point to that stands out as a highight, something you absolutely need to hear. Issa isn't a big name, or at the top of the genre, so this is the sort of album you listen to if you're deeply into melodic rock. It will satisfy the fans, but won't endure when the year's best work comes along.

Chez Kane - Chez Kane

This record is a throwback to the female rockers of the 80s, and it absolutely sounds like that. Chez' voice fits right in with the singers of that day, and the keyboards all over the record can't be mistaken for any other time. Listening to this record is like going back to 1988, which I seem to be the only person who sees as a bad thing. I like Chez, but I struggle every time an album like this comes along. I fail to see how it makes sense to so obviously tie your music to a time that was more than thirty years ago, a time you weren't even alive during, and one that so badly dates what you're doing. The best music is timeless, and 80s music was stale even in the 80s.

There are a few songs on this album, like "Rocket On The Radio" and "Get It On", that would make for great modern melodic rock if they didn't sound like relics from the past. It's bad enough that music in the 80s congealed enough that one sound defines the entire decade, but to resurrect that sound is foolish. When you adopt someone else's sound or style, all you do is invite comparisons you can't win. Anyone who loves 80s rock is going to compare Chez to the big hits of the past, and you aren't going to overpower nostalgia. So instead of standing on her own two feet, she has to live in the shadows of the names she will be compared to. It didn't need to be that way.

She, and these songs, had quite a bit of potential. It's a shame they slathered them with a glossy coat of nostalgia. It reflects poorly on what could have been a solid record.

Album Review: Sunstorm - Afterlife

"This is another fine mess you've gotten me into," Oliver Hardy said to Stan Laurel. Actually, he never did say those exact words. Variations on the phrase, but never that exact parlance. It joins the list of things we know that aren't true, like "Beam me up, Scottie", and "Luke, I am your father". That's not important, though. What is important is that Sunstorm arrives with this album, and it's a complete mess. Not the music, but the behind the scenes drama that now renders this record something harder to deal with.

Sunstorm is a Joe Lynn Turner project, and has been defined by him and him alone for twenty years. The cast changes, as does the music, but Turner is the entire point of the project existing. Except now, after a disagreement over what direction Sunstorm should be going, Ronnie Romero is now the singer. Ronnie is already in fifty other projects, and has griped about his own dissatisfaction about the business, and now he takes over a project that is using a name it doesn't need to. This would be exactly the same if they put it out under any other name, and I wouldn't have to talk about the machinations between artists and labels.

The talk was of this album going in a more melodic and AOR direction, as compared to the previous couple albums. Honestly, I don't really hear that. These songs sound like the same moderately heavy melodic rock Sunstorm has been giving us all along. Maybe it's a hair lighter this time around, but the hallmarks of what I consider AOR aren't readily apparent. It's yet more solid, Frontiers styled melodic rock.

If you like that, and you like Ronnie Romero, you can't go wrong with Sunstorm. There's a certain level of quality you always get from these sorts of albums, and Sunstorm more than lives up to it. Yes, we've heard every note of this before, but fans eat it up because it delivers what we want. The songs are heavy enough, smooth enough, and centered on big melodies. That formula is what a lot of the best music is.

The other side of that equation is that since all these albums feature the same cast of writers and players, the only difference from one to the next is the voice. Ronnie has never been a favorite of mine, and I continue to question what I don't hear that everyone else does. He's fine, but I don't think the grit he tries to sing with matches the tone of the music particularly well. Then there's "One Step Closer", where the effects on his voice make him sound alien. I don't know if it was a choice, or if it was necessary, but it sounds awful. I'm prone to liking organic recordings, but even so, covering up his voice like that is a bad look, one way or the other.

So what we have here is another solid melodic rock album. It does most of the right things, and it delivers an enjoyable time. It doesn't stand out from the pack, and I'm afraid that because it doesn't, the drama is going to be the most lasting thing about it. If you can put that aside, "Afterlife" is a fine record to spend some time with.

Album Review: Heart Healer - The Metal Opera

More often than not, it seems, we wind up hearing songs penned by Magnus Karlsson in a given year. He has been remarkably prolific in the melodic metal world, including two albums last year. One was the combination of Russell Allen and Anette Olzon that was my second favorite album of the year, and the other was one of his 'solo' records that features several guest vocalists to bring his vision to life. He was worked with so many singers, and written so many albums, it a bit surprising to realize that Heart Healer is his first foray into the multi-vocalist concept album scene. Those have been popping up everywhere ever since Avantasia and Ayreon became so popular, and now one of the best melodic songwriters is putting his hat into the ring.

Befitting the epic nature of a concept album, Magnus tries his hand at more orchestral arrangements, expanding the scope beyond his usual fare. It does give the album a more cinematic feeling, but the shift seeps into the songwriting in expected ways, and the results may not be what was intended. On the opening "Awake", Magnus tries to shoehorn in one of his typically bombastic choruses, but everything between those bursts of metallic melody feel disjointed from the writing style. The orchestral elements don't quite mesh with his guitars, and the verses plod along with more emphasis on the backing sounds than on Adrienne Cowan's vocals. It doesn't really work for me the way most of Magnus' best songs do.

We also come face-to-face with a decision others have made that still confounds me. Magnus additionally uses the opportunity to take some more progressive turns, using a few extra instrumental sections to build the drama during the songs. Being that this is a concept album, which means it's trying to tell a story, I don't understand how instrumental diversions serve that purpose very well. He at least doesn't include a fully instrumental song as some have done *cough* Trond Holter *cough*, but there is more time spent not advancing the story than there should be. It's no different than a movie with extraneous scenes that should have been left on the cutting room floor. Story should trump everything.

Sorry for the tangent, but that is a pet peeve I can't shake. Back to the main thrust now.

Magnus is a great songwriter, and I have enjoyed a lot of what he has done over the years, but Heart Healer is perhaps the least interesting album he has made. I hate saying that, since a dramatic album featuring Noora Louhino and Anette Olzon is something I should absolutely adore, but it sounds to my ears like Magnus has tried so hard to make an epic album that the effort choked his abilities. Listening to "Come Out Of The Shadows", the atmosphere is great, but when it finally builds to the chorus, it's..... just flat. The performance is passionate, but the melody is weak, and the trade-off of hook for power was a mistake.

The highlight of the album comes in the middle with Noora's solo outing "Into The Unknown". Her raw power elevates the song, and the overlapping vocals through the end of the song are a cascade of wonderful possibilities. She unlocks the potential of this album, her voice fitting the songwriting best of the cast. The others do a fine job, but not all seven of them have voices unique enough to separate themselves. That's a common flaw in the casting of these albums, and I do think a bit more diversity in the vocal tones could have helped make the various roles more easily identifiable.

As the album's hour moves along, my main thought is that the concept got the better of Magnus. He was trying so hard to do something new, something *more*, that he forgot about what he does best. The hooks and melodies across these songs aren't as strong as on either album he released last year, and what I gleaned of the story isn't interesting enough to make me want to listen to these songs instead of his better work. This is why concept records are hard. You not only have to find a way to tell a complete story through lyrics without them sounding hackneyed, but you have to find the right people to get the characters across, and you have to have songs that hold up without any of that.

Heart Healer might be intended as an epic statement of what Magnus Karlsson is capable of as a songwriter, but what it says is the opposite; that Magnus Karlsson does what he does very well, and maybe his style doesn't translate as well to 'weightier' endeavors. Heart Healer is interesting as a theoretical exercise, but I can't say it's anywhere among the best work of Magnus Karlsson's career.

Album Review: Ronnie Atkins - One Shot

Today we come to another case where a critic can come across like an asshole. Ronnie Atkins is battling cancer, and is making the most of his time by releasing this solo album. Now, how exactly do you criticize a sick man's work without it sounding completely insensitive? I don't know if there is an answer to that, and I'm not sure there should be either. People talk when ugly stories come up that we need to be able to separate the art from the artist. Wouldn't the same also be true when the story would give us undue sympathy? It's an interesting question.

This is a true solo album, and not just a Pretty Maids record in disguise. Compared to the last couple of albums from his main band, this is a lighter, more positive batch of songs. His main gig has been getting heavier and more snarling, while this is an outlet for optimism and big, feel-good songs. So even with circumstances being what they are, Ronnie is trying to look on the bright side and make the most of his time. That is far easier to hear than if he had gone the other direction.

There's an interesting balance to these songs, where the overall approach is lighter than usual, and yet the guitar tone is saturated and thick. The tones are far heavier than the songs themselves would point toward, and I can't decide if it was a mistake to not play to the needs of the songs, or if providing some extra punch helps prop up some of these tracks. It might be a bit of both, to be honest.

The title track uses this approach to build an anthem to life that is the highlight of the entire record. It's a big, arena rocking ballad that serves as a call to arms, and shows the best of what Ronnie can do. His gritty voice takes what could be a saccharine song and makes it sound far more powerful. These songs go a long way to showing that Ronnie's voice can work across the rock spectrum. It works with the heaviest of Pretty Maids material, it works with the melodic rock of Nordic Union, and his voice is the best part of this softer rock as well.

"Before The Rise Of An Empire" is more 80s than the rest with some extra synths, and "Miles Away" has almost gospel backing vocals that carry a lot of the composition. It's unusual, but it loses some of its appeal when Ronnie throws in the groan-inducing lyric "a friend in need is a friend indeed". One line doesn't ruin a solid song, but it does make it harder to listen to. It's not as bad as when Taylor Swift told us "spelling is fun", but it's along those lines of not trying hard enough.

On first impressions, this album didn't appear to be all that impressive, but it grew on me the more I listened to it. These aren't songs with big riffs or the most obvious pop hooks, so it takes a little while for them to make their impact. When that happens, "One Shot" reveals itself to be well worth listening to. No, it's not as addictive as a Nordic Union album, but it's nice to hear Ronnie pouring so much of himself into a record. We can always use a few more songs that try to make us feel better.

Album Review: Orden Ogan - Final Days

While I have been admittedly luke-warm on power metal in recent years, one bright spot that always delivers is Orden Ogan. Some will criticize them for being in the Motorhead or AC/DC camp of always delivering the same album, but that ignores the albums are all good. Some have more lasting appeal than others, but their heavy chugging metal and epic choirs are the most consistent thing going in power metal. I stumbled across them even before they made it to a label, and in all that time they have never failed. Every time Orden Ogan releases a record, you know it's going to be an enjoyable time.

With this album, the band continues their practice of concept record by taking this journey into space. While we have gotten records in the past about burning cities, ice ages, and the wild west, this record is about technology and the vacuum it threatens to push us into.

That theme fits with the band's sound, which has always had a mechanical rhythm to the guitars as the muted notes lock in with the drums. While it may have been a bit harder to buy Orden Ogan as the soundtrack to a black-hat gunfight, they fit right in for a suspense-driven movie in the depths of space. As the album kicks off with "Heart Of The Android", those guitars could stand in for pistons serving as the robotic pump bringing the bot to life. It's a minor detail, but having the subject matter fit in with the band's sound does help cohere everything just that little bit more.

Orden Ogan maintains their status as both one of the heavier power metal bands, but also one of the most epic. When they lock into a thrashing rhythm, like they do during the solo section of "In The Dawn Of The AI", they are unquestionably heavy. Then, when the time comes to switch back to the chorus, the layers of voices behind Seeb expand the scope into something only Blind Guardian compares to. Putting the two elements together is what makes Orden Ogan unique, and they do it as well on this record as they ever have.

We run the gamut, from the rapid-fire delivery of "Interstellar" to the brooding heavy ballad "Alone In The Dark", which allows the band to show they aren't the one-trick pony you might initially think. They are dedicated to their sound and aesthetic, but there are enough nuances within it to give the albums the needed diversity. I'm not sure I quite heard a song that stands out as one of their absolute best, the way I did when "A Reason To Give" jumped out at me from the "Ravenhead" album, but all fifty minutes of this outing are rock solid.

So is this better than their previous album? Where does it sit among their discography? The differences between albums are slight, so really it doesn't matter much where we say it falls. We can have our favorites, and the rest of the albums will not be far behind. The beauty of consistency is not having to think about these things, and Orden Ogan makes that possible. Everything they put out is damn good, and so is "Final Days".

Album Review: Noora Louhimo Experience - Eternal Wheel Of Time And Space

At any given time, there are only a handful of vocalists who stand up and make a strong argument for being considered one of the best in the world at what they do. I've mentioned before when talking about a certain person that I can't explain in words exactly what it is about a voice that grips my attention in such a way, but I know it when I hear it. Among all the singers in the current melodic and power metal scene, there is one voice that clearly rises to the top of the mountain; Noora Louhimo.

Her voice has made Battle Beast as successful as they are, and she elevates every project she guests on. I don't think I'm spoiling too much to say she is the highlight of the upcoming Heart Healer metal opera from stalwart Magnus Karlsson. More interesting than that, however, is this first solo outing from her. With this record, she moves to show her versatility as a singer, and showcase a side of her we might not assme from the roles she is usually given.

Right off the bat, "Eternal Wheel Of Time And Space" is awash in acoustic and slide guitars, with a bluesy tone that gives a modern Woodstock aesthetic to Noora's updated Janis Joplin voice. She sings with rasp and power, always with a tone that sounds like her soul being shredded to pad the notes as they are delivered to our ears. When she belts out the notes at the song's cresendo, it's one of those moments that makes you stop and focus on what you're hearing. It's special.

With softer and more organic songs to sing over, we hear more of Noora's voice here than ever before. The nuances of her delivery come through clearly, and show a singer in complete control of her instrument. She shifts volume, color, and intensity to ride the dynamics of these songs. A one-trick-pony she is not.

On "Piece Of Your Love" Noora asks the subject to "give me one piece of your soul". That's what this record feels like she is doing. I don't mean to stereotype all of metal and harder rock as being incapable of doing that, but there does sound like a more natural connection between art and artist with the classic rock Noora is singing all over this album. We don't know from the outside just how much of herself Noora is showing us, but that doesn't matter, because this sounds like she is opening the door.

If we think of this album as a journey through Noora's life and soul, we get to see the breaks between the chapters. There is the classic rock of the title track, the E-Street burst of sax on "Valkyrie", even some purely 80s groovy soft rock on "New You" and funk on "Sinner On The Floor". As it unfolds, the album is a jukebox of classic sounds for Noora to make her own, which she most certainly does.

This spin through the wheel of time and space probably isn't what peope were expecting, but that's the point of doing something like this. We all know Noora can sing metal and hard rock, so making a solo album doing that wouldn't show us anything new. Noora has taken a risk by making an album like this, but it's a risk that pays off. Not only do we find out about the woman behind the music, but we get to hear more of what she is capable of. Noora is absolutely one of the best voices out there, and this album is a showcase of her varied abilities. It's well worth hearing the world of possibilites open up before us.

 

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/3GN2WYCDZUjOFlHMwZjcCA?si=TgLaHTPtSOyJmQyxy2xHyA

Website - https://nooralouhimo.com

Pre-order - http://www.kapanen-production-store.de/Noora-Louhimo-Experience/en

Twitter - https://twitter.com/NooraLouhimo

Instagram @nooralouhimoofficial

Facebook @Noora Louhimo Official 

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Album Review: Epica - Omega

I'll be honest to start this review off; I can't actually remember the last time I dove into an Epica album. There's something about their classical-tinged, beauty and the beast metal that never had a strong appeal for me. I have kept an ear to the ground, but the stampede of their ever-growing fan base hasn't gotten close enough to trample me just yet. Still, I'm always interested to hear if things have changed, if my perspective might be coming at things from a different angle now, so it feels like a good time to see what Epica has in store for us today.

Epica is, as always, an exercise in excess. "Omega" clocks in at 70 minutes of dense, symphonic music. It is not easy listening, nor  for the impatient among us. I tend to say the same things, and I'll repeat myself again; if you're making either a song or album that is longer than average, you have to use your time wisely and justify every second. With this long album starting out with 100 seconds of orchestral introductions, that philosophy is shunned before we even get going. The band is asking for a good chunk of our time, and then proceeds to essentially waste some of it before getting to the damn point. If you can't tell, I am beyond sick to death of pointless introductory tracks.

Once we get into the meat of the album, Epica is even more frustrating than ever. On the one hand, their melodic and symphonic metal is the best it's ever been. Simone Simmons sounds great singing these melodies, which are strong and rousing. As a dramatic band, Epica is really good at pulling off a tricky feat. On the other hand, I don't find their death metal particularly interesting, or in any way necessary. I know it's part of their DNA, but it adds a flimsy veneer of fake anger atop a deeper and richer existence. Simone is capable of sining over their heavier moments, so the band doesn't gain any power by pushing her aside for growling.

I'll draw an easy comparison to the band Illumishade, who released their first album last year. They are composed of the same basic framework, but that band focused on beautiful vocals and a tight presentation, while Epica has no focus and a bloated album. It's not hard to decide which is the better path; Epica's decisions have always made it hard for me to get excited about their music, even when I should be, and this album shows not much has changed in the way I interact with the band. I'm impressed by their capabilities, I'm swept up by their beautiful moments, and I'm deeply annoyed when they drift off into more boring territory.

I'm not trying to tell you what to enjoy, so if the two sides of Epica sound great together to your ears, that's great. I can only be honest about my experience, which was a pendulum swinging between frustration and relief. The question I have to ask is whether the good outweighs the bad, and by how much. The answer is yes, there is certainly more good here than the bits I have issues with, but no, those don't outweigh my issues enough to make the album worth investing that much time in, repeatedly.

To ask me to listen to your album for over an hour, it needs to conquer my attention. "Omega" doesn't do that. The best moments here are fantastic, but they don't carry through for the entire running time, and I don't want to have to justify to myself listening to something I don't fully enjoy.

Once again, Epica is a very good, albeit flawed, band. You may, but I don't have the patience to look past those flaws, so "Omega" is an album I will only revisit in bits and pieces.

Album Review: Evergrey - Escape Of The Phoenix

Many people thought that Evergrey had a 'return to form' over their last three albums, which were a conceptual trilogy where the band flexed more progressive muscle than during their "Monday Morning Apocalypse" and "Torn" period. For myself, those albums were all decent enough efforts, but I'm one of those people who honestly did prefer when the band was playing more directly, on "Torn" especially. As I hear them, they aren't particularly great at being progressive. In that spirit, I'm encouraged to hear the band say they are once again writing more direct songs on this record, which is the main reason I'm giving it a chance.

Why do I say that about Evergrey? Their style is one of low-tuned, chugging riffs. They do not play intricate passages with complicated musical concepts, nor do they throw a dozen components into a song. When they stretch songs to seven, eight, or even ten minutes, that's a lot of the same kind of guitar playing to listen to all at once. They often don't have enough going on to justify the length of the songs. But here, with most of the songs in the five minute range, the ideas don't run their course and then come back for a second lap when they're already out of breath.

"Where August Mourns" is the best Evergrey song I've heard in over a decade, because it cruises along at a solid pace, has a lovely melody, and possesses exactly no fat or filler. This record isn't "Torn", if you worry about them heading down a road you didn't like. "Torn" was an angrier, dirtier record than this one. "Escape Of The Phoenix" is smoother, 'prettier', and sadder. Tom Englund isn't using his voice to spit fire, he's mired in darker and sadder feelings. That might be an artifact of his Silent Skies project, which was a miserable thing to listen to.

And much like that, the moments where Evergrey is softest and slowest on this record are the least enjoyable. "Stories" stretches over six minutes, and spends much of it mining the same balladic dirge qualities that annoyed me before. The piano parts twinkle, but there's no memorable riff or melody to them. Englund croons, but again there is little melody to what he is singing. The whole band acts as if setting the tone is what's most important, and while that is something notable, there still needs to be a strong song behind that. There isn't on that track, and it pays the price for it.

Like every Evergrey album I've covered, this one is a mixed bag. There are certainly strong songs that deliver something no other band can, but there are also too many moments where the band is going through the motions. Even with a more compact album, they find opportunities to drift off the path. This could have been a strong album if they kept up their focus, but the ebbs are too deep for the record to build or maintain any momentum. Yes, I probably like "Escape Of the Phoenix" more than the last couple of records, but I still can't find myself loving Evergrey. I should, but they keep me at arm's length.

And no, that was not a pandemic joke.

Album Review: Anneke Van Giersbergen - The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest

Music can be therapy. I think we all know this on a cursory level, but perhaps we haven't stopped to give serious thought to how a creative outlet can aid us in our quest for understanding and/or growth. There is something comforting in the act of putting thoughts to paper (or screen, depending on how luddite you are) that can purge them from our minds. If not that, we can see when our thoughts are written down flaws in the internal logic that get lost as they swirl around in our heads, blurring into a hurricane of worry and anxiety. And then there is how art can express thoughts and feelings we otherwise wouldn't be able to share with other people. Things we were not consciously aware of come out in the subtext, and perhaps those are the things we always needed to say.

Perhaps it's saying a bit much that an album can save a marriage, but this record was made in the spirit of that purpose. Anneke saw a storm approaching, and turned to music to find what she wanted the next chapter to look like. So rather than the metallic sounds of Vuur, she strips everything down to mostly an acoustic guitar and her voice, so she can tell the story of her life, and in turn find where her future was pointed.

"Why in the world is it so diabolically hard," she asks in the opening "Agape". Is that not the question we have been asking since the beginning of time? We have been conditioned to think love should be easy, that once you find it there are never any problems. That's not the case, and a lifetime of being fed that fiction makes realizing the necessary work even more difficult. What that means is this record is Anneke's acceptance. It is painful, personal, and more important than anything I can say here.

How exactly am I supposed to critically assess a record that may have saved the life Anneke wants to have for herself? If I say a melody is boring, that will pale in comparison to the impact that same song has had in righting the wrongs in her relationship. In a way, the task at hand is a bit like critically reviewing someone's diary. While it's possible to dissect the language used, that would miss the entire point.

This album is successful before any of us hear it, simply because it did what it was supposed to do. Any relationship we have with the music is secondary to what it means for Anneke, and it feels rather insignificant to try to put my own thoughts in the same category as hers.

At the very least, this record gives us an album of Anneke's beautiful vocals put front-and-center for us to enjoy. Her voice is gorgeous in this setting, where every nuance of her performance is clear as a bell. When the vibrato kicks in on a louder note, you can feel it reverberate in your own chest, even if you can't entirely relate to the words she is using. A lot of her fans might not be able to embrace this record, since it is so quiet and subtle, but there is a lot of beauty to be found here. It's a heavy album, in the emotional sense, so it might not be the sort of thing you put on often, but it's far more daring than Vuur was.

Legend has it Stradivarius violins sound unique because the wood was treated with blood. These songs stand apart from everything else Anneke has ever done, perhaps because they wear the stains of her blood. I'm not sure what else I can say.