Ever reminisce about the old days and wish everything was that way again? The candy we enjoyed as kids, the games we played, and how about the music we listened to? Sometimes things are better left to memory.
I felt that way about four of my favorite musicians from my younger years. Back then, my four favorites were Bryan Adams, John (Cougar sometimes) Mellencamp, Tom Petty, and of course my all time favourite, Bob Seger.
When I seen that all four of my favorites planned on releasing new albums for 2014, I was elated. Couldn’t wait to get them. The minute they were released, I bought them. Big Mistake!
Years (and all the cigarettes) were not kind to Mellencamp’s voice. His voice, although always gravely, now sounds as if he gargled with nails prior to recording the album. That is not to say that the songs weren’t great, but I couldn’t get past the raspy voice. It almost hurt to listen.
Speaking of gravel, Bryan Adams released a new album as well….of all things, a cover album. Six years after his last album, entitled ’11’, he releases a cover album. Don’t get me wrong, the man can still sing, and for Bryan, the gravel works well, but the song choices??? Country songs?
I have always been a country fan, but I was a rock fan as well. Those two worlds don’t (or shouldn’t) collide well. It was just wrong to hear Adams belt out Kristofferson’s ”Help Me Make it Through the Night’ and even worse, his rendition of Don Gibson’s ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You’. Adams did a great job on those songs, but it seems to me that there were already enough covers of those songs that my favorite Canadian ROCKER didn’t need to be doing them. I wish he could have released an album of original ROCK songs.
Another artist who chose to go country as of late is Bob Seger. My absolute favourite artist throughout the 70’s and 80’s, Seger released an album that is a mix between country and blues, and for me, it just doesn’t make it.
Steve Earle’s ‘Devil’s Right Hand’ was the biggest disappointment on the entire album. Seger simply cannot hit the notes that the songwriter did in his own release of the song. Instead of showcasing the fine singer’s voice, the song shows the age of the artist. The rest of the songs on the album just didn’t cut it for me. Very disappointed in this one and a waste of my money.
Finally, Tom Petty. What can I say? I hated the entire thing. Maybe I am being a bit too critical, but when fine artists try to fit the cookie cutter world of radio, it is just darn disappointing.
On the way to work today, I loaded my favorite albums of yesteryear. ‘Reckless’, ‘Uh Huh’, Full Moon Fever’ and ‘Beautiful Loser’. Now THAT was music!
SightsnBytes 