5 comments about Thicker Than Water.

1. I bought this disc in the hope that it would feature more of Jack Johnson's solo work. I was disappointed. The music is ok, but it is many different artists. It IS a soundtrack however, so I should not have been surprised. The music is not bad and is generally in keeping with the tone of most of Mr. Johnson's style. If you want more Jack Johnson, though, stick with his other discs.



2. This DVD is one I think every surfer should see at least once. I will not go as far as saying its one of the best surf movies ever made but in my top 15 list. Great surfing and a hip sound track.



3. I had never heard of Jack Johnson before I came upon his DVD called Thicker Than Water, at a used DVD store, which, if the DVD package was accurate, seemed to be a documentary about sailing around the world. The back cover features robed Buddhists on the bow of a boat, in an exotic sunset. Could this be a Generation X riff on the whole Seven Years In Tibet theme? I did not know, but always one to enjoy offbeat documentaries, I decided to give it a whirl. Was I surprised, or what?
   Well, the disk is a documentary, but not of water-centered cultures about the world, nor of existentialism in a Thoreauvian vein admixed with rock music. No, instead it's a surfer film, although not of the sort brought to you by Hollywood airheads. It follows a group of young twentysomething surfers who spent a year and a half in the early part of this decade just bumming around beaches all about the world, and shooting their adventures with an old 16mm camera. It is part home movie, part guerilla filmmaking, part acid trip, part bad garage band, and all in all oddly interesting, if not riveting. There are, of course, some great shots of young studs riding through tubes of water- although very few bikini babes, and a good deal of lite pop music, spiced with a bluesy vein, by Johnson. His tunes are most akin to the music of The White Stripes, albeit a bit mellower, but nothing much really happens in the forty-five minutes of the main film. We see surfing in different locale, hear random voices come on and off and say things banal and observant, but, I guess, not much more can be expected from Johnson, who was a former pro surfer whose career ended after an accident, and has since become an alternative music icon, of sorts.
   Don't get me wrong, some of Johnson's music is evocative, and he does seem like a nice enough guy. I just wonder what sort of vanity is behind such an exercise? That said, the camerawork is much better than one might expect from mere amateurs, but what deeper point is there in the whole exercise, apart from a vanity video. There are scenes that a filmmaker with a real vision could have cut together with much more effective music. The documentary- if one can really call it that; it's more of an extended music video, travels from Tahiti to India to Ireland to Australia to Hawaii and to many unnamed ports of call, seems like the first rough cut of a filmmaker trying to find his way, not a finished product.
   All in all, this is the sort of DVD to watch if you're a teenager with a little bit too much weed and not enough pals to toke it with, but it is not a film for a serious cineaste, nor even a serious surfer, for the waves within the film are rather paltry. Not that any of that is necessarily a bad thing, but it's certainly not too good of a thing, either. The fact that it could have been more suggests that the boys' youth was to blame. Ah, youth! If you need me to fill in the rest of that observation you will know how I felt watching Thicker Than Water. Okay?



4. this is a great cd. Jack Johnsons older stuff is so much better that his 2 recent albums. This is a great compilation of music that goes really well with the attitude and type of lifestyle Jack Johnsons music used to be geared too. Read the album cover next time and you wont be disappointed when it is what is described. This beats the hell out of the curios george happy feely butterfly ride.



5. YAHHH jack johnson.... ahhhh kind of disappointing. I was physched when i saw this one and sped on to buy it.... but then was very disappointed when I bought it. Definately preview this before buying it. Not great or good just ummm eehhhh

5 comments about Not a Pretty Girl.

1. This album, so far, to me, has been her best. It is raw and emotional, and I feel that she spends a lot of time apologizing and, at the same time, refusing to apologizing for what she's done and who she is.
   
   This album is an anthem for feminists everywhere. One song that always grounds me is "Cradle and All." I love her adaptation of "Rock-a-bye baby" and how her words make me feel calm throughout the stress that blinds me throughout the day.
   
   "I'm not a pretty girl" reminds me to be an individual regardless of the chauvinistic society we live in. To be the woman that I am and to ignore the beliefs that crowd my femininity.
   
   Whenever I'm feeling pissed off or bitter, I listen to this album to remind me that I'm not the only one who's angry, and that sometimes, I have a right to be. It also reminds me not to accept oppression as a part of life.



2. As a person that owns every CD that Ms. DiFranco has made must say that Not A Pretty Girl is my absolute favorite. The songs are edgy and completely rocking. Its political and emotional and just AMAZING!! I think this album is grossly underrated by her fans. The title track has quite possibly the best lyrics that she has written ever. It speaks to me as a woman and an individual. The songs on here changed my life.



3. Yeah, sure, Ani is a pinko commy, and I vehemently disagree with almost all of her politics(which she discusses very bluntly in her music). However, she does make some very good music, and this album is no exception.



4. We are all pretty familiar with the concept of over-acting. You know, like Al Pacino in Scarface. But is it possible to "over-sing." I think it is, and I'd argue Ani does it in every single song she's ever written. "eaaarggAh! OhheeeeOO!, UyayayayayEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Probably it does the trick if you're PMSing real bad, but as a dude I have a little trouble relating. For a while I thought she had bad lyrics. But then I tried just reading them straight up and realized hey they are totally decent, it's just the vocals that make them tough to stomach. Shakespeare would probably be bad if you said, "the-e-e-ea-a-a- quAAliteee-e-e-e-eEEEEEE of mer cy is not STRAYEEEYYAAAYYEEEAYYEEEAAAAAAnedahugooooh!...." That said, even though they aren't bad perse, they are sort of annoying. I don't like coffee houses, or people who frequent them. Which seems to be sort of the Ani universe. On the other hand, if you like to get an expresso before catching the subway downtown to catch the Innercity Radical Anarchocommunist Existential Collective's screening of their latest short film about transgender intellectual insurgents in the world of independent media publishing in Seattle, where you'll meet a group of girls wearing different colored socks and quirky glasses, and at least one radical photographer named Jeremy, with whom you plan to go backpacking this weekend on a scenic trail where you'll write obsessively about yourself in a journal, all the while missing the amazing plants and animals because you don't know anything about nature except that you hate corporations who want to destroy it, and you're too busy journalling about the flaky dudes you sleep with, plus your parents were hippies and you're exactly like them and not original at all, you'll probably totally dig the vibe here.
   On to the positives, Ani is a great guitarist. I dig her style, and wish she was a little more guitar-based and less vocal based, because this is really where she stands out in the singer-songwriter genre. She doesn't just lay down some simple chords, she works the strings, and she has skills. Actually, if she stopped singing, and got someone else to sing while she wrote the music, I think she'd probably be great.
   
   Also, she should get someone else to produce these albums. You have to turn all her albums way up to hear anything but her voice.
   
   If you like her voice though, this would probably be a 5 star album.



5. I don't know, maybe it's me but I get a little "activism-for-the-sake-of-activism" from this album... Or maybe "shock-value-for-the-sake-of-shock-value"... But that doesn't stop it from being good most of the time.
   
   Unique and fantastic things she does with a guitar.

5 comments about Empire Records: The Soundtrack.

1. Great music for a great period piece. Liv Tyler and Renee Zellweger were both great in one of their earliest films.



2. One of the best soundtracks ever! Though of course it could have included some songs from New Order,The Smiths,Psychedelic Furs or maybe The Cure. But nonetheless I was not disappointed. The CD also was near prestine in quality!



3. what can i said, i had this album but lost it, and i just got it in a perfect condition,,
   love those songs!!!!
   and the movie too. lol!



4. This CD should be titled "Selected songs from Empire Records" since it isn't a true soundtrack. I liked this movie and the music very much. I was disappointed to realize that the "soundtrack" only had about 1/3 of the music from the movie. I guess my only option now is to find the rest of the songs from ITunes.



5. This movie was gone and forgotton in very little time, but the soundtrack kept putting it back on TV. Great collection.

5 comments about Diamonds on the Inside.

1. Don't listen to the negative reviews of this cd it is one of the best and liveliest albums i've ever heard save for one or two songs. People just don't enjoy it because they're probably just the original fans of his early more simple music. The quality of Diamonds sounds like a pop album and it's great. The album just Hits its so diverse and has everything from Reggae to Jam Rock to Funk,Heavy Blues, an Italian love song with an accordion, to Spiritual songs inspired by World Music. I love all his stuff especially his newest cd Lifeline but this is one of my favorites.



2. if you enjoy high quality music, Diamonds is a great place to start, period. This album was my intoduction to Ben Harper



3. Ben Harper was only a name to me as he is to most people until faily recently. I saw him live and on the Henry Rollins show both this year and and picked-up his new double album and am now scampering to get ALL his material and soak it up. Bottom Line: Ben is out of era...in the Motown years he would have had a home but today no one (including his label) really knows how to market him. He is far too mature musically for the modern day R&B radio and out of the mold for alternative music so he fits into that void that many have had GREAT success in such as Jack Johnson, Tracy Chapman and others but he is his own (as are the aforementioned). He is old school R&B and his openess to experiementation and variation not too mention his talent and sound sometimes make me think he is the incarnate of the late, great Marvin Gaye, funny since I do not believe in reincarnation.
   I can ealisy reccommend ANYTHING by Ben if you love Marvin and Motown. He also has hints of Marleyesque struggle in his musical lyrics as well as a heavy gospel influence at times. What an amazing talent! This album is one of his best overall and a good showcase of his music. A good place to start but you can't go wrong with anything he has done.
   
   *side note regarding review below that is overall positive (not trying to dis the reviewer, but if you want to play critic get it right). IN the second paragraph this person claims that in "Picture of Jesus" Ben rips-offs Paul Simon's "Diamonds on the Sole of her Shoes" (Graceland is a favorite of mine by the way) so I had to take a listen myself to see if there is any truth to this. The only reason I address this is b/c he or she accusses Ben of being 'classless' for not giving Paul credit! While the review was pretty good compared to most this was one of the funniest things I have ever read from a layman's review...first of all the only similarity between the two songs is that they both use a South African (Soweto) group to harmonize in the song, that is it! Ben's melody and musical song structure is completely different and rather Paul had any influence on Ben is highly questionable (and even if he/she is right does it matter, music is all about influence). Soweto has been around forever, long before the great Paul Simon brought it into the mainstream not to mention Grammy fame...so to say that it is classless to not thank Paul Simon (a WHITE amerikan songwriter) for Ben's (a Black amerikan) use of Soweto harmony in one of his songs is both hilarious and completely irrelevant.



4. This is great album, I like how pretty much every song is different, and not just songwise, but it spans many different genres. Ben Harper is always good. There's a lot of good reviews for this album, so I won't go much further than that.
   
   Two quick points:
   
   1) I had no trouble playing the music on my computer and converting it into MP3 form. Don't know if it's just some CDs that have the protection or what.
   
   2) Ladysmith Black Mambazo has been around forever and have sounded the same before and after Paul Simon's Graceland album. I don't think it's fair to say that Ben Harper copied anything. They're a beautiful sounding group and they always have that sound. I'm sure everyone remembers the Lifesavers commercials...



5. Tried listening to this album, failed. Ben Harper apparently has an awful voice, and the song writing is difficult to listen to. The lyrics are so lame. So so lame.
   
   One star.

5 comments about Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars.

1. I had bought the album back in the early nineties, before the cd era. I loved every little second of this entire album. It s the simplicity and the shoeless free spirit feeling this album inspires. I absolutely enjoy listening to Edie Breckel s little voice.



2. The CD is to scratched to upload onto my ipod. I contacted the seller and he offered a full refund of .01 if I sent it back to him. I guess he made a couple of bucks on postage from me, but duhhh, I'm not going to pay another buck to send it back to him and get .01 back and then he could send it out to another unsuspecting person. I think he should have offered to send me another CD since he had to know the CD was bad.



3. edie brickell and the new bohemians are an excellent band that came out quite some time ago and this was the first (at the time casset tape) cd then came ghost of a dog but I digress... this is my favorite cd by edie because it is truly a relaxing and mellow collection of folk type songs with a bit of a modern flavor to them. and her voice is almost mystical on some of the songs like "air of december and Circle" both of which are my fav's. buy this cd if you are looking for relaxing hippie style folk music that will sooth both the nerves and the soul.
   
   and relax! you can buy it here from this link!
   Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars
   **Compact Disc**



4. SHe and the New Bohemians have created a thought-provoking array of wild and hippy fun loving songs that speak to the care free yet concerned spirit--songs of pain and truth collage this album into any artwoRk that's high on a collector's list."Circle" speaks of lonliness and redemption,"Little Miss S" speaks to the soul of the unfulfilled in a way that encompasses an empathy found in songs such as Maria McKee's remake of "This Propery Is COndemned." It's good.



5. I understand why some reviewers don't care for Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians, but to those of us that love them - "Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars" is a classic. Since I am not a musician, I cannot comment on the musicianship but, the lush lyrics and visual imagery are amazing. Edie Brickell paints pictures with her words and ethereal delivery and this is a particular talent that few singers accomplish. Furthermore, she sings with emotion which always connects with the audience and, if you have ever seen her live, you'll understand why she has a fervent following. Edie & The New Bohemians have a great chemistry together. I didn't care for her solo efforts as much - too much Paul Simon influence for my taste. Best of all, Edie has stayed true to herself despite the "One Hit Wonder" moniker. For true Edie fans, she was far more than a "One Hit Wonder" and she connects on a personal level.

5 comments about From a Basement on the Hill.

1. I was hooked after the first two tracks.
   
   Does Elliot Smith have any bad material?



2. Think Twilight and you begin to understand the Elliot Smith sound. As a fan moving from Beatles, 70's Art Rock, The Cure and Grunge, Elliot came as a pleasant surprise and I hear elements of all those in his music. His sound is hauntingly familiar, yet sweetly original. This is a great album, full of variety. My favorites change as I listen to it. Like peeling an onion, the deeper I go the more I find and it almost makes me cry.



3. I am an intermittent fan. I have to really be down in the dumps--trying to have a pity party to finish an album. Sorry RIP, I love the songs, just not all the time.



4. This is a haunting collection from a true song writing genius. We will never know what he intended for these songs, as the debate about that will live on. We can be thankful for what he gave all of us.
   
   Matt Zarnstorff
   (Wisconsin, USA)



5. There's something different about Elliott Smith's music and I think I figured out what it is. Most songs on the radio have pretty simple tunes and I find I usually can start anticipating the tune and humming along the first time I hear it. But with Elliott's songs I think the melodies are much more complex so they take a few listens to get used to. But once you do, they are amazing! Every album of his I've listened to so far has been the same story. The first time through I feel underwhelmed--like I'm not sure what I just listened to. After about the third time through I really start to catch on and then each subsequent listen just keeps getting better and better. I love almost every song on this album now! So for those of you who think you don't care much for his music, please give it a few listens before you make up your mind. Maybe the reason he's not as popular as he should be is people don't take the time necessary to really absorb his music. Elliott was a genius and I hope someday he'll get the recognition he deserves.

5 comments about Roman Candle.

1. Emerging from the shadow of Kurt Cobain in the late 90's, Elliott Smith was perhaps the greatest singer songwriter of his generation. Smith's genius was his unabashedly honest, naked, poetic lyricism that was so beautifully complemented by his unpretentiousness acoustic guitar. Like none that came before him, Smith delivers note after note of haunted, sparkling melancholy. Far from gloomy, his songs radiate with incredible emotional intensity. Combining an unbridled punk rage within the guise of an acoustic folk song, his songs speak for themselves. Reflective and introspective, each song unfolds like a delicately wrapped package, revealing itself slowly. Smith's songs present themselves like late night thoughts that just won't go away. Concerning themselves with drug abuse, depression, and troubled relationships, Smith exorcises his inner demons and releases them in a beautiful, blinding, luminosity, albeit born from dark, painful emotional despair.
   
   Roman Candle is the debut album of Portland Indie singer/songwriter Elliott Smith. Roman Candle was released on the small Cavity Search Label in 1994. This collection of no less than nine solo acoustic guitar tracks were recorded by Smith on an 4-track. At the time, Smith was a member of the Portland Alternative-Indie rock band Heatmiser. A departure from the trio, RC features no production, no drums, or bass. Roman Candle is intimate and you almost feel as if you're eavesdropping in on him playing behind closed doors. From the opening bars of Needle In The Hay, Smith immediately establishes the signature hallmarks of his sound. The haunted, understated delivery, the aggressive, finger picking guitar notes that pulse and radiate in flashes of color and intensity. So incognito and unpretentious is RC that you almost miss it. Until you hear it again. And again. Smith's angular melodies and intricately crafted compositions begin to take life with repeated listens. Pretty soon you are quietly singing along. Lyrically, his songs gravitate between insecurity and isolation and shine with a quiet understated brilliance, revealing a glimpse of the lyrical genius that he would become. Early on, Smith reveals an emotional intimateness that has rarely been seen before. The comparisons to Nick Drake were somewhat accurate, although Drake was more understated and less revealing. Smith was a boiling kettle just waiting to explode. He wanted to share that, and it comes across. You can feel the emotional intensity and passion he injects into his music. Although he would turn the volume up on his later work, everything was there from the beginning. On songs like Condor Ave, and No Name #3, there is a timelessness he brings forth, impressioning himself upon the listener. Roman Candle is an album that could be classified as "Vintage", "Classic" or "Timeless". Perhaps a more fitting word for the late singer is simply "Honest".



2. I heard a few mp3s from this album and I liked it all. Acoustic self pity.



3. Elliott Smith is some kind of alchemist. Some of this is unpolished, even perhaps ugly. At the same time, it's moving and beautiful beyond words.



4. in his solo career. I've heard all his albums and I come back to them all often enough, but this one just stands out somehow. It has the most powerful emotional impact on me.



5. 4.46 stars.
   
   for anybody who even half-way enjoys the one-man-and-a-guitar stylings of pre-"figure 8" Elliot Smith, go ahead and make that collection complete by snapping up a copy of "roman candle". i bought this album for that reason alone and wound-up very much enjoying it.
   
   the opener, from whence the album takes its title, is enough to justify the purchase price, but that's not to say that the rest of the album is anything to simply gloss over. Elliot fans who, like myself, became such because of the "good will hunting" soundtrack will be happy to have a familiar friend along the way in the form of "no name no. 3". also, the sinister swell that "last call" delves into as it comes to a close is pretty ded-gum neat, so be sure to check that out as well.
   
   i only rate this album a 4 instead of a 5 because i DO NOT wish to give the impression that i find it to be on par with "Elliot Smith", so if you are trying to decide between the two of them, hit that other one first. however, if after injesting that one you like it as much as the rest of the Elliot-lovin' free world does, be sure to get ye back out into thine music-gettin' landscape to procure a copy of "roman candle" for yo'self as well. enjoy!

5 comments about Rid of Me.

1. PJ Harvey's most compelling and classic album ever. Every song is a work of art including the obsessive "Rid Of Me", the male dominance of "50 Foot Queenie" and "Man Size" to the comeuppance of "Dry." My only frustration is with Steve Albini's production style which always seems the same with his quiet then loud approach. Sometimes it feels like he is squelching some of the power that the songs contain. Still, PJ always manages to never let you down with her rawness.



2. I'll never forget hearing the lyric "You leave me dry" for the very first time. I was a seventeen-year old boy who had a thing for bitter women. Polly lured me in with her unique vocals and I enjoyed every moment of it regardless of how uncomfortable I felt. The erotic, raw cover (which goes hand-in-hand with the erotic, raw material found on the record) stuck in my mind and haunted me. It wasn't a new feeling for me: I was in love--again. I seriously have no idea what I've been doing my whole life before I found out about Polly: the stark lyricism, the marvelous guitar playing, the demanding performance and that deep feminine vocal delivery made her my artist of choice.
   
   I consider this to be Polly's first masterpiece (she upped the ante two years later with "Joan Crawford on acid" extravaganza To Bring You My Love) and certainly one of her most striking albums. Dry was raw in its own way too, but this time around, Polly worked with sound engineering marvel, Steve Albini. The two masterminds worked together in late 1992 and produced this everlasting piece of art. In Utero picked Albini the acclaim (regardless of the fact that Nirvana's stupendous third album was heard by millions in a heavily remixed mode), but Rid Of Me is where it's at: check out the perfectly set dynamics in "Me-Jane"--every drum kick and every note work together in a milisecond of time. The rest of the record is strong as well: "Man-Size" plays like a thriller; the quiet-loud dynamics (popularized by grunge in the early 90s) are most obvious in the album opener which also sports Harvey's most famous lyrics ("lick my legs/I'm on fire") and the album's closest thing to a ballad, "Missed"--all work together in a coherent whole.
   
   A personal favorite and an absolute standout, "Rub 'til It Bleeds" shows what is so special about Peej: she describes sex as a staple of both lust and violence, playing with aggressive notions of sexuality while leaving you in a state of both shock and pleasure. I've adored a lot of women over the course of several years of my experiences with music, but hardly any can compete with Polly's raw moaning. Check her out in "Legs" and "Snake": she's playing longing and pain with such conviction that it's no wonder people have mistaken her for a bitter female she never was. "Hook" sounds like slow death filled with gore, starting with what could only be described as Polly's most menacing riff ever. The sextet version of "Man-Size" brings in the Psycho strings for even more unpleasantness. She covers Dylan's "Highway 61" and it sounds nothing like the original which makes it all the better for it. Polly's most recognizable riff is witnessed in "50 Ft Queenie". Lyrically most bizarre, "Yuri-G" plays in that typical Albini fashion--mighty and punctual. A short noise-rock epic "Snake" manages to rule in just a little over a minute. Polly's most bluesy riff on the record kicks in in "Ecstasy" which just ends things on a high note.
   
   Making a record like Rid Of Me demands a lot of creativity and even more dare. PJ always played by her own rules, and it's what makes her so inimitable. You'll rarely find an artist who thinks it's all a role to slip in and produces something that seems as nothing but. Rid Of Me is the essential record of the early 90s. The reason is simple: only a few more albums can capture the raw, guitar-driven spirit of that decade like Rid Of Me does. Polly didn't stop making music after this chilling masterpiece; she only kept changing her skin. For most of us, her compulsive need for change and not repeating herself only meant more fresh music to explore. Still, this remains her most daring endeavor. Admire it from a safe distance.



3. I usually listen to male-fronted metal, but PJ Harvey is the exception. This was my first album of hers and it just blew me away. Her vocals are the exact opposite of everything I usually hate about female vocals. Her voice sounds imperfect, cracking with emotion and strain. Her lyrics are intelligent and just hit me so hard with their relevancy. I'd suggest this album to anyone even remotely interested in her music, because it's probably my favorite album of hers.



4. Rid Of Me 5/5, I heard a live version first. It was compelling, at first I was dissapointed with this, but after listening to it, I was very happy with it 'Lick My Legs, I'm On Fire, Lick My Legs, I'm Desire."
   
   Missed 5+/5 This song is really good, nice mid-tempo song, different, but I love it.
   
   Legs 5+/5 This song is frigging awesome. I really love as much as Missed.
   
   Rub 'Till It Bleeds 5+/5 This is a really good song, sounds kind of dirty and mean (in a good way).
   
   Hook 4.5/5 This song is nice, not quite up to par with the first four, but still a good song.
   
   Man-Size Sextet 2/5 Ehhh...just doesn't do it for me.
   
   Highway '61 Revisited 4.5/5 Nice song, like the music and words (note: Cover song, orginiated from Bob Dylan).
   
   50ft Queenie 5/5 Fast-Paced Rocking Song!!! Love it (I believe it was also the first single).
   
   Yuri-G 5/5 Another Fast Paced Rocker.
   
   Man-Size 4/5 Now this is a much better version of the song. Screeching vilons in the other one just don't work.
   
   Dry 5+/5 Possibly my favorite on this CD. Its a freaking awesome song with the lyric 'You leave me dry'.
   
   Me-Jane 5/5 Yet another fast paced rocker...
   
   Snake 5/5 It is a song that I assume is based from the bible (about Adam and Eve), short punky, in-your-face song.
   
   Ecstacy 4/5 Nice song, a pretty good closer to a freaking awesome album.
   
   This was my first PJ Harvey album, it is simply brilliant. Just a great heavy rocking album. When Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea is in the mail, I'll be very excited. Then I'm buying Dry next!!!



5. A strange recording that brings out the Punk in the Blues of P.J..It's been said she hates it.I think its guilty pleasure.

5 comments about Hotel Paper.

1. Most artists falter after a really successful debut CD, but not Michelle Branch. "Holtel Paper" maintains the same pristine musicianship displayed in "The Spirit Room" She is impressive and one to be reckon with. A lot of fans who play the guitar seems to really dig her, which is probably a a compliment in itself. "Are You Happy Now" the first track pretty much sets the tone and the more you listen to this CD, the more you are amazed. There's a duet with Sheryl Crow on track#7 which I find interesting because you can't hardly hear Sheryl because they mirror each other's vocals, and ofcourse there's "Breath" Let's all hope that Michelle will keep on making cool music.



2. Intro - ***
   Are You Happy Now (initial single) - *****
   Find Your Way Back - *****
   Tuesday Morning - ****
   Empty Handed - ****
   One Of These Days - ****
   Love Me Like That - ****
   Desperately - *****
   Breathe (second single. faired better than the initial) - ****
   Where are You Now - *****
   Hotel Paper - *****
   Till I Get Over You - ****
   It's You - *****
   
   Cover Art: B+
   Other Art: A-
   Songwriting: B-
   Production: A-
   Length: A+
   Overall: B--
   
   56/13 = 4.75
   
   4.75 stars.
   
   Oh and IGNORE that, "SO superior to the sophomore album" thing I said about Her first album. It was great, but the Scores never Lie...



3. I am a big Michelle Branch fan.
   It never ceases to amaze me the powerful sound
   that comes out of this womans vocal cords.
   I enjoy listening to this and the rest of her CD`s.



4. This is my fave CD ever. If you like real music, this is it!



5. Bad news is that I wasted my time listening to this whinefest.
   Good news is that I bought it used.
   
   I give it two stars because there are two tolerable songs on the CD and she is a cutie.
   
   More good news. I re-sold it for my purchase price.

5 comments about This Way.

1. I put this on infinite repeat whilst doing housework. My wife came home and asked why I was playing country music.
   
   That's right, Jewel's gone back to her folk roots (not country) with this one, leaving me wanting. I picked it up for "Standing Still" and found a few other tracks that were more pop-ish, but if you're into neo-folk, this is the one for you.



2. This could be construed as the album that made Jewel a crossover star. Standing Still is the catchy first track that appealed to the masses, even the country crowds as she opened for Garth Brooks here and there. Wonderful lyrics and catchy tunes make up this 14 song set. Cleveland is a wonderful song, and Love Me, Just Leave Me Alone shows Jewel has the juxsy to boss the boys around. Great album all around, no doubt about that.



3. It rocks, it swings, it's cute, it's passionate. I listen to this album over and over again and it never gets old. Jewel has a refreshingly wise yet innocent outlook on life and a great voice. She's not afraid to experiment, but no matter the genre or style, her music is genuine, plain and simple.



4. I've liked Jewel and sexually since her major label debut in like 98. This is a much more similar album toi her debut that got her on the MTV spotlight. Jewel certainly is a big sell out, and where's the money they put into it? She has a nice body, voice and can play for a woman which is rare.



5. Although I just got this recently, I already notice a lot of the songs to be different than her older work, on a country note, on a romantic note, on a lighter note. She sounds like the Jewel never heard before, and I like it! It might take a while, though, as seen in the rating. So far I have only listened to this once, but I look forward to hearing from it again; I mean, why else would I get it?! My favorite song on here has to be "Till We Run Out of Road" because it reminds of those days when I had to make those transitions in life and just decided to ride one path for the longest time. Oh, it is my latest Jewel CD and I don't think I have made a bad choice at all. I may have fallen for it as much as my older ones and don'y even know it yet. This leaves a decent aftertaste in my mind after the nice food for thought I have been given, and on this album she just may have it right. Keep up the good work Jewel; I am right behind you!