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Zachary Jones – She Loves You (Beatles cover)

For some reason I thought that Beatles earlier stuff wasn’t as poetic as their later stuff. Then I listened to this and found it beautiful. I thought that it was just shaggy-haired headbanging for the most part, but this story almost made me cry when I sang it.

Ray LaMontagne – Gossip in the Grain

Listen to this album on Last.fm

First off, I decided I’d make this review a little more interactive by giving you the opportunity to listen to the tracks instead of just blabbing on about it. The link above takes you to a playlist of all the tracks from the album, which happen to all be fully available for listen on last.fm.

Just yesterday I was comparing Robert Pattinson to this guy; well, here’s the original. All of this guy’s albums have been among my favorites. This one is a great third album. Nothing extremely new, just more of the great stuff that he’s provided on the other albums, delivered with the soulful vigor that brought me back to his other albums again and again.

I enjoy the nice horns on the opening track that lure me into a Motown type soul groove, “You Are the Best Thing,” complete with irresistible back up singers. Most of the other tracks on the album are sparse acoustic arrangements with well-placed strings and slide guitar. His voice is very much the show here. No need to clutter it up too much.

The persistent drum beat on “Meg White” fits very well with its tongue-in-cheek, but sweet theme, namely that he has a thing for Meg White. He straightforwardly says, “Meg White, Baby, you’re the bomb. Oh, Jack, he’s great, don’t get me wrong, but this is your song.” The alternating pounding verses with the slow, pleading “Someday I’d like to take a walk with you” is great. I wonder if he talked to her prior to making this song, or if this is his opening line, so to speak, “Playing those drums, is hard to do, It’s true. And nobody plays them quite like you do.”

“Hey Me, Hey Mama” is a great country banjo-pickin’ tune. I love the harmonica on “Henry Nearly Killed Me (It’s a Shame).” I think I like “A Falling Through” the most, though sad.

OST – Twilight

I’ve listened to this album more times than I should probably admit. Sure, I can tell that it’s somewhat designed for a teen girl market, but I’m ok with that. The Muse opener, Supermassive Black Hole, gets me hyped every time and I have to turn it up loud! I think that the Mutemath track, Spotlight, is my favorite for going nuts rocking out in the car and singing. If I did drive, I’m sure that it would heavy my foot.

The choice of tracks was pretty good, as most of the tracks seem particularly suited to an impossible love and the resulting self-conflict. Also they seemed awash with an ethereal glaze that well suits a pretty little vampire.

The track that I was most pleasantly surprised with was Never Think, by Robert Pattinson. I mean, who is this guy? Where did he come from? One second I thought of him as nothing more than a secondary actor to Daniel Radcliff and the next second he’s singing (well, more like aching mumbling, but beautiful) lines like “She standing outside holding me, saying oh please, I’m in love. Girl save your soul, before it’s to far gone, and before nothing can be done” and playing a sparse acoustic arrangement worthy of Ray LaMontagne?! Who is this guy? Then I see an interview with him and he’s so arrogantly confident while being relatively disheveled, especially for a typical teen heartthrob. Uh…I guess I’m kinda gushing, aren’t I? I’ll stop now.

The only track I think I could do without is the Collective Soul track. Never really been a fan. Oh, and I imagined Bella’s Lullaby as solo piano, intricate but only piano. I could do without the production over it.

Zachary Jones – Octopus’s Garden (Beatles cover)Zachary Jones – Octopus’s Garden (Beatles cover)

I’ve got the most wonderful story to accompany this covertown. This song, while seemingly nonsensical, actually has a story behind it. Wikipedia explains:

The idea for the song came about when Starr was on a boating trip with his family in Sardinia in 1968. He was offered an octopus lunch, but turned it down. Then the boat’s captain told Starr about how octopuses travel along the sea bed picking up stones and shiny objects with which to build gardens. Starr said that hearing about octopuses spending their days collecting shiny objects at the bottom of the sea was one of the happiest things he had ever heard, inspiring him to write this song.

That story made me happy when I read it.

Al Green – Lay It Down

If you didn’t know better, you’d think this was Al Green at his 70’s height. The production, while slick and modern, is very much Al Green style. There’s plenty of people trying to create soul, but he just breathes it. Plus there’s plenty of old artists trying to be relevant and new. But, it doesn’t even sound like he’s trying. It just sounds like he’s succeeding and doing what he does.

Every single track is incredible. I sat here trying to pick a favorite track, but I couldn’t. The entire album fits so well together. Upon relistening, every single track made me go, “Oooooh! Yeah, this one.” So, I just gave up and said this album is best played straight.

In addition to the Voice, the instrumentation is so catchy. The horns are just perfect for my tastes.

The guest spots by Anthony Hamilton, John Legend and Corrine Bailey Rae don’t distract at all, nor do they seem superfluous.

Oh, and everything is sexy. That’s my review.