Obama! A Modern U.S. President (musical spoof)

My Amazon Reviews: Heart "Red Velvet Car"

Baby, They Can Still Drive Your Car  
3 Out of 5 Stars

"Red Velvet Car" is Heart trying to revert to the days of "Dog and Butterfly" and "Little Queen." There's plenty of songs here that hearken to the classic sound, but for the most part, don't hold up. Thankfully, they've abandoned the overproduced pomp of the Capitol years entirely.

Most likely culprit is aging; you can't work up that hormonal rush at 60 that you could at 20. And lordy, is "Dreamboat Annie" really almost 40 years old? Time has not taken their vocal prowess away, as Ann and Nancy still sound terrific. It's also not for lack of effort, as songs like "Sand" and "Safronia's Mark" could be from the 70's. Like so many bands still slugging it out after decades, "Red Velvet Car" bears the sweet smell of polished professionalism. I enjoy it, but there's nothing here that made me think Heart was pushing themselves.

Which leaves the review at three stars for average, with a little extra credit to Heart for at least trying to do something new. Consider the alternative ala Journey or Rod Stewart; reduced to albums of hackneyed classics or re-recording your own material. "Red Velvet Car" may not be a fully restored model, but it's also not a false re-creation.

    

   

My Amazon Reviews: The Call "Into The Woods"

Break Like a Fever, Fall Like Rain
3 Out of 5 Stars 

The fifth album from The Call felt like a bit of a slide back from the excellent "Reconciled." But while not up the the standard that its predecessor set, "Into The Woods" maintains the level of quality The Call had been setting for themselves, and holds its own against contemporaries of the time like U2, Simple Minds or Peter Gabriel (all of whom where Call Fans).

Micheal Been was one of the new breed of born-again rockers; always faithful, but not necessarily joyous. There's plenty of questioning and doubt to be found along the dark passages of "Into The Woods," with the dabs of redemption not as prevalent as they have been on other Call albums. The uplift comes from the lead track, "I Don't Wanna," which details a hard climb to devotion, and "Expecting," a minor key cry for hope.

Then there is the kick that closes the album, the rocking "Walk Walk," which chucks all the previous dark moods aside to finish things off with a bang-up 50's style shuffle. Overall, "Into The Woods" is a middling Call album, with fans better served by "Reconciled" or the more anthemic "Let The Day Begin."