All-American Rejects - Ratty Shoes (***)
I heard this band's single "Swing Swing" on 102.1 The Edge in Dallas and took a shot on this CD. This album is as good as any of the stuff the radio stations playing Green Day, Chili Peppers, etc are spinning. Give this one a listen.
Gary Aufforth, 2/12/03 Top

Audio Bridge (**)
Yet another Georgia-based band, but this time without the pedigree of it's more established contemporaries. Unfortunately, without the songs either. There is some good stuff on this debut album, but there is also some not good stuff. This is alternative/pop music that draws on the English Britpop movement for it's influences (Oasis, Blur, etc.), but it doesn't quite come together. The songs are thin and discordant. A few good moments, but overall, there's not much here.
Mike Castro, 6/22/00 Top

Aztek Trip - Average Day (****)
These boys from Allentown PA know how to crank it up, but do so without going over the edge into oblivion. Hook-laden, power packed rock and roll, Average Day would have been huge in the early 90's when this style was in fashion. It's not grunge, but a deliciously crunchy power alterna-pop. The variety on the album, from shameless pop, to nearly hardcore punk rock to power ballads allows this disc to bear up well after repeated listenings. A dandy.
(Check out this album at www.freshtracksmusic.com. You can download the entire album legally and for free!)
Mike Castro, 3/22/01 Top

Tal Bachman (***.5)
It is quite clear that Tal Bachman is a Beatles fan. The influences of the Fab Four are so obvious here that copyright lawyers may want to give it a passing listen. The bright side is that one can do worse than draw inspiration from the Beatles. Beyond the hit single "She's So High", Bachman has produced a strong album of catchy, well-produced pop songs. Hooks abound, guitars jangle, Bachman croons away purposefully to great success. In the end, it's a lightweight affair, but a very enjoyable one.
Mike Castro, 6/5/00 Top

Bacilos - Caraluna (****)
It was on a wildly pitching ferry crossing between the island of Cozumel and the Mexican mainland that I first heard Bacilos, in form of a video for their Latin hit single "Mi Primer Million". We saw the video again on the way back later in the day and the infectious fun and great sound of the song just stuck in my head. When we returned to our native land I looked them up and bought it. I can't understand what the heck they are saying, but it's so much fun it really doesn't matter. The album is full of Latin/Pop rythms and melodies and such a happy sound that it immediately brightens the room. The band is from Miami and there is one song in English, but Bacilos is more about good times than language.
Mike Castro, 11/14/03 Top

Barenaked Ladies - Maroon (****)
Thanks to a friend who recommended Barenaked Ladies to me back in 1997, I can honestly say that I was a fan BEFORE they hit it big in America. Their 5th studio album continues where "Stunt" left off, with the band continuing to evolve from a quirky, almost "gimick" band into a polished, intelligent pop act with a heavy emphasis on quirkiness and fun. "Maroon" isn't groundbreaking, but it is good. There is a good mix of styles, from bouncy rockers to quiet introspective numbers, all supported well-thought lyrics and killer melodies. Despite their longstanding success in Canada before "Stunt" swept over the globe, many here in the U.S. have seen BNL as a one or two hit novelty act. "Maroon" should easily dispell those foolish notions.
Mike Castro, 10/19/00 Top

Barenaked Ladies - Everything to Everyone (**.5)
The problem with being a band that relies heavily on humor is that sometimes the jokes fall flat and with them go the rest of the album. With Everything to Everyone, Barenaked Ladies have delivered a resounding "THUD". The "White Canadians Can't Rap" joke is beaten thoroughly into the ground on "Another Postcard", the silliness is markedly forced on "Shopping", and the whole collection lacks the spirit of inspired fun that makes BNL special and more than just a novelty act. There are some good moments. "Second Best" is a jumpin' toe-tapper and "Take It Outside" is the type of pure pop perfection that we've come to expect from these guys. After producing so much quality in their careers, one can only expect a bump in the road. Let's hope their next effort will be back to BAU for BNL.
Mike Castro, 12/12/03 Top

The Beautiful South - Painting It Red (****)
How can one band come up with so many damn good songs in one career? The Beautiful South are not a band that can get away with throwaway tracks by simply laying down a beat, cranking up the guitars and ripping for five minutes. Their songs are delicate, almost fragile, supported only by the intelligence of the lyrics, the easy interplay between the three lead singers, and a seemingly endless supply of jaw-dropping melodies. Painting It Red checks in a 17 tracks and nearly 70 minutes and you will never hear a second of it on the radio in the United States, but this band is a treasure and Painting It Red continues their amazing legacy admirably.
Mike Castro, 11/24/00 Top

Beautiful South - Gaze (**.5)
I've been a Beautiful South fan from the beginning, way back yonder in the 1980s. They are a band that relentlessly sticks to their strengths. Clever lyrics, sprightly melodies, gentle delivery, wry humor. All are present on their latest effort, Gaze, but the formula is starting to wear a little thin. It's basically more of what the B-South have been giving us for fifteen years. And it's good, but if you're going to produce album after album that pretty much sound the same, the songs need to be extraordinary. The songs on Gaze are not. They are simply good. As much as I love them, it sounds like the Beautiful South are running out of steam. Here's hoping they can re-invigorate themselves for the next outing.
Mike Castro, 2/24/04 Top

Big Country - Driving To Damascus (***)
Now nearly twenty years removed from their only hit song, Big Country keep on plugging away, giving us a new album of solid, big guitar anthems every couple of years. Driving to Damascus (not available in the United States) follows the path laid down by the last two albums, with Stuart Adamson singing passionately while the band careens along behind him, showing no signs of slowing down as the years go by. This is too melodic and well played to be heavy metal, but too loud and crunchy for the current watered down radio formats, and thus it gets lost in the shuffle. That's too bad, because there is a lot of good stuff here. There are a few slower songs here and they are some of the best moments. "See You" is an excellent mid-tempo song of heartbreak. This is a solid album, but it could use a couple of real standout tracks to raise it to the level of past works.
Mike Castro, 1/3/00 Top

Black 47 - Trouble in the Land (****)
Lead singer and main songwriter Larry Kirwan writes some of the most awkwardly phrased lyrics you will ever hear. His singing is a strange yelp that always sounds a little off-tempo and off-key. The other singer, Chris Byrne, plays ullean pipes and growls out strained, raspy pseudo-rap. The band is a collection of misfits picked up in the streets and bars of New York City. Add it all up... and you have a great band. Black 47 is like no other band I know. Irish influenced rock that rails against oppression, sings about the bleakness of life and love in a way that is not lyrical, but starkly real. Some songs are history lessons, featuring long spoken pieces by guest speakers, and some songs are simply and joyfully ludicrous. Through it all is the Kirwan, holding it all together with his vision and passion. More than anything, Black 47 is a band of moments. Case in point: In the midst of a somewhat pedestrian rocker about Kirwan trying to find a prostitute in Europe to have sex on James Joyce's grave (I kid you not), the band suddenly changes tempo, changes key, and gives 75 seconds of the most uplifting, purely joyful music you will hear this year. A Black 47 album is full of such moments, sewn together with the rough threads of honesty, commitment, and passion.
Mike Castro, 6/6/00 Top

Black 47 - New York Town (**)
And yet another of my favorite bands goes THUD. Black 47 have been a mainstay of my CD collection for years, although I must admit that the quality has been slipping since the brilliant first two albums. I can't quite figure out what "New York Town", the fifth studio album, is supposed to be. It opens well enough with a pair of solid tracks, but then it all goes strange. A few tuneless dirges are followed by a truly painful New Orleans-style duet with David Johansen ("Staten Island Baby"). And then, most confusing of all, there are remakes of old Black 47 songs on the CD. The sequal to the classic "Livin' In America" sounds like it was thrown together in fifteen minutes, containing none of the sharp insight and electricity of the original, just a lame he-said/she-said breakup song. Larry Kirwan has always been prone to the forced couplet, but on "New York Town" it sounds like he's using a hammer to try to force the words into the melody. There are some good musical hooks and hopeful moments, but overall this is a disjointed and disappointing affair.
Mike Castro, 4/14/04 Top

Blackthorn - Ratty Shoes (****.5)
When I first saw Blackthorn, it was in their natural habitit, on stage. A great, jumping pub act, I was promptly hooked on these Philadelphia Irish rockers. Their first album, The Other Side, was very good, but lacked the polish of a major recording artist. The followup, Ratty Shoes, suffers from none of the occassional awkwardness of that first record. The production is first rate and the songs are up to the increased scrutiny. From the bouncy pub stompers like the title track, to the traditional button-accordian instrumentals, to the reflective ballads like "The Border", this album is a complete package that truly defines Blackthorn as a band ready to break into the mainstream. The balance between rock and roll and traditional Irish folk sounds is just right, with neither overwhelming the other. Tying it all together is Paul Moore's passionate, homespun vocals. Black 47 and The Saw Doctors need to make room, because Blackthorn have just joined them on the top step of the Irish Rock genre.
Mike Castro, 2/4/02 Top

The Blake Babies - God Bless The Blake Babies (***.5)
As near as I've been able to discover, The Blake Babies were a popular college/indie band back in the late 80s/early 90s. Personally, I had never heard of them until I put the headphones on at the Borders Listening Post and checked out this new album. I had heard of lead singer Juliana Hatfield as well as guest artist Evan Dando (The Lemonheads). If you like either of those artists, you will like The Blake Babies. This is a solid album that isn't easily classified. Most of the songs are acoustic based, but uptempo. I suppose I'd call it coffee-house rock; intelligent and well produced. Hatfield really sounds good, her willowy voice perfectly matched to the restrained folk/rock sound. A very enjoyable and upbeat album that is worth checking out.
Mike Castro, 8/8/01 Top

Blues Traveler - Bridge (***.5)
I can honestly say that I was never much of a Blues Traveler fan. Oh, I liked their two hits from a few years ago, but I did not get into the loose, bluesy jamming that seemed to dominate every other song of theirs that I heard. While "Bridge" still has a fair amount of the roadhouse sound that is their trademark, it is greatly tempered and takes a back seat to more accessible, deeply personal songs. This is the first album since the death of bassist Robert Sheehan and John Popper's lyrics and singing are reflective and rich. His ode to "Brooklyn Bob", Pretty Angry is intense and extraordinary. The rest of the album is a strong fusion of pop, rock, funk and blues that really works well. It's not a perfect album, but it's a really good one.
Mike Castro, 1/10/02 Top

Billy Bragg and Wilco - Mermaid Avenue - Volume 2 (***.5)
The once forgotten words of Woody Guthrie are once again put to music written by Bragg and Wilco. Volume 1 was terrific as it opened our ears to Woody's thoughts and visions. The songs put forth on Volume 2 were written and recorded at the same time. After listening to this cd, I realized why they were placed on Volume 2 - they are not as good, and were thus set aside in the creation of Mermaid Avenue. As a huge fan of that first collection, I got the impression that I was listening to the cutting room floor. That said, there are 5 great songs, and 5 ok songs on this cd. There are also 5 bad songs on this cd. Throughout all of them, Guthrie's words stand out as great poetry. Unfortunately, the music misses the mark on a few songs - something not heard on Volume 1. I would recommend this cd, though. You do get 10 songs that you will enjoy - not many albums can say that.
Joel from Yonkers, New York, 6/20/00 Top

Michelle Branch - The Spirit Room (***.5)
17? It's not fair! 17? The Spirit Room is the debut album from 17-year-old Michelle Branch, a singer/songwriter from Arizona. Unlike so many young, female artists these days, Branch is not a pre-packaged jumble of recycled hip-hop-pop and sexual imagery. She writes her own songs, plays guitar, and her voice comes across as strong and unprocessed by electronic magic. This is very much a pop album, but with a definate rock leanings. The debut single, Everywhere, has a distinct kick to it and the straighforward honesty of all that follows is as refreshing as it is entertaining. A very good album for an artist of any age, but for a 17-year-old? This may be the first glimpse of a major talent to keep an eye on.
Mike Castro, 9/7/01 Top

Brickfoot - Poly Carbon Lens (**.5)
From Baltimore comes Brickfoot, hugely popular locally, yet still looking for the major label deal. Poly Carbon Lens shows lots of promise, but there is still work to do. The album opens with two rollicking rockers displaying a sense of control and melody that more experienced bands often lack. It starts to trail off from there with a series of well done, but nondescript tunes that walk the border between pop and rock. Just when it looks like you've reached the end of an album that could have been better, the instrumental title track blows you away. It's a powerful slow blues electric guitar showcase right out of the late 1960's and it is awesome. Brickfoot has a lot of talent. They just need more good songs to fill in the middle.
Mike Castro, 6/6/00 Top

Meredith Brooks - Bad Bad One (****)
You want scope? You want variety? Then check out the latest from Meredith Brooks. It's pop. No wait, it's funk. Hold on, it's blues or maybe power rock. Calypso? It's all here on "Bad Bad One" and it all works. With much genre-hopping, techno-trickery, and some killer guitar riffs, Brooks has delivered an album of such diversity that it leaves your head spinning. The anchor is Brooks, performing all vocals, playing all guitars, co-producing, and even engineering the album. Each song stands apart from the rest with a unique sound, but it all comes together into a fine cohesive album. If there is a flaw, it is little lack of melody in the verses. This is generally compensated for by some big, anthemic choruses that stick in your head for days. A fine album that is two or three killer melodies away from being a classic.
Mike Castro, 7/30/02 Top

Jackson Browne - The Naked Ride Home (***.5)
Nobody delivers a mid-tempo rocker like Jackson Browne. Songs with spunk, while at the same time easy on the ears, tossing in some heartfelt vocals and well-wrought lyrics. Every Browne album has a few of these classic nuggest and the latest is no exception. The title track is classic Jackson Browne, starting things off with foot-tapping hummability. Things ratchet up a notch with The Night Inside Me, but then it hits a stone wall. This album has a lot of great songs, both rockers, upbeat pop songs, and passionate ballads. It all threatens to be dragged down by three lengthy dirges that combine to run nearly twenty minutes. The third of these, Sergio Leone is actually a very good song, but coming on the heels of the other two extended energy-suckers, it's slow, delicate passages try the patience. A flawed album, to be sure, but featuring a number of fine songs. His best work since the classic "I'm Alive".
Mike Castro, 4/16/03 Top

Vanessa Carlton - Be Not Nobody (***.5)
It's old practice for record companies to produce formula music and put a fresh, attractive face on it, then call it the "next big thing". There has been a lot of this lately examplified by the likes of Britney Spears, N'Sync, and Christina Aguilera. From out of the dreck, however, have emerged a few genuinely talented young folks. Michelle Branch, and John Mayer have recently broken through on the force of their talents and now they are joined by Vanessa Carlton. Songwriter, singer, pianist Carlton has debuted on the scene with a dramatic album that showcases her talents with lush orchestral productions, jazzy syncopation, and some rock and roll teeth. Mostly, though, this album is about Vanessa Carlton, her songs, her singing, and her piano. At their core, she is probably closer in spirit to Jewel than others of her generation. These songs are introspective and serious in a way you wouldn't expect from a 21-year-old. Sometimes all of the drama and big production goes a little over the top, but this is a minor complaint. Vanessa Carlton is a serious young woman and a serious talent.
Mike Castro, 7/8/02 Top

Mike Castro - Now For Something Completely Different
Sampling? Techno-pop? Reggae? Psychadelia? What's going on here? What, indeed. It's the new album from Mike Castro. The title says it all. Instead of the usual Castro formula of pop song, love song, "issue" song, etc, he has taken all of his loopy ideas and thrown them in one basket. The album opens with an acoustic guitar instrumental, moves into a techno-pop song write out of 1983, then the blunt lyrics and distortion driven rock of "You Tell Me", followed by a little reggae number entitled "The Dawn". It closes with a swirling, Pink Floyd-ish interpretation of the opening track. Castro's tortured singing sounds a little better here thanks to a new techinical gizmo that allows him to bury his off-key howling in reverb and echo. It's a light-hearted package, a bit of tongue-in-cheek for the summer.
Basil from Cincinnati, 6/9/00 Top

Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers - Honky Tonk Union (***.5)
Remember the Refreshments? Oh. Well, remember the Gin Blossoms? These two great bands out of Arizona are no more, but some of the pieces have come together to form Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers. Clyne was the lead singer of the Refreshments and he leads here with the same cockeyed, rocking, street-smart cowboy world view that we (who have heard of him) have grown to love. The songs are all over the map, from the uplifting rockers that open the set, the misfit ballad "Green and Dumb", to the humorous barroom tale of "Jack vs. Jose". A couple of countrified tunes make their way in here and "My Heart is a UFO" is just awful, but the strange journey that is Honky Tonk Union is, in the end, a unique and satisfying one.
Mike Castro, 6/7/00 Top

Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers - Sonoran Hope and Madness (****)
It's bands like Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers that make you realize just how limiting modern American radio is, at least here in New York. We have Top 40 radio, hard rock radio, "Modern" rock radio, and on and on, but not one station whose "format" would allow them to play the feel-good American rock of Roger Clyne. A fusion of rock, country, Mexican, and something hard to pin down, Sonoran Hope and Madness is the second studio release from The Peacemakers. It's another good one. The band is comprised of the remains of the Gin Blossoms and The Refreshments. Local heroes in Arizona, these are songs that evoke images of the southwestern landscape from which they were wrought. The songs careen from crashing power chords to peppy Mexican acoustic guitar riffs, to gentle singing and back. And that's all in one song. Roger Clyne is a great singer, bringing power, sensitivity and humor to the front of a versatile band that hops from style to style effortlessly. This is a really good band and this is a really good album.
Mike Castro, 2/24/02 Top

Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers - !Americano! (*****)
That first exclamation point is supposed to be upside-down, but I don't know how to do that. Regardless, there aren't enough exclamation points for the new Roger Clyne album. !Americano! kicks you in the face right off the bat with a rocker, a pop masterpiece, and another rocker. Each of these songs are full of life and melody and careening guitars. Simply fabulous. But the Peacemakers are a southwestern band, heavily influenced by Mexican culture and sounds. Things quiet down a bit, but the quality never takes a break. A little reggae, some Mexican folk/pop, some fun, an anthem or two, some more kick-ass rock, and a gem of a drunken cowboy bar-blues extra track and there is nothing left to do but play it again. This is the first 5-star rating I've given out in over two years, lest you think I give out those stars lightly. Buy this album, then see them live. They are even better in person.
Mike Castro, 2/14/04 Top

Coldplay - Parachutes (****)
Here we have the winner of the Best British Album at this year's Brit Awards, and a fine album it is. Atmospheric and moody, Coldplay weave a delicate feeling that straddles the fence between melonchaly and desolation. This isn't slit-your-wrists depressing like The Cure, but rather "sit in a quiet place and ponder" music. The arrangements are perfect, stepping up the pace when things threaten to become a little too slow and stripping down at just the right moment for maximum dramatic effect. The first single, "Yellow", is starting to make some noise here in the United States. It is nicely representative of Parachutes.
Mike Castro, 3/22/01 Top

Lloyd Cole - The Negatives (****.5)
Since leaving The Commotions in the late 80s, Lloyd Cole has wandered a meandering course through musical styles from his muscular, self-titled debut to the oh-so-delicate "Love Songs". You could never be sure what to expect next. On "The Negatives", Cole has marshalled his strengths to produce his finest album to date. This is luscious, delictable pop music, led by Cole's extraordinary crooner's voice and backed by a band with a quiet intensity that produces a powerful tapestry without taking center stage away from Cole and his literary, personal lyrics. Bass and drums drive the sound, with jangly guitars layered on top and a few perfectly place synth lines. It is upbeat, introspective, and simply wonderful. I can say nothing but positives about The Negatives.
Mike Castro, 6/11/01 Top

Collective Soul - Blender (***)
You might look at my three star rating and think I don't like this album. Remember that three stars means "Good". This is another good Collective Soul album, full of big guitar riffs, instantly accessible melodies, and singalong choruses. In short, it's a Collective Soul album. No new ground is broken and that's fine. The only problem is that every other Collective Soul album has at least one great song ("Run", "The World I Know", "Gel", etc.) and Blender does not. It has eleven good songs, including one featuring Elton John. It certainly satisfies, but does not transcend.
Mike Castro, 11/24/00 Top

Cordero - Somos Cordero (****)
Maybe it's my distant Spanish roots surfacing after all these years, but I find myself being drawn to bands with a Latin flavor these days. Not that I understand a word they are saying. Cordero is a band from Brooklyn led by Ani Cordero. The album is a perfect mix of Spanish and English, Latin rhythms and tight Modern Rock. Ani's understated, yearning voice is the perfect compliment to all of the style and tempo changes, tying it all together into a cohesive whole. From the killer drum and guitar assault that opens the album to the Latin Dance Party that closes it out, Somos Condero is all over the map, but they are all places you'll want to visit and buy a postcard.
Mike Castro, 4/26/04 Top

Nikka Costa - Everybody Got Their Something (****)
Not yet heard of Nikka Costa? You will. The video to the single "Like a Feather" is currently doing the rounds on MTV: Europe. Her voice is pushed far down in the mix, and consequently the video's immediate impact owes far more to her sassy, sexy strut. However, this mix also allows prominence to the funky bass of rock guitarist Justin Stanley (husband and co-writer). Ostensibly a very simple progression, the variety of embellishments he adds contributes a great deal to the song's effect.

And variety is the name of the game, here: Costa has spoken of the deliberate eclecticism in the influences and textures to this record. I suspect that this is, in part, a conscious marketing ploy to expand the record's appeal. More importantly, though, it reflects her musical pedigree. The daughter of producer Don Costa, and goddaughter of Frank Sinatra, "Everybody Got Their Something" sees Costa propounding a curiously affecting mixture of funk, soul and hip-hop. You won't be far off if you imagine an amalgamation of Nelly Furtado and Lenny Kravitz together with the attitude of Alanis Morrisette.

But that's not to do the record justice: there's far more to it. The occasional metal chord progression, and even the Bee Gees appear as subtle tones in the overall mix. Music is clearly Costa's life, and it shows here. In spades. If your only experience is the understated vocal of "Like a Feather", then you'll be pleasantly surprised by the power of songs "So Have I For You" and "Push and Pull", which provide what appear to be deeply personal moments of reflection.

As the title implies, everybody will get something from this album.
Mike, UK Correspondent, 8/15/01 Top

Counting Crows: This Desert Life (****)
After the roots rock triumph of their debut album and the dense, experimental sounds of the 2nd effort, I didn't know what to expect on the 3rd. Adam Duritz has pared down the sound and simplified things. These are straightforward, laid-back songs, yet deeply personal. Duritz strips away musical pretentions and lets the true gift of his songwriting show through. Mrs. Potter's Lullaby is the highlight for me, a long Dylan-esque ramble that sounds like Adam simply pouring out everything he would ever want to tell anyone about life. It is bracingly positive and upbeat and hopeful. Strange things to be coming from a man reported to be perpetually on the brink of depression.
Mike Castro, 12/15/99 Top

Counting Crows - Hard Candy (****)
The problem with starting your career by producing one of the best albums of the last decade is that everything you subsequently do is bound to fall short. Counting Crows' fourth album, "Hard Candy", is a fine album. Adam Duritz is in top form, sing his words in that slightly desperate style that so many also-rans have tried vainly to imitate in the last ten years (see Train, among others). There are some pop/rock delights (Hard Candy, American Girls, New Frontier), soulful things (Good Time, Goodnight L.A., Black & Blue), and of course, the big anthem (Up All Night). There is great variety of mood and sound and the production is superb. This is easily the best work that Duritz and company have given us since that first album. "Hard Candy" is classic Counting Crows. It's not "August and Everything After", but then, what ever will be?
Mike Castro, 7/23/02 Top

The Cure - Bloodflowers (****.5)
1996's dreadful "Wild Mood Swings" seemed to mark the end for The Cure. Robert Smith was just fooling around and the results were not pretty. Smith is back, though, with what is reported (again) to be the final Cure album. If that is true, he has left us with a gem of maudlin, depressing beauty. "Bloodflowers" is bleak and depressing; over an hour of Robert Smith wailing about the hopelessness and futility of love and life. Most artists just sound pathetic and whiny doing this, but Smith has a gift for creating soundscapes and imagery that is truly absorbing. This is music that can transport and transcend. Put on some headphones, turn the lights down and become enchanted.
Mike Castro, 6/9/00 Top

The Cure (****)
The last Cure album, Bloodflowers, was an epic, tragic, swirling soundscape of misery. It was wonderful, but exhausting. With their new, self-titled, album, The Cure have tightened things up a bit. The songs are tight and short (by Cure standards), full of snarling guitars, and nearly devoid of atmospheric keyboards. Robert Smith's wailing, passionate vocals have been brought back to the front of the mix and he is once again the focal point of the band's sound. The result of these adjustments is an album of intensity and urgency that combines the punchy impact of early Cure albums with the maturity of the later work. It's quite good, actually.
Mike Castro, 7/6/04 Top

Don't Look Down - Start the Show (***)
Don't Look Down is a band from New Jersey that combine clever hooks and catchy melodies of pop with the obnoxious kid vocals, high speed backbeats and power chords of punk. This is territory mined with great success by bands such as Goldfinger, The Offspring and NOFX. Start the Show is a solid album that opens with a flurry. "On My Own", "Get It Right", and "The Beginning" are simply great power pop tunes. Things get a little crunchier after that, with mixed success. In the end, Don't Look Down does nothing to forge its own identity, but in the process of sounding like a lot of other bands, they do sound good.
Mike Castro, 7/3/02 Top

Pete Droge - Skywatching (****)
Being a Thorn has apparently been good for Pete Droge. After a hit-and-miss career as a solo artist, Droge recently hooked up with Matthew Sweet and Shawn Mullins to form The Thorns. Their excellent debut album preceeded this solo effort by just a few months. Earlier Droge albums have featured some excellent tracks, but inconsistent song quality. They sounded like indie releases, with all of the positive and negative connotations that go along with that. This is not the case on Skywatching. Droge's homespun vocals are richer than ever over a production that is both polished and relaxed. Most of all, the songs are just really good. This is a comfortable album with some fantastic guitar hooks and a great positive groove. If Pete Droge is going to break out to a wider audience, Skywatching should be the album to do it.
Mike Castro, 7/23/03 Top

Eclectic Nobodys (****)
Somewhere along the line "Alternative Rock" seems to have split into two camps. On the one side are the Blink 182s and Limp Bizkits, to whom discordance and rage are the foundations on which their sound is built. Camp number two have married the power and intensity of alternative to the melodic sense of pop to create what I like to call alterna-pop. Eclectic Nobodys are the definition of this sound. The music wails and demands the volume be cranked up, but not at the expense of a good melody. This, their debut album, is full of sharply written songs that actually sound better the more you hear them as the fusion of melody and power crystalizes. It's music you can crank up and hum along to. What could be better?
Mike Castro, 8/31/01 Top

Eddie From Ohio - Looking Out the Fishbowl (***.5)
The problem with reviewing a band like Eddie From Ohio is that I am forced to try and describe the music in relation to bands you might have heard of, and this isn't fair to an outfit as creative and original as EFO. Is it pop? Is it folk? Is it serious music? Is it "gimmick" music? The answer is (e) All of the above. EFO hails from Virginia and plays a great blend of folk-ridden pop... or pop-ridden folk that features some of the sharpest, cleverest, wittiest lyrics you'll hear these days. The songs range from very funny (Stupid American, Eddie's Concubine) to deeply moving (Minnesota 1945, Twenty Thousand Hearts) and everything in between you never thought someone would write a song about. It's sort of like the Beautiful South... without the bitterness... and sounding completely different. Imagine XTC... from Virginia. Anyway, despite a couple of musically nondescript tracks, the overall quality is high and the mood is upbeat and fun. For a good time, dial EFO.
Mike Castro, 1/3/00 Top

John Eddie - Who the Hell is John Eddie? (***.5)
Who indeed? A question not really answered on this album of wildly eclectic songs. It opens with the tender "If You're Here When I Get Back" and it sound like we've got a pleasant singer-songwriter affair on our hands. By the time we're done; a country stomp, a hillbilly ramble, some kicking rockers, an anthemic middle finger to impatient club crowds, a sweet song of fulfillment, and a vulgar swaggering song about getting older... well, I don't know what to tell you other than that whoever John Eddie is, he writes clever and witty songs played with a bar room looseness that is infectious. Well done.
Mike Castro, 10/30/03 Top

Eddie From Ohio - Quick (****.5)
Here they come again! The most likeable folk-pop-whatever band ever to hail from Virginia. EFO simply write great songs. This album features the uplifting, the hysterical, the beautiful, and the downright unusual. What other band could conceive of a character like "Tommy the Canexican", (who is half Canadian, half Mexican) and come up with seemingly endless clever verse to describe the problems such a fellow might face. With three members contributing lead vocals and all four combining on the luscious harmonies, the sound is varied and never grows stale. Amazingly inventive and always entertaining, Eddie From Ohio is a true unkown treasure that does not deserve to be quite so unknown.
Mike Castro, 7/30/01 Top

Melissa Etheridge - Skin (***.5)
It has been often said that sorrow and pain breeds creativity. Just look at Bruce Springsteen to find evidence that the opposite is surely true. With "Skin" Melissa Etheridge gives us a deeply personal album, likely inspired by her recent personal travails. She has turned her experiences into a somber, yet powerful album that sheds much of the tough, rock and roll image she has built over the years to revail a sensitive, vulnerable woman. With acoustic guitar the foundation for many tracks, this is easily her best work in years.
Mike Castro, 9/17/01 Top

Fish - Field of Crows (***.5)
No, this isn't Phish, the American prog-rock band. This is Fish, former lead singer of Marillion, though that was 15 years ago. Fish's solo career has been a scattershot affair. It started great, then sort of wandered around, sometimes producing great moments, but more often producing tuneless dirges that were hard to get through. With "Field of Crows", Fish has returned to basics, well for him. The songs are long, but varied in style and texture, with the whole being held together by Fish's greatest asset, his passionate, unique voice. More than anything, these are simply the best songs he's put together in one place for quite some time. There is drama, humor, and an epic scope that is nicely balanced by some wonderfully intimate moments. It seems that Fish has found the plot once again and I am a happy fan for that.
Mike Castro, 1/16/04 Top

Fleetwood Mac - Say You Will (****)
Here's a band that likes to do things in a big way. "Rumours" reportedly took years to record. "Tusk" was really big and had a marching band. "Say You Will", the latest Fleetwood Mac studio album is also big, as in long. Eighteen songs and over seventy minutes of music. Much of this album is simply superb. Refusing to simply coast along with a collection of catchy pop songs sure to sell millions, the band has produced an album of varying styles and soundscapes, much of it haunting. The best of these is "Throw Down", with it's enchanting guitar lick and haunted melodies. It's not all great and a judicious trim down to fourteen songs would have produced a collection of greater overall quality, but for a band in it's fifth decade to produce an album of such breadth and creativity, who can quibble with a few self-indulgent clunkers?
Mike Castro, 10/2/03 Top

Foo Fighters: There is Nothing Left to Lose (***)
This may be the best driving album of 1999, with big rock riffs galore, a pounding rhythm section, and melodic hooks all over the place. It all works without going over the top into heavy metal or hard grunge. There are some daft lyrics here, so don't listen too closely, but the quieter songs near the end may give us a glimpse into the songwriter that Dave Grohl can be.
Mike Castro, 12/15/99 Top

Peter Gabriel - Up (****.5)
Fans have waited a decade for a proper album from Peter Gabriel and the man has delivered, but don't expect to a toe-tapping good time. "Up" is dense, haunting, beautiful, and a lot of other big words. It takes repeated listening to uncover the layers of nuance, but it is worth the effort. These are not songs so much as mini-symphonies, each track existing in its own sonic universe. Extraordinary. Brilliant. I like it.
Mike Castro, 11/13/02 Top

The Go-Go's - God Bless the Go-Go's (****)
The Go-Go's have returned from the abyss that is the final resting place of a great many of the hitmakers of the 1980's. With their full and original lineup intact and a fresh snarl of attitude, God Bless the Go-Go's is classic 80's pop, souped up and kicked into overdrive. It is clearly the Go-Go's, with those endlessly catchy melodies and great harmonies and party-on beat, but everything has been cranked up a bit. The guitars have been set to "11", the drums hit just a little harder, and overall passion raised to the frenzy of a band who realize that this effort may just be their last chance to avoid a dwindling career of retro-festivals and VH1 "Where Are They Now?" appearances. If this comeback ultimately fails, it will not be for lack of effort or talent. This is a great album.
Mike Castro, 5/31/01 Top

Goldfinger - Stomping Ground (***)
In 1997, Goldfinger released "Hang Ups". It is one of my favorite albums, a perfect balance of pop, punk, and ska. So, how do you top a classic? Obviously, you don't. Stomping Ground finds Goldfinger showing their rougher edges a little more. The balance between their three styles has shifted back towards their punk roots. This is still a good album, but it lacks the melodic crispness and revels in the art of noise a little more than I would like. Still, when on their game, as on "Counting the Days", "San Simean", and the cover of the new wave classic "99 Red Balloons", Goldfinger can thrill.
Mike Castro, 8/10/00 Top

David Gray - White Ladder (***)
David Gray has vaulted into popularity on the strength of the hit single "Babylon". The album from which it hails is a very laid back, mellow affair. Gentle acoustic guitar based tunes with a minimum of accompaniment support Gray's thoughtful lyrics. This is a very nice album. It's relaxing and intelligent, but a little too mellow for my tastes. Perhaps it is Gray's "you'll need to read the lyrics to know what I'm singing" vocal style or the lack of great melodies, but somehow this is not as involving as it should be. It's good, but falls just shy of something more.
Mike Castro, 3/22/01 Top

Green Vinyl Dream (***.5)
Sporting a really bad name, but a really good sound, the debut album from Green Vinyl Dream sounds like a fine example of what grunge has evolved into. Powerful guitars and driving rhythms get your attention right off the bat, but it is the craftsmanship of the songs and the restraint of the performance that keeps your attention. This is guitar rock, but supremely well crafted guitar rock. Singer John Hajewski’s voice has echoes of Ed Kowalczyk from Live and the interplay of the guitars speaks of a band that has earned it's shot at success through years of constant touring. It's intense without going over the top. It's catchy without being pop. It's good music without any apologies.
Mike Castro, 9/3/02 Top

Hello Dave - Wicked Revelry (***.5)
How does one classify Hello Dave? I suppose one can call it roots-based, country-tinged, rock and roll with Chicago attitude. This is a live album in their hometown and it is brimming with catchy tunes and spirited performances. Frontman Mike Himebaugh shares an obvious connection with his audience, making it sound very much like a big party for his friends (which it may very well have been), but this doesn't always work on a CD. It's a little contrived sometimes. This is nitpicking, however. Wicked Revelry is a good, upbeat album of punchy, all-American rock and roll.
Mike Castro, 8/2/00 Top

Don Henley - Inside Job (****)
It's hard to know what to expect from an artist who hasn't released an album in 11 years. Don Henley is trying to make for lost time with "Inside Job". It's a BIG album, clocking in at over 70 minutes, and featuring a enough variety of styles, sounds, and moods to leave your head spinning. There are beautiful love songs, dense, discordant dirges, light-hearted funky things, and the closing, soul-searchingly excellent "Thanksgiving". Throughout this epic album Henley's trademark biting cynicism ties it all together. It takes a few spins to take it all in, but Henley has made the wait worthwhile.
Mike Castro, 5/30/00 Top

Will Hoge - Carousel (***.5)
Calling all Elvis Costello fans! Tired of Elvis collaborating with Burt Bacharach? Longing for a return to the angry geek that scorched everything in sight in the late 70s and early 80s? Well, fear not, because a long lost Elvis Costello album from 1981 has been found! Oh, the name on the cover may say that this is Will Hoge's new album, released in 2001, but this album sound so much like vintage Costello that it's creepy. From the spit-on-the-mike voice to the off-the-beat stammering of the words. The good news is that Will Hoge does Elvis Costello quite well. The album bristles with energy and angst and simply explodes out of the speakers. No studio wizardry here, just 35 minutes of sweaty, pounding rock and roll. Hell, if Elvis won't do it, somebody has to!
Mike Castro, 11/23/01 Top

Hot Hot Heat - Make Up the Breakdown (****)
Take XTC, put Cure frontman Robert Smith on vocals, and sit Danny Elfman in the producer's chair and what you get is Hot Hot Heat. All right, so none of those people are involved with this band, but that's what it sounds like. This album bristles with energy and clever, quirky hooks. The songs are constantly surprising, both musically and lyrically as they twist and careen off each other in delightful ways. It's not punk. It's not pop. It's not rock. It's Hot Hot Heat and it's smokin'.
Mike Castro, 1/29/03 Top

The Jayhawks - Smile (***)
The Jayhawks are a Minnesota-based folk/rock band with a long history and a few lineup changes. The latest edition of the band has given us Smile, an uneven album with moments of pure pop exuberance in "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" and "Queen of the World" to go along with a few out and out clunkers. The balance of the album is made up of strong, but unremarkable songs of styles ranging from grinding rock to folksy ballads. There is some good stuff here, but it just all doesn't come together into a memorable package.
Mike Castro, 6/1/00 Top
Reader Response: I disagree on the Jayhawks album. It's solid from beginning to end. - Joel, Yonkers, New York

Jimmy Eat World (***.5)
Who is Jimmy and what world does he want to eat? Musically, one can simply ask, "Who is Jimmy Eat World?" The album opens an all-out alternative rock guitar and drum attack. Aggressive and snarly, this is clearly a crunchy alt-rock band. The 3rd track offers the hit single, "The Middle", and you've got a little pop sensibility to temper the thunder. And then it all goes pear shaped. "Your House" is a sprightly acoustic number that belongs on a John Mayer album. Track 5 is a Modern Rock tune right out of 1990 with swirling guitars. Number 6 is a somber acoustic song and then "If You Don't, Don't" checks in with such a pure pop sound that I just don't know what to think. It sounds to me like Jimmy Eat World grew up listening to lots of different kinds of music and just can't decide what kind of band they want to be. But heck, that's okay with me because they do each of these styles well. Jimmy Eat World. Ecclectic, but very good.
Mike Castro, 7/5/02 Top

Jump, Little Children - Vertigo (****)
And the winner in the category of "Worst Name for a New Band" is... Jump, Little Children. What the heck kind of name is that? Dreadful. Fortunately, the music is anything but dreadful. Unfortunately, it's really hard to describe. Try this. Take one part Radiohead, one part Tragically Hip, one part Bono from U2 (but not The Edge), put it in a blender and you have... something that might just sound like JLC. This band knows how to create atmospheres. Each song exists in its own audio dimension, built from varied materials. Sometimes a throbbing, low acoustic guitar sets the tone, while on others (is that an accordian?) you aren't quite sure what makes it sound so unique. What it does have is emotion and power that comes through immediately, and great musical subtlety to balance the kick-ass that appears after repeated listenings. Jump, Little Children. Awful name, very good album.
Mike Castro, 6/6/02 Top

Kansas - Somewhere to Elsewhere (***)
They're baaaack. With the original lineup together for the first time in a very long time, Kansas throws a bit of nostalgia our way. Here is the best of Kansas; long, elaborate instrumentals, key and tempo changes, mystical lyrics, violins juxtaposed with crunching guitars. And here is the worst of Kansas; long, meadering instrumentals, awkward key and tempo changes, pretentious lyrics, violins juxtaposed with crunching guitars. This has always been the problem with Kansas. In their quest to create inventive progressive rock, they fail as often as they succeed. Half of this album is great, soaring and powerful, while the other half... isn't. I will give them credit, though, for having the gumption to produce an album that is so gloriously out of style. Certainly worth having if you are a fan.
Mike Castro, 8/15/00 Top

Josh Kelley - For the Ride Home (***)
For the moment, Josh Kelley appears to be most famous for sounding like John Mayer. Odd that, since a year ago no one had ever heard of John Mayer! Kelley is a singer-songwriter with a soulful voice. His debut album is solid from beginning to end with a few standout tracks, notably the hit single "Amazing". The production is not overdone and there is a light, airy feel to the whole collection. In short, this is a good album. Good songs, good music, good singing. There is an intangible something, though, that turns a good album into a very good album. That intangible is missing. For the Ride Home is a good listen. Maybe next time out Josh Kelley will step up and give us something great for the ride home.
Mike Castro, 7/28/03 Top

The Knack - Normal as the Next Guy (***.5)
Surely there must still a place in this world for The Knack! These guys are only out of style if catchy melodies, killer guitar hooks, and an upbeat attitude are no longer the fashion. The Knack deliver in all categories. Nothing complicated here; two guitars, bass, drums, and Doug Fieger's pure pop voice are all you need. This is not as strong a set as their previous album, the fabulous "Zoom!", but it's still pretty good. From mid-tempo ballads like "Girl I Never Lied to You" and "One Day at a Time" to out and out rockers like "It's Not Me" and "A World of My Own" and some clever diversions in between, The Knack continue to deliver strong albums that utterly satisfy. They really have done so much more than "My Sharona".
Mike Castro, 10/17/01 Top

Mark Knopfler - Sailing to Philadelphia (***)
Exactly who is Mark Knopfler? Is he a rock guitar icon? Is he a folk singer? It's hard to tell, based on his musical output. What's certain is that he has a wide range of musical interests and diversity of style is one of the first things you notice about "Sailing to Philadelphia". Each of the 13 songs exists in it's own little world, unrelated to what's around it. This is both a strength and a weakness. While the album certainly doesn't suffer from the sameness that so many other discs do, it is also certain that among all of these genres everyone will find something they do not like. The overall mood is quiet and no card is overplayed. This is a collection of good songs, but no REALLY good songs. It doesn't coalesce into a fully satisfying album. You might say the whole is less than the sum of it's parts.
Mike Castro, 10/19/00 Top

Jeff Lang - Disturbed Folk, Vol 2 (***)
Note: This is not Johnny Lang, the wunderkind American blues guitarist. This is Jeff Lang, the Australian guitar virtuoso. I saw Lang in Ocean City, New Jersey as the opening act for Richard Thompson and was blown away by his ability to create a wall of amazing sound from an acoustic guitar. Splitting time between lap slide guitar and standard stand up acoustic, his playing was stunning and riveting. This live album is a pretty fair document of the performance I saw, but it doesn't come across on the album the way it did in person. The songs are discordant, masterfully played, and passionately sung, but the spell weaved live fails to thoroughly enchant on disc. Still, if you want to hear someone create sounds you've never imagined from an acoustic guitar, check out Jeff Lang.
Mike Castro, 9/11/00 Top

k.d. lang - Invincible Summer (****.5)
The parade of styles continues for k.d. lang as she follows up her torch-singing album "Smoke" with the lush, sprightly pop of Invincible Summer. These are luscious songs, easy to listen to, but not easy listening. To group them with that ignominious genre would be a disservice to the excellence throughout. This album plays like an ocean breeze on a warm, sunny day. As always, lang's voice is in glorious form, soaring and impassioned, turning simple melodies into anthems. The music is understated, but masterfully done, providing the canvas on which lang can paint her aural artwork. Simply lovely.
Mike Castro, 12/21/00 Top

Levellers - Green Blade Rising (***.5)
I have no problem with a band breaking with their signature sound in search of new musical directions. I respect the intention. I just don't always like the result. Thus was the case with the Levellers, whose early music was powered by a driving folk sound in a rock and roll, fight-the-power format. They spent the last couple of albums tinkering with this design with little success. Now, with Green Blade Rising, the Levellers have returned to their roots. A big percussion section pounds along behind insistent acoustic and electric guitars with frenetic fiddling on top. The sound is back, the passion is back. The only thing missing are some killer melodies and hooks. Energy and musicianship cover a lot of ground here and the album is quite good, but the lack of soaring melodies to go with the power of the music keep Green Blade Rising from truly taking off.
Mike Castro, 1/16/03 Top

Lifehouse - No Name Face (***.5)
At first glance, Lifehouse appears to be just another entry in the post-grunge, gravel-voiced, pseudo-alternative rock club. Upon second glance, however, they prove to be something more. Where one might expect an avalanche of power guitars, we instead find restraint and, dare I say it, melody. This is a superbly produced album of subtle strength that reveals layers of depth with each listening. The hit single, "Hanging By A Moment" kicks things off with a bang, and from that point on the album walks the fine line between pop and rock with great dexterity. The strength here is in the songs, which are well crafted, full of quiet hooks and deft arrangements. At the end of the day, the singer still sounds too much like every other post-grunge angst-meister around these days, and that makes it easy to throw Lifehouse in a pile with Creed and other crunchy pop/rock bands, which is a shame. They really are better than that.
Mike Castro, 2/11/02 Top

Llama - Close to the Silence (***)
The first thing you notice about this album is that the llama on the cover has six legs. The second thing you notice is that the band is hard to pin down. At times sounding like Dave Matthews without the marbles in the mouth, at others sounding like a crunchy garage band, and at still other times sounding like the World Music all-stars with marimbas and congos and assorted whatnot. In the end, the album is a mixed bag. All of the songs are good and the whole package is very enjoyable. It's just that nothing is great and it doesn't really stick in your head once it's done.
Mike Castro, 5/7/03 Top

Marty Lloyd - Marigold (***)
The first solo album from former Freddy Jones Band guitarist/singer is a solid pop-rock album. Mid-tempo rockers and clever ballads compete for space and Lloyd's soulful vocals carry both styles well. The sound is a bit generic and you probably won't find any of these songs stuck in your head when it's done, but while it's playing, Marigold is good stuff. It chugs along full of good feeling and fun. The whole album is definitely above average, but I can't help feeling it could have been better with a little more "attitude".
Mike Castro, 8/11/03 Top

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Viscious Cycle (***)
Lynyrd Skynyrd have been around for a long time now and "Vicious Cycle" marks the 6th album of the "Second Coming" of the band. The songs come in three basic types: honky tonk, big ballad, down and dirty. All feature the trademark multi-guitar attack that makes their sound so distinctive and some excellent piano work adds a striking accent on the big ballads. Johnny Van Zant's vocals get the job done and the entire collection is clearly the polished work of old pros still enjoying what they do. What is missing is that spark of brilliance that made the "First Coming" such a revelation. This is good sweaty barroom rock and roll, but it fails to transcend this amiable plateau.
Mike Castro, 11/28/03 Top

Aimee Mann - Bachelor #2 (****)
Wait a minute. Aimee Mann is happily married now, to singer/songwriter Michael Penn. So why then is she still writing a whole album of songs about failed relationships and how miserable it is to be in love? Whatever the reason, I'm glad she hasn't gone all happy on us, because Mann writes despair and heartache wonderfully. Managing to capture the essence of these feelings without lapsing into cliche is a great trick and Aimee does it to perfection on Bachelor #2. The music is generally pretty mellow with a few punchy number to break things up, but with Aimee Mann it is all about lyrics and melody. Extraordinary melodies carry her well-wrought lyrics to emotional heights that lesser songwriters can only imagine.
Mike Castro, 7/11/00 Top

Aimee Mann - Lost in Space (****.5)
Did you ever get one of those albums that grows on you with every listen? When I first heard Aimee Mann's latest, Lost In Space, I thought it sounded nice enough, but it didn't grab me. Then I listened again... and again... and again. I have seen the error of that first impression. Lost In Space is a wonderful album, full of subtlety, power, beauty, and that extraordinary Aimee Mann voice. The album presents a variety of soundscapes, but remains wonderfully cohesive. You can listen to the entire album at www.aimeemann.com and hear for yourself. I recommend you do so.
Mike Castro, 9/17/02 Top

Marillion - marillion.com (***.5)
Marillion has spent the last decade trying to decide whether they are a pop/rock band or a prog rock band. This album seems an effort by the band to satisfy both worlds. The first seven songs have a distinctly pop/rock sound and are quite good while the last two songs take up half of the album careening through styles and metaphors and... well, they are quite good too. The problem is that in trying to please everyone, you inevitably fail to please someone. As Dale from North Dakota put it, "Frankly, I was rather disappointed with it. With the exception of the last two tracks... it didn't strike me as anything new. I thought that it was too derivative, something I really haven't seen from Marillion." I, on the other hand, found the album refreshingly varied and interesting. For the uninitiated, it's very representative of the different sides of an interesting band. You can choose which side you like best for yourself.
Mike Castro, 1/27/00

Marillion - Anoraknophobia (***.5)
Marillion made music history with their latest album, Anoraknophobia. Without a record deal and insufficient cash to buy studio time, the band went to their fans for financing. Using their extensive mailing list, they made the following offer. Pay for the next album before we make it and you'll receive a special edition with your name in the booklet. It was a huge success and the album was made. My name is one of the thousands in the booklet. As for the album, well, it's pretty good. It's an epic album, with 8 songs clocking in at over 63 minutes. "Map of the World" is the most blantantly pop tune in the collection. "Seperated Out" is the rocker. There are quiet, noodly, artsy epics and some impenetrable lyrics. Basically, this is the new, new Marillion, doing a balancing act between their art rock origins and pop success. The result is not entirely successful, while at the same time being quite enjoyable. A contradiction? Well, that's Marillion.
Mike Castro, 1/18/02 Top

Marillion - Marbles (**.5)
Well, it's certainly big. Marillion's latest album is a monster 2-CD set that comes packaged in a 120-page hardcover book. (The retail version is a normal single CD; this review is of the double CD) It's certainly a lot of product for the money. Too much, actually. Marillion seem far more interested in atmosphere than melody these days. Many of these long tracks feature long stretches where nothing really happens and then when something does, it's disappointing. I found myself drifting away while listening, only to snap back to attention and find five minutes had passed. There are a couple of very good tracks and some passages really capture some of the old Marillion intensity, but mostly it sounds more like a New Age CD with singing and some crunchy bits than a progressive rock epic.
Mike Castro, 5/10/04 Top

John Mayer - Room For Squares (****)
Say, do you like great songwriting, but too often find it packaged in artsy, coffee-house pretense? Well, I do. I love a well written song, but often find the sparse production of "singer-songwriters" to be, well, boring. John Mayer writes great songs, personal songs. He sings them with great passion. He also has the pop sense to record with a full band that adds to their accessibility. The combination results in the intimacy and quality of the singer-songwriter genre with the excitement of pop songs. "Love Song For No One" could be a hit on pop radio, college radio, or anywhere else for that matter. "Room For Squares" is an album simply packed with great songs. Mid-tempo, intelligent pop/rock/folk for people who like their folk with some kick and their pop with some brains. Mayer is a talent worth checking out.
Mike Castro, 10/3/01 Top

The Mayflies USA - The Pity List (***.5)
Usually when you see a name like The Mayflies USA, you assume that there was already another band called The Mayflies somewhere in the world. You know, like The English Beat or The London Suede. Nope. They just liked having the USA on the end. Understandably so, because this is distinctly American music. Two guitars, bass, and drums played with a loose, garage-band attitude make up the bulk of The Mayflies USA sound. There is a great sense of spontanaity on the album, as though someone turned on the recorder, yelled "GO!", and the band just played for 45 minutes. Solid hooks, great melodies, and a really good "feel" mark this as a cut above your basic guitar rock album. Nothing ground breaking or outstanding, but a very enjoyable listen that stands up to repeated plays without getting old.
Mike Castro, 7/19/01 Top

Michael McDermott: Bourbon Blue (***.5)
This came to me via the Fresh Tracks club and what a delight it is. This is singer/songwriter music with some kick. Deeply personal songs that introduce us to a range of characters, misfits if you will, but nevertheless draw us in. Surrounding these engrossing lyrics is a wide variety of music, from Wallflower-esque rock to beautiful piano solos to Irish folk songs. This is a talented guy and this is a very good album.
Mike Castro, 12/15/99 Top

The Pat McGee Band - Shine (****.5)
If XTC's "Wasp Star" is the quirky, British feelgood album of 2000, then Pat McGee's "Shine" is the all-American equivalent. Acoustic-based rock and roll full of soaring harmonies, wonderful melodies, and an upbeat, energetic musical backdrop that could bring a smile to the sourest of faces. "Rebecca" should be a hit on just about any radio format. This is the kind of music that makes you wish you owned a convertible. "Shine" does exactly that.
Mike Castro, 7/10/00 Top

Pat McGee Band - Save Me (***)
Ah, that difficult next album. Pat McGee's last album, Shine, was a masterpiece of feel-good, acoustic-based rock and roll. The new album, Save Me, relies a bit more on a big, produced sound and as a result seems to be missing that special and elusive feel so well captured on "Shine". The songs are pretty good and well put together. McGee's singing is in top form and the band are a solid professional outfit, but the whole thing has a "by the numbers" feeling to it, as though some slick record company has taken their infectious sound and decided to apply a glossy varnish in an effort to make it "marketable". Sadly, now they sound pretty much like everyone else.
Mike Castro, 4/20/04 Top

Melodine - Appreciation (***)
Melodine are a band destined to fall through the cracks of the music business. They have a good sound that isn't quite original enough. They have good songs that aren't quite good enough. They have a good album that isn't quite... well, you know. With a sound reminiscent of late-era Replacements or pop-friendly Goo Goo Dolls, Appreciation is an album of solid modern rock tunes that lean well to the pop side of alternative. Call it Modern Rock Lite. It's a good listen, with a nice mix of tunes, but nothing really sticks.
Mike Castro, 11/1/01 Top

Midnight Oil - Capricornia (****.5)
I have great respect for bands that are willing to experiment, risking commericial failure in the search for new musical horizons. I don't, however, promise to like whatever the come up with. This has been the case with one of my favorite bands, Midnight Oil. Their last two albums, "Breathe" and "Redneck Wonderland", just didn't do it for me. So, it is with great pleasure that I can report that their new album, "Capricornia", is a fabulous return to form. Midnight Oil has always managed to convey incredible passion without sacrificing a tight sound and great melodies. This album has the great guitar licks, big choruses, and rock solid rhythm section that launched the band to international fame in the late 80s. Add to the mix some of the garage rock of the early days and creative production of the experimental era and this is easily the best Midnight Oil since "Blue Sky Mining".
Mike Castro, 6/25/02 Top

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Pay Attention (***.5)
Following up a breakout album is always a tough job, and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones have not quite matched the smash "Let's Face It" with their new release, but they have produced a strong album that should satisfy any fan. Ska is slipping to the background as straight ahead punk/pop begins to dominate the band's sound. This is all right because the best songs here are the more convential pop/rockers "So Sad to Say" and "I Know More". Although a few songs are overdone towards the thrash end of the genre, for the most part this is a highly energetic, upbeat romp along the fence between ska and rock and roll.
Mike Castro, 6/2/00 Top

Matthew Moon - I Thought U Should Know (***.5)
Opening acts are a crapshoot that all too often come up snake eyes. You have to remember, though, that every great band was once an warm up band, so I always make sure to pay attention to those bands that take the stage first, usually to general indifference. Matthew Moon opened for The Nadas in Ames, Iowa and it took about thirty seconds for me to realize that I was getting two good bands for my $10 on this night. Matthew Moon hails from Colorado and brings with him a deft songwriting hand to match the tight band and strong delivery. The music is pretty straightforward; rock and roll with a folksy foundation. Most songs feature a nice interplay between acoustic and electric guitars. Moon comes across as a nice guy who enjoys what he is doing. There is no angst on this album; just good feeling, real emotion, and a strong representation of his excellent live performance.
Mike Castro, 5/15/02 Top

Matthew Moon - XOM (***.5)
Hailing from the foot of the Rockies, Matthew Moon is still trying to break out of the "big in Denver" label. His latest album, XOM, probably won't do it. Oh, it's a very good album, chock full of catchy pop-rock tunes and a slick production that would guarantee success for any established artist. Unfortunately, that breakout hit to seperate Moon from the pack is missing. This solid mix of cranking, hook-laden rock tunes and delicate, nostalgic ballads are only held back by the "softness" of Moon's voice. It works perfectly on the quiet stuff, but comes up short on the power tracks, when a really powerful singer could lift a really good song into greatness. Matthew Moon is a very talented fellow who makes a very good album. It may be, though, that he is missing that mysterious combination of talents necessary to make it big.
Mike Castro, 7/9/03 Top

Mother May I - 33 1/3 (***.5)
It's been a long time coming, but the followup to Mother May I's excellent debut album "Splitsville" does not disappoint. MMI are a rock and roll band that combine a driving guitar sound with catchy catchy melodies to produce power pop-rock that is both exciting and distinctive. A few gentler acoustic-based tracks provide a nice balance to the big guitar riff tracks. If you like your guitars loud without being offensive and you aren't looking for the meaning of life in your pop music, check out Mother May I. Roll down the window, step on the gas, and crank it up.
Mike Castro, 7/14/00 Top

Jason Mraz - Waiting For My Rocket to Come (****)
All right, now. What's going on here? I keep discovering new artists, only to have them go and get popular and make me look like I've jumped on the badwagon. For the record, it is MCMAS Online that discovered John Mayer months before he hit the big time. I also discovered Jason Mraz, only to find out that he had a hit song already. Thank you. I feel better now. As for the album, Mraz' debut is an electrifying collection of folk/pop/hip-hop/rock/faux-Stevie-Wonder-soul. If that sounds confusing, it's meant to. Mraz is a musical chameleon with a great singing voice that can croon and rap with equal dexterity. The blending of styles is a little odd at first, but it all works and keeps the album fresh from beginning to end. This is a very rich and diverse effort for a debut album, but most of all it's great fun. He'd have gotten an extra half star if he didn't use the amazingly annoying word "gots" on the hit single, "The Remedy", as in "If you gots the poison, I gots the remedy".
Mike Castro, 5/1/03 Top

The Nadas - Coming Home (****.5)
The Nadas just seem to get better with each album. This is their 3rd (one is a live album) and I have a hard time imagining it will not be among my top 3 come voting time. Acoustic guitars form the basis for the sound, but they are not afraid of a well placed electric jangle. Mostly, though, these are simply great songs. The lyrics are homespun and engaging, the music ranges from uplifting to starkly beautiful, and the harmonies, well, if only I could... It's mellow and exciting at the same time. Just wonderful.
Mike Castro, 8/1/00 Top

The Nadas - Transceiver (****)
Harmony is fast becoming a lost art in rock and roll. Oh, you still here some harmony in shmaltzy pop songs, but that's more syrup than substance. The Nadas are a great folk/rock band from Iowa that have not forgotten the power of a well-crafted harmony. Their latest album, Transceiver, is full of great melodies, soaring harmonies, catchy guitar riffs, and enough stylistic variety to keep anyone interested. Ranging from rock and roll to lovely ballads to quirky moonshine rhythms, the Nadas are a midwestern gem that just keep cranking out one great album after another. I insist that you check them out!
Mike Castro, 7/2/03 Top

The Nields - This Town Is Wrong (****.5)
2004 is shaping up into an excellent music year and the latest release from Massachussets sisters Nerissa and Katryna Nields only adds fuel to that fire. This eclectic duo who have, over the last ten years, been categorized as folk, punk, alternative, rock, and folk again, give us an album of extraordinary depth. Based on a novel by Clarissa about two teenage girls struggling with the complexities of life and a travelling father, the songs are the soundtrack of the book, written from the various perspectives of the characters. The music is simply fabulous, uplifting and moving and fun and heartbreaking, with the unique harmonies of the sisters lifting the melodies into the heavens. The words are even better. The characters come alive and their stories are rich and funny and heartbreaking. In the 70s, concept albums were all the rage, though usually the concept was incomprehensible. The Nields have taught a new trick to that old dog. This Town Is Wrong is all right.
Mike Castro, 3/4/04 Top

No Motiv - Daylight Breaking (***)
It's a tough assignment to write a review that praises an album for it's punch and energy, catchy melodies and clever guitar interplay, while at the same time pointing out that it is indistinguishable from a hundred other albums that have come out in recent years. It makes it sound like I don't like the latest from No Motiv. This is not the case. It is a very enjoyable, windows-rolled-down listen. Enough edge to avoid the pop label, enough hooks to avoid the grunge/punk label, but not enough personality to stand apart from the crowd. It's like watching the Tour-de-France. You see the leaders out there with the cheering crowds and the camera cars and the yellow shirt. Then you see that mass of cyclists about twenty seconds behind them. All excellent riders, all deserving of their place, but in the end you just can't tell one from the other. That's No Motiv.
Mike Castro, 4/4/04 Top

Nova Era - Millennio (****)
While wandering around the Italy Pavillion at Disney's Epcot Center in Orlando, we found ourselves watching a band take the stage dressed in Baroque finery. Expecting a little pleasant chamber music, imagine our surprise when the drums kicked up and something entirely different washed over us. Nova Era's CD cover says that they play "Classical world music with a modern groove" and this tops any description I can come up with. It's new age music with a definite kick, while incorporating the flavor of classical chamber music. Clarinet and violin lead the way, supported by a sterling backbeat and cello. It's really fun, upbeat stuff that just makes you feel good.
Mike Castro, 9/11/00 Top

Gary Numan - Pure (***)
He's always been out there lurking... waiting for the chance to break into the mainstream again, to be remembered in America for something more than "Cars". Contrary to popular belief in the U.S., Gary Numan never went away at all. After his new wave smash hit of 1979, he kept on innovating and changing and producing albums. Some of these were spectacular (1988's "New Anger" is my favorite) and some were awful. With Pure, Numan has gone industrial, or rather, returned to industrial, because his early synth music is sighted by many artists like Trent Reznor as a major inspiration for this slashing, dark, atonal genre. "Pure" is a dark, sinister wall of sound that finds Numan trapped in its core wailing about all that is horrible. I think this is probably a very good album. It's just that I am not a fan of industrial music. If you are into Alice in Chains and bands like that, you should check out one of the founding fathers at his tortured best.
Mike Castro, 5/30/01 Top

Oval Opus - Oxygen (***.5)
"Hits" radio these days is cluttered with dozens upon dozens of bands that have melded rock and pop, added some rootsy acoustic guitars and made a fortune with a single hit. Problem is, most bands can't back it up. Oval Opus doesn't have the hit, but if they did, it would be well supported by "Oxygen". This is a solid album from beginning to end. A perfectly produced mix of rock, pop, and rootsiness to go along with simply very good songs. It's got some life to it, some nice hooks, and that indefinable "feel" that can mark the difference between a good album and a mediocre album, despite the fact that they may sound very similar. Oval Opus are worth checking out, and if you wish to do so, go to www.freshtracksmusic.com. Go to the "Featured Bands" tag and you can listen to the entire album for free.
Mike Castro, 4/28/02 Top

Oysterband - Here I Stand (***.5)
Oysterband, once known as The Oyster Band, have journeyed through a variety of styles since their beginnings as one of the founding bands of the Celtic folk rock movement. Here I Stand finds them in a mellow, reflective mood, setting aside the driving power rock of some earlier 90's work in favor of somber, quietly powerful songs. Traditional elements abound in the fiddles, pipes, bodhrains, and such, but this is not a traditional folk album. Oysterband uses Irish folk music as a base from which to explore new sounds. At times uplifting, sometimes enigmatic, always innovative, Here I Stand is an interesting album from an interesting band.
Mike Castro, 6/2/00 Top

Graham Parker - Loose Monkeys (***)
Why isn't Graham Parker a household name? He has been cranking out top notch, intelligent, passionate rock and roll for over 20 years, yet when I mention his name to people I get puzzled looks. "Loose Monkeys" is a b-sides/demos/unreleased collection from that 20 year career. For a Parker fan, it is an essential album featuring some unknown gems and interesting alternate versions of some old favorites. There often is a reason, though, why unreleased tracks were unreleased and some of these are merely interesting diversions and a fun look behind the scenes. I heartily recommend this album to his fans and for those interesting in discovering one of the great underknown treasures of rock and roll, go get his most recent studio album, "Bubblegum Cancer".
Mike Castro, 6/12/00 Top

Graham Parker - Deepcut to Nowhere (****)
Was Graham Parker ever really in fashion? Let's see. He has made a career out of writing clever, bitingly cynical songs that harpoon pretty much every establishment in sight. He's set out to piss off just about everyone, including his own record company on occasion. He has done all of this without flash or glamour and, unfortunately, without that breakout hit single to lift him into public consciousness. "Deepcut to Nowhere" is just another great Graham Parker album, with great lyrics and great songs that range stylistically from straight ahead rock and roll to clever pop to ballads that feel like cousins to "Dock of the Bay". Just another top notch installment in the 25 year career of one of rock's hidden treasures. It seems that GP is forever destined to fly along just below the radar of success.
Mike Castro, 11/27/01 Top

Phantom Planet - The Guest (***)
Phantom Planet can't seem to figure out what they want to be. Are they a retro-British-Invasion band? Are they a pure pop band? Are they a rock band? I have no idea. All of these styles are present on their 2nd release, The Guest. There are a lot of good songs here, particularly the quirky, hook-laden opener, "California". "Turn Smile Shift Repeat" is pure druggy psychadelica straight out of 1968 and "Nobody's Fault" might as well be a long lost Dave Clark Five record. The band does a good job handling these disparate stylings and each song stands alone as a solid piece of pop craftsmanship, but the overall effect is unsatisfying. This album is like a "Pop Through the Decades Review". You know you enjoyed it, but later you can't remember what you heard.
Mike Castro, 4/12/02 Top

Chris Rea - King of the Beach (****)
Sit back. Relax. Put on the latest Chris Rea album and feel the gentle sea breezes wash over you. The musical journey that Chris Rea has travelled since he debuted on the scene over 20 years ago with the Light FM standard "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" has been a long and varied one. Light pop, heavy blues, driving rock, reggae, and anything else you can think of has been thrown into the cauldron of Rea's career. Left to simmer for a few years, his muse has emerged with an album of delicate beauty that merges all of these elements. The tone is quiet, but not boring. The music flows gently from start to finish, but there is an underlying urgency that gives it power. A seasoned veteran in top form.
Mike Castro, 10/17/01 Top

Reel Big Fish - Cheer Up! (*****)
Cheer up? How can you not cheer up when listening to the latest from alternative/punk/ska/pop masters Reel Big Fish. The band has dropped some of the angry edge that kept some of their earlier work from being completely accessible and replaced it with such a sense of fun that surely makes this the party album of the year. With a prominent horn section driving the sound over killer guitar riffs and melodies that are so big you could drive a truckload of mallowmars through them, Cheer Up! careens from song to song with reckless abandon, promising good times for all. Which is what makes the lyrics so bitingly funny. Underneath all of this rocking jubilation are tales of scorned love and downtrodden misfits. "Ban the Tube Top", "Suckers", "A Little Doubt Goes a Long Way", and "Dateless Losers" give you the idea that this is music for regular people, not the select "perfect" few that we so often have to hear songs about. Clever, funny, roll-down-the-windows rock and roll. If MCMAS still voted for album of the year, this would be my pick.
Mike Castro, 10/2/02 Top

Matthew Ryan - East Autumn Grin (***.5)
Followups are iffy things and Matthew Ryan appears to struggle with his sophomore effort, but in the end he prevails with an edgy, quietly powerful album. This disc is basically a downer, but Matthew Ryan's pained, gravelly vocals make looking inward with despair a gruesomely pleasurable indulgence. Anthemic mid-tempo rockers like "3rd of October" compete with the quiet introspection of "I Hear a Symphony" and the result is a strong album that still somehow does not satisfy. Perhaps it's not intended to because satisfaction and fulfillment is not what these songs are about. The best moment comes with the beautiful and heart-wrenching, "Sadly Love", which just about says it all.
Mike Castro, 12/21/00 Top

Matthew Ryan - Concussion (****)
Someone needs to stop by Matthew Ryan's house and make sure he's all right. Check his pulse, remove all sharp objects from the kitchen and power tools from the shed. The only word I can think of to describe his 3rd album is sorrowful. This is an album of extreme quiet, desperation, and sadness. Many of the tracks are simply Ryan playing a very sparse acoustic guitar and singing the lyrics in a half asleep rumble. The amazing thing is, it works. Ryan sings with such hopeless despair, I find myself drawn down into the music and seperated from the real world. This is the album Bruce Springsteen failed to make with "The Ghost of Tom Joad". It's a courageous album because it is entirely uncommercial, but entirely riveting.
Mike Castro, 3/12/02 Top

Matthew Ryan - Regret Over the Wires (****)
Matthew Ryan sounds nothing like The Cure, but past works have reflected a similar outlook on life... dour... hopeless. A very well done dour and hopeless, mind you, but not all that cheery to listen to. With his latest release, Ryan injects a bit of hope into the proceedings, and rediscovers the joys of a full band. This isn't exactly a party album, but Ryan's cracking songwriting and grumbling voice combine with a brighter outlook and punched up sound to create a real gem. This is that happy middle ground where the forces of the singer/songwriter, post-grunge depression, and rock and roll combine to produce honest music that feeds the ears as much as it does the soul.
Mike Castro, 2/8/04 Top

The Saw Doctors - Villains? (****)
I've come to understand that you can not judge a new Saw Doctors album on the 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd listen. You need to allow some time for all the different styles and sounds to become familiar and release their charms. "Villains?" is no exception. The title track, which opens the album, at first listen is a strange, discordant dirge with voicebox vocals and a slurred, overpowering bass line. What's this? Where are the happy, joyful Saw Doctors? This is followed by the bouncy "This Is Me", the tender "Still Afraid of the Dark", the loping "Happy Days", the powerful "Bounds to the Peace"... I think you get the idea. "Villains?" doesn't let you settle into a comfort zone, as a listener. It's edgy and just a little dark. This is a new side to the Saw Doctors and, while it takes a little getting used to, in the end it is well worth the effort.
Mike Castro, 10/17/01 Top

Bill Seidel - The Moon and the Stars (***)
I first heard Billy Seidel at the Milwaukee Summerfest in July 2000. I was impressed by his energy and stage presence. He sounded pretty darn good too. That enthusiasm and audience connection isn't thoroughly represented on CD, however, the The Moon and the Stars serves more as a tease to what a good performer Billy as than as a great album in its own right. It is a good album, however. Nice mid-tempo rockers mixed up with some bluesy numbers make for an enjoyable listen. The problem is that he sounds like a blend of all the Matchbox 20 style bands on the market right now and doesn't assert a distinct personality. A good album? Yes. A memorable one? No.
Mike Castro, 5/30/01 Top

Mark Seymour - One Eyed Man (***.5)
Hunters & Collectors were a legendary Australian rock band in the 80s and 90s. Though they never received the international acclaim of contemporaries like INXS and Midnight Oil, H&C were a force in their native land and Mark Seymour stood at the front of the shockwave. Now a solo artist, the pounding and fury of H&C has been traded for sharper songcraft and a quieter, more reflective atmopshere. At times this sounds like Crowded House at times it is a something new. A solid effort with a number of standout tracks, it only lacks a little of that old fire and brimstone to really make it shine.
Mike Castro, 1/23/03 Top

Duncan Sheik - Daylight (***.5)
On his latest effort, Duncan Sheik has found a nice balance between lush, intricate songs and a catchier pop sound that will inevitably bring his crisp songwriting, stellar voice, and superior production to a larger audience. Like earlier, quiter albums, the lyrics are intimate, but the power of the singer allows this intimacy to shine through the bigger production and the combination makes for an entertaining listen as well as an album with a some intellectual meat. For those people who loved "Barely Breathing", but found the quiet folkiness of the rest of that album not to your taste, this is the Duncan Sheik album you've been waiting for.
Mike Castro, 11/21/02 Top

Sloan - Between the Bridges (***)
This Canadian band comes from that white hot music scene... Halifax, Nova Scotia. Combining the straight forward sense of the best of late 70's pop rock with 90's production values, Sloan are retro in a good way. These are basic guitar rock songs that don't go over the top into heavy metal, nor do they slip into the maudlin sameness of top 40 rock. There is a freshness that is... well... uhm... refreshing. Already big in Canada, Sloan hopes to break through into the U.S. market. I don't know if "Between the Bridges" will make that happen, but I like it.
Mike Castro, 6/13/00 Top

Socialburn - Where You Are (***)
Here we have an album with several distinct personalities. It opens like a crunching, angst-ridden grunge album, then switches to acoustic based songs of sorrow and longing, then we have a couple of pop songs. A little more angst and grunge, another ballad, and now you're totally confused. The total package ends up being a mixed bag because, while there is something here for everyone to like, there is also something here for everyone to dislike. The ones I like are quite good. Nice hooks, solid drive, and passion. Then there's the atonal headbanging to balance the scales. Depending on who they choose to be, I may end up really liking or really hating Socialburn's next release.
Mike Castro, 9/25/03 Top

Austin Speigel - Soundaway (***)
From Cincinnati hails Austin Speigel, a man who seems to have many musical influences. This album is all over the map, stylistically. The opening track, "Mystic Mountain Wind" has a little Dave Matthews Band sound working for it, then into a jazzy-rock number, and then the title track, which is a powerfully upbeat and inspirational track. Somber acoustic numbers, rockers and R&B tunes make for an eclectic and challenging soundscape. The upside to this approach is great variety, the downside is a lack of cohesion that makes the album sound choppy and uneven. Speigel's band is tight, though, and his singing passionate. He might need a bit more focus, but all in all "Soundaway" is an impressive debut.
Mike Castro, 6/16/00 Top

Rick Springfield - Karma (***.5)
Yes, that really says Rick Springfield. No, I have not gone insane. That 80's teen idol/soap opera star hunk always considered himself a rock musician above anything else, but all of the baggage and Teen magazine covers kind of obscured the fact. His latest album, Karma, gives an indication that maybe he knew what he was talking about. This is pop/rock music, to be sure, but it's pretty darn good pop/rock music, performed with the sort of desperate intensity you might expect from someone trying to drag his career out of the "Where are they now" file. A few tracks are standard pop fare, but these are eclipsed by standout tracks like "In Veronica's Head", "Hey Maria", and "Beautiful Prize". If Springfield released this album under another name, it would be all over the radio.
Mike Castro, 7/11/00 Top

Rick Springfield - shock/denial/anger/acceptance (****.5)
Here's a fun new game I play with my friends. I put on the opening track of the new Rick Springfield album and ask them to try to guess who it is. They hear the screaming guitars, the freight train rhythm section, the growling vocals, and they frown. Various hard-rocking bands will be suggested and when I reveal that the artist rattling the windows is Rick Springfield, I am generally not believed. The poofy-haired pop star is nowhere to be found on this album. Springfield returns to his rocking roots and unleashes an album of fury and crank-it-to-11 brilliance. The first half of this album is a clinic in the three minute guitar/bass/drums assault. One after another these crisp tunes blast from the speakers, all with meaty hooks and enough power to light Cleveland. The second half mellows out, but never descends into the schmaltzy pop love songs you might expect. Each song song is meticulously crafted and cut down to achieve maximum impact, even the quiet ones. I suggest you shed your preconceptions and give Rick Springfield a listen. He's not what you think.
Mike Castro, 6/2/04 Top

Stage (**.5)
And here it is. The simplest review I've ever written. If you like Creed, you'll like Stage. If not... you won't. Stage sounds EXACTLY like Creed and about a dozen other popular bands, only without the hit single. It grinds along with good energy and a few almost-hooks and overall makes an enjoyable crunchy noise. The end of the album features a pair of prog-rock-grunge epics, the likes of which you don't hear too often. Good enough, as grunge clones go.
Mike Castro, 5/15/03 Top

Garrison Starr - Songs From Take-Off to Landing (****)
From Mississippi hails singer/songwriter/guitarist Garrison Starr, who gives us a strong mix of Americana on her major label debut. There is a country twinge to these songs, but it is distinctly NOT country music. This is straight ahead American rock and roll. Guitars, drums and bass laying down the foundation for Starr's powerful vocals. She is no dainty diva. Garrison Starr belts out these songs with passion and spirit. From the great opening track, "Somethin's Gotta Change" to the kick-ass closer "Knucklehead", Garrison Starr takes us on an intimate journey filled with energy, intensity, quiet beauty and fun. This may be a debut album, but it plays like a veteran effort.
Mike Castro, 6/28/02 Top

Starting Line - Say It Like You Mean It (***.5)
It's all about melody. There are plenty of alterna-punk-grunge bands that can make noise and shout into microphones, but behind all of the posturing and image-making, making a good record is still about melody. Starting Line keep the amps turned down just enough so that the sharp songwriting and crisp melodies are not overwhelmed and Ken Vasoli's clear, high voice is a refreshing change from the bratty snarl that so often attempts to cover singing inadequacy. The sound is excellent and a sense of precarious fun pervades, though not to the point of giddiness. There are serious undercurrents. All in all a very promising debut from a band that seems to understand that alternative doesn't have to mean obnoxious.
Mike Castro, 12/6/02 Top

Stereophonics - Just Enough Education to Perform (***)
On the Stereophonics debut album, Word Gets Around, they achieved a winning combination of powerful, tuneful, hook-laden rock and striking lyrics that gave a glimpse into the lives of real, working class people in the UK. This wasn't grand politics, but stories drawn from real life. The problem with this winning approach is that, if successful, the artist inevitably removes himself from the very envirnoment from which his inspiration was drawn. He is then left to sing about his new environment and we are given a pile of songs about being on the road, being a rock star, and occassionally a glimpse back to the old ground, but now as it is seen from afar. The most striking example of this decline of muse can be found in one Bruce Springsteen. The Stereophonics appear to be headed down the same road. The imagery and lyrical impact are nearly absent from this, their third album. The music still sounds pretty darn good, though, and that can't be completely discounted. The album opens with a crunchy hard rocker, but then settles into a mellower, mid-tempo groove that is really quite winning. This could be the turning point for Stereophonics. Musically, they are still sounding pretty good. Lyrically, they are lost in the hotels and airports of their new life. The next album may well decide their fate.
Mike Castro, 6/19/01 Top

Suicide Machines (****)
The name of the band might sound a little harsh, but this punk/pop band have a remarkably upbeat outlook. This CD rollicks along through 14 tracks that run the range from pure pop to crunchy hardcore punk. The hardcore tracks, fortunately, are few and the weakest moments. All of the rest is energetic, melodic, and uptempo. A few ska-infected tracks fight for space with great guitar riffs and even well placed and surprising string arrangements. Good stuff.
Mike Castro, 6/19/00 Top

Superdrag - Last Call For Vitriol (***.5)
I'm always concerned when an album title has a word that I need to look up in the dictionary. For those of you, like me, who didn't know what "vitriol" means, the dictionary says "bitterly abusive feeling or expression". So, this is a happy album, then. What it is, is a very good album. Superdrag produce a unique brand of atmospheric rock and roll. It's not classic rock, it's not grunge, it's not pop. It's driving and melodic and really passionate. You really need to check them out for yourself. If you like something you can turn up, but is far more than just noise, give Superdrag a try.
Mike Castro, 10/13/03 Top

Supergrass (****)
The 3rd album from Supergrass has finally arrived in the United States to almost universal silence... again. Here is a band that has achieved critical acclaim and superstar success everywhere but North America, and I can't figure out why. "Pumping Up Your Stereo" should be rattling the windows of every car with a radio. Maybe the music is too intelligent, too innovative, too... British. This is pop music that draws on influences from all walks of music, leaning heavily on the Beatles with dashes of Pink Floyd, Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie, and even the late-60's Beach Boys. Throw all of these bits in a blender with a large portion of 90's edge and youthful exuberance and the result is a milk shake of delectable flavor and rich texture.
Mike Castro, 6/16/00 Top

Supergrass - Life On Other Planets (****.5)
The most recent wave of the British Invasion sort of petered out on the shores of America, as English supergroups such as Oasis and Blur failed to make a serious dent in the corporate radio playlists. Another casualty of the US Radio closed-border policy is Supergrass. Here is their fourth album and it is easily their most accessible, jammed with catchy, edgy tunes. These songs burst with energy and inventiveness. From Beatlesque pop songs like "Seen the Light" to steaming hot rockers like "Rush Hour Soul", Supergrass get inside your head and refuse to leave. The good part is, you don't really want them to.
Mike Castro, 9/8/03 Top

Sweater Girl (***)
Sweater Girl is a band about which I can find almost no information. This CD came to me through the Fresh Tracks Club. It is a fun, if unremarkable collection of pop/punk tunes that churn along energetically. Enjoyable, throw away, crunchy pop. A bit like Weezer, but not quite as good.
Mike Castro, 7/11/00 Top

Swinging Lovehammers - L'Strange (***.5)
Are you among the many who liked the Goo Goo Dolls before they started writing acoustic pop love songs for movies? If so, then Swinging Lovehammers are for you. L'Strange has some good rock and roll kick to it, but not at the expense of strong melodies and great guitar hooks. It walks the line between pop and rock admirably and gives us the followup to "A Boy Named Goo" that Goo Goo Dolls should have recorded.
(Check out this album at www.freshtracksmusic.com. You can download the entire album legally and for free!)
Mike Castro, 3/22/01 Top

The Thorns (****)
Crosby, Stills, and Nash. There, that's out of the way. It's impossible to listen to The Thorns without thinking of CSN. It's not just the sound, but the origin of the group. Like that venerable trio, The Thorns represent the collaboration of three established artists; Matthew Sweet, Pete Droge, and Shawn Mullins. These three singer/songwriters come from disparate backgrounds and actually barely new each other before attempting this project. The result, though, is delightful. Using lovely, powerful three-part harmonies as the centerpiece and backing it with a homespun acoustic sound, the Thorns can be transcendant. The only wart is the discordant "Thorns", but this passes quickly and the rest of this wonderful album flows so smoothly from track to track that it feels like a classic on the first listen.
Mike Castro, 5/28/03 Top

Thrillbilly - More Songs About Drinking and Women (**)
The followup to the superb "Moveable Feast" is a stinging disappointment, simply put. This is the last Thrillbilly album, as the band has chosen to break up and this is a weak set to go out with. The songs are okay, but the energy is gone and the great mix of melody, seering guitar riffs, and pounding rhythm section are nowhere to be found. It would be okay if this were a debut album, but Thrillbilly set themselves a higher standard and failed to meet it.
Mike Castro, 7/13/00 Top

The Tragically Hip - Music @ Work (***)
The Tragically Hip are really big in Canada. Their albums routinely go straight to the top of the Canadian charts, and deservedly so. They are endlessly creative, passionate performers of their own special brand of rock and roll. Sometimes, however, they can be a little dense. Okay, a lot dense. Music @ Work has some great tracks and some tracks that make you scowl and say, "huh?" The lyrics are often inpenetrable. Despite this, there is a special something about this band and lead singer Gord Downie. They are infectious and appealing. I give this album three stars. Check with me after another dozen listens; the rating may be radically higher.
Mike Castro, 7/17/00 Top

U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind (****)
I will always respect an artist for experimenting and challenging themselves to create new sounds... but that doesn't mean I always have to like it. When U2 went all pretentious and self-parodyingly artsy with "Achtung Baby", they lost me. I didn't get it. Still don't. With "All That You Can't Leave Behind", U2 has returned to their foundation of quality, straightforward rock and roll, passionately performed. This is a mellower U2 than the outrage days "War", but it also a more mature U2, seeing more to life than indignation, cynicism, and pain. Oh hell, you've all heard these songs by now, so why should I bother telling you about them? It's a great album. Just go buy it.
Mike Castro, 7/9/01 Top

Francisco Vidal Band - Drive (****)
It is uncanny how many great bands have come out of Georgia in the last 20 years, but here's another one. Think of the Gin Blossoms, but mellower. Think of Hootie & the Blowfish, but with more depth and intelligence. Think of Son Volt, but not quite so country. Francisco Vidal gives us a nearly flawless album of straightfoward songs without pomp or gimmick. The tracks simply ring true with emotion and sound great. This is a prime example of what the "roots rock" movement is all about.
Mike Castro, 6/20/00 Top

The Vines - Winning Days (***.5)
By now you've probably heard "Ride" on the new iPod commercial. As a calling card for the new album by The Vines, it serves well. "Winning Days" features a clever mix of British Invasion jump, Psychedelic swirl, and post-Grunge wail. The whole deal is infused with an infectious energy that overcomes the occassional melodic shortfall. I can't think of anything else to say except that it's really quite good.
Mike Castro, 5/19/04 Top

The Wallflowers - Breach (****)
I've been trying to write a review of the new Wallflowers album in eloquent prose, but it's no use. There is nothing eloquent about the Wallflowers. They are a straight-ahead rock and roll band. It all comes down to the songs. This album sounds almost identical in style and sound to their breakout smash "Bringing Down the Horse" and the songs are very good. There are 10 tracks, a bunch of rockers, a few nice ballads, all very well done. No ground is broken, but that really wasn't their intention, was it? Good stuff.
Mike Castro, 10/23/00 Top

The Wallflowers - Red Letter Days (****)
The Wallflowers had reached the point where many bands vanish into oblivion. After a worldwide hit album, the followup is good, but not quite as good or successful as the previous album. Then the "3rd" album (although RLD is actually the 4th for the Wallflowers). This is the sink or swim album. The Wallflowers do more than tread water with Red Letter Days. This is an album of great feeling and variety; crunchy rockers, quiet, pulsing anthems, and a few insanely catchy pop songs tossed in to keep your attention. Jakob Dylan is in fine voice and the band is sharp and lively. The Wallflowers have delivered an album that is instantly accessible without being blantantly pop. It looks like they are here to stay.
Mike Castro, 1/8/03 Top

The Waterboys - Rock in the Weary Land (*.5)
The Waterboys? I don't think so. This is another Mike Scott solo album with "The Waterboys" printed on the cover. This album is about as far from a Waterboys album as one Led Zeppellin is from Van Morrison. Don't get me wrong, I like Mike Scott's solo work, but here he is far from top form. Dark, but not involving. Raw, but without the inspired energy of earlier work. Basically, the songs just are not very good. Scott's studio doodling with voice synthesis fails utterly. There is simply no flow here. You can't fault the man for experimenting, but you can fault me for buying it without hearing it first.
Mike Castro, 12/21/00 Top

Wayne - Music on Plastic (****)
Hailing from Birmingham, Wayne are a band of subtle hooks, swirling guitars, and mesmerizing insistence. Did I mention that the Birmingham in question is in Alabama, not England? Despite being musical cousins to dreamy Brit bands like Coldplay and Travis, Wayne spin their craft in America's Deep South. "Music on Plastic" is a startling debut. The depth of the songwriting is not overwhelmed by the dreamy, soaring production, but rather enhanced by it. Everything is balanced; quiet it needs to be quiet and soaringly powerful at just the right times. The album manages to walk that most precarious of tightropes in that it is both subtle and catchy at the same time. It sounds good on the first listen. It sounds better on the second. It sounds great by the fifth. Give them a listen or five. You can hear this entire album for free at Fresh Tracks Music.
Mike Castro, 7/10/02 Top

Weezer (***.5)
And then the lord said, "Let there be Weezer" and there was Weezer, with a catchy album of ten 3-minute pop rock tunes played with fuzzy power chords in unvarying 4/4 time. And then the lord said, "Let there be more Weezer" and there was more Weezer, with a catchy album of ten 3-minute pop rock tunes played with fuzzy power chords in unvarying 4/4 time. And then there was nothing. Five years passed. Then, in 2001, the lord said again, "Let there be Weezer" and there was Weezer, with a catchy album of ten 3-minute pop rock tunes played with fuzzy power chords in unvarying 4/4 time. And all was right with the world.
Mike Castro, 6/29/01 Top

Wheatus (**.5)
Sometimes a band can try too hard. Wheatus is a 3-piece band from Long Island that has no lack of energy, melody, guitar hooks, and catchy tunes. They can churn out a killer power pop tune with the best of them. The problem is that they seem to try so hard to be punks that it backfires on them. They overdo the kid-punk vocals and every song is hampered by their efforts to be naughty/clever which instead just come out as crude. For example, the song "Hump'em n' Dump'em" contains an absolutely top of the charts hook and melody, but is completely undermined by the crude "look how obnoxious we can be" chorus. This should be a great album, the next "Dookie", but Wheatus have taken an album of great music and ruined it with South Park lyrics.
Mike Castro, 7/11/02 Top

Dar Williams - The Green World (****.5)
I really like this album. Dar Williams has walked on the folk side of the line between pop and folk, but on The Green World she is firmly walking on top of that fence. Her amazing voice and penetrating lyrics are presented here in a more radio-friendly package, upbeat with more emphasis on full band production than the lonely atmospherics of earlier work. The result is wonderful. Some might say sell out, but what can possibly be better than a pop song that sounds great, feels great, and has some intellectual meat behind it.
Mike Castro, 11/24/00 Top

Dar Williams - The Beauty of the Rain (****.5)
Dar Williams has the unique ability to find her own path through familiar pop music styles. She can sing a ballad without soundy sappy. Her pop songs don't sound like cliches. The folk tunes are so catchy that you aren't made to feel you should be eating organic yogurt topped with crunchy bran nuggets. On her latest album she delivers eleven new songs, all of which are simply great. The sound is broad and varied and, clocking in at 37 minutes, doesn't overstay it's welcome (as so many self-indulgent, overlong opus' do). At once catchy, intelligent, passionate, and fun, Williams just keeps cranking out great albums. It seems so effortless when it's done so well.
Mike Castro, 4/23/03 Top

XTC - Wasp Star (****.5)
I believe the Partridge Family put it best when they sang, "Come on get happy!" Is it a coincidence that one half of the duo that is XTC is named Andy Partridge? I don't think so. After a long absence (filled by one orchestral-based album, which really doesn't count), XTC has given the summer of 2000 a soundtrack of quirky, cheerful, intelligent pop songs that probably no one will hear because it isn't fashionable these days to be quirky, cheerful, and intelligent. And being British on top of that. U.S. pop radio wouldn't touch this stuff with a really long pole, but you should. This is fun music. This is clever music. This is music that will make you smile and leave you in, forgive me, XTC.
Mike Castro, 6/28/00 Top

Young Dubliners - Absolutely (****)
Say, have you noticed how many Irish rock bands are not from Ireland? Black 47 (New York), Blackthorn (Philadelphia), and now the Young Dubliners (California). The Dubs have been around for a while now, but this is the first of their albums that has really grabbed me from beginning to end. Previous efforts had flashes of brilliance, but never the whole package. "Absolutely" is the Young Dubliners album I've been waiting for. The band has perfectly honed their ability to combine a hard-rocking edge with fiddles, mandolins, and penny whistles. The rock sound does not overwhelm the traditional Irish sounds, and the Irish element accents the rock instead of distracting from it. They're a rock and roll band... they're an Irish band... and they're from California. But does it work? Absolutely.
Mike Castro, 7/11/02 Top

80s Pop Festival, Smirnoff Music Center, Dallas, Texas
June, 2001
The Motels opened the show and cruised through their 2 or 3 hits from 15 years ago. "Only the Lonely" drew the biggest response from the crowd