CD/Music Review: The Monkees Live - The Mike & Micky Show

 

The Mike and Mickey Show is a live album from 2020 featuring the two (at the time) living members of The Monkees, Mickey Dolenz and Mike Nesmith. The album was recorded during the first tour for the remaining members after Peter Tork died in 2019 and would be one of the final performances for Nesmith, whose health was failing before he passed away in late 2021. This album has 25 tracks and includes most of the hits, aside from the Theme From the Monkees and some of the less well-known songs from the 1960s. There are also a couple of songs from their last studio album, Good Times.

I was not around for the Monkee's debut on TV and subsequent stardom, but I was a perfect age in 1986 when the 20th anniversary of the TV show came around to become a fan. At that time, the TV show was being rerun on Nickelodeon, MTV, and local syndication. There was a reunion tour by Peter, Davy, and Micky, with Mike joining here and there but not fully participating, as well as a greatest hits album with a few new songs and an album of new material by Davy, Micky, and Peter. Like most, I was definitely hooked by the TV show, and as I got older and learned about the story of the group I became a bigger fan, and always picked up the CDs as they have been released over the years.

As most know, the group started as a fake band for a TV show to capitalize on the popularity of The Beatles, with two actors who had some musical talent (Davy and Micky) and two musicians with some acting ability (Mike and Peter) answering a casting call. They ultimately became a real band, who at the height of their popularity in 1967, sold more albums than any artist or group, including The Beatles. Over the years they have put out reunion albums like "Justus" and "Good Times" as well as doing limited tour dates. It was always mainly Micky, Davy, and Peter touring, but Mike had taken a more active role over time. With Davy and Peter having passed away and Micky and Mike not exactly being Springchickens anymore, this may be the last album that gets put out under The Monkees banner.

This album is very good. Even though Mike and Micky sound older than they did 50 or even 30 years ago, they still sound good and can pull off the vocals well. The album will give anyone who is a fan of the group a bit of nostalgia, and while it is not quite a "Monkees" album without Peter and Davy, it is definitely worth the pickup.

CD/Music Review: Northern Exposure: Music From The Television Series

 

This is the first of two soundtrack albums with music appearing in the 1990s drama Northern Exposure.  As many reading this would likely know, the DVD release of the show in the mid-2000s removed a lot of the music because of licensing issues. The first season set, and I think most season 2 sets, contained the original music from the show, but from season 3 on, many original songs were replaced with dubbed over instrumental (think elevator) music. Given how much a part of the show music was (especially the radio station scenes) while it did not make it unwatchable (for me anyway) it takes away from the overall experience. Assuming the show will not get any further DVD or US blu-ray releases with the original music back in (there is a UK Blu-Ray set with the original music that is very expensive and requires a Region 2 Blu-Ray player to watch), this soundtrack (and more music from the Northern Exposure soundtrack) will be the only way to hear some of those songs. Especially those that are not by major artists that you can get on other albums easily. This is a must for anyone who is a fan of the show and loves the music used in the show.

CD/Music Review: More Music From Northern Exposure

 

Northern Exposure was a show in the 1990s that lasted six seasons and became somewhat of a cult hit. As anyone who is likely looking at this knows, music was very much a part of the show's original run, with many scenes set in a radio station. Many of the songs in the show were selected specifically to tie into the plot/storyline of the episodes in which the songs were used. By the time the show was put out on DVD, the studio had lost the rights to a lot of the original music, so generic "elevator" type music had to be dubbed into many of the scenes in the show. While getting this does not make up for that completely, it will allow you to hear some of the music from the show that had to be taken out because of copyright issues. 

Most of the songs included on the CD are not the big hits or well-known songs used on the show. For example, this does not include songs like "At Last" or "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." That said, the songs that are included are all very good, and the CD does include the opening credits theme music (which is the most recognizable track). If you are a fan of the show, and especially the music in it, then you will definitely enjoy it.

CD/Music Review: Gwen Stefani: You Make it Feel Like Christmas

 

This is the original version of Gwen Stefani's Christmas album, released in 2017. It is a good "popified" Christmas album, with a mix of more traditional songs (e.g., Jingle Bells, Let it Snow, and Silent Night) and newer, non-traditional songs, such as the title track (which she sings with her husband, Blake Shelton). The songs definitely sound like pop songs, so if you are one who prefers more traditional arrangements for Christmas songs (like those that the crooners like Dean Martin, Johnny Mathis, and Nat King Cole, or even Amy Grant used on their albums), then you may not like this one. If you do not mind versions of the songs that use a non-traditional, more modern arrangement (like Christina Aguilera used on her album), then you will probably like this. Personally, I probably would not listen to the album front-to-back all that often but would have no problem including any of the songs in a playlist of Christmas songs being played on shuffle. 

CD/Music Review: Pink: Beautiful Trauma

 

Beautiful Trauma is the 2017 album released by Pink. The album is similar in tone and style to her past few albums, having a mix of hip-hop and dance-oriented songs (including a duet with Eminem) and then the ballads she has become known for as she has gotten older. The album has a lot of songs about growing up (like Barbies) as well as songs about relationships, good and bad. The best songs are, in my opinion, Beautiful Trauma, But We Lost It, Barbies, Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken, and You Get My Love. 

There is a version of the album with explicit lyrics and a clean version. On the former, about half of the songs have explicit lyrics, including a few instances of the f-word. Personally, I hate censored versions of albums, but if you have kids or are offended by swearing, that is an option. Pink has been around long enough now that people generally know if they like her music or not. I always thought that she would be a flash in the pan when she put out her first album back around 2000/2001, but she has continued evolving musically, and getting better over the course of time. So, if you are a fan, this is definitely worth listening to.  

CD/Music Review: Katy Perry: Witness

 

Witness was an album by Katy Perry that was released in 2017. Perry is firmly in the pop music genre that mostly appeals to younger listeners, but does release songs that have wider appeal. This album has a mix of both types of songs. There are some songs that are very heavily produced and others in which her voice is the main focus of the song. Perry has a good enough voice that she could do nothing but ballads without all the over-produced stuff that probably makes her a hit with "the kids". 

Perry has definitely proven that she has musical talent and is not popular just because she is hot and has big tits. That said, I do think she tends to lean more heavily on the over-produced dance numbers than she really needs to. I do not think any of the songs on this album are on par with her big, mega-hits, but even so, the album does have some good tracks. The best tracks, in my opinion, are the less popular songs such as Into Me You See, Pendulum, Save as Draft, and Miss You more. 

CD/Music Review: Taylor Swift: Reputation

 

This was, in my opinion, at least as of the time it was released in 2017, Taylor Swift's best album. She had already pretty much ditched her country music roots (to the extent that she was ever really country) for pop music, but this album has a lot more adult, more mature songs on it than her prior albums did. Although she does still have some of the breakup songs and songs about beefing with other artists that she is known for on this album.  For me, the best songs are Ready For It, End Game, I Did Something Bad, Look What You Made Me Do, and This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things. But really, I would not say that there are any songs that I would skip on this album. This is much more of an adult-pop album than it is a teen-pop album, and I think that she made that transition well. 

CD/Music Review: Phi Collins: The Singles

 

If you were alive in the 1980s and 1990s and were a fan of pop and/or adult-contemporary music you heard Phil Collins a lot. Either because of his time as the lead singer of the group Genesis or his prolific solo career. This is a two-disc set (if you get the physical CD) that has all of the songs that Phil Collins put out as singles during his solo career. It is basically a greatest hits album and the songs on it cover his solo career from the early 1980s up through the mid-1990s. All of the songs have been remastered and pretty much all of his solo hits, including songs like Both Sides of the Story, Another Day in Paradise, You'll Be in my Heart, Against All Odds, and Take Me Home are included, along with some of his lesser-known non-smash hit songs. I definitely recommend this one to any fan of Phil Collins.

CD/Music Review: Richard Marx: Greatest Hits

 

If you were listening to pop and/or adult contemporary/soft rock music in the late 1980s into the early 1990s you heard Richard Marx's songs, a lot. All nine of his top ten hits, including, of course, the three that went to number one, including Right Here Waiting, Hold on to the Nights, and Satisfied are included here. The other big hits include songs like Endless Summer Nights, Angelia, Hazard, and Now and Forever. 

Marx has certainly been around long enough that people will know if they like him or not. He is pure soft rock ballads and pop songs. If you like that kind of music, you will like this. If that kind of music is not up your alley, you won't. 

CD/Music Review: The Monkees - Good Times

 

This is really the last "real" Monkees album. It was released in 2016 when three of the four members of the group were still alive (Mickey, Peter, and Mike). The album is pretty much a collection of new 2-3 minute songs that are a mix of more upbeat "pop" numbers with a couple of ballads thrown in there. To me, the best song on the album is "Me and Magdelena," and a very slightly remastered version of "Love to Love," through which they found a way to include Davy on the album.

Overall, I do not think the album is as good as what you would get on one of their greatest hits albums or even as good as the album Justus, but it is still good. It is also, now that Peter and Mike have both passed, the last album that can be attributed to the group. Definitely worth the listen if you are a fan of the group.

CD/Music Review: Then & Now...The Best of the Monkees

 

This is primarily a Monkees greatest hits album released in 1986 to honor the 20th anniversary of the TV show and spawned a reunion tour by Mickey, Peter, and Davy. It was the album that, along with the show's re-runs, made me a fan of the group. I was not even born when the show originally aired but was pretty much the perfect age in 1986 when the group had a huge resurgence in popularity because the show was being played on Nickelodeon and MTV almost constantly. It does also have a few new songs that feature just Mickey and Peter (Davy did not sing on any of the new songs because he did not think they were paid fairly, and Mike was still pretty bitter about the whole Monkees experience and pretty much-avoided anything to do with the anniversary and the reunion aside from making one appearance at one of the tours stops).

The album includes all of their major hits like Last Train to Clarksville, Daydream Believer, and Plesant Valley Sunday, as well as some of the more obscure songs like DW Washburn. The last three songs, Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere, Kicks, and the song that got them back into the top 40, That Was Then, This is Now, are the only new songs on the album. They are not the only new songs that the trio of Mickey, Peter, and Davy put out around that time as there was another album "Pool It" that included new material, but did not do nearly as well as this album did.

Overall, it is a very good greatest-hits album. It is probably even more of a desired item now that three of the four members of the group have passed away, but whether you were a fan of the group in the 60s or became a fan after that, it is definitely a must-listen.

CD/Music Review: Demi Lovato - Confident

 

You pretty much know what you will get with a Demi Lovato album, a mix of pop/dance numbers and ballads. While the bit hits from this album are Confident and Cool for the Summer, the song that I think is the best is one of the ballads, Wildfire. Overall, I think that Demi's ballads tend to be better than the pure pop songs that tend to be geared more toward younger listeners. This is definitely the most adult album that she had put out (as of when it was released) and the songs definitely touch on some of the struggles she has had. And, some of the songs do contain f-bombs, so that is something to be aware of. Overall, it is a good pop album, but whether you like it will really depend on your musical taste.

CD/Music Review: Selena Gomez - Revival

 

This was the album that Gomez used to break out of the "Disney kid" mold. While there are certainly pop songs on the album that are probably only going to appeal to a younger audience, there are some really good songs, especially a couple of ballads, that are very good. For me, the best songs on the album are Kill Em with Kindness, Same Old Love, Sober, and Camaflouge. I would not put Gomez in the same category as someone like Adele; with this album, she shows that she is more than just a teeny-bopper pop star.

CD/Album/Music Review: Adele: 25

 

25 is the third album by Adele, released in 2015 (after 2008's 19 and 2011's 21). The smash hit from the album was Hello, which rivaled her hit Rolling in the Deep from 21. This was much less of a "breakup" album than 21 was, with the songs being more about moving on with life as we age. I think she got progressively better over the course of the three albums. On this one, all of the songs are very good, even though not all of them ended up being huge hits. But it is definitely not an album with one or two good songs, and the rest is unlistenable, as is the case with some artists. She has proven that she is far more than a one-hit-wonder and keeps improving over time. And, of course, she can actually sing and does not have to rely on production tricks to make her sound better, as a lot of today's pop artists have to. So, if you were a fan of her first two albums and/or music that falls more into the adult contemporary category, then this is definitely worth listening to.

CD/Music Review: Pink - Funhouse

 

This is the album that Pink released after her marriage had (briefly) fallen apart, and most of the songs like So What, Please Don't Leave Me, which, along with Funhouse, are the songs that probably got the most airplay clearly depict the range of emotions that she went through when writing the songs for the album. The album, like most of her albums, includes songs that are a mix of styles-- from ballads to more of the hip-hop-infused songs she is known for. I would say that this one has more ballads than most of her other albums have had on it. Personally, I think the best songs are ones that did not get as much airplay including Sober, I Don't Believe You, One Foot Wrong, and Glitter in the Air, but there is not really a bad song among the bunch. So, if you are a fan of Pink, this is definitely worth a listen, and the songs hold up well even a decade down the line.

CD/Music Review: Pink - The Truth About Love

 

Pink rose to fame about the same time as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, but she was always very different from either of them (or any of the other young female pop stars of the time) and always set herself apart from them. Even early on, Pink's version of pop was much different from others and it has expanded and evolved as she has gotten older. She still does some of the hip-hop-infused or at least inspired stuff that she did early on, but expands into very personal ballads and songs that are definitely based on her relationships. 

This album has a little bit of everything in terms of sound, ranging from "Try", which is closer to a ballad, to more upbeat numbers like "Here Comes the Weekend." In my opinion, the three best tracks on the album are Blow Me (One Last Kiss), Try, and Just Give Me a Reason, which are the second, third, and fourth tracks on the album respectively. Even though those are my favorite songs on the album there is really not a bad track among the bunch. Like most of her albums, this is not something that you would want young kids listening to because she does swear and sing about sex, unashamedly. So, if you are a fan of Pink, this one is definitely worth listening to.

Audio Book Review: Ultimate Goals

 

This is a better program than Tracy's other well-known program, The Psychology of Achievement. This one really expands on the concept of goal setting, and provides a lot of concrete steps on how to form realistic goals, and then how to try and implement them. Realistic being the key word there. He is very blunt about the fact that someone who is unemployed with no money in the bank is not going to make a million dollars in thirty days, so setting a goal to have a million dollars in thirty days, or even a year when you are in that situation is not realistic. Tracy has a nice conversational style of speaking, that is easy to follow. He can be a bit hokey sometimes, but usually not irritatingly so. This is definitely worth listening to multiple times.

Audiobook Review: The Psychology of Achievement

 

The Psychology of Achievement, by Brian Tracy, does have some good advice and information in it. Specifically, how to talk to yourself and goal setting. He does say things like you should tell yourself that you like yourself but literally repeating "I like myself" over and over. While that is a bit hokey, the discussion about figuring out your goals, and then cementing those goals by saying things like "I make [insert income per year]" or "I weigh [insert goal weight]" and writing down your goals on a daily basis are sound and helpful. Some of the law of attraction stuff is, as it has always been, kind of dumb, but he does go beyond just advising you pretend that you are something, but visualizing it and then taking concrete steps to make it happen. He also advises things like meditating (what he calls going into solitude) for 30-60 minutes, listening to "tapes" on a daily basis, whether self-help, something you want to learn, topical seminars, etc. Basically, that translates to these days listening to TED talks or informational podcasts. He also gives advice on how to brainstorm effectively and gives a lot of tips on becoming more creative.

All in all, it amounts to good advice to making yourself more productive and successful. The advice is generally practical (like do not set a goal that is unreasonable or incongruent with your current situation) and helpful. It will not turn you into a success overnight but will give you the skills, that if you implement them, help you become more successful.

CD Review: Liz Phair

 

This was Liz Phair's 2003 crossover from a pure indie artist into pop, and while she did get some crap at the time for being a sellout, the album is very good. Of course, the most popular song on the album is "Why Can't I" which made it into the Top 40 of the Billboard 100, but it also features the very great Extraordinary, and the dirtiest track on the album H.W.C.

Overall, I cannot say that people who really loved Phair's albums up to the time this one was released will like this one, but it was definitely different from a lot of the pop music that was being put out in the early 2000s, especially by female musicians.

CD Review: Wanted Soundtrack

 

I mainly purchased this to get the song, "The Little Things" but was very pleased by the rest of the material. All of the other songs are instrumental, and make up the score of the movie. Personally, I did not really realize how good the score was while watching the movie, but the soundtrack really makes you appreciate how well it was done. I definitely recommend this.