Turkey Day CD Review-David Cook

Happy Thanksgiving! I figured I'd avoid the turkey coma by posting a CD review on David Cook's debut. Overall great cd, pretty much what you would expect based on his American Idol performances. Lots of low verse, big chorus songs with a very radio friendly sound. Rob Cavallo, of American Idiot fame, produced so he knows how to get some radio friendly music out of his artists.....

Cook and company lined up an all star cast of songwriters including Chris Cornell, Johnny Reznik from the Goo Goo Dolls, Kevin Griffin from Better Than Ezra and Raine Maida from Our Lady Peace. The first single, Light On, was co-written by Chris Cornell. Great tune and a good choice for the first single. Very radio friendly. I think the best tune on the disc is song 1, Declaration, which Reznik co-wrote. Awesome song and it wouldn't shock me if this upbeat, big chorus, rock song is the second single. Other standouts include Heroes, Life on the Moon, I Did It For You, Avalanche, and Permanent.

Raine Maida seems to be Cook's songwriting partner of choice as he co-wrote 4 of the songs on the disc including the above mentioned standouts Heroes, I Did It For You and Permanent. This isn't surpising as Cook said he is a big Our Lady Peace fan and even sang their hit, Innocent, during one of his Idol performances.

There is one 'hidden track' on the CD after track 12. I think its called Kiss on the Neck. Okay tune but my question is why do artists do this? Just stick the song on the cd with a track # like everything else. I don't want to sit through 6 minutes of silence after a track ends to get to it. If its a throwaway song don't include it and release it as a b-side! Very annoying. This song is okay so I probably won't be listening to it again since its a pain to get to but I figured I'd let you know its on there somewhere.....

Overall, this is a good debut for the first 'rocker' to win AI. First week sales were 280k which is respectable in the era of diminishing CD sales.

Blah Blah Blah Music Awards Cont'd 3

It's even money that one of the 3 Jonas Brothers is gay. Take that to the bank. I'm leaning toward the tall one with curly hair.

On that note, I'm turning off this show. These awards shows are unwatchable after about and hour. I'm surprised I stayed tuned in this long.....

Blah Blah Blah Music Awards Cont'd 2

Rihanna,

The front desk manager from your hotel called and wanted to know when you would be returning the curtains you stole from the hotel room. Possibly the worst dress ever worn by an award winner. Hideous.

Blah Blah Blah Music Awards Category Confusion

Alicia Keys, Best Pop/Rock Album? Since when is she competing against Coldplay and The Eagles for album buyers and listeners on the radio? AMA's, you need a serious audit of your categories and nominations because they make zero sense. Alicia Keys is was and will be R&B. AMA's, get a clue! (And she wins in the Soul/R&B Album category. Who'da thunk it?!?!!?)

Blah Blah Blah Music Awards Cont'd

Scott Weiland.....What is it gonna take for you to stay off the sauce? I love Stone Temple Pilots. I've seen them 4 times including most recently on the reunion tour and you never fail to disappoint. However, seeing you on the AMA's and watching as you attempt to read the teleprompter was painful. You must've been stoned out of your gourd because it took you 60 seconds to read a 20 second introduction and you stammered and slurred and generally looked like Evander Holyfield at a Mensa convention as you introduce Pink as the next performer and call her one of the great artists of our generation. Now thats comedy. I hope you got some nice pub for your new album out of this because I'm pretty sure you didn't believe single word you said.....

Btw, I like Pink. She has some catchy tunes, she doesn't give a shiite about what anyone thinks and she isn't afraid to show some skin but having Weiland introduce her was just weird. And after seeing her new video and the wardrobe (or lack thereof) I was disappointed to see you in a full on ball gown while you belt out your new single, Sober. Pretty good tune though.

Blah Blah Blah Music Awards

Somewhere, someone decided that if one awards show was good 13 were better and now none of them are good. Well tonight one of the elder statesman of music awards is on....the American Music Awards. I missed the first 20 mins of the show but once I tuned in some confusion immediately overtook me. Paris Hilton and T-Pain (how do these rappers come up with these names?) are presenting an award. Paris says something about 'leavy metal' singers and they announce the nominees.

The first person they show on the montage is Chris Brown. WTH? Then they show Kid Rock and U(r)sher as the other nominees....The only heavy metal in this category are the 9mm or PBR cans these guys are packing! They show the category as they announce the winner of the Pop/Rock Singer...Pop/Rock? Seriously? Who comes up with these categories and who the hell wrote the introduction that talks about heavy metal?

I'm truly convinced that these awards shows are run by people who have zero connection to the music business. How the hell do you name a category Pop/Rock and nominate Kid Rock, U(r)sher, and Chris Brown? Well, CB won and proceeds to thank everyone and their brother while T-Pain stands there holding CB's award smiling from ear to ear with this gold teeth and saying 'thanks to all the haters'. Pop/Rock? Heavy Metal? Earth to the AMA's.....Someone needs to make you actually listen to a CD and/or the radio before you are concoct these crazy categories and nominations.....

That Metal Show

I gotta say I enjoyed the premier of this show on VH1 Classic. Their segment at the Van Halen show at Madison Square Garden armed with earpieces and microphones was solid. They interviewed concertgoers outside telling them VH (not true obviously) were on the earpieces and relayed questions/comments to them. Classic stuff.

These metalheads were wigging out that their comments offended DLR, Eddie, Alex or Wolfy. Hilarious segment. People are so gullible. They had one rocker convinced that the band had walked out of the arena due to his 'offending' comments. Stick a camera and mic in front of someone and they will believe anything...lol

I'm a huge VH fan and have seen both incarnations but I am partial to Van Hagar (hey, what can I say, I really got in to music when Van Hagar was taking the country by storm though the first album I ever listened to from them was the classic 1984. 5150 is my fav Van Hagar album though I enjoy pretty all of the albums Sammy was a part of)

I gotta say Lita Ford has some tread left. She was special guest on the premiere and apparently is making a comeback after 15 years away(thats all? Seems like alot longer than that!). She has a few more packs of cigarettes/wrinkles and tats but pretty much looks the same as she did back in the day. Welcome back Lita....

Btw, I really like Eddie Trunk. This guy has one of the best jobs out there in. He gets to talk with every rock/metal musician you can think of, has mulitiple radio shows and gets to just hang out in the middle of the hard rock/metal scene. I'm not sure there is a much better gig than this (other than being in a band like GNR or the Crue back in their prime..those tours were complete debauchery and must have been unbelieveable to be a part of)

What is this blog?

Well, I finally decided to start a blog. I'm sure no one cares but what the hell I'm gonna give it a go anyway. Everyone else has a blog, why can't I?

I figure my blog is gonna mainly be about music as I go to lots of concerts and listen to music pretty much 24/7. Hell, I'm even learning how to play guitar right now. I figured as much as I love music, as many concerts as I've been to and all the cd's and mp3's I've built up over the years I might as well try to put some of that passion towards actually learning an instrument!

So anyway, look for some concert reviews, cd's reviews, general musings on popular music and maybe even some original music from me if my guitar 'lessons' (basically me teaching myself) goes well.

Ok, I guess that's it. As you were.

Oh, by the way...If you have a good name for my blog let me know. I couldn't think of anything catchy when I set this up so I'm open to suggestions, ridicule or anything else you may think of.