entertainment ave!

Artist: Michael Stanley
Listenability Scale: 95%
Released by: Line Level Music
A Review by:
- The Dude on the Right

First an intro… When I moved to Chicago in 1985, the Michael Stanley Band was still big in Cleveland, but for the most part no one I met in Chicago heard of them except for one dude who worked at the campus bowling alley and thought they rocked when they opened up, I believe he said, at a Foreigner concert he went to see. As the years have gone on I’ve seen the band break up, a side project of Ghost Poets, and then Michael Stanley sort of going solo yet still working with many of the same bandmates over the years. I would check out his website, www.michaelstanley.com, every now and then just to see if anything new had popped up (buying most of everything new or re-issued, and reviewing of few of them) because much like 1985, Michael doesn’t get many mentions here in Chi-Town. I say "many" because there is a talk radio dude here called Steve Dahl who every now and then likes to play "Midwest Midnight" because he likes the line about "that bandstand girl," and reminisces about the time MSB opened up for his band, and Steve still can’t figure out why because he thought the Michael Stanley Band was so much better than his band was.

In any case, I’ve been lax on checking out Michael Stanley’s website lately, and then I get a comment from some dude nicknamed "SOK" wondering what I thought about Michael Stanley’s latest, "The Soft Addictions." I had to reply back that I didn’t even realize there was a new CD out there, checked the web site, ordered one and yet got two copies (my bonus).

After having listened to "The Soft Addictions" for a while now, much like a lot of musicians that I’ve grown up with listening to, their sound sometimes gets a little bit more reflective, maybe even a little softer, but Michael Stanley shows he still rocks right off the bat with the "The Curves of Bratenahl," and heads right into the reflective, guitar-driven "Lovers Lane" about a couple growing old together, but sadly not that happily, though the bad times might all be worth it if they could get one more shot at that lover’s lane thing.

Okay, I’d better stop trying to analyze all of the songs on the CD right now, because, well, lots of people interpret lyrics differently, and I’m sure I’ll get something wrong, so lets just say "The Soft Addictions" continues showing Michael Stanley still has a great knack for using his lyrics to tell stories, paint pictures, and he uses it all by mixing up the music with things a little softer like "My Side of the Moment," getting bluesy on "Cadillac Man," almost gospelish on "When It’s Time to Dance Alone," and he doesn’t forget the guitar-rock sound that makes all of us, the instant we hear it, remember back a few years to when we were younger.

I always say I really don’t like doing CD reviews because it is so hard to tell someone if the music is any good because so many people listen to music in different ways, and even though I like Michael Stanley getting a little more reflective here, you just might wish he would put out another "North Coast." Concerts are easier to review because whether I like the show or not, in the end a concert is about pleasing the fans that paid to see it, even though, much to my continued dismay, somehow I keep missing covering Michael Stanley whenever I visit the old homestead. He usually puts on a show around Christmas-time in Cleveland, so maybe he’ll do the same and this year will be the time I finally see him on stage. Sorry, I digress.

In the end I really liked "The Soft Addictions," especially after a couple of plays (I have to admit the first go around I wasn’t paying total attention to the music and when the CD was done at first I thought "I guess it was okay"). Then I took it along for one of my weekend walks and listened to some of the lines in the songs (I loved the concept and thoughts of "Same Blood (Different Vein)"), caught a subtle nuance (like the beer can opening which made me chuckle) during "Drinkin’ In the Driveway" complete with lyrics perfectly painting the picture of the dude "Wearin’ an old Skynard Tank Top Two Sizes Small" and a great line of "Proud that he ain’t bought one damn thing since Floyd did The Wall," and found that my favorite song from the CD is the last official track, "No Rules When You Dream."

There is a bonus track on the CD, simply titled "Michael Stanley," and I’m assuming someone out there in internet land can help me out on exactly what it is because as I’m writing this on a Saturday, well, I can’t call Michael’s radio show, my Google searches only helped me find out what "Otto’s Grotto" is but not the identities of Loopy nor Crispy, and my final investigative avenue is a pending registration on the Michael Stanley message board where it might have been discussed. I thought it might be a portion of a track off of Michael’s first record, simply titled "Michael Stanley," except the commentary mentioned 40 years since Otto’s Grotto and the "Michael Stanley" record came out in 1973 when, sadly, I was only 6 and didn’t have the allowance to go record shopping yet!

Anyway, if you’ve grown up with Michael Stanley through the years, have purchased any of his later CD’s and liked them, I suggest you get yourself a copy of "The Soft Addictions." It’s got some rockin’, it’s got some rollin’, it’s got some reflectin’, and it has one of my new favoritist songs, "No Rules When You Dream." On the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale "The Soft Addictions" gets a solid 95%.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Dude Note: And the internet comes through! The bonus track portion, I have come to find out (Thanks Ann via e-mail and Dave from Akron via the Michael Stanley Message Forum), is from Michael’s first album in a band called "Silk" called "Walk in My Mind," and thanks to my getting approved to peruse the Message Forum (Thanks Shea!), I was even able to find out who Loopy and Crispy are. P.S. Go Tribe!

Artist: Alabama
Listenability Scale: 95%
Released by: BMG Entertainment
A Review by:
- The Dude on the Right

One of my favorite country bands of all times is Alabama so it should be no surprise that this is one of my favorite CD’s. As is the case with a lot of country albums, at least according to my secretary, it’s filled with sad songs, like “Lady Down on Love” and “Then Again,” but I must say Alabama does a better job at keeping things upbeat. This CD gives you a “Dixieland Delight,” a “Song of the South,” a “High Cotton,” and even a “Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)” which although could have been a really sad song had daddy not been found, does show that sometimes the man upstairs is listenin’. A great live band, and a great CD, this one gets a 95% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale. I would have given it 100%, but I can do without “Hats Off.” Just my opinion.

That’s it for this quick review! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Artist: Matchbox Twenty
Listenability Scale: 100%
Released by: Atlantic/Lava Records
A Review by:
- The Dude on the Right

Every now and then you hear a band you just can’t seem to get enough of. You play the CD over and over until you think that it’s all you can take, and then you get to see the band live and all of a sudden now you have images to go along with the songs so you play that CD over and over, again. All of a sudden you forget about all of the other bands you liked because this band is it, and wish there were more bands out there like these guys. Well, the latest band that does this for me has these five guys calling themselves matchbox 20, and the CD is called “Yourself or Someone Like You.”

Why matchbox 20? Why “Yourself or Someone Like You?” Well, maybe my listening tastes need something different from the angry, the world hates us, alternative stuff that has been shoved down our throats for the last few years. Maybe I’m tired of trying to figure out what the Eddie Vedder’s of the world are trying to say and am looking for rock and roll with lyrics that are intelligible (has anyone ever really figured out the lyrics to “Yellow Leadbetter” yet?), a band that tosses in some harmonies, a band using more that three chords for a song, and a band that still keeps the energy level that alternative bands have brought to the stage. All of that seems to happen with matchbox 20.

Rob Thomas leads the five guys by handling the lead vocals and most of the songwriting. Filling in the other four of this talented band are Kyle Cook playing one hell of a lead guitar, Adam Gaynor handling rhythm guitar, Brian Yale on bass, and Paul Doucette pounding out the drums.

So that’s the band, what about the CD? Well, “Yourself or Someone Like You” can probably be over-analyzed by the best of them. Many of the lyrics jump right out at you, making you think one thing, but as you look at the entire song you see something entirely different. But then there are the subtle lines that themselves can keep ringing in your ears, lyric lines like “She thinks that happiness is a mat that sits on her doorway” from “3 am.” It’s just different. Without going into therapy figuring out the lyrics, I’ll just say that the CD is remarkably easy to listen to. From the acoustic driven, cool harmonies, and winding down “Hang” to the electric guitar, up-beat, and in your face “Long Day,” this CD will have you drifting calmly at one point and then singing while nearly banging your head a little later.

It’s refreshing hearing a band drawing on the clean-sounding rock and pop that was present in the eighties, but they’ve changed it a notch to keep it fresh and new for the nineties. The only problem, at least in the Chicago radio spectrum I’m stuck in – is that no one seems to play them. And you know, I don’t think it’s because no one likes them, but in all honesty their sound doesn’t fit the stale playlists that are hitting my radio. That’s really too bad because for a change there’s a band that is fresh, mixing clean rock of old with energy of today, and the number three market in the country has yet to recognize them. But me, I found them, and am telling you that if you don’t want to take a chance buying the CD then head to their web site or the Atlantic Records site and check out some of the audio samples. If you’re still not sure, head to your favorite records store and pop the CD in a listening station. I think you just might like the energy, you just might like the musical stylings, and you just will probably head home with the CD.

In all honesty, I can listen to every song on the CD over and over and not skip any of them – and that’s rare. A very cool band, a very cool CD, and here’s hoping you like them too. I won’t do this often, but it’s a 100% for “Yourself or Someone Like You” from matchbox 20 on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale. It’s good to hear a talented band doing something a little different again, it’s good to hear harmonies and backing vocals again, and it’s good to hear clean intensity for a change. It’s good to hear matchbox 20.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Artist: Bill Engvall
Listenability Scale: 90%
Released by: Warner Bros. Nashville A Review by:
- The Dude on the Right

Bill Engvall is one funny guy. My appreciation for his humor started when I saw him open for John Michael Montgomery who opened for Reba, and then continued to grow when I saw him play emcee between Jo Dee Messina, Toby Keith, and Joe Diffie. I guess, like most good comics, his talent comes from translating everyday life situations into anything we can laugh at. I kind of liken him to Bill Cosby. Mr. Engvall goes from golf, to the fair, to the family and gives a reason for people to laugh. Now, it’s really kind of hard to review a comedy CD without really listing all of the jokes, but that can’t even relate the jokes because a lot of times it’s in the voice and inflections of the comedian that the jokes take a life. So, I guess I’ll just kind of go through the track by track synopsis thing and kind of abbreviate.

I like a great comedian as much as the next person, there is nothing like a great laugh, especially when you’re laughing at yourself. His jokes are basically clean, but geared towards adults or at least those who can understand the adult world. The CD is a great representation of his live show, but like just about any comedian, go see him live. Just be sure you wear some adult diapers because you might find yourself peeing in your pants. As a comedy CD, Bill Engvall’s “Here’s Your Sign” is a winner. It’s a 90% on the listenability scale, and if you see his name anywhere near your town, go to see him live – that will tip it to 100%. That’s it for this one, I’m The Dude on the Right! L8R!!

Artist: Dire Straits
Listenability Scale: 95%
Released by: Warner Bros. Records A Review by:
- The Dude on the Right

Sure, I always liked “Sultans of Swing”, but never classified myself as a Dire Straits fan. That changed when I saw a band called Crack’d Actor play in college, doing a cover of “Expresso Love.” For some reason that song got me hooked, and “Alchemy” is one of those CD’s that I love to crank-up because in my opinion, it’s much better on the louder side.

This is a collection of a bunch of great Dire Straits’ songs, from the mentioned “Expresso Love” to “Romeo and Juliet”, “Solid Rock,” and after you’ve listened to the CD’s a couple of times, who doesn’t yell with Mark Knopfler, “Thank yououou” before a great version of “Sultans of Swing.”

Dire Straits always did a great job of mixing fantastic guitar with great keyboard nuances, and Alchemy is a great live collection showing the multiple talents of one of the great bands.

It’s a 95% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale. It’s better loud – go ahead, bother the neighbors.

That’s it for this quick review. I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Artist: Aerosmith
Listenability Scale: 90%
Released by: Geffen Records
A Review by:
- The Dude on the Right

Sometimes having a lot of CD’s isn’t a good thing because you forget how much you really liked some of them. Case in point for me was Aerosmith’s “Pump.” As I went from song to song, I realized that every song on this CD is a keeper for me. Sure, there is a similarity in songs, with the usual driving guitar of Joe Perry and the over-the-top voice of Steven Tyler, but if you listened to any rock radio in the late 1980’s and ‘90’s, you can recognize many a tune from this one, namely “What it Takes,” “Love In An Elevator,” “The Other Side,” and “Janie’s Got a Gun,” and along with those you also remember every music video.

This is just a great, rockin’ album, and even past the radio hits, everything is solid and shows the talents of one of the best bands out there. 90% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale.

That’s it for this quick review! I’m

The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Artist: Tim Wilson
Listenability Scale: 20%
A Review by:
- The Dude on the Right

I’m sure there are people who find Tim Wilson funny, but I’m not one of them. I mean, I try to relate to where a comic is coming from with the best of them, but this time I couldn’t relate. There were a couple of things that made me grin while listening to this CD, namely the “Tide & Skittles” bit, the line about John Rocker going to his proctologist who told him he found his head, and I didn’t know anyone did an impression of Michael McDonald, but for the most part I just didn’t find myself laughing that much. If you’re a fan, you’ll probably laugh your ass off, but for me, this one’s a 20% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale.

That’s it for this quick review! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Artist: Uncle Kracker
Listenability Scale: 75%
Released by: Lava/Atlantic Records
A Review by:
- The Dude on the Right

So you liked Uncle Kracker because he does the song “Follow Me,” which if you listen to the lyrics you find out that it’s a song about cheating on your husband/fiancé with a loser whose only quality is able to turn you on. It’s a lovely little song, so then you bought the CD, popped it into your CD player, and one of the first things you hear is Kid Rock giving advice to Uncle Kracker, namely “make sure you pinch it at the top before you roll it down.” Okay, that’s a little stunner, so you keep listening and get treated to some swearing (guess you should have paid a little more attention to the “Parental Advisory” label), and find out that pretty much, Uncle Kracker is a rapper who mixes melodies into the songs, like on “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.” Don’t get me wrong, I like this CD, and give it a 75% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale, but it always cracks me up a little bit when a singer or band put one or two radio-friendly tunes on a CD (Sugar Ray did that at the beginning of their boom days too), but when you pop that CD into the player, things are totally different.

That’s it for this quick review! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Artist: Travis Tritt
Listenability Scale: 90%
Released by: Warner Bros. Records
A Review by:
- The Dude on the Right

My tormented secretary doesn’t listen to country music much anymore. She said pretty much every song had something depressing about it, or at least sounded depressing. As I was listening to “It’s All About to Change,” I started to tell her, “Hey, this is an upbeat song,” referring to “Bible Belt,” and then I remembered it was pretty much the story of a preacher who cheats on his wife. As I looked through the song list, I pretty much had to agree with her, but still, I’ve always enjoyed this CD. “Here’s a quarter, call someone who cares” is one of those classic lyrics, and even though “Bible Belt” is a sad story, it’s still a fun song to sing along with.

I’m not a fan of “Homesick,” but pretty much love the rest of the CD, so for that it’s a 90% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale, even if most of the songs are really kinda depressing.

That’s it for this quick review! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Artist: Stone Temple Pilots
Listenability Scale: 100%
Released by: Atlantic Records
A Review by:
-  The Wimp

Stone Temple Pilots continues to be a band that never ceases to amaze. Their latest release, “Tiny Music…Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop” is another classic. I can honestly say that although Pearl Jam’s “ten” is one of the greatest albums of all time, STP, album for album, is the better band. STP continues to blend a variety of sounds into their own talented mix.

Not taking anything away from STP’s music, but it continues to be the type where you say to yourself, “This sounds like…” Early on, it was Pearl Jam and Soundgarden progressing now to a seventies retro meets Jane’s Addiction with a country/hula twang thrown in. This album has been on top of my “always listen to” pile with Dokken’s “Dysfunctional” and Van Halen’s “Best of – Volume I” for the last few months. It’s a great album, and with hits like “Big Bang Baby”, “Lady Picture Show”, “Tumble in the Rough”, and “Trippin’ On a Hole in a Paper Heart”, this album is one of my “soon” to be published (Dude on the Right, my editor, chuckles at this point) “Wimp’s Top 25 Albums of the All Time.” Here are my comments for each of the tunes.

- Press Play (Instrumental)
Funky seventies retro thang. It works for me.

- Pop’s Love Suicide
Whiny grunge song. Kinda grating but lots of energy.

- Tumble in the Rough *****
Groovin’ song with some radio play.

- Big Bang Baby *****
A seventies retro…STP is the only band in the 90′s that has been able to pull the seventies retro thing in a cool way.

- Lady Picture Show *****
Another great song with radio play. A grunge tune with a hidden sadness

- And So I Know
A slow song that reminds me of a mild Jane’s Addiction ballad.

- Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart *****
Yet again another classic. Groovin’ grunge at its finest.

- Art School Girl
Funky song…I love it. “I got a girlfriend, she got a girlfriend.” Hubba hubba

- Adhesive
Another ballad. The kind you chill with after lovin’. Heeeyyy baby.

- Ride the Cliché
Another grunge sounding tune. A good song towards the end of the CD, where most bands tend to hide the so-so songs.

- Daisy (Instrumental)
Two instrumentals on one album…hmmm. Hula music…ahhhh. (See previous note about end of album songs)

- Seven Caged Tigers
Good song with grunge sound. This album is worth listening to from start to finish.

(Songs marked with ***** are songs that I think would make any album great)

Well, all in all a great album. I’m giving this one a 100% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale!

That’s it, I’m The Wimp!