Once again I will keep it short. This is a great album and I would almost liken it to the level of U2's Joshua tree. Boy, I will probably get a lot of flak for saying that, but before you judge me, listen to the album a couple of times through and pay good attention. It is absolutely beautiful and what a advancement in songwriting and musicianship. This band will be around for a while no matter if you agree with me or not. So, if you have not bought this album yet, do so and you will not regret it.

Without boring you with things that you already know, it is a definite must have for any collection that centers around rock and roll. The man and Bernie Taupin are both a genius. After looking at the track listing, you might notice a couple greats were left out like Father to Son, Country Comfort, Burn Down the Mission and most surprisingly, the fan favorite Mona Lisa'a and Mad Hatters. Other than those and a few others, it is great. Hey we all can't have everything right!

I just want to warn adn encourage people regarding a few things about this new album. First off, This cd is great. It is great to hear the girls playing the music that they love and truly excel at it. This is the music that they made before the pop flavor of the first couple of albums. My warning: If you don't care for Bluegrass, this album is not for you. Trust me. There is hardly a tune on here that is pop with the exception of Long Time Gone. However, if I personally like it so much why do I only give it 4 stars, WEEEEEELLLLL, it's slow. I personally love bluegrass, I was waiting for so long to see what they would come up with and as good as it is, more than 2/3 of this albums is ballads. Natalie has a beautiful voice for that, but when she decides to let loose as on Long Time Gone, it can be exhilerating. The ballads are good though and lyrically is it honest and delicate. Buy the album, you wont go wrong. But if Bluegrass and the Banjo are not you thing, be warned.

After all the hoopla surrounding this CD, you must have thought that something must be off about it. Well, let the truth be told! It is definitely experimental, but it is not O.K. Computer or anything. It is still without a doubt the same Wilco that we have all come to love and admire. And quite honestly, if this is your first wilco album, it just may be the best one to introduce you to the band with the exception of Being There. It is not a straight forward rock record and it does not have any country twang that most Wilco albums seem to have. It is simply a great, SMART pop record with more hooks than their previous effort. Give Wilco a try, if you have the money by this and Being There and you can see the range that they are possible of and also the brilliance af the man known as Jeff Tweedy.

This cd is not for people who are offended by blunt personalities. I am not just talking about language, but also about life and the social problems we all choose to deal with or avoid and in some cases for those you who think they are non-existent. With that aside, I don't want to make it sound like this is some sort of political record, it is far from that. I have not laughed this hard from one of her cd's since "Drunk with Passion". This is far better than that. There are a few low laugh moments, but you definitely get your money's worth (2 cd's). For those of you that know Cho's work, the best thing here is that her timing has gotten sooooo much better. She lets the audience laugh far more than she used too and her puch lines are carefully positioned so the audience has time to catch up. Buy this and ease your drive in traffic to and from work. Repeatedly!

I dont want to bore you with information that you do not need. I will stick to the point and tell you that this cd is a success no matter what you hear from other people about her age(22) her diva-esque qualities(mature for her age), whatever the matter, Norah Jones has delivered an album that you will find hard to forget. What i find even more impressive is that she actually wrote or co-wrote some of the songs on the album. She is very in touch with her vocal capabilities and does not overreach by any means. This is an experimental jazz/country/pop/blues album that actually works and that is all you need to know. And on top of all of that, the price is great!

There are very few instances where an artist' debut is so powerful that it blows everyone away such as The Pretenders, Ricki Lee Jones, Tracy Chapman and so on. This almost falls into that category. You see, you have to have a certain sense of confidence to pull it off. You have to be more that confident, you have to be talented as well. These guys have plenty of talent. In fact, being that they are sooooo young, I am really surprised. And maybe that's where the four stars came in. I just get this sense that they knew what they wanted out of their music, but in some ways I can hear and see the suits behind them. I just hope that this is a novelty "garage band" pushed in one direction by a label to get some respect. That would really suck. On any note. "Is This It" is a striking debut with a lot of authority and enough attitude to send you home feeling like there could not be a better band around today. Be careful with that thought!

Personally, I was a little dissappointed with the greatest hits collection that they released a few years ago. This collection is truly impressive and the packaging is great. It contains a nifty little book and talks about the bands history and other tid-bits here and there. I think it is a great buy and a great tribute to one of the most original bands to ever come out of the United States. Truly the one and only consistently good party band. All of your favorites are here. In fact, there seems to be at least 5 to 6 songs from each of their albums. A great joy.

I have to be honest, I was one of those that thought that the new album could not be better than "I am Shelby Lynne", and many will say that it is not. However, as good as that album was, how can you expect an artist to stay hurt and bitter for so long. With the previus effort, it seems as if Shelby let it all out, on Love Shelby, we seem to be introduced to a fresh, new and incredibly confident Shelby Lynne. There is something about this record that is true magic and it may or may not have anyhting to do with Glenn Ballard, the renowned producer of Jagged Little Pill. Whatever the case, it works and and it works well. Before I go on, you must know that there is little similarity to I Am Shelby Lynne with the exception of "Bend" and " Tarpoleon Napoleon". "Trust Me" is a good choice for an opener with its mix of spoken word and confident singing. The third track, "Jesus on a Greyhound" is my personal favorite and I cannot wait to see it live. This is one of those gems that will stick with you forever and I am sure that many people will cover it. A classic. "Wall in yur Heart", the first single, is a gentle breeze and is sung with so much sensitivity. "Aint it the Truth", is the only song here that may miss the mark and is a lttle out of place on this record. It comes off as a Janis Joplin cover. Its' good, but it breaks the continuity. " I Can't Wait", brings you back to the vision and the "Tarpolean" brings backs memories of "I am...". "Killin Kind", which was also on the Bridget Jones soundtrack, is musically the strongest track on the record without a doubt. It just works! "All of a sudden" is great as well well, but it does not have the pull in your brain as the other do. Finally there is the cover of John Lennon's "Mother" which I personally think she pulls off very well, but I am sure many will disagree and say she should have left classic alone. With all said, those of you who were not sure abut the last album and it's dark appeal, will surely like this one. I highly recommend this to newcomers and old fans alike. Enjoy!!!

Wow. I seriously cannot believe how good and powerful this album is. After the last album, Breakdown, I was a little unsure about the direction Melissa was taking with her music. Although Breakdown had some great lyrical content, the melodies were flat. With the new release of Skin, Melissa has returned to her roots and her fans will be more than satisfied. The songs are the result of Melissa and Julie'(her ex) now defunct relationship. Although there may seem to be too much about the break-up here, you never seem to get tired of it. Songs like The Prison and Down to One are some of the best tunes ME has ever written. The first single, I Want to be in Love, will please anyone as well as the closing track Heal Me with its brutally honest lyrics. This album reminds me of the days of Brave and Crazy and Yes I Am. ME plays most of the instruments on this album and it works very well. Mark my words, this is going to be a comeback album, even though she has never really gone away. It is that good. So if you are a fan and you were a little dissapointed with Breakdown, let go of your hesitations and give this one a shot. It will be in your cd player for months to come!