|
|
My Ten Favorite Albums Of All TimeMar 28 '05 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Music
The Bottom Line My Ten Favorite Albums of All-Time (though most are quite recent)
I haven't been around that long. Not just on Epinions, but in real life. When I look at some of your ages, I feel like the young guy who's totally naive. Every single one of you probably can find albums that I would enjoy more than this made in the time frame before I was born. Nevertheless, I still enjoy specific albums, and I definitely have my ten favorite... 10) Regeneration - Superchic[k] (2003) I don't know if I can really put this in my top 10... it already finished just at #7 for 2003. But this album has a lot of sentimental value to me and my friends. Songs like "Hero (Red Pill Mix)" are amazingly uplifting and feature some great new recordings. That's another reason why this remix album has done so well: They didn't just mix the tracks, Superchic[k] rerecorded them. It's not surprising that this band got to highlight Legally Blonde's Soundtrack: Their music is uplifting, while having a great feel to it. Many of the songs that were re-mixed got a new vibe to it while not compromising the message or the music. There's also a new addition: "Me Agaisnt The World," an anthemic song saying not to mold to others just because they are popular or whatever. Matt Dally rarely takes the stage, but his rap on the re-mix of "Hero" shows himself to be one of the best rappers in the CCM, ranking up even with the mainstream rappers, if he got attention. Max Hsu, ex-member of the Church of Rhythm, definitely molded this band into a great one. Their lyrics are meant for girls, and are often cliché, but there's a lot of sentimental value in this album that I'd prefer not to talk about. Website: http://www.superchickonline.com 9) Fallen - Evanescence (2003) Amy Lee and Ben Moody (Who now works with Avril Lavigne) suddenly jumped right into the mainstream scene with their first album on Wind-Up Records: Fallen. This album consists of some very strong tracks, although many sound similar. "Bring Me To Life" is arguably one of the best songs of modern times, inserting some screams and has a lot harder feel to it than most of the album, while "My Immortal" is a ballad that really lets a listener catch his or her breath and take a break. The guitar riffs on this album are stellar, and although Evanescence isn't 100% original (they do sound quite like Lacuna Coil), they have popularized the female-fronted rock band idea, and many soundalikes (Flyleaf, for example) have popped up after the success of this album. The one small downside is that many of the tracks sound very alike, so you have to be in a more heavy, angry, or serious mood to enjoy this album. This rock band will hopefully make another album one day... I've been waiting for it. Hopefully, even with Moody gone, it'll still be great. Website: http://www.evanescence.com 8) If I Left The Zoo - Jars of Clay (1999) Jars of Clay has had a very successful career. I've enjoyed every single one of their albums to date (I haven't heard the whole Redemption Songs album, which is all hymns), and even with the changing of sound through the maturing of this band, they've still been great. Jars of Clay has accomplished much in their career, not only helping save a drowning Essential Records, but help with the Blood:Water Mission and other organizations to reach out to people in Africa. At the same time, Dan Haseltine, the lead singer, understands creativity, caring more about the album's real originality rather than the album's ability to produce radio singles. Of course, this isn't without saying that many of their songs have become very successful radio singles, winning 9 dove awards in total. It's not too common nowadays that an artist with this amount of creativity gets this much attention from the mainstream, since everyone seems to enjoy ripping off tried-and-true sounds that rake in money quickly. Their latest albums are also great, ranking up there with the rest of them. However, If I Left The Zoo beats out the rest by a slight bit. Songs like "Collide" and "Unforgetful You" are mind-blowing, thoughtful, amazing, whatever. The album just showcases some of Jars' best work to date, and my #2 album of 1999 will take a place on my all-time favorites list. Website: http://www.jarsofclay.com 7) Sonicflood - Sonicflood (1999) In 1999, the band Zilch, the touring band for dc Talk, somehow became Sonicflood (one of the Zilch members stayed in Zilch, or whatever [it's real confusing] and there still is a Zilch today) because they wanted to record a praise album. They found lead man Jeff Deyo and got him to record the vocals for the album. This new band revolutionized Christian music, taking several worship songs and changed them to make them more upbeat, while adding a few of their own original songs. Cuts like "I Can Sing Of Your Love Forever" only improve on the original, while choices like "I Want To Know You (In The Secret)" are amazingly catchy. The main downside to this album is the ever-dragging "Holiness", which is over 7 minutes long, but that has a lot to do with the fact that I don't enjoy listening to repetitive songs that long. If it was shortened to 3 - 4 minutes, there wouldn't be a problem. The only other problem was the ever-so-long speech after Heart Of Worship, which I can't really hear that well anyways. Sadly, the real Sonicflood is dead (seems like Jeff Deyo argued with the rest of the band), and Rick Heil has taken control of Sonicflood with the exit of Jeff Deyo and the other band members. So this is the only album we'll ever appreciate from them. DARN YOU RICK HEIL!!! Website: http://www.gotee.com 6) Room Noises - Eisley (2005) Pop is dying. Sorry, my mistake, real pop was dying. The newest of my favorite albums, Room Noises has quickly become a pop album I have absolutely loved. The lyrics are thought-provoking, something that's becoming less common in music, especially the pop genre, while the music isn't a ripoff. Sherri and Stacy's duets are absolutely touching and amazingly woven. On songs like "Brightly Wound", they put two different melodies with two different lyric sets and tunes and mush them together, creating an absolute feel. Stacy's harmonies for Sherri throughout the whole album aren't anything less than excellent, and when Stacy takes the mike to lead "Marvelous Things," my world just goes crazy *gushgushdrooldrool*. Not to mention, her keyboarding tunes are... so... gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood................... Sherri's voice isn't as stellar as Stacy's, but still a great voice. Her leads throughout the album creating a magical feel for each song, each one original in its own way. Lyrics like the ones on "Telescope Eyes" are heart-felt, and the sadness fills the air when these songs are played. On the other hand, lyrics like the ones on "Plenty of Paper" are absolutely mind-cracking. Those lyrics are so hard to comprehend or understand. But that's the joy of Eisley: Not being able to fully understand their purpose. The main downside, other than the "Lost At Sea (Remix)", is the fact that a few of their best songs were made a bit more upbeat to appeal to a mainstream audience. They don't sound bad, they're just less perfect. Nevertheless, a must-have for any one who likes softer music. Website: http://www.eisley.com 5) mmhmm - Relient K (2004) Relient K (Yes, I know it's a name of a car) came about a long time back then. Their self-titled debut was an actual bomb. With the exception of a few hilarious tracks, the album was downright embarassing. The sophomore effort really turned me into a fan. Anatomy of the Tongue In Cheek (which happens to be my 11th favorite album) was really successful, creating some great ballads like "For The Moments I Feel Faint" and "Less Is More", while getting the good relationship songs in such as "Sadie Hawkins Dance", without leaving out the harder serious stuff such as "Failure To Excommunicate" And "Down In Flames." However, the album was a bit on-and-off, which was the main weakness and why I left it off the top 10. Two Lefts Don't Make A Right... But Three Do had some great melodies, and both Mood Rings and I Am Understood? were amazing, while songs such as Forward Motion weren't too shabby at all. Although still a good album, the third project was slightly lacking, not having the lyrical strength or musical genius that Anatomy had. Now, Relient K comes back with mmhmm, a much more mature, serious album than what had been showcased on the other three albums. Relient K has definitely matured, with the only fun thing in the whole album coming with the secret track (which really sucks). Tracks like "I So Hate Consequences" and "Which To Bury, Us Or The Hatchet?" include a bit of harder stuff, mixing a few screams with the regular pop-punk sound, while songs like "Life After Death And Taxes" bring an interesting turn for this band, such as the aforementioned track using 2/4 time, a first for this up and coming band. Even without their trademark crazy lyrics, they're still witty and still have great melodies with great meanings. "More Than Useless" is a song everyone MUST hear (hear it at http://www.purevolume.com/relientk), being the most uplifting song on the album, yet still having that great beat. "Don't Be There" and "Let It All Out" are great ballads as well. The theme of this album is that life is boring without God. The album is all-in-all fantastic, even without the tracks that make me laugh. Relient K has grown. So has their music. Now on a record deal with Atlantic, maybe the whole world will know. Website: http://www.relientk.com 4) Jesus Freak - dc Talk (1995) dc Talk's previous album (before this one), Free At Last, had caught the eyes of some, but to most, it was a page that got a glance, nothing more. The rap-rock sound was nice, and all three of the members really collaborating was also great, but the music wasn't... great. It was pretty good, but "pretty good" wasn't good enough, not for great bands, not for dc Talk. However, their next album, which was long-awaited, took the CCM (and the mainstream world) by surprise. Jesus Freak held that edgy rock sound with rap influences, reducing the amount of rap. Also, Toby does most of the leads on this one, pushing Tait and Kevin Max to back him up. This album is led by the hit single, "Jesus Freak." That song alone, which had a crazy rap beat and some in-depth and catchy lyrics, won 2 doves, plus helped dc Talk to win one for "Best Artist of the Year," an INCREDIBLE feat, considering usually only pop or worship artists win the award. "Jesus Freak" also had some other good songs. Both "Between You and Me" and "Like It, Love It, Need It" also took one dove, having creative lyrics and a strong rockier sound. dc Talk really changed in the time between Supernatural and Jesus Freak. Sure, dc Talk had won some people over with Free At Last, which also garnered a few doves, but if it wasn't for Jesus Freak, their highly successful career consisting of many doves and grammies would've never occurred. dc Talk is gone now. They're "temporarily" going solo. It'll be years before we see them together again. None of the three soloists are able to produce the sound they had as a group. Sure, Toby has some decent hip hop beats and Kevin's music is crazy original, while Tait's Empty was also very good, but none of them matched the strength of this album. Website: http://www.dctalk.com 3) Take Me To Your Leader - Newsboys (1996) Newsboys' had a few albums before releasing Going Public , which really did what the title said. The blast hit and most well-known Newsboys song, "Shine," not only put the Newsboys in the spotlight ofthe Christian Music Scene, but also garnered attention from some in the Secular Market. Newsboys followed this up with Take Me To Your Leader. Four of the tracks on this album ended up on Shine: The Hits, their greatest hits collection, showing the strength of this album. This album also contains some amazing songs. "God Is Not A Secret" is a great anthem, while the title track is amazing fun to sing along with. "Breakfast" is also one of the well-known group's popular songs, a great sing-along with witty humor. However, the real prize in this album is "Lost The Plot", a five-minute somber piece led by not Jon James, but Peter Furler, who has now become the lead singer of the band. The song features great and powerful, yet quiet and slow guitar riffs, while adding in a awkward but interesting melody. The lyrics outshine anything on the album, talking about a man who came to Christ but lost it. Although "Lost The Plot" is the definite winner on this album, the whole album is quite consistent and each song defines itself in a different way. This is definitely the way to start a Newsboys collection. Website: http://www.newsboys.com 2) The Beautiful Letdown - Switchfoot (2003) Switchfoot has had an illustrious career. They started in 1997 with the release of Legend of Chin, which didn't make too many waves. However, the album was very good, and although the production was a bit lacking, the album featured some great songs that Jon Foreman, the lead singer, wrote. Follow that with New Way To Be Human, two years later. Again, this album did not get to many people, but Switchfoot's fan base was slowly growing. The album was a bit too clean, being on the other end of the spectrum. Not to mention, this album was slightly worse, following the sophomore slump idea. However, Switchfoot once again rebounded in 2001 with Learning To Breathe, an album that combined elements of the previous album with ones from the debut. The album was solid most of the time, and "Living Is Simple" is still a great Switchfoot song that needs to be heard. Switchfoot was gaining a lot of popularity in the CCM, but when they highlighted the A Walk To Remember Soundtrack, the gates blew wide open. Jon's "Only Hope" was on the album, along with Ms. Mandy Moore's version of the epic ballad. Other than that sophomore song, there were quite a few picks from Learning To Breathe. "I Dare You To Move" became the most popular Switchfoot song, surprising because it wasn't even released as a single. Two years later, in 2003, The Beautiful Letdown was released. Aided by a mainstream deal with Columbia, the album consists of some ballads mixed with some harder stuff. Tracks like "Ammunition" and "Meant To Live" are absolute rockers, while "24" and "On Fire" are harmonious ballads. I haven't even mentioned songs like "Gone", "More Than Fine", and "Adding To The Noise," which all are fun singalong songs. The type of songs differs, but the power of each one stays. The lyrics are superb, not overly spiritual yet contain elements of symbolism. The album as a whole, musically, is very strong, improving "Dare You To Move" and releasing it as a single. The main underlying theme to this album is that we should live our lives to the full, as highlighted through "Meant To Live", "Dare You To Move", and "This Is Your Life", the three mainstream singles. Switchfoot is coming out with another album in a few months. It'll be tough to top this. Website: http://www.switchfoot.com 1) Woven And Spun - Nichole Nordeman (2002) Nichole has had an amazing career. Her musical life started in 1998 with Wide Eyed, a flaw-filled but beautiful album consisting of her problems and her life and such. Songs like "To Know You" are still great songs, and are full of meaning, going outside the box. In 2000, she released This Mystery. The album was similar to the debut, talking about her problems and her life. Because of it, she also won a dove for Best Female Vocalist and one of her songs that didn't get any radio play was nominated for song of the year. However, in 2002, Nichole took a totally different step. She wrote an album about God's grace and goodness. As said in the liner notes, she couldn't write. She sat at the piano with too many ideas. It wasn't easy writing about God, putting the focus on him. But she did it. She put down some amazing tracks on this one, naming the album after a line in one of her songs. Songs like "Holy", "Even Then" and "Mercies New" were praise filled. But the real ones... the wonders that no one else on Earth can write... "Legacy" really shows her powerful songwriting abilities, talking about what she wants to leave as an impression of herself. Follow that up with "My Offering", which is quite similar in meaning. "Gratitude" was a great track of praise, but simplistic and not too hard to follow. The one blunder on this album is "Never Loved You More," an upbeat bomb that means very little, something the label probably prompted her to record. However, the real wonder on this album (my favorite song from ANY artist ever) is "I Am", a 5 minute song on a person's life. The person grows up, and the names of God change from unknown ones like "Superhero" to more commonly known ones like "Savior." The whole album, save one track, is absolutely touching, and this album still brings me to tears at the "Legacy"/"I Am" section. Nichole will be releasing Brave on May 9th. It's the only album ever that I'll buy on the release date. Website: http://www.nicholenordeman.com Well, there are 10 albums that have really touched me. From pop sound such as Eisley to the rock in Superchic[k] or Evanescence to the AC ballad type in Nichole, you can see it all here. These albums do have one thing in common though: the lyrics. They all mean something. The music styles may be different, but the lyrics... they all are deep. These are albums that I recommend you take a listen to.  |
| Read all comments (2)|Write your own comment |
|
Ads by Google
|
by starcollector
by George_Chabot
![Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast Reviews](http://di2.shopping.com/images/pi/95/a4/8a/2006752046-100x100-0-0.jpg?p=p4.d4bf47830c8406acbede&a=2&c=1&l=8071320&t=120603043722&r=1)
