The Wetnaps sound much like Tom Petty, both instrumentally and vocally and the songs show potential. The fact that this is a solo project earns The Wetnaps extra marks, especially since some of the instrumental parts and arrangements are quite well done. The production sounds pretty good too, except for the vocal parts which get lost in a muddle all too often. In a musical style, where lyrics are at least as important as the music (still following the Tom Petty connection, as well as other artists listed as similiar) this is a serious drawback.

In truth, the vocals are probably the element requiring the most work here - they lack clarity and projection that is necessary to communicate the lyrical content. Unless one really concentrates, the words are hard to make out and thus pass over the head of the casual listener. A bit more of the conviction heard in the guitar playing would do wonders here. Have at it, man! :D

There's a whole bunch of songs posted here and there's no way I could go through them all, so I'll concentrate on the ones in the summary.
Of these "Gone Cold" stands out for the atmosphere. "Between The Lines" has something special, too. The other three unfortunately are very, very average. Lacking hooks or catchy melodies, instrumental or vocal, they are quickly forgotten and may even put the first time listener off to the extent of not wanting to hear the others, which would be a shame. "Early Dawn Sky" could certainly use a better chorus, for example, for it starts off pretty well. One thing I can't help wondering about is whether the current fashion for solo projects (made possible by the proliferation of cheap, quality recording and music software and equipment) isn't beckoning artists into a dead end. True, the freedom to be gained by working alone is great, but one cannot underestimate the benefit of cooperating with other musicians. For one thing, someone will always come up with a good idea (and many rotten ones besides ;) ), plus a band serves as a good safeguard against stylistic cliches. Too often, when working alone, we might miss the fact that we're repeating ourselves (especially when we have to work on every aspect of arranging the songs) and lose the focus that allows us to separate the great ideas from the not so good ones. I am of an opinion that it's better to have one great song that everyone knows, than to release (or post) fifty average ones with that one great song somewhere in the middle. The risk we're taking here is that it's simply going to get lost in the crowd.

In short, there's potential here, but it needs the fog cleared away so it can shine through.

Faza
Viridian

"Like We" isn't a bad R'n'B song as they go and shows that Lauren Crane has the voice and ability for this style (as well as other essential assets ;) ). It is therefore a pity that there is nothing there that I've not heard before. From any number of artists. As it is, this ends up sounding like Beyoncee with Sean Paul, leaving Lauren to hope that the market can absorb more of the same.

It's also something of a surprise that a showcase track for a new artist has so little of her singing on it. When the track had gone past the one minute mark without any indication that she was going to sing any words on it, I began to suspect trouble.

So there it is. Thus far Lauren has displayed quality and a good show of craft, but I personally don't think that it will be enough. The R'n'B scene is saturated at the moment and just being good won't cut it. What Lauren needs now is an idea how to distinguish herself not only from other aspiring singers, but also from the established stars. I don't think that more songs in the vein of "Like We" is the way to go.

Quiet Riot got less props than they deserve. They weren't exactly faultless, but they produced more good music than is remembered - and not just Slade covers! They were pioneers of a sound in their way and it's a pity that they weren't able to progress in their heyday, when it could've made a difference.
It is therefore something of a surprise that more than 20 years later they have produced the masterpiece that is "Rehab". It's also sad, that most people will miss out on it. One thing is certain though - they've stood the test of time and are still artistically relevant. One can't help but wonder, whether any of the bands of today will be able to do the same 20 years from now.

It's nice to hear an album that drags you in from the first notes. All the nicer since no one seems to make albums like that anymore. Motorhead have stuck to pretty much the same formula for thirty years or so, but somehow it still seems to work. Unlike recent releases from Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, "Kiss Of Death" doesn't require any time to "get into it".

The riffs are still cool and Lemmy's voice is as rough as ever. The thing that really stands out though is the songwriting. These days, when younger bands usually restrict themselves to one or two simplistic formulas (that all sound pretty much alike) and the older find it increasingly difficult to recapture the old magic, Motorhead somehow manage to write songs with enough variety and catchy hooks to rise miles above the average. This album is in no way boring. What's more, it's got that good-time rock'n'roll feel that's so difficult to find nowadays: you know, the booze'n'babes'n'being cool, that was somehow ousted by skinny neurotic lads with thick accents, baring their tortured souls on stage... Barmaid, pass the beer!

Old time fans will find everything they could desire here and new ones needn't worry about the band being past their prime. If you haven't got anything by Motorhead, why not start with this? Fledgling metal bands should be made to listen to this, so they can find out what it's all about and see that certain things remain vital and current even in this day and age. They might actually learn to play better riffs too...

If there's a gripe to be had, it's about the nu-metal influences that crop up on occasion. Not out of any purism, but simply because these are the weakest spots of an otherwise superior album.

When a band has been around as long as Motorhead, they can usually count on a hardcore body of fans to buy their CDs regardless of actual quality. "Kiss Of Death", however, shows no signs of the band losing creative potential. It deserves to be played loud, over and over again!