Reviews :
Bringing the timeless lyrics and melodies of iconic super group ABBA to movie audiences, this summer is the season for Mamma Mia! Meryl Streep leads an all-star cast in the feature-film adaptation of the beloved musical that has been seen by more than 30 million people in 160 cities and 8 languages around the world. Meryl Streep plays an independent, single mother and owner of a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, about to let go of her spirited daughter whom she’s raised alone. But the young bride has secretly invited some guests of her own three men from her mom’s past, one of whom is the girl’s biological father. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled, in this warm and hilarious adaptation of one of the most popular musicals ever written.
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Reviews :
Great
No time to write details ... it's just a fabulously infections, well-written, well-played, and great sounding CD. the title track is the best song of this century thus far.

another good cd!
just as the title states another good album by cold play. I am always excited when they come out with another album because I love to hear what new direction they were willing to try.
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Reviews :
Loving It!
I'm not generally a Kid Rock fan, but I love All Summer Long and wanted to buy it on iTunes. Of course, I soon found out that none of Kid Rock's stuff is on iTunes (or any other download service.) Bummer. So I listened to some of the other songs on his web site and actually liked most of them. I bought the album and haven't been disappointed - it is really good! The more you listen, the more you like it. Of course, I have to screen the songs around my kids, but I have been enjoying it and just wish it didn't have "explicit lyrics" on some of the songs - but that's Kid Rock!

Great album
As you may or may not know, this album is not available in itunes. I am generally not a fan of Kid Rock's older stuff, but this album has a lot of great songs, among my favorites are Summertime, Roll On and Amen. Great album!
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Reviews :
HELP
It's many years since I first saw this film. It took me back to "The Time" . . . Quite corny and, in my opinion, not as good as A Hard Days Night, but nonetheless a bit of fun.

Still Magnificent After All These Years
It's 43 years since the release of this film and you almost wouldn't know it. The music is still magnificent, the plot is still hilarious, and the extras make it all the more worthwhile, even if your kids are astonished to discover that Paul McCartney was in another band before Wings.

The plot is fairly simple: Ringo is wearing a ring (which he can't seem to get off of his finger) that marks him as the next victim to be sacrificed for the sake of an obscure eastern religion. Besides being pursued by the leader and various followers of that odd group, he is being pursued by two mad scientists who want the ring because they believe its unusual properties will allow them to rule the world. In the telling of the story we're treated to all manner of aural and visual puns, social commentary, and extraordinary music that has lasted all these years without becoming an embarrassment to the memory.

It's sad to think we no longer have John Lennon and George Harrison with us in life, but I'm glad there is this beautifully preserved film along with commentary.
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Reviews :
Produced by John Fields (with Jon Lind and Kevin Jonas, Sr., serving as executive producers), "A Little Bit Longer" covers much musical and emotional ground, kicking off with the joyful jam "BB Good." Says Joe of the track, "It's a big sing-along song, and it's fun." The funky and danceable debut single, "Burnin' Up," keeps the party going, with Big Rob, the brothers' hefty security guard, rapping midtrack. "It's about this girl," adds Joe. "Maybe she's at a party, and you feel that immediate connection. You both know it's there." Though relentlessly upbeat, most songs on "A Little Bit Longer" explore star-crossed standoffs and missed romantic opportunities. Songs like "Shelf," the hard-rocking "Pushin' Me Away" and "One Man Show" survey love's unequal playing field, bad break-ups and the defiant isolation that follows. "'Shelf' is one my favorite songs on the record," says Nick. "Basically, it's about a girl that has a gallery of hearts." Other songs take a light-hearted look at the craziness of fame and fortune. "Video Girl" paints a portrait of the shallow wannabees dotting the entertainment landscape (" Move to L.A., got no talent/Not even like you won a Miss Teen pageant"), while "Lovebug" starts out as sweet-tempered acoustic love song before ending up a crashing Queen-like rocker. Of course, the brothers made sure the album breathes. The power ballad "Sorry" features classic JB harmonies and an eternal message of forgiveness. But the song that will have people talking is "A Little Bit Longer," Nick's stunning account of his struggle with diabetes. With strings underscoring a plaintive piano/vocal, he sings about his battle ("A little bit longer and I'll be fine/Waitin' on a cure/But none of them are sure"). Recalls Nick, "I was having one of those days where I was discouraged. So I went into this empty hotel ballroom and wrote this song." Adds brother Kevin, "Nick sings this song every night and it brings people to tears. It's amazing." The brand new album from the Jonas Brothers includes a 30 page CDVU+ experience including: Exclusive Video Performances 60 Printable Photos Complete Album Lyrics Downloadable Graphics Hidden Links Package Made from 100% Recycled Materials!
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Reviews :
Anyone looking for the key to Abba's enduring appeal should look no further than "Voulez Vous" and "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" for their answer. There was an innocence to the Swedish quartet, even when they were singing about one-night stands and the invitations to them. Gold establishes that the band, while appreciated as campy, were actually multifaceted in their execution. "S.O.S." has a raw urgency in its chorus, and "Does Your Mother Know" draws its energy from classic '50s rock & roll. Likewise, you don't have to be Priscilla to swoon over "Mamma Mia" or "Dancing Queen." And when it comes to drama, those soaring vocals on "The Winner Takes It All" turn the song into a bitter anthem of every relationship that has ever fallen apart. The much-covered "Lay All Your Love on Me" is practically epic. --Steve Gdula
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Reviews :
Randy Newman's first studio album of all new material in nearly a decade is, by turns, hilarious, poignant and scathingly satirical. Harps and Angels often has an easy going Crescent City feel, with Newman on piano fronting a small combo and revealing, as Rolling Stone put it after the Carnegie Hall show, his serious love and study of the New Orleans piano tradition.
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Reviews :
Special Edition includes bonus tracks and a DVD featuring the making of All Hope Is Gone. After over 5 million albums sold in the US, Slipknot returns with their most powerful
statement yet - All Hope Is Gone. Filled with the fury people have come to expect from
Slipknot as well as some extraordinary surprises, this album is the culmination of the
band' s 9 unique members, three platinum albums and their 10 year journey at the top
of the Hard Rock genre. Kicked off by the powerful crescendo that is Execute and
Gematria (The Killing Name) and ending with the blistering track All Hope Is Gone
- the album is a cohesive statement about the world today and truly cements the
band as one of Rock' s heavyweights. The lead single Psychosocial will propel the new
album to match and exceed the success of the last album, Vol 3: Subliminal Verses
which produced numerous Top 20 songs at Rock radio including a Top 5 track at Active and
Modern Rock radio.
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Reviews :
The Best Of This World
Never watched this movie at the theater so I don't know what the differences are, but I loved the DVD version from start to finish.

One Exuberant Entertainer Delivers One Big Concert Movie
Imagine pre-teen Beatles' fans shrieking at a concert making a sound that one parent concert goer described as "Getting behind a jet."

And is all the fuss worth it?

I'd like to say a hearty, 'Yes'. Hannah Montana has such natural exuberance and charm to go with her positive power pop voice, she's an all-around entertainer. Sporting the moves of a cheerleader, her happy-go-lucky spirit is energetic, but never seems forced.

Backed up by synchronized dancers, kaleidoscopic colors and costumes, and a spunky back up band, and you have a venue that touches Broadway, but touches the ground again when it needs to be a rock concert.

Surely she's inherited talent from dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, who offers, "She writes what she lives...It's real." Miley's own explaination of songwriting taps into what all geniuses draw from, lyrics that mean one story to the writer, but is laid down with a broad enough brush to touch millions of lives in each of their stories.

'Hannah Montana: Best of Both Worlds' is an infectious G-rated venue. It's simple in many ways and not all flashy, yet the camera goes exactly where it should. Director Bruce Hendrick and editor Michael Tronick are steady enough to take us in all the right directions. We see choreographed rehearsals, one on-stage flub gets corrected, and a perfect series of preconcert fan outtakes of kiddie enthusiasm and even a hilarious (if not dangerous) race for fathers to win tickets for their families.

With music that is propulsive like the Go-Gos and an entertainer with such a good disposition, how can anyone resist? (If you doubt Hannah Montana's (Miley Cyrus's) draw, then you've missed out on the biggest merchandise extravaganza for pre-teen kids in memory.)

A J.P.'s Pick 5*'s = Excellent
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