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Counting Crows - Hard Candy
CD DetailsArtist: Counting Crows Edition: Music CD Format: Enhanced CD Release Date: 2002-07-09 Music Label: Geffen Records Soundtracks: - Hard Candy
- American Girls
- Good Time
- If I Could Give All My Love -Or- Richard Manuel Is Dead
- Goodnight L.A.
- Butterfly In Reverse
- Miami
- New Frontier
- Carriage
- Black And Blue
- Why Should You Come When I Call?
- Up All Night (Frankie Miller Goes To Hollywood)
- Holiday In Spain
- Big Yellow Taxi
Music reviews of Hard CandyMusic Review: Just As Good as "August" Rating: 5 Stars
First of all, let's get one thing out of the way:If you're expecing another "August and Everything After", you're sure to be sorely disappointed. (I loved "August" too, guys, but it's time to let it go...) I think one thing a lot of reviewers seem to be responding to is the fact that Counting Crows don't sound like they did before on "August and Everything After", and they miss that sound. Counting Crows aren't the kind of band that sound the same from album to album, and any fan of theirs should've figured that out after "Recovering the Satellites". If you want cookie-cutter songs that sound the same from album to album, you're better off with Britney Spears or N'Sync. That's not what Counting Crows is about. Now, on to the music: There's very little not to like with this CD. It starts off strong with "Hard Candy", a bittersweet song about memory and loss. It's one of those catchy upbeat songs that almost sounds happy until you really listen to it. Lyrically, it's got some great visual images and really emotive sounds. "American Girls" falls into somewhat the same category. Catchy, upbeat, and almost happy -- until you listen to it. The lyrical twist of the guy who takes advantage of a girl, only to be given his just desserts in the end, is really brilliant. "Good Time" is a funky tune, reminiscent of 70's style music. It's one of the most unabashedly-sad songs on the album, and very heartfelt. "If I Could Give All My Love" is a song about the relentless nature of time and relationships. It's alternate title, "Richard Manuel Is Dead" is both a reference to the song lyrics and an explanation of the sound of the song, which is, in fact, very reminiscent of The Band. "Goodnight LA" isn't one of my favorite songs, but it's slow and heartfelt. "Butterfly In Reverse", the song that Ryan Adams co-wrote, is probably my second-least favorite song on the album. This song, in particular, suffers from the problem of being "over-produced" as other reviewers have called the CD itself. It's almost Mary-Poppins-ish, and something I'd relegate to the Skip button. "Miami", while not the best song on the album, is certainly a wonderful song with interesting use of keyboards. It's the one song on the album where keyboards work to the band's advantage. "New Frontier", on the other hand, is where the keyboard/synth sound utterly fails the band. I agree with another reviewer that this song belongs on an 80's compilation, rather than on a Counting Crows album. "Carriage" was really a surprise to me. Horns on a Counting Crows song??? Still, the effect isn't bad. It's a very nice song musically, although the lyrics are a bit more cryptic than some of the other songs (and some of Counting Crows' better songs). "Black and Blue" proves that Counting Crows haven't moved as far from the "August and Everything After" days as many fans have feared. It's bare-bones music and gut-wrenching lyrics definitely harken back to those days. "Why Should You Come When I Call?" is an ellucidation on "American Girls"'s "I'm such a cad" theme. Basically, it's a guy wondering why a woman is so good to him when he treats her badly. Musically, it's got a bit of a 70's feel to it, and the rhyme scheme is interesting to listen to: "If you've not fallen quite Asleep I might call tonight If that's alright..." Definitely worth a listen. The final two (official) songs are probably the best on the CD: "Up All Night" and "Holiday in Spain". There's nothing to compare them to in earlier Counting Crow's albums, but they definitely stand on their own. On "Up All Night", Adam's voice shines through as he talks about the difficulty of finding someone or something in this world to connect to: "I've been up all night. I might sleep all day. Get your dreams just right And let them slip away." In addition, there's the yearning for love so beautifully understated in the lines: "Cause I've been thinking I'd Like to see your eyes Open up real wide The minute that you see me." "Holiday in Spain" is similarly beautiful, and a song that I frequently find myself singing along with. Basically, it's about the end of a relationship, and wanting to escape to something more satisfying: "Take a holiday in Spain. Leave my wings behind me. Drive this little girl insane And fly away to someone new." If you've been looking for another "August and Everything After", I suggest you go out to your local CD store and buy another copy. The band has no interest in producing another "August", and in terms of creativity, it's hard to blame them. But if you're looking for a CD that makes you remember why you've stuck with them (if you have) through the "This Desert Life" days, this CD should restore your faith.
More Hard Candy free music reviews: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Description of Hard CandyJapanese edition of 2002 album includes three bonus tracks, '4 White Stallion', 'You Ain't Going Nowhere' & 'Start Again'. Hard Candy is, most certainly, just another Counting Crows album. But it's difficult to imagine that there's ever going to be too many. For a band that formed during the grunge-dominated early 1990s, Counting Crows did something remarkably brave--though they helped themselves to the same legacy of 1970s and '80s FM radio rock as the Seattle groups, they chose not to subvert it with any punk influences. Counting Crows were determined to play Steve Miller and Tom Petty and Bruce Hornsby at their own game, and Hard Candy is the fourth astonishing album that has resulted. Counting Crows have now settled into a template with which they clearly feel comfortable--simple but elaborately orchestrated songs, buffed and polished to a high sheen, which serve as a glittering backdrop to Adam Duritz's lyrics. These, now as ever, are chiefly concerned with excitingly unattainable women and the roads he travels to get to or away from them. He tantalizes, as he often does, with specific names and places, but is never so solipsistic that the songs are robbed of a universal appeal. --Andrew Mueller
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