Archive
Mötley Crüe
Release Date: June 24, 2008
Album: Saint of Los Angeles
Rating: ★★★★½
Review: We’re not hard rock, metal rock, or even classic rock connoisseurs by any stretch of the imagination here at Orange Karma Records, but we absolutely had to review this album. “Saint of Los Angeles” is being very well-supported by the die-hard Crue fans, who were issuing some of the first extremely positive reports on the album. The first single off the album Saints of Los Angeles got a big grassroots push, followed by promotional assistance from XBox and is now sitting pretty at #7 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart and dominating Amazon.com’s ‘Hard Rock & Metal’ genre. You should expect the music video for the title song to start hitting the popular video circuits very soon as the video is closing in on a quarter of a million highly-rated YouTube views and features guest appearances from Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach, Josh Todd of Buckcherry and others. Overall, the album is very good. You would think that the modern rock landscape might prevent a band like Motley Crue from creating what we are calling a four and half star album, but miraculously Motley Crue have modernized metal rock with this record. The better songs are the title track, The Animal In Me, Just Another Psycho, and MF Of The Year. But, the production on this album is so good that it rides. If you’re a strict pop or hip-hop listener, you could probably miss this album without too much regret. But if you’re aCrue fan, or fan of modern & classic rock, we are calling this one an absolute must hear. Listen to it straight through rather than going ‘single hunting’ on this one, the production is that good. Going Out Swingin is a strong closer at the end of the album. Do check it out.
RZA
Release Date: June 24, 2008
Album: Digi Snacks
Rating: ★★★
Review: This is album is good New York hip-hop. RZA, aka Bobby Digital, keeps to his roots on “Digi Snacks.” RZA has always been known as one of the most talented members of Wu-Tang Clan and this album holds up. Check out You Can’t Stop Me Now, RZA’s first single off the album. No Matter How Hard You Try You Can’t Stop Me Now explains how RZA has been successful not only his rap career but also in life. David Banner produces Straight Up The Block, which includes a sampled Jay-Z on the hook. “You can’t break me, you get deflected, can’t remake me, already perfected, Wu-Tang Slang, to disrespect it, your heart get pierced from heart darts ejected.” Try Ya Ya Ya is another track to look for on “Digi Snacks.” If you are a fan of the Wu or RZA you should enjoy the album.
Trillville
Release Date: June 24, 2008
Album: Straight Up. No Chaser.
Rating: ★★★★
Review: This album is going to be one of 2008’s late-breaking good hip-hop records. The hip-hop outfit from the ATL puts together an extremely raw, street-certified southern rap album. The lead-off single Money Line is very good. The track T.I. Gunz is reeeaaaal hard. Surprisingly, you can listen to this entire album as it only has a few mediocre tracks. Expect a lot of 808s, snare kicks and drum rolls, but they are all crafted nicely, many by Don P. On the leaked & explicit versions of this album, Don P. confirms his upcoming solo album. Also contained on the explicit version but absent from the clean version is a hilarious Interlude titled Got Purp. Absolute fire track off the album is Tonight, which is picking up a digital & viral buzz right now and is definitely a heatseeker. Everything else is good. There are some hidden gems on the album. We highly recommend checking it out.
Stack Bundles: Rockstar (The Prelude) Mixtape
Release Date: June 24, 2008
Album: Rockstar (The Prelude) Mixtape
Rating: N/A
Review: This latest mixtape offering from the late great mixtape master Stack Bundles is OK. While it is difficult to pick a standout track off the tape, a lot of the stuff is decent. It’s a lot of heavy, east-coast style intricate lyricism fitting for the known mixtapers that cameo on the album. Longtime collaborators Dipset and Jim Jones, Joe Budden and Max B all make appearances. The hardest song on the tape is Mr. Bakerman which has a real nice creepy tone with them down south drum rolls and bass drops. Check out I’m Paid too with the dubbed Lil Wayne vocals. We found Fresh featuring Ru-Spits, S.A.S. and Remo Da Rapstar to be enjoyable as well. Honorable mentions to Make A Bitch Go Ooooh featuring Dipset and I Be Known, which is real nice.
G. Love & Special Sauce
Release Date: June 24, 2008
Album: Superhero Brother
Rating: ★★★½
Review: “The thing about making a record is, you never know what’s gonna happen. Anytime you go into the studio, it’s like buying a lottery ticket” – G. Love. The acoustic/blues/roots (with a dash of Philadelphonic funk) trio definitely hit a few numbers on this record despite the absence of a demonstrable single and the usual gang of collaborators. Crumble is a real chilled-out track, one of the best on the album. Even without a single, this album is good to throw on, play through and feel better for a small time. City Livin is decent, so is Peace, Love and Happyness. There is quite a bit of folk harmonica on this album… check out Soft and Sweet for one of the better mouth organ tracks. G. Love stays true to their sizable segment of stoner fans with Who’s Got The Weed, which opens with a roaring bong rip reminiscent of 311’s Who’s Got The Herb. Overall, the album is a good layed-back bluesy acoustic album that will satisfy existing listeners in the surf, chill-out, roots and acoustic rock genres. Check out Wontcha Come Home too; it sounds like Jack Johnson-influenced, Brushfire-esque jam.
Three 6 Mafia
Release Date: June 24, 2008
Album: Last 2 Walk
Rating: ★★★
Review: Three 6 Mafia begin the album with a prankster-style intro: “get the fuck out of here, your CD ain’t messed up man I had to fuck wit you a lil bit because I’m gone and I’m lit.” It’s funny. The standout single Lolli Lolli (Pop That Body) is straight fire. The rest of the record is not nearly as commercial. In fact, the album is exactly what you would expect from Juicy J and DJ Paul: gritty street joints. Two tracks that exemplify the street grit are Id Rather, which repeats the following refrain for the first minute: “I love having sex but I’d rather get some head” and Weed Blow Pills, which is Three 6’s favorite song on the album. We recommend checking out That’s Right featuring Akon and On Some Chrome featuring UGK. The album also includes two versions of My Own Way, a collaboration with Good Charlotte. Other collaborators include Project Pat, Lyfe Jennings, Lil Wyte, Eightball, MJG and more.
Less Than Jake
Release Date: June 24, 2008
Album: GNV FLA
Rating: ★★★½
Review: Billed as a return to form for the 5-piece rock-ska-punk band from Gainesville, Florida, “GNV FLA” doesn’t disappoint. The first single off the album Does The Lion City Roar is also the best song on the album. Check it out! The opening track City of Gainesville is a catchy tribute to the 352. We also recommend Abandon Ship, Golden Age Of My Negative Ways and Conviction Notice. Overall, the album is a throwback to the glory days of American ska and a slight departure from the metal & punk influence that has historically characterised LTJ. We give the band props for reppin’ G’ville and the rest of the Sunshine State real hard on this album. It’s a good summer album.
DJ White Owl Presents Drop That 18 Mixtape
Release Date: June 22, 2008
Album: Drop That 18 Mixtape
Rating: N/A
Review: UMG’s DJ White Owl ‘drops it’ for the 18th time featuring mixtape material from Lil Wayne, Fifty Cent, Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, Styles P, Hell Rell, Prodigy, Busta Rhymes, Nas, Khaled, The Game, LL Cool J and many more. The mixtape is particularly noteworthy for Nas (who also dropped a mixtape with DJ Green Lantern this week called “The Nigger Tape”). Nas has two tracks on the mixtape; of particular note is the record with DJ Khaled Im On. G-unit members appear on several tracks in anticipation of a July 1, 2008 release of their T.O.S.: “Terminate on Sight” album. G-Unit has also released a mixtape titled “Sincerely Yours” to promote T.O.S. A tape of the phone call allegedly leaked by Fifty Cent appears on the album which documents an emotionally upset Young Buck, followed by a 50 Cent diss for his involvement in publicizing the year-old phone call. Another humorous track is Eminem’s prank phone call to LL Cool J, who thinks Eminem is a no-name rapper calling in to a radio station to rap for him. LL has a new studio album scheduled tentatively for release around August 5, 2008. Weezy F. Baby thanks his fans for buying 1.5 million copies of his album “The Carter III” on the remix 15 Millie. Download and listen to the entire mixtape on datpiff.
The Offspring
Release Date: June 17, 2008
Album: Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace
Rating: ★★★
Review: The Offspring is back with “Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace” and they’ve done a commendable job of adapting to the modern rock climate. This is the group’s eighth studio release but just their first album in nearly four and a half years. Hammerhead, the first single off “Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace”, debuted at #5 on the U.S Billboard Modern Rock Tracks. You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid is worth listening to. Another track to listen to is Rise & Fall. In general, this CD has received a great reaction from the alt. rock genre. Since The Offspring’s inception in the 1980’s, this band has continued to create good music for their fans and this latest release from the prolific band is no exception.
Coldplay
Release Date: June 17, 2008
Album: Viva La Vida
Rating: ★★★★, 80 out of 100
Review: Coldplay’s twelve-song Viva La Vida is the group’s follow-up effort to their 2005 international classic X&Y. Viva La Vida is billed as Coldplay’s experimental endeavor. And it is. It’s not Parachutes. It’s not A Rush Of Blood to the Head. It’s not X&Y. But it is a very good album. The title single, Viva La Vida, is already topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The music video for Violet Hill is on heavy rotation on the MTV family of networks. 42 is an amazing song as is Lost, both the full band version as well as the acoustic. Cemeteries Of London is warm and trancy and glides along nicely. Honorable Mentions include Death And All His Friends & Strawberry Swing. Overall, this album is a refreshing experiment-gone-right for Coldplay. Despite some of the criticisms for mixed political messages within the album, Coldplay solidifies their reputation as the world’s band with Viva La Vida.
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