CD Tales Music Compilations

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We want to be your one-stop location for CD reviews and purchasing good new music. Aimed at those of you in the 25 to 55 age range, our music is described as Adult Album Alternative, Alt-Rock, Indie, Alt-Country Rock, Singer/Songwriter, and Folk. We have assembled two compilation albums from Paul and Earle to showcase the kind of music we’ll be highlighting. Since we are independent, we are free to give honest assessments of new music, regardless of label or corporate affiliation. The songs and albums available on this site are screened to be the best. If you support us by buying our CDs, and telling your friends, we can continue our mission of introducing great music.

Last day to order to receive disks before Christmas - Dec. 20th, 2009. First of all, be assured that our store is open and shipping. See our Compilations page for our popular Christmas CD, or Whole album page to order CDs. We still offer free shipping on all disks, and alldisks are in stock. 2009 has been a mixed bag for our kind of music.

We do want to throw our full support to Paste Magazine. Paste is one of the few places where good new music can still be heard. For as little as 99 cents per month, you can download more than 20 new songs, an amazing price no matter how you look at it. We prefer the VIP and DVD service, where you receive a quarterly DVD of music videos and short films. Music videos are making a comeback, and some of the films are fantastic.

For an idea of music we feature here, see the lists of best recent songs and albums below.

Recent Favorite Commercial Songs

Sometime Around Midnight - The Airborne Toxic Event
Say Hey - Michael Franti & Spearhead
Old Enough - The Raconteurs
Kings and Queeens - 30 Seconds to Mars
Dreams - Brandi Carlile
Fugitive - David Gray
Chances - Five For Fighting
What are You Like - Indigo Girls
Magnificent - U2
Take Back the City - Snow Patrol

Recent Favorite Non-Commercial Songs

Fires - Band of Skulls
Turn Up the Bright Lights - Better Than Ezra
Backwards Down the Number Line - Phish
One Day Like This - Elbow
The Kids Don't Stand a Chance - Vampire Weekend
Wishing Well - The Airborne Toxic Event
The Lightning Strike - Snow Patrol
Sunset Gates - Gomez
Say Yes - Langhorne Slim
Norman Bleik - I Was a King

Recent Favorite Albums

The New Pornographers -- Challengers. This supergroup from Vancouver has done it again. There is not a bad song among the 12 tracks, and a nice mixture of slow and upbeat songs. While all of the vocals are good, I prefer Neko Case's voice. The best example is the third and title track. “All the Old Showstoppers” has great orchestral interludes. If you like varied pop/rock with different musical voices and styles, you'll like this disk.
Brandi Carlile -- The Story. The title track is reminiscent of the best Joplin tunes. It is a flat out rocker, that breaks convention by getting loud in the middle of a phrase. Although her voice has a slight country twinge, her songs tend much more to rock.
BareNaked Ladies -- Are Me. This is quite an accomplishment. This two-disk set has already given us the hits “Sound of Your Voice” and “Easy”, as well as the popular “Bull in a China Shop” and “Bank Job”. But my favorite is the mellow “Home”. And when you hear these songs in 5.1 surround sound, with backing vocals coming from behind, it is truly a new way to hear music. While one or two songs are awfully close to other BNL tunes, the amazing talent of the rest of the 29 (yes 29) make it easy to overlook this minor flaw.
Soul Asylum -- The Silver Lining. I heard 8 of the tracks on this disk at a free concert last summer, and went home and downloaded the CD immediatley. Soul Asylum has never really gotten the fame they deserve. I would have thought that this disk would have changed that, but yet it still seems to toil in obscurity. I do believe that some day, it will be discovered, probably as the soundtrack to a movie or commercial. “Stand Up and be Strong” and “Crazy Mixed Up World” could very well be these breakthroughs. This is power pop at its best. To think that these guys have been doing this for 20 years, and putting out their best stuff now, is truly unique.
The Magic Numbers -- The Magic Numbers. The Magic Numbers have debuted with a promising light pop album. This disk sounds like nothing I've heard in a while, combining subtle elements of jazz, country, bluegrass and folk. In a twist of format from the Mamas and the Papas, the group contains two sets of brothers and sisters, which makes for some nice duets and harmonies. There is also plenty of nice guitar, piano, and some great bass work. There are a couple of radio hits, starting with the already released “Forever Lost”, which made my 10 best of 2005. We may yet hear “Love Me Like You” and “Love's a Game”, two other radio-friendly songs. While I do dislike three quiet tracks where the music just stops at times, the others are indeed magic numbers.
Collective Soul -- Youth. Whenever Ed Roland and company put out a new disk, it is likely to make my ten best. This CD doesn't disappoint, and is quite a bit better than their last studio release. It still boggles the mind that these songs have not found airplay. Maybe it is because of the inappropriate cover artwork featuring a young girl. For fans of guitar-driven rock, this is a can't-miss album. There is not a bad song on the disk.
World Leader Pretend -- Punches. Since this group is from New Orleans, I can't help comparing them (favorably) to Better Than Ezra. While the instrumentation is rich and varied, including strings, horns and keyboards, singer/songwriter Keith Ferguson does have some irritating breathing patterns that take some getting used to. Stay away from “B.A.D.A.B.O.O.M.”, but enjoy eight good tracks and a couple instrumental interludes.
Low Millions -- Ex Girlfriends. Singer/songwriter Adam Cohen has created a fantastic concept album. It has been a long time since breakups and the subsequent depression have sounded so good. Yes, it is straight-ahead guitar pop, but that is a good thing, remember?
Death Cab For Cutie -- Plans. While DCFC finally achieved commercial success with the popularity of the single “Soul Meets Body”, this song is by no means the only good one. Try “Marching Bands of Manhattan”, “Your Heart is an Empty Room”, “Crooked Teeth”, and “What Sarah Said” for songs in the same style. This is a nice, relaxing disk to play at a dinner party.
Better Than Ezra -- Before The Robots. As one of my favorite bands, it would be unusual if their new release didn't make my top 10. While their last effort produced some fantastic tracks, it also had a decidedly hip-hop flavor on a couple tracks that may have offended some people. This time, they have repackaged one of the better songs “A Lifetime”, and released it as a single. “Burned” and “Our Last Night” could be the next hits. Singer/songwriter Kevin Griffith was everywhere in 2004-2005, co-writing hits from Missy Higgins, Graham Colton, and Howie Day.

The Emperor’s New Clothes (Recent Disappointments)

The Who -- Endless Wire. As a huge Who fan, I was quite excited to get my hands on their new disk. I bought the combo audio CD and DVD Live at Lyon. I really, really tried to find some redeeming value in any single track. Sadly, there is none. The new songs, including the mini-opera "Wire and Glass", just don't seem to be able to carry a tune. And Daltrey's voice is simply gone. Unlike Elton John, who compensates by singing his new songs in a few note range, Roger just sounds like fingers on the blackboard. It is painful to watch them try to play the old songs on the DVD. Anyone who would pay to see The Who in concert at this point would be sadly disappointed. It's time for them to retire from the scene. Luckily, they have left us with a body of work that may be unmatched in its musicality.

CD Tales Compilations

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