blahPlease post your suggestion for a charity that can help Katrina survivors with their long-term needs.
First, a day brightener gakked from
harmfulguy. I swear to god, I didn't work for this:From the Department of Do I Need to Ask:
When you're feeling blah, is there anything better than Monarch of the Glen? Okay, granted, I've only seen up to Series 4 (Sorry, I can't watch Monarch without Archie and Lexie. I don't care if ASH is supposedly in the latest series. No Archie and Lexie, no me.), but I own Series 1 and Series 2 on DVD. *sniff* I will make puppy eyes at certain family members come B-day or Christmas time to buy me Series 3.
Blah stomach ickiness aside, I've got some downloads for ya!
Now, I want you to imagine:
Sucktastic CDs + Stomach Bug + Crankiness + Me = Really Harsh Reviews
On with the show!
Diana Anaid, Beautiful Obscene Rating=$
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How I Got This CD: Parents got it for free, who then turned around and gave it to me.
Diana Anaid is one musical montage in a WB show away from a Top 40 hit. She's one of those rock chicks who try to come off as the next Fiona Apple but end up closer to Avril Lavigne. Here's what I can say that's positive: she can sing, her voice isn't irritating, and her lyrics aren't completely insipid. Her songs aren't bad background music if you're working on something else that requires your brain to be engaged. The CD starts strong, but very quickly goes downhill into middle-of-the-road rock-pop. Don't get me wrong. I love good pop (witness my never-ending love for all things Marshal Crenshaw). But there's nothing more boring than middle-of-the-road pop and nothing as bad as bad pop. She doesn't really distinguish herself from other young female singers that are already working this pop vein. It's enough to make you yearn for the days of Motown when all the "girl groups" belted out songs that you could hear three blocks over, with or without any help form Specter's Wall of Sound. Since Beautiful Obscene is Anaid's first CD, I'll make some predictions: she might reach the dizzying heights of one-hit wonder (maybe even two-hit wonder); she may release as many as three CDs; and one of her songs will definitely be used for a montage in a WB show. For today's selections, these two are decent tunes and were voted unanimously (by me) to be the songs most likely coming to a WB show near you.
Sample Songs Download: Beautiful Obscene; Last Thing
Beauty and the Beast, Original Broadway Cast Recording Rating=None
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How I Got This CD: Gift from a college friend who was a Disney freak.
I've solved the mystery of why I listened to this CD exactly once and then never listened to it again. It sucks. It deeply and truly sucks. It apes the movie's soundtrack — badly; the original songs are limp — as in so flacid that they actually detract from the songs
Sample Song Download: Belle
Read the index for previous thumbnail reviews.
Rating system:
None = Avoid at all cost. Worth cutting your ears off to avoid if someone threatens to play it for you. When faced with even the threat of its cellophane-wrapped presence, your best option is to RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!
$= If you stumble across it for cheap in a used bin, it might, maybe, perhaps could be worth the buy, but only if you need a cheap coaster for your cold drinks or a cool-looking frisbee.
$$= You might want to give this CD/artist a try, but only if the sample track tickles your fancy. Don't bother buying this one new because the good tunes you'd get out of this one ain't worth that kind of money.
$$$ = Worth looking for on a casual basis and maybe even buying new, but no big rush.
$$$$ = Definitely worth having in the ol' CD collection and definitely worth buying new, but don't re-arrange your personal "must have" list to get your hands on it.
$$$$$ = Why haven't you bought this CD yet? Go. This is a "Want. Take. Have." situation because you so want this.
