​We've got quite a backlog of CDs we've never gotten around to, so we're going to try to chip away at the pile with this regular feature. The plan: to take a few at a time and play each CD for as long as I can stand it.

Bryan Adams (Ontario, Canada)
Bare Bones (Decca)
If Bryan Adams hadn't have been around for so long, the notion of a live acoustic album would simply be superfluous. But, while it's not clear as to whether this product actually rises above that distinction regardless of his veteran status, at least the man has a copious catalog to draw from so he can give his fans something relatively unique. Many of the songs that birthed Adams' image as a tough-guy rocker with a heart are featured here, as well as the 1990s tunes that made him the lord of the sappy soundtrack song. The stripped-down treatment of these tunes indeed reveals the innards of some seriously catchy pop-song craft, even if that doesn't make them any more interesting than they were when performed with the instrumentation fully plugged-in. If one hasn't bothered to get into what this guy does over the past 20 plus years, though, it's hard to imagine this album will be the one that does the trick.
I made it: track No. 6, "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You."

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​We've got quite a backlog of CDs we've never gotten around to, so we're going to try to chip away at the pile with this regular feature. The plan: to take a few at a time and play each CD for as long as I can stand it.

Various Artists
Imus Ranch Record II (New West)
With tunes from Jamey Johnson, Sam Moore, Adam Duritz (Counting Crows), Elizabeth Cook, Cheap Trick and The Blind Boys of Alabama, among other notables, this album is as cohesively collated as Imus' wiry coif. There's Texas country and old-school soul, mixed with a couple of tunes that are hard to pin down from a stylistic perspective. Luckily for the cause involved, The Imus Ranch for children, a sonically similar collection isn't needed in order to provide a quality fundraiser. Simply put: This is an album worthy of a consumer's money, regardless of where there cash is going after the purchase. Sure, fans of Texas country and blues may yawn a tad when the original version of Charlie Robison's "My Hometown" or Dlebert McClinton's "Lone Star Blues" comes up, but they're still both quality songs regardless. Of course, old tunes with new presentations make this album really worthwhile: Warren Zevon's "Carmelita" from Adam Duritz and Roger Miller's "King of the Road" performed by Hayes Carll both provide a tip of the hat to the beloved originals while radiating fresh breath.
I made it: all the way through (13 songs).

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​We've got quite a backlog of CDs we've never gotten around to, so we're going to try to chip away at the pile with this regular feature. The plan: to take a few at a time and play each CD for as long as I can stand it.

Shawn Mullins (Atlanta, Georgia)
Light You Up (Vanguard)
Been there, heard that. But in the case of Shawn Mullins, that's not too terrible of a thing, in all truthfulness. The thing is, even if millions haven't noticed, Mullins has actually made good on the pop-rock promise that was displayed over a decade ago with his breakthrough tune, "Lullaby." Over the course of a handful of albums that have leaned heavily towards a country-tinged folk-rock direction, Mullins hasn't necessarily reached the commercial zenith he once gazed upon, but he hasn't become a casualty of it, either. In an odd way, though, Mullins' steady pleasantness has manifested itself on this latest release in a way that detracts rather than enhances, let alone excites. Certain avenues are explored to spice things up, however. An attempt to render a few rough, dangerous edges onto his past sound, in the form of this album's title cut, is simply laughable, though, thanks to Mullins forced, spoken-word, bad-boy approach that is more senile than sensual.
I made it: through track No. 5, "The Ghost of Johnny Cash."

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W​e've got quite a backlog of CDs we've never gotten around to, so we're going to try to chip away at the pile with this regular feature. The plan: to take a few at a time and play each CD for as long as I can stand it.

Joshua Radin (New York, NY)
The Rock and the Tide (Mom + Pop)
To kick off this week's manly edition of the Mailroom, we have the latest from Joshua Radin to try out. Radin's music is pretty much made for prime-time drama--and that's not always going to be a bad thing, really. In fact, repeated placement of an artist's tunes on various television shows can indicate that the artist in question might really know how to craft a gem of a pop tune. Of course, the flip side of that possibility is that the artist might also know how to simply create some pleasant background music that is little more than incidental noise, rather than a primary mood-setter. Radin deals in both perspectives in the case of this record. Unfortunately, His sensitive-male pop, polished to the point of shiny slickness, doesn't provide the listener with anything substantial enough to suggest that something above sugary puffiness is awaiting them as the record proceeds further.
I made it: all the way through track No. 5, "The Rock and The Tide."

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​We've got quite a backlog of CDs we've never gotten around to, so we're going to try to chip away at the pile with this regular feature. The plan: to take a few at a time and play each CD for as long as I can stand it.

Aaron Neville (New Orleans, LA)
I Know I've Been Changed (EMI Gospel)
Kicking off a successful week here in the Mailroom, we have Aaron Neville's latest release to dive into. There's little disputing that Neville's voice is one of the most immediately identifiable voices in American music. Add to that: A collection of not only timeless gospel tunes, but an equally classic line-up of performers assisting with this album, and it's not hard to imagine this record sounds pretty sweet. With Joe Henry's production and Allen Toussaint's piano, Neville breathes life into the stale realm of the covers album. By kicking off the record with an impassioned, spiritually-altered "Stand By Me," it also wouldn't be tough to imagine this album converting more than a few doubters into fervent believers. I made it to: All the way through Track #10, "Meetin' at the Building."

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​We've got quite a backlog of CDs we've never gotten around to, so we're going to try to chip away at the pile with this regular feature. The plan: to take a few at a time and play each CD for as long as I can stand it.

The Chieftains featuring Ry Cooder (Dublin, Ireland)
San Patricio (Black Rock Records)
Ireland's great musical ambassadors, The Chieftains, work with about as many other artists and take as many oddball chances as perhaps America's greatest musical ambassador, Willie Nelson, does. For that reason, the thought of the legendary Irishmen teaming up with equally legendary Ry Cooder to produce a concept record, featuring plenty of legendary Latin singers, isn't a head-scratcher. Even the fact that the album details a story of immigrating Irishmen who escape the Emerald Isle's potato famine in order to come fight for America in the Mexican-American War -- only to switch sides after arriving -- isn't too terribly far-fetched either. The seamless blending of Irish pipes and fiddles, with Mexican guitars and horns are naturally fused, not forcefully mashed-up. Not surprisingly, it's that adventurous musicality that provides the much-needed gravity for a tale that would be too tall, if it were almost anyone else telling the story.
I made it: all the way through track No. 12, "Luz de Luna." (I'll be going back to finish this story, very soon, however.)

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​We've got quite a backlog of CDs we've never gotten around to, so we're going to try to chip away at the pile with this regular feature. The plan: to take a few at a time and play each CD for as long as I can stand it.

Bertell (Houston, TX)
Goin Hard (EMI)
We often get some odd items sent to us here in the mailroom. The most recent example is a promo CD from Houston R&B crooner Bertell. It's safe to guess that this was sent out as a teaser for his full-length album, but we don't have that disc, just the sampler with two full-length tunes and four of its self-described "snippets." Some things here are relatively formulaic--but they're still be enjoyable. Bertell's obvious take on the tough-guy love song, which is really about knocking boots, is an apt example: "Beat It Up" does little to disguise what Bertell's message with its lyrics of "Shorty never done it like this / or had it like that / I beat it up." Let's just say that subtlety isn't one of the knobs that was twisted in the studio for this record. Want another example? Even the "snippet" of the promo-disc's softer "love song" is entitled "Goin Hard." Unfortunately, the four "snippets" were more sonically diverse and engaging than the two complete tracks were--even if they do fit all too squarely in the realm of bad-boy R&B.
I made it: all the way through the disc of two full songs and four one-minute "snippets."

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​We've got quite a backlog of CDs we've never gotten around to, so we're going to try to chip away at the pile with this regular feature. The plan: to take a few at a time and play each CD for as long as I can stand it.

Gemma Ray (London, UK)
It's a Shame About Gemma Ray (Bronzerat)
Gemma Ray's Mazzy Star-like sheen is an ideal vehicle to tackle a batch of covers, particularly from artists that aren't of a similar sonic-style as her. Her psych-folk interpretations of the selected tunes blend country, goth and fuzzy indie into a pleasing blend that comes out rock, even if it's not ear-busting. Choosing songs from artists such as Sonic Youth and Lee Hazelwood, Ray opted for less obvious choices in favor of tunes that have identities which are more easily altered. More impressive is that she recorded these covers strictly from memory--or so the press materials indicate. Still, while the vibe of the record is cohesively moody and even sultry, it becomes monotonous to the point of it becoming easily predictable.
I made it: through track No. 8, "Everyday."

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We've got quite a backlog of CDs we've never gotten around to, so we're going to try to chip away at the pile with this regular feature. The plan: to take a few at a time and play each CD for as long as I can stand it.

Buckcherry (Los Angeles, CA)
All Night Long (Eleven Seven Music)
You know when you gulp that $.99 cup of sludgy, gas station coffee? You know it isn't exactly a high-end product for refined palettes, but it wasn't supposed to be, really. And it sure as hell knocked the cobwebs out. How about that secret can of Milwaukee's Best you lustily downed? It didn't remind you of a well-crafted barley wine, but it got the job done regardless. Such a level of appropriate expectation is helpful when listening to the latest album from Cali butt-rockers, Buckcherry. Few will confuse All Night Long with OK Computer, and it's safe to assume that the band is pretty cool with that. While the greasy licks and stripper-iffic bombast of the tunes bleed into one another quickly, the first few tracks indeed provide a few guilty, windows-rolled-down-and-I-don't-care-who hears-it moments.
I made it: 1:52 into track No. 7, "I Want You."

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We've got quite a backlog of CDs we've never gotten around to, so we're going to try to chip away at the pile with this regular feature. The plan: to take a few at a time and play each CD for as long as I can stand it.

Stax: Number Ones (Memphis, TN)
A collection of classic tunes that have come to define a generation of soul music? Check.
A collection of tunes that have saturated our everyday lives through commercials and soundtracks, to the point they have been basically rendered toothless? Check.
I made it: all the way through track No. 5, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay."

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