Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
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Free Music Notes for Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
Free Music Review: A beautiful tribute - and a truly worthy cause
Hit: 5 Stars
Anything that helps the people of Darfur in any way at all is worth supporting, but so is anything that reminds us of (or introduces new generations to) Lennon's incredible solo work - which is not to discount Yoko's always powerful influence and contributions. Lennon's music with The Beatles was fantastic, but I think his work afterward was actually more memorable and important.
There are tracks here that I absolutely love - Christina Aguilera's Mother is a total revelation, Green Day's Working Class Hero is very nearly as stirring and provocative as the original, U2's Instant Karma is beautiful (how can you not love the lines, "We all shine on, like the Moon and the stars and the sun"?), as are Jackson Browne's Oh, My Love and Youssou N'Dour's Jealous Guy (kind of like hearing Seu Jorge's fragile and unique versions of Bowie in The Life Aquatic), plus Jakob Dylan and Dhani Harrison's kickass Gimme Some Truth and Corinne Bailey Rae's haunting I'm Losing You. The only track I can't listen to is Big & Rich's Nobody Told Me, but maybe it will grow on me.
And although I like Ben Harper's Beautiful Boy greatly, nothing can touch the tenderness, magic and profound sadness (given what followed) of Lennon's original (I say this especially as a father now, and as a father who lost a child - who can only imagine how Sean must have felt at his father's tragic death)...and I really miss the personalizing of the song with Sean's name.
Listen to this, then watch Yoko's stunningly beautiful DVD tribute to John, Lennon Legend, for the full force of the originals.
Later comment: having listened to this repeatedly, I can now enjoy the Big & Rich track, prefer Jack Johnson's Imagine to Avril Lavigne's version, love Ben Harper's Beautiful Boy still more (even though the original is unapproachable), really like Jack's Mannequin/Mick Fleetwood's take on God, find Youssou N'Dour's Jealous Guy a totally moving, very fragile and human, standout song, and generally just enjoy hearing fresh versions of Lennon.
I have just ordered the UK edition, to get the additional tracks (including The Cure's version of Love) on that.
Free Music Review: Give INSTANT KARMA A Chance!
Hit: 5 Stars
To start off with, I really didn't know who a number of the artists on this album were when I first heard of this campaign. I really only listen to music that is roughly 30+ years old. That being the case, I had already decided that I would hate an album covering Lennon's masterpiece works.
THEN...
I heard Green Day's version of "Working Class Hero" and loved it.
Well, I visited the Amnesty International site to learn more about the Instant Karma album, and I consented to buying the CD with what more I heard there. For the most part, though, my purchase was due to the cause.
Everyone has their favorites on this album; I am not going to shove my opinions on each track down your throat. But I believe that this album has at least one track that will give each person something to smile at. What the album is aiming to do is:
1.) collect profits for the benefit of Amnesty International projects worldwide, especially in Darfur;
2.) give us Lennon fans a different perspective on classic gems--some of which are highly beautiful, only a few of which are...not;
3.) bring back really awesome music from a songwriter who made "World Peace" more than just an illusion--he made it an attainable goal. This music is now more acceptable for modern day music-people like my little sister, who will not touch an album without Avril Lavigne's name on it.
In my opinion, this benefit compilation is accomplishing all of the above and more.
"Only people know just how to change the world."
Do your part. Buy this album!
Free Music Review: Could be better, but it has some saving grace
Hit: 5 Stars
I admire the effort and the choice of material - John Lennon's songs are immortal and his image certainly lends itself to a good cause. I just wish more of an effort would have been made to line up a truly respected and solid group of musicians. I don't agree with someone below who lumped Los Lonely Boys in with the list of artists that should have been excluded. Los Lonely Boys is an excellent band, Grammy winning, critically acclaimed and with outstanding musical talent. I enjoyed the bluesy edge they lent to "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night." But I certainly agree that artists such as Christina Aguilera and Avril Lavigne should not have been a part of a work such as this. No matter what one thinks of Aguilera's voice, she has attached a negative image to herself through her actions over the years. And Avril Lavigne is in no way a serious musician - they may as well have had Backstreet Boys, the Bloodhound Gang and the Spice Girls pitch in a tune.
Bottom line - worth the money because of the cause to which the money is going and a few of the songs (you'll know which ones). But when I first heard Green Day's "Working Class Hero," it was so well suited to that particular band and so fittingly done that I had high hopes for this album. It was a disappointment to see all the fluff in spots that could have been filled with solid artists.
Free Music Review: They All Shine on: True to Lennon's Music with the Performers Own Stamp
Hit: 5 Stars
A very well done CD, that is true to Lennon's music while the performing artists' contribute their own stamp. An example is U2 with a slight reggae sound early on in "Instant Karma" with The Edge's guitar making a distinct sound deeper in that contributes nicely while Bono's fading vocals singing "Shine on" at the end add another nice dimension. Although not a big Black Eye Peas fan, the Peas do an excellent job with "Power to the People" mixing chorous with an overlaid vocal. "Beautiful Boy" by Ben Harper is a touching ode to a child as it was intended and sounds beautiful as does the Postal Service on "Grow Old with Me". Lenny Kravitz does not display the demonstrative pain in his voice in "Cold Turkey" as Lennon but his vocal sounds unique and appropriate as he sounds tough, semi-sedate and powerful, depicting a man in distress. Jokob Dylan has a powerful deep vocal with Dhani Harrison with backing vocals, with standout guitar reminiscent of his dad, on "Gimme Some Truth". And another surprise, Christina Aguilera does a very impressive job on "Mother" showing that she has grown into another dimension. All the artists perform extraordinaryily well, thus it is hard to say which are the best but it is fitting that this Lennon Darfor tribute ends touchingly with one of Lennon's final compositions, "Real Love" by Regina Spektor.Free Music Review: ¡Jaguares en Ingles!
Hit: 5 Stars
Compre este disco con el objetivo principal de escuchar la colaboracion de Jaguares ya que la version de la pagina de Amnesty es muy buena... Sabia de antemano que Jaguares habia grabado una version en Ingles y tenia la duda de cual utilizarian en el disco... Utilizaron la version en Ingles, la verdad que el trabajo es bastante bien hecho, la voz de Saúl se escucha bien en este idioma, no se aprecia en la cancion que el Ingles no es su idioma materno y las guitarras estan impecables...En lo personal me hubiera gustado que la estrategia hubiera estado al reves, es decir, la cancion en Ingles en la pagina Web de Amnesty y la cancion en Espanol en el disco para promover mas el idioma, ya que sera vendido en muchos, muchos paises donde el Espanol no es conocido y la version de la pagina sera bajada solo por aquellos que esten interesados.Pero en general la version de Jaguares es muy digna.
Los demas artistas tienen buenas colaboraciones, la participacion de Aerosmith con coros y sonidos estilo reggae son de llamar la atención y la voz de Christina Aguilera es MUY buena, es increíble la voz de esta mujer, estilo blues, muy poderosa. Escuchen el disco, U2 tambien tiene muy buena participacion, y Green Day ofrece lo mejor del disco.