Staind - 14 Shades of Grey (with Limited Edition Bonus DVD)
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Free Music Notes for 14 Shades of Grey (with Limited Edition Bonus DVD)
Free Music Review: Sick of other "fans"
Hit: 5 Stars
Alright well, I read a lot of other reviews saying "Staind has sold out" "They've gone pop" etc. etc. etc. so I decided to do everyone a favor and write a true, down-to-earth, detailed review.First off, Staind have not "sold out". You should all be happy for Aaron Lewis, his life has improved at least tenfold since writing "Tormented", "Dysfunction" or "Break the Cycle". Isn't music (well, rock, anyways) all about how the person feels inside? Well, there is no reason for songs such as "No One's Kind" or "Mudshovel" or "Spleen" or "For You" anymore. And I guarantee that if you take a close listen to it, you will realize that Staind is as good, if not better, than ever. They haven't lost their hard edge. If you want evidence of that, listen to "Price to Play" or "Yesterday" or "Fray". And personally I find a little cheeriness in their music actually refreshing, the music is just as good as it has ever been. True fans are the ones that accept that a band has to take new directions. I mean it wouldn't make much sense to make a copycat of "Tormented" or "Break the Cycle" or "Dysfunction". I mean it seems that people hate this because it doesn't have 3 minutes of screaming or cursing or power chords that drive you nuts.
Anyways... now an opinion of the individual songs.
1. Price to Play - I'm sure you've all heard this one, classic Staind, a little angst with powerful, meaningful lyrics. Good song. Great one to just CRANK on your stereo.
2. How About You - Different than their older stuff but also one of their best songs they've written. Awesome lyrics, something to cheer you up a little bit.
3. So Far Away - Another one that everyone has probably heard. What can I say. This song can leave you speechless. I saw them perform it live on MTV (WOW! Something other than rap or "The Real World" on MTV!). It can leave you speechless. Constant drilling of guitars, really keeps you listening.
4. Yesterday - One of my personal favorites on this album. I love the lyrics so much, and the drum beat is so addicting.
5. Fray - Nice, slow, depressing song, good song to chill back to as well. You might catch yourself singin along to this one as I have many times.
6. Zoe Jane - Great tribute to his daughter. Nice melody.
7. Fill Me Up - LOVE this song. Another one of my favorites. This could be the next single. Drum beat is cool. "You fill me up, you're in my veins, a look could take my breath away..." That line could crush a girl. Great song to dedicate.
8. Layne - That guy who said "get this stupid country crap outta my face." Do you even know what this song is about? It's a tribute to Layne Stanley. And actually it's also a good song. I love the melody in the chorus.
9. Falling Down - Most people probably just skip this song. But it's really good. The quality of the guitars reminds me of Break the Cycle. The lyrics are good too. "It's never the same on the way down... how does it feel when your feet finally hit the ground?" "Well life remembers everything you do... your karma has caught up with you"
10. Reality - I haven't listened to this one much. I don't really like it much. It sounds like it was written in 5 minutes.
11. Tonight - I like this song also. It's actually a bit cheerful. I love the melody line, the lyrics are good, and the vocals are good.
12. Could It Be - Starts very different from any Staind song I've heard. Good song though.
13. Blow Away - Another one people probably skip over. But listen to it. And as for being 6 minutes long, I think it actually fits this song. I noticed also, it is in the perfect spot on the album. Right before the track where Lewis thanks everyone. The lyrics state "memories I never thought would fade... they fade and blow away"... it sounds as though he is letting everything in his life that happened before that he thought he could never leave behind him is finally going away. It's amazing how his music seems to depict the story of his life, going from "Tormented" to this.
14. Intro - Cool ender. I can only describe it as an "auditory orgasm".
15. Let It Out - The only way you can get this unreleased track is if you own the 14 Shades of Grey CD and go to the VIP section of their website. Anyways about the song... wow. The lyrics are so incredible. "There's nothing left... nothing left to hold onto... there is no reason for me to fight anymore..." But is it me or does it sound a bit country-ish? Still an awesome song though. This should have been put on the album as a hidden track and be called "15 Shades of Grey".
All in all... absolutely outstanding album, as is all of Staind's stuff, can't wait for another album. Keep it up.
Free Music Review: 14 Shades of Growth
Hit: 5 Stars
Amazon.com raised a peculiar notion with 14 shades of grey, the Beatles has their white album, metallica has their black album, and now staind with their "grey album", can't say, as I don't agree. After a month of extensive listening and such I have pretty much come to the conclusion that 14 shades of grey is a semi-mellow masterpiece that I will most likely come to listen to repeatedly for years to come. Being a fan of staind for since dysfunction it's been very interesting to see staind grow and develop and evolve to other musical landscapes. Just to think, I wish more bands could do the same (Godsmack). Through each album, staind have grown lyrically, musically. Now don't take me as some band wagon jumper or something along those lines, I love the hard material just as much as the soft material and it's nice to see a band with variety through each album, one different from the last. 14 shades of grey focuses on more harmonics and medley's than 2001's break the cycle and 1999's dysfunction. So basically, if your one who's more into the heavy staind, this will gravely disappoint, or for those who are open minded (like me) it's a hell of an album, or not whatever your musical preference is, unlike some "metalheads" I like to keep my horizons open to all genres.The lyrics: Ever since the semi-whinny lyrics of dysfunction staind have always been a band that portrays torment, and personal anguish throughout Aaron Lewis's lyrics. Then comes break the cycle, and god forbid that it actually has some ballads that can see the lighter side of life as well as the darker side. However, with 14 shades staind stake a bit of a different approach, each song expresses 14 shades of life (grey), close to a sort of theme album if you will. It takes a look into two basic aspects of life, the darker side of life of course, and the not so dark side. Aaron Lewis has definitely grown as a songwriter, while not the best of them, but a considerably good one. As said repeatedly the lyrics bring out very reality based topics such as getting to be recognizable band and learning to walk through life with "how about you?" Or the how some people can be dysfunctional "reality" (taken from a personal interpretation). Or having a child "zoe Jane" which may as well as be staind's "with arms wide open", which is really not one of my favorites. It's easy to join the cliché, but I think it's better to write lyrics that represent what people actually go through.
The music: Staind in my opinion prove on this album there not just a one-dimensional band, they can plane the fields and go hard, soft, mediocre. While there are some songs on this album that uncannily alike, "tonight" and "could it be," the rest is pretty dam good. Still, there are some of the hard, dark songs present with the staind sound "fray" and "price to play", but the rest is pretty much semi-mellow, where it's not that hard, but loud. Unlike dysfunction or even somewhat to an extent like break the cycle, staind focus on more melody, guitar harmonics and a bit more vocal range from Aaron Lewis in such tunes as "could it be" and "tonight." They even touch on a little spacey/trippy atmospheric vibe on "intro." Being a huge Alice in chains fan, I can't disregard the tribute to layne stayle, I don't know about you people, but I actually think it's a decent tribute.
In conclusion, any real staind fan should enjoy this album, or music fan in general. 14 shaded of grey could is in my opinion one of the vest releases of 2003 thus far. Sevendust will drop their 4th album this year "seasons" so I'm elated to see what that may bring. The DVD is pretty cool as well, more of an incentive to buy this album I would imagine from non-fans. ...
P.S. , thanks bmaniii for posting my rollingstone review.
Free Music Review: 14 Shades Of Grey
Hit: 5 Stars
14 Shades Of Grey was quite a shocker to Staind fans alike. The new softer sound managed to turn even the longest term fans off causing them to use words such as 'pussies' and 'sell outs.' I must admit, I thought this album wasn't up to par the first time I heard it but 14 Shades Of Grey is one of those albums that grows on you. I've listened to the album numerous times now and I can see that it is brilliant. They managed to change their sound but still be Staind at the same time. Confused? Well, you'll have to listen to it to understand. I hope they juxtapose this by following it up with a heavy record next time around though because this album is on a very different tangent from old Staind- it's much slower and much more melodic. Lyrically, the album is blatant and leaves almost nothing to symbolic interpretation. The riffs are very 'Staind' and the drumming involves a great use of symbols. Overall, the songs are still depressing (gray) but there's a new tinge of hopefulness and striving to survive which was needed in Staind. This album is beautiful:Price To Play - The first single off the album and the heaviest shade of gray. The lyrics are well thought out and the song rocks.
How About You - Immediately from this track you can feel the difference from the album. Even here you can tell that the album is more uplifting and not quite as murky. The riffs are somewhere in between heavy and melodic and suits the song perfectly.
So Far Away - The upcoming second single is slow emotional song about being where one wants to be. However there's also a 'I must be dreaming so don't wake me' feeling to it. Another positive song.
Yesterday - This song's a little faster. The song is about Aaron's childhood and his emotional struggles in that stage of his life.
Fray - Fray is one of the murkier and less melodic songs on the record and is well done.
Zoe Jane - A beautiful song Aaron wrote for his daughter. The most melodic song on the disc but it still delivers emotion. The song is very personal but even I can get something out of it.
Fill Me Up - The song is quite positive and is about feeling alive being with someone you love.
Layne - A tribute to the legendary Layne Stanley, the song feels very much like an Alice In Chains song. The lyrics are also very personal here again as Layne apparently saved Aaron's life through his music.
Falling Down - This is a great song about someone who burns bridges to get to the top and eventually has to fall back down and the consequences that come with it. The lyrics are very well done and the song works well.
Reality - This is a darker song about someone who isolates him/herself from reality and the song is saying that this type of behavior is irrational. One of my favorites on the album.
Tonight - Another more uplifting type of song where Aaron seems like he's trying to move on with his life.
Could It Be - This song addresses Aaron's imperfections and has a depressing and regretful tone to it.
Blown Away - Another personal song that addresses how time changes everything and his wishes to escape this. Again, I have to say that the lyrics and tone of the song are on the mark.
Intro - At first I thought this was a usual album intro used at the end to score points for artistic impression but it is actually a song. It is basically a thank you to the people in Aaron's life for putting up with him.
The album is quite different from the Staind you know but it is very well done and at least deserves a listen
Free Music Review: Staind 'BLOW AWAY' the competition with this one!
Hit: 5 Stars
I have to admit that I didn't care for the first single "Price to Play" upon hearing it on the radio...(Now I just heard 'Still Here Waiting' off 'Chapter V' and I LOVE IT) Anyways, I am a huge fan of Staind and so when the CD was released I ran to the store to grab myself a copy. I keep getting astounded by the transformation this band made. When you listen to their first CD 'Tormented' and even 'Dysfunction' (My personal favorite) you see a lot more aggression in this band, in their style of playing and whatnot, but with their last two releases 'Break the Cycle' and now '14 Shades of Gray' you can see the mellow side of Staind. After a few listens you realize that this is the Staind you were meant to hear all along. This is their signature sound, this is what makes them the best rock band out there right now. This album is now without it's low points, but it makes up for them in STELLER high points. 'Price to Play', the opening song, grows on you. It's still not a favorite, but it's okay. 'How about you' is decent, good radio single. 'So far away' is the BEST song on this album. I was kinda bummed that they decided to make this a single because it got played out and I started to loss interest. 'Yesterday' is another stand out track. The chorus is written purposfully to get you out of your seat. Great song. 'Fray' is just awsome, unique and one of the best on the CD. The versus are played really cool, with great guitar work. Aarons voice is just so soothing when he sings here. 'Zoe Jane' is such a sweet song written for Aaron's daughter. This is really neat because I'm writting a song for my son. My wife is pregnant now and I want it to be finished before he's born so this song is really cool to listen to now. "I'll always love you the way that a father should love his daughter" and the way he talks about crying because he doesn't know how long he'll be gone for and the fact that he's leaveing her alone...truely touching song...'Fill me Up' is decent, not great but I listen to it...'Layne' is a good tribute to Alice & Chains, they sound so similer to they here, but I prefer Staind when they are Staind and not Alice & Chains...Aaron actually sounds like Layne here and it's just weird. 'Falling Down' is a great song...I really like this one, the lyrics are heartfelt and just so very true...'Reality' has a very familier feeling to it, it sounds a lot like other Staind songs and that makes me skip it sometimes...which is sad because the versus are actually really good...it's just the chorus that sounds very generic...'Tonight' is skippable...'Could it Be' is a good song. I really like it because it sounds very different than the rest of the CD...When Aaron starts yelling at the end of the versus it's pretty cool...'BLOW AWAY' is just freaking AMAZING and so touching about losing friends and remembering all thats been lost. Probably the best song on the CD if you look at it from the perspective that 'So Far Away' was played out really bad...'Intro' the closer is not a favorite, they should have ended the CD with 'Blow Away' which would have just been a perfect way to close...if you listen to the chorus to this song it kindof sounds like the 'Married with Children' theme...makes you just want to sing 'love and marriage' over and over again...so all in all this CD is great...minus a few skip over tracks that are far outweighed by AMAZING songs like 'Blow Away' 'So Far Away' and 'Fray'...Free Music Review: This is excellent!!
Hit: 5 Stars
Oh yeah, this is it. Staind's fourth cd just blew me away! Every single song on this album is excellent, i didn't skip a single one. It may be a different listen to for people who started out with the heavier "Dysfunction" or "Tormented", they sound more mellow and happier on this album. Here are the track descriptions:1. Price To Play - First single off this album, the song that made me get this record, its a heavier song compared to the others, could have a better bridge. 9/10
2. How About You - In my opinion the BEST song off this cd, the chorus was the best thing i've ever heard, pity this wasn't a single, it can be put on repeat and not get boring. 11/10
3. So Far Away - Second single off the album, it's a slow and melodic song with a bridge that really moved me: "I'm so afraid of waking, please don't shake me". Definite must listen to. 10/10
4. Yesterday - Nice drum intro, with some special effects in the verses, and a really heavy but melodic chorus. Could have been the single too. 10/10
5. Fray - The chorus was way too overplayed for my liking, but it features a long interesting intro with drums and soft guitar playing that lets you smoothly into the song. 8/10
6. Zoe Jane - Tied for the best song in this album, easily the slowest and most moving song on the album, it's a song about the Aaron Lewis's(Vocals) baby girl, this song is soo good, it never gets boring. It can make you cry if you read the lyrics and you listen to the song in depth. 11/10
7. Fill Me Up - Very impressive harmonious singing in the chorus, sounds a bit like "Fray" but much faster. Also one of the best on the album. 10/10
8. Layne - Didn't really like this one, it's a tribute to Layne Staley, sounds really country style and vocals are just plain random singing which doesn't really suit me. 7/10
9. Falling Down - One of the heavier songs on the cd, yet melodic, sounds similar to the other songs but still has it's own unique parts. It gets boring after a while. 9/10
10. Reality - A slower song, very good guitar intro that sets the mood for the song, it's kind of sad(listen to the chorus). Sounds very similar to some of the other songs. 9/10
11. Tonight - A very nice intro, more intersting to listen to, the vocals displays how good he sings in the chorus, try singing it like him. Really moves you after a while. 10/10
12. Could It Be - Also one of the best on the cd, I like the really melodic chorus and it's also moving too, the bridge is very nice with the vocals and bassist singing a harmony. This one does not get boring. 10/10
13. Blow Away - One of the slower ones on the cd, a sadder song but not angst. Takes a while to warm up, I didn't find it to my liking until after a few listens. 8/10
14. Intro - Why would they put an Intro at the end of the record, that's just absurd, they should've called it an "Outro". It's the vocalist thanking everyone who had an influence in his life and thanks people who have helped him become what his is today. 9/10
All in all, this is one impressive album, a must get!!