A delicate incision of change should be administered to avoid a fissure of the fandom, and while the fans are what assists a band's operations, it is not the sole constituent.                                                 Nickelback has never been a guilty pleasure because I have never felt guilty about modestly enjoying some of their music, and some of their music has never been a pleasure. While their mainstream explosion of an album remains a favorite for a steady majority,  I prefer  All the Right Reasons, one of which happened to be the addition of Daniel Adair, who served as a livewire for their recording process.                                                                                                                                                 Dark Horse sought the production talents of Robert John "Mutt" Lange who produced another consistent record, except it seemed to lack the diversity in tone and sound that the aforementioned portrayed; although the opening duo, "Just to Get High," and the closer were standouts. They may have a formula they follow, but there are bound to be moments of inspiration that transcend the banality; the connections forged oft due to personal preference and not always because of subject matter. An example of this is: Amidst all of the slow/love songs, two of my favorites are "Should Have Listened" and "Trying Not to Love You."                                                                                            Here and Now  happened to be my least favorite even with the latter track and their re-interpolation  of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" in the form of "When We Stand Together."                                               So what does their new record have to offer? If you enjoy the beat of "So Cold," its doom and gloom brought to you by Breaking Benjamin, infused with a more positive tone then "What are you Waiting For?"  The second track is their foray into political music, which is a change, yet I prefer the funky "She Keeps Me Up" with the assistance of Ali Tamposi.                                                              Whenever they release a record, consistency is an issue, not the presence of good songs. I would choose "The Hammer's Comin' Down" as my favorite of the second half. Though if you prefer a sickeningly sweet love song, "Miss You" may be worth a listen from you; how things left unsaid can come to haunt us.  The collaboration with Flo-Rida is another favorite/vanguard in their canon. The rest are decent on their own merits, such as the riff in "Make Me Believe Again,"

Melanie Martinez "Cry Baby"

I have never been a fan of spilled milk, or wasted time, yet I refuse to cry over them; simply because neither have occurred. The album is paired with a storybook that chronicles the unfortunate events that are instigated by or befall the eponymous entity "Cry Baby."                                                           It is a cohesive record, partially due to occasional utilization of song samples/choruses (reinterpereted)  often associated with toddlerhood and adolescence and sound effects that follow suit; the most effective would have to be "Pity Party."                                                                         Yet this record also dabbles in duality. It can be mildly endearing and infuriating at the same time; the biggest offense is the self diagnosed proclamations of psychosis, and sometimes the self-pity can be overbearing ( if we use the opening track as evidence: "I have the same faucet in my eyes/ so your tears are mine/ they call me cry baby...") then it self pity it can be.                                                      The protagonist is sweet, sensitive and misunderstood, yet retaliates in a passive aggressive manner, sometimes solely aggressive, but if you were help captive underground by a ravenous, salacious wolf and your only escape was to poison its cookies to save yourself would you do so?  Even the titles reinforce the theme, yet they can be misleading, such as the sound; most of the songs sound fun in spite of their depressing and occasionally unsettling lyrics ( which aren't age appropriate). Martinez manages to toe the line between Child-like and childish, without losing complete balance, so she no longer requires "Training Wheels" as her fear of falling is muted ("fully undressed, no training wheels for you"); a moderately graphic siren song . "Mrs. Potato Head" is about self acceptance, as I perceive it, while criticizing the reliance on plastic surgery rather than finding security in the self.         If I had to name a contemporary, Lana Del Ray, is an equivalent in tone (sound and attitude). Ariana Grande is another one that comes to mind, except she is cleaner even with all of that "Soap."

Carrie Underwood "Storyteller"

Carrie Underwood's latest offering is a testament to the opinion that she is a swell Storyteller that others may or may not agree with. I have always been a moderate fan of Underwood and her consistent career. She has a great voice, and it is pretty adaptable to different tones, and on this album she ventures into the darker side;I like when she delves in the edgier country rock, or the country with rock flair, but that is just me. "Church Bells" anyone? or was it karma calling? They never did find out the true cause of his death, but we did know he would no longer delve in abuse of any kind. As for the bluesy stomp of "Choctaw County Affair," it may have lacked the energy that the aforementioned had, but it inspired the journey we would take when listening to this album.
Dirty?  that is an adjective she had also attached to the song, but then without a washer where would all the "Dirty Laundry" go? The subject matter is easily discernible when she compares lipstick shades, but all of the good songs in the world cannot extract this earworm from your memory. "Heartbeat" is one of her slower songs with a tender tone and bare toes, and while it does not engage in  another session, it serves as a "Smoke Break" before she enlightens us with how a matriarch can serve as a bastion of strength. "The Girl You Think I Am" is her father's own perspective written in her own words, another worthy addition to the canon; as is "What I Never Knew I Always Wanted," which was a song dedicated to her son Isiah Michael Fisher, so her album is not completely without its lighter and more positive additions. If we focused on the appeal of just the instrumental aspect, I would choose "Relapse."

"Cee-Lo's Magic Moment"

Every year the muses of the holiday season endow musicians with sugar plums and visions of what could be another classic holiday album. I am not a scrooge, for I love the genre, yet I am far from enthused to find that more of these attempts have been produced. I will iterate that I love Christmas music, but I prefer jingle bells from the left field than the downtrodden diamond with these artists attempting homeruns and 'classic' status. There are so many albums in this genre that it is becoming more cumbersome to decipher whether it was a labor of love to the season or if a paycheck was the reason. Considering that a lot of these albums cover the same classics, it is disenchanting.                                                                                                                                                                             I am still unsure where this record stands, but I can proclaim that this is "Cee-Lo's Magic Moment." At first listen, I thought "he has a superb singing voice, but there is not much he has to offer that has not been done prior to this" and yet it was appealing nonetheless. He was able to manipulate the arrangement of most of these songs  minimally and retain his cover's relevancy; the album is solid, but you will not find many experiments.                                                                                                                                               One of the standouts is his duet with Christina Aguielera for...you guessed it... "Baby, It's Cold Outside." When I first heard his collaboration with Rod Stewart and Trombone Shorty for "Merry Christmas, Baby" on the radio I think I rolled my eyes, but it is a better rendition after several listens. The addition of strings in Cee-Lo's version of "All I Want For Christmas is You" is a pleasant one.  He doesn't change much on the opener, but his voice is attuned to the soul of the song that it is worthy of note. You may even find his other renditions to be even better than what I've mentioned, or you might proclaim "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" when in actuality I am subjective, or aim to be; the collaboration with Straight No Chaser is a recommended listen.                                                                                                                                                                          "All I Need Is Love" is the sole original song on the album and an earworm of a collaboration with the Muppets; who manage to integrate their choral mantra in this song, and bring even more jubilation for this celebration.                                                                                                                                  

Kanye West Saint Pablo Tour (August 27th, 2016)

Considering that my expectations were higher than the aerial stage, disappointment was imminent. It is natural for artists to progress, or change, and for their approach to the music or their shows to do the same. His stage theatrics were subtle and the presentation was devoid of any conceptual or visual accompaniment, aside from "All of the Lights," which was a stand out. His concert was a showcase of the music, as concerts should be, but after hearing of spacemen in a search for inspiration and set pieces that could rival Broadway, I was underwhelmed. It would not have bothered me as much, had he dove deeper into his discography and injected more of his hits into the set list, but this is Kanye: "Can't Tell Me Nothing." I understand that he wanted to introduce The Life of Pablo to his fans in a live setting, but there may have been a better way to do that. He did play songs such as "All Falls Down," "Ni**as in Paris" sans Hov, "Flashing Lights," and "Jesus Walks," which were great, but there were so many other options when it came to a set list; his new album was a healthy portion.                                                                                                                                      Yeezus has yet to be stripped of his "Power" to move a crowd, I will admit that. While to hear "Robocop," "Bad News" or "Street Lights" would have been "Amazing," the latter wasn't bad. I am certain that I am not the only person who would have preferred to hear more of his earlier material, and while "I Love Kanye," I believe that his Kancentraton is too diluted by multiple pursuits to create music that can captivate like his college-bound collective, or his ode to drum-machines and broken hearts, and I am aware that he did release several albums between 808s  and Pablo, but I did not hear them in full to appropriately equate their subjective value; maybe it would have helped if I had acquainted myself with the material prior, but it would still not be the same because the music was not.                                                                                                                                                After giving myself a few days to process the experience, I will agree that I am glad to have gone, because even if it was not what I expected, I would have been plagued by the incessant "if only" in the back of my mind, and the show was good. The interludes did compensate a tad for the muted stage presecence, as well as the videography that was displayed on screen. Kanye did utilize the moving stage appropriately, giving each end of the stadium a fair shake, even gracing the hands of, a good percentage, the general admission fans.                                                                                  What I suppose was a touching moment was when Mr. West relayed a request to the fans, to sit down whether in the stands or on the ground, legs crossed, yet the meaning was lost. The audio was muffled. Acoustics can play a major role in the enjoyment of a show, and the inconsistent clarity of what was said was a turn-off. We could factor in the one hundred and five minute wait, but that did not hinder my ability to appreciate. Mr. West, I confess that I may not be so quick to spend cash the next tour, however my curiosity incites the need for more.

Live "The Turn"

One of the most polarizing of lineup changes would have to be concerning a new vocalist, because not only do we have to adapt to the new "voice" of the band, but prepare for the opportunities it could provide; to revitalize a band by a change in sound, or simply re-energize the muse. What was jarring was the rooster crow in the form of "Siren's Call," aptly titled because this is what convinced me to give the record a try, and only so because "I count the ways you turn me on..." came from a band that released an album entitled "Birds of Pray" in 2003.                                                                               So is the absence of Kowalczyk the catalyst for this change? I could drop album titles or begin Throwing Copper, relay a Secret Sahmdi, both possessed that fire, and say no. Bands change their sound; progress and regress, plateau, plummet, or rise, or simply lose their passion.  Not that the previous aughties entries in their catalog was devoid of it,  and this is coming from an outsider, but it was lacking an ingredient those two aforementioned records possessed; is it angst, refurbished and repurposed? I would say that is a possibility, and while the nine remaining tracks do not seem as electrifying, they are all worthy of a listen: Be it the duet in "Natural Born Killers", or the flames that had  engulfed "6310 Rodgerton Dr."; the instrumentals that, "By Design," could score a Bond film; if to run away is what you "Need Tonight," make sure you run with a purpose, and use common sense; the soaring vocals in this next one may give you "Strength To Hold On." "We Open a Door" is another electrifying number, as well as the latter, and with "He Could Teach the Devil Tricks" I have little to say. There is a country twang in "Until You Came Around," in case you're wondering.               "Breaking it is easy, now we'll never know how well it was made" is the standout from "The Way Around is Through" which is taken into consideration when reviewing, even if some music might not be "well made," which is why I prefer to focus on the positive aspects, and constructively criticize because the music is often forged with heart, and it is not in my nature to trample or completely disregard someone's feelings.

Dev "Bittersweet July"

While this collective was not as eclectic as her debut, Dev returns with a more consistent offering; a pair of two EPs by the name of Bittersweet July. While each extended play has its own strengths, gestalt falters in this context, but that can also be due to one's opinion.                                                    While I found some of the beats in part two to be more intriguing, I felt the songs in the first half to be more substantial, and while people may laugh when the buzzword "purpose" comes into play concerning modern dance-pop, the first half did not seem as disposable.  Best tracks: Honey Dip, Feel It, Kids, Who Needs a Heart, You Want Me, Gimmie Some.