#5 Bright Eyes “Cassadaga“

Bright Eyes is an indie band you may have never heard of before. In April of 2007, Bright Eyes released “Cassadaga”, their 10th and most critically acclaimed album.

Pros- The album is very well put together, with great lyricism, wonderful flow, and an ethereal feeling.

Cons- “Cassadaga” has a very slow tempo and can actually be boring to listen to at times.

Cassadaga

#4 Kid Rock “Rock N Roll Jesus”

In October of 2007, Kid Rock released his best rated CD to date; “Rock N Roll Jesus”. While the title may seem egotistical, it turned out to be a wonderful break from his usual style.

Pros- Kid Rock uses almost every musical style in this CD. He has a rock ballad with “All Summer Long”, Blues songs in “Blue Jeans And A Rosary”, a social commentary song in “Amen”, and even his traditional rock in “Half Your Age” and “So Hott”. His song “Roll On” notes on his age and how he’s dealing with being a thirty-something rocker.

Cons- Although it is a great CD, Kid Rock overstates his importance and ability. After listening to “Rock N Roll Jesus” (the single) it seems that Kid has done one too many lines. You get the feeling that he thinks he’s the life and revival of Rock N Roll, and to be honest, this CD doesn’t classify him in that genre at all.

Rock N Roll Jesus

#3 Maroon 5 “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long”

Maroon 5 released “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long” in May of 2007. With is ‘bad breakup’ feel, it pushes the message that things can get better with time, but that it’s okay to feel bad now.

Pros- It’s really a beautiful CD. Each song has a different aspect to breaking up. “Better That We Break” talks about even though you may love someone, it’s sometimes best to let them go. “Won’t Go Home Without You” conveys a feeling of not giving up on a relationship until you are one hundred percent sure it’s over. “Makes Me Wonder” uses it’s catchy lyrics and great beat to reflect on the past acts and see if it was really love or if the person was just being used.

Cons- Unfortunately, Maroon 5 is a one-trick pony. Each song on the CD deals with breakups. That’s right, every single track. Although each song deals with different relationship problems and different conclusions to said relationships, it’s a very narrow target audience. The one thing that really irked me about the CD was “Wake Up Call”. I know that I’m going to sound hypocritical here, but it seems like the song was meant for another CD. It doesn’t flow with the tone of the rest of the CD and it seems like it was just filler.

It Won’t Be Soon Before Long

#2 Matchbox Twenty “Exile On Mainstream”

After being on hiatus since 2005, Matchbox Twenty returned to release “Exile on Mainstream” in October 2007. The CD is an retrospective album of the band’s rise and fall, and is a hybrid of greatest hits and new releases.

Pros- The CD is nearly perfect. The new songs (How Far We’ve Come, I’ll Believe You When, All Your Reasons, These Hard Times, If I Fall, and Can’t Let You Go) are all great songs. And combined with some of their greatest hits (Push, 3 AM, Back 2 Good, If You’re Gone, Unwell, etc) and you’ve got a great deal of songs. Matchbox Twenty has had a large amount of hits in their career and it seems like they found a way to fit them all in this CD, plus show they still have the ability to create new singles.

Cons- The only con I could find with “Exile On Mainstream” is the band’s large marketing of it. I know it sounds stupid, but I’m not a fan of being forced into something. I understand that it worked because I bought the CD, but “Exile on Mainstream” was extremely advertised. It seems like every commercial, t.v. show, and radio station had “How Far We’ve Come” featured, and it’s gotten to the point where the song is dead to me.

#1 Pearl Jam “Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003″

Pearl Jam is one of my favorite bands. At the constant request of a friend of mine, I finally sat down a few months ago and started listening to them, and I’ll I can say is wow. Eddie Vedder is a lyrical genius with a great baritone voice and he puts his all into every song. The instrumentals go hand in hand with the lyrics and it creates musical brilliance.

Pros- So many great hits are on his CD. “Betterman”, “Nothingman”, “Man Of The Hour”, “Alive”, “Black”, “Even Flow”, “Yellow Ledbetter”, “Given To Fly”, “Jeremy”, “Once”, “Wishlist”, and so many more. One of the few CDs I can put in, press play, and listen to all the way through. Each song has a deep meaning to it (which is becoming more and more rare these days) and are great in their own way.

Cons- The only apparent flaw with this album that I could find is there isn’t enough songs. I know it’s got 34 songs on it, but Pearl Jam has so many more great hits.

Rearviewmirror

Well, there you have it. My “Five Can’t Miss Albums”. Definitely albums you should give a look at. And I know some “Top 5 Traditionalists” may have a problem with me placing two greatest hits CD’s on there. It may seem unfair, but it doesn’t make the CD any less great. If you feel I got something wrong, agree with me, or just have any other suggestions, feel free to contact me. It’s all posted in my “About Me” page.