Customer Reviews

Candy from a Stranger [Vinyl]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Anyone who decided to slack Soul Asylum for not putting out as good an album as Grave Dancers Union shouldn't be a SA fan anyways. They've been tearing it up since 1980, and deserve a little more respect than that. This is a great album, but no, they did not re-record Runaway Train. If you're looking for that, I heard that Matchbox 20 has a new disk out...

Now whats wrong if soul asylum are mellower than before? it surely is no crime. Dave seems so melancholy and I feel it when he sings"there's still so many things i want to be" in NY blackout which is just one of the killer 11 songs on the album, other highlights are "the game" it's incomprhensible to me how can anybody sing the way he sings on that song. "see you later" rocks and is very nice indeed. I am sure their next album will even be better.

I don't know why everybody says this album sux, because I think it rocks just as much as Grave Dancers Union and Let Your Dim Light Shine. My favourite song on this CD is "Close". I guess people need to listen to it a couple of times before they can really appreciate it, coz it wasn't exactly what I was expecting either.

I admit when I first bought this CD, I thought "Grave Dancer's Union"was better. However, the more I listened to it, the more I fell in love with it. That's why I was so surprised to find poor reviews. "Runaway Train" was great, but it's been what, 5, 6 years? You can't expect them to come up with the same kind of music all time! Give them a chance and buy/listen to "Candy from a Stranger"--I'm sure there will be people out there who will like it as much as I do.

wow i cant believe the reviews i have read on this album. i have just pulled this out to listen to after a year or two and thought i would look at what other people thought about the album (yes im old and they are still called albums to me)
i just cant believe so many people missed the boat on this one either im reading reviews from kids or adults that want everything to sound the same as everything else ( like most record company people from a&r to the bean counters ( and they wonder why the business is in the shape that its in )) well dont let this record(SHORT FOR RECORDING) CD WHATEVER slip by you that would be a big mistake if you love great melodic rock music . i would rate this in the top 25 pop records ( and i hate to pick out a number and ranking like that because how can you limit all the great music out there by a ranking and number? its like saying who is the greatest singer of all time because there are so many and each time you think of one another comes to mind so you limit yourself by that thinking) of sweet pop music that has melody,lyrics,musicianship, and i like the vocals too this would fit into the group with dwight twilley band, some of the posies first record and other sweet pop( by that i mean not real hard guitars and no urghhh screaming for vocals this is sung not throat screaming that passes as vocals today ) that is melodic rock. hooks are everywhere the lyrics are very good and if you like that type of music it will probably be one of your desert island discs after a few listens i know its one of mine and i even consider this a classic pop album that fans of good pop music with melody and hooks should not miss.. i read one review where a guy said he was a fan and could only give this one listen i give everything at least five listens before making a first judgement so if you want a good record that will be on your list for a long time to come this should be something you give a chance to ( and no im not related to anyone in the band )

Candy is simply a tame attempt to stay relevant since good alt rock was fading quickly. The producer took the edge off the guitars which results in a weak collection of songs. There are a few bright spots, however. Creatures of habit, the best track contains a great swirling melody similar to the beatles. Lies of Hate has a great riff which recalls led zeppelin and a thick melody. No time for waiting is simply a nice, catchy pop song. Blood into a wine is a nice low key ballad with a faint harmonica and mandolins. There's not much else worth mentioning here cause the rest of the songs are simply not memorable.

I agree with people in here saying that the producer, Chris Kimsey, sucks and should have his eardrums popped with an ice pick or similar instrument to prevent him from wreaking more havoc. I heard these songs - pre-Kimsey - demos from Pachyderm Studio - that were much, much better. They sounded good live too - not as good as their early 90s late 80s stuff, but not as bad as this record turned out.

Soul asylum is a very capabale band and as such this album is not one of their best. However if you compare it to other things the these days pass as music, this album is excellent. Most songs are on the slower side but all have great hooks. The best songs are "I will still be laughing", "no time for waiting" and "craddle chain". Overall If you never heard Soul Asylum before try Grave Dancers Unio or try Hang Time. If you are a SOul Asylum fan, than this album is a great addition to your collection.

Despite the non-good reviews...this album has great music.There are happy songs, but the ballads really give the album a sense. The best tracks are Blood into wine,The Game, and See You later. I've enjoyed the music very much.

It's a really good album, maybe not for everyone's tastes but I think it's cool how SA can change their sound so much and still sound good.