Customer Reviews

Changes

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As the Blues Travelers once said "the hook brings you back". This albumn is constantly in my CD player. Excellent arrangments with thought provoking lyrics and excellent sound.
Something about Larry Lareau's voice makes you NEED to sing along. This band is a hidden gem. I'm just waiting for arena's full of people to shout "I should not be drinkin!!". The first song gets its hooks into you right away, making you want to hear every song on the CD. If you love mellow rock ,contemporary rock or EMO, this albumn MUST be part of your collection.

Creative, well written songs. I find myself humming some of these very accessible melodies and have to think hard where I heard them. The answer is CHANGES by LAREAU. I highly recommend it!

Yeah, Baby! That's the way poppa likes it. Go baby, GO! Just got my copy of "CHANGES" by Lareau and boy did they make a whopper of a mistake on this one. They should have called it "CHARGES" because it's full of high-voltage energy. I waited way too long the last time I bought something with Larry Lareau on it (his debutt album "Reasons Why"). It went out of stock because they made so few of them and I ended up paying three times the original price. I sincerely hope it happens again because I GOT MINE JACK!

As I see it, there are two reasons to get this one, Larry Lareau's lyrics and Darren Payne's drums. The guy's got classical music training AND perfect rhythm, which is crucial during the critical times of my day. Golly-wolly he's good. I like to crank up the music and watch CNN with the sound turned off. No kddng.

I found side one to be very good and loved all the songs. Side two starts out a bit slow, not as good as side one, but the last two songs Quicksand and Step Aside are worth a listen. On side one Changes and Feelin' It The Way I Do are in my humble opinion the best - really listen to the words. The others are great also, but those two stand out above the rest.

The Good
Lareau's Changes is an acoustic heavy affair rich with tuneful vocal melodies. If the title doesn't clue you in, the album's central theme is about...change.

The Bad
Lareau's melodic delivery is usually the style of music that I really get into. However, it starts at a plateau and never takes off. It's apparent that Lareau is comfortable at one tempo and one vocal range, with no deviation. That's right; there are not vocal or emotional peaks. Each song stays at the same steady pace with no emotional musical embellishments or vocal challenging of any kind. Think Hootie & the Blowfish, with less memorable lyrics. That's the other issue. Lareau's lyrics are just too simplistic and lazy. I'm sure that they are rather personal to him, but mixed with the mundane musical backing, they blow. I understand this album is about change, but it does not need to be emphasized in EVERY song. I got ya after the first few.

The Verdict
If I knew which letters spelled out the sound for "snoring," I would use them. Boring. I rather take a nap then change my life after listening to this one.

Just about every song on this album you find yourself dancing in your seat or belting out the tunes in your car. It is very easy listening and you can understand the words. That is very important. The musical background is great and the vocals and back up vocals all go very well together. I don't find myself listening to much more than this CD when I am in my car. Very refreshing from all the same music played on the radio these days.

The Good
Lareau's Changes is an acoustic heavy affair rich with tuneful vocal melodies. If the title doesn't clue you in, the album's central theme is about...change.

The Bad
Lareau's melodic delivery is usually the style of music that I really get into. However, it starts at a plateau and never takes off. It's apparent that Lareau is comfortable at one tempo and one vocal range, with no deviation. That's right; there are not vocal or emotional peaks. Each song stays at the same steady pace with no emotional musical embellishments or vocal challenging of any kind. Think Hootie & the Blowfish, with less memorable lyrics. That's the other issue. Lareau's lyrics are just too simplistic and lazy. I'm sure that they are rather personal to him, but mixed with the mundane musical backing, they blow. I understand this album is about change, but it does not need to be emphasized in EVERY song. I got ya after the first few.

The Verdict
If I knew which letters spelled out the sound for "snoring," I would use them. Boring. I rather take a nap then change my life after listening to this one.

If he had an agent this would be rated better than it is now.
The CD was late in release. Was anticipated to have been
released at an earlier date. The response would have been
better.