Devils & Angels

Mêlée | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 3, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000NQ28CY
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,876 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Musicians with Outstanding Songwriting, April 12, 2007

By 

Richard J. Atkinson "ratkin" (Queensbury, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Devils & Angels (Audio CD)

I came to this album with no preconceived notions; my teenaged son is a big fan of their previous album and asked me to preorder this for him from their website. He has taste similar to my own, so when he suggested that I listen to it (with, in retrospect, a strange grin on his face) I was more than happy to comply.

I was totally unprepared for how impressed I would be. This album is absolutely tremendous. There are so many good things to say about the band as a whole and the album in particular that it's hard to know where to start. They're more than just good musicians - they're good musicians who've obviously worked hard at creating a unified sound. Rather than being a collection of soloists they truly play together. Lead guitarist Ricky Sans, for example, is clearly a talented player but he never beats you over the head with solos designed to highlight his skill. His work supports and adds highlights to well designed arrangements. Vocalist/pianist Chris Chron is a great singer, and his piano playing runs the gamut from elegant lead work to an energetic channeling of the late Nicky Hopkins.

None of that counts for much without good material. Well, they've got good material. In fact, they've got GREAT material. The temptation is to say that the songwriting is the star of the album, but that denigrates the musicianship. All of the original songs (cowritten by Chron and Sans and arranged by the whole band) have wonderful melodies that you'll be humming for days, and mature well thought out lyrics. For one example, the opening lines of "Drive Away" are "I bet you want to know who's coming/Coming to the party tonight/My friends are drinking satisfaction/I've been mixing tonic and spite."

I won't pretend that I can give you a list of the best songs on the album, since that list changes day by day. (There hasn't been a single day since the album came in the mail when I haven't heard at least a few of these songs.) The best I can do is this: my favorites today are "Built To Last," "For A Lifetime," "Drive Away" and "Stand Up." When it came time to chose the songs I'd add to my (moderately small) iPod, I chose every song on the CD, something I've never done before!

One word of caution: Warner Brothers Records has done a horrible job of promoting or even distributing this album. I check for it in stores all the time, and have yet to find it, including in stores that carry the band's first album from a much smaller label. Since I clearly hope that you'll buy this album, let me suggest that you order it right here, right now. This is a "Can't Lose" purchase.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You must buy this album!, April 17, 2007

By 

aae "aae" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Devils & Angels (Audio CD)

After hearing Melee's previous album, Everyday Behavior, I was really excited to hear what Devils & Angels would sound like. I was anticipating a great album, and I wasn't disappointed. These guys are true artists. Their songwriting is virtually flawless. There's songs to dance to & there's songs to chill to, but every song is just as amazing as the next.

Favorite Songs: Built to Last, She's Gonna Find Me Here, Can't Hold On, Love Carries On

Get this album; you'll be thrilled that you did!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sign me up for the Melee bandwagon, January 23, 2008

By 

George Dionne (Cape Cod, MA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Devils & Angels (Audio CD)

The Good

"Built to Last" starts off the album strong with a singer-songwriter feel to it. The piano lines blend well with the rich vocal melodies. There's even just enough guitar thrown in to keep it from entering wuss-ville. "Rhythm of Rain" is accented by a great acoustic strumming pattern and catchy chorus section. Driving rhythms, chugga-chugga riffage, and subtle piano tear down the walls on "Frequently Baby (She's a Teenage Maniac)." The track has so much bounce, you can dance to it.

Get ready to grab your Kleenex on the emotionally jarring, piano-based ballad "Can't Hold On." Soft strings are always a good method to really jerk those sorrowful emotions. The songs' ending is simply powerful. "Imitation" has a Jackson Browne-ish quality to it, with its commanding piano and crafty songwriting. It's a lot more forceful than anything Jackson's put out though. "She's Gonna Find Me Here" is a strict piano/vocal ballad with an 80s arena rock guitar run added for good measure.

The Bad

Zip!

The Verdict

Sign me up for the Melee bandwagon! Devils & Angels is a display of tremendous musicianship on an album that is sadly flying below the radar.