Customer Reviews

Polaris

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

Being a big fan the first 2 NMA albums and also having seen them play an amazing (and free!) gig here in Switzerland I must say I'm deeply disappointed. It's not that they're branching out, it's not that they aim at pop success....it's just that there's not one good song on this CD and also no direction or concept. They're trying to sound like Big Star, they got Noel Gallagher sitting in...it doesn't matter, things ain't happening.

I really really wanted to like this album. I read other online reviews for months and each time decided not to buy it. But then I heard samples of the good tracks and finally broke down and bought it. Mistake.

Though about 3 of the tracks are excellent, and another 4 are acceptable, the others are painful. So painful I don't think I can ever listen to this again. I'm not sure who sings Otay, One to Grow On (it will never grow on me that's for sure), Polaris, and Time for the Sun to Shine, but they need to stop singing for this band.

Even though NMA's live shows still rule don't buy this. Just let it go, never think of this album again, unless you like MTV hot tracks and you like canned rap rock with bubbly lyrics.

What happened? Why did I buy this? Refund please?

Like all jam-bands the CD rarely captures the essence of the band, their live show ability, or their musicianship. There are exceptions to the rule but generally these bands are meant to be seen. This album is a perfect example of that. The Allstars put on a fantastic show but this CD does not reflect their true talents. It is too pop sounding most of the time and when they do let loose it is for too short a period of time. Expanding the repartee is a good thing when you are building off your core strengths. POP is not (thank god) a strength of the Allstars. I'm a big fan of this band and see them every chance I get but this CD is a disappointment and would not be one I would use to introduce someone to them. Either of their pervious CDs is a better choice. Fortunately I have a few live recordings that really capture the bands talent. It is those I will continue to listen to until I see them again.

All I can say of this album is this: I don't like much of it - I REALLY WANT TO and I keep TRYING to like it. I can't even give this album less than 3 stars simply because it's the ALLSTARS but... oh boy.

The thing is, I just saw them play the HOTTEST show that they have ever played here in Seattle (and I've seen them each time they've been up)- it was out here in Ballard at the Tractor which I KNEW would be JUST the place for them to play. The walls, I'm sure, were buldging outside! :D It was AT LEAST as good as the 1st show they played at the Showbox a few years back. AND ..... NONE of the crap from this album was in their 2.5-3 hour set.. it was all ROCKIN. Just a good show with tunes
I'd not heard and they were all FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC.
So take heart NMAS fans, they still know what they're doing - maybe more than ever - don't let em go cuz of this release...
I really do love the opening track "Eyes" and a few others to be honest, but as an album... well.... I'll go see them live again instead. ;)

EDIT EDIT EDIT
I stand corrected - as I listened to this album again recently I realized that MANY of the tunes from this disc were played at the show I mentioned above - but they were GREAT and much longer!

First, I have to agree with many other reviewers that this band's main strength is their live performances. For your money, you won't see a better show. This CD highlights NMA's ability to cut across several genres. The southern blues rock is there and ever improving. Their writing steadily gets better. Several tracks also have a Brit pop flare featuring the vocalist from Oasis. This is definitely their most experimental album and gets better with each listen. However, vocalist changes and complete genre shifting from track to track lends no flow to the album. That said, one can expect this album to be their breakthrough to a broader audience.

I suppose you cant blame a band for trying to branch out but there has to be some decent tunes to branch out with. There are three tracks here which are without doubt among the worst i've heard and much of the remainder is fairly flimsy. Theres a distinct lack of slide guitar which seems peverse when you have on board the most talented slide player in years. I dont know where they go from here as they rightly seem to be reluctant to simply rehash the brilliant 'shake hands with shorty' but this is a shocker. I bet they're still fabulous live though!

I now don't understand why it took them 5 additional months to release this crap. I slipped it into the CD player in my car during a road trip and asked my wife to guess who it was. Keep in mind that she has listened to the 1st and 2nd albums about 50 times each, and she has gone to 3 of their live shows. She guessed Loverboy or the Replacements or Jon Bon Jovi. She said that half of the songs sound like opening tracks for a teenage angst movie, e.g. Breakfast Club. I am sharing her thoughts because I practically puked when I first heard this 3rd album, then I erupted in non-stop laughter. If you want a free copy of the CD, my copy is alongside the roard in the desert somewhere between SoCal and Las Vegas. I didn't even feel right giving it to the guy with the "Will Work for Food" sign at the offramp.

Their first album was one of the more interesting and original releases (despite being 80% covers) in 10 years from any band. It was concentrated blues-rock/roots-rock--in some ways they even surpassed the older Allmans--in fact, so much so that Derek Trucks and Greg Allman tried to mimic NMAS's sound in the Allman's Band 2002 release.

This album could not be further from that.
What used to be a very live sound reminiscent of early Allmans and Cream is replaced by an overproduced pop slickness that will leave you cold.
Maybe they are trying to get more radio airplay or find a new fanbase, who knows? I believe they will lose many early fans with this effort.
The first two NMAS releases are the types of discs that I like to listen to on the road, POLARIS is the type of disc that I would pitch out the window.

I was told about Erica Wylie's Stoop from a friend. This ep is so cool.I can't stop playing it!

This artist is possibly the most talented musician ive heard in a long time. All of her songs havea special somthin to them, they all seem deep to the heart. If you want a good cd you should buy it and im sure after you listen to any one song youll be hooked. This person is so great.!