Customer Reviews

Stop All The World Now

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Howie Day is a great singer songwriter and an upcoming performer. "Stop All the World Now" seems to be a snapshot of a developing artist, still on the upswing.

The CD has many moments of brilliance. "Collide," "Numbers For Sound" and "Come Lay Down" stand out to me. However, Day seems a little inconsistent in his songwriting and his delivery. At times he's almost Bono-esque in his vocal performances, at other times very "white-bread" generic. The same is true for his songwriting. "Sunday Morning Song" shouldn't even be on the same record with "Come Lay Down" - it sounds like two different artists.

Lyrically he's off and on. "Brace Yourself" feels like a very generic attempt at a single, while "Collide" expresses profound ideas in a brilliantly understated way.

The production is generally quite good. The addition of live strings peppering the album brings it to a different level. It's just the right amount - not overdone. At times, though, the guitar work is a little sloppy. He might've done well to have some studio players perform the touchier acoustic parts for him.

The problems are two-fold for me. First, there is the lack of one killer song. I'm noticing this more and more on records like this - overall a great record, top to bottom, but lacking that one out-of-the-park song to make it all worthwhile. Although there is nothing on SATWN that significantly hurts it, there is also nothing that makes it shine in any spectacular way.

Secondly, the record is a little too eclectic for me. At times it sounds like Radiohead's "O.K. Computer" (Come Lay Down) and at others it feels like John Mayer's happy side (Sunday Morning Song). His sound is obviously still developing.

I recommend this record. It won't change your life like, say, "Vertigo" from "Jump Little Children" or the aforementioned "O.K. Computer" will, but it does provide an easy-to-listen-to record full of great moments. Unfortunately, those moments are a little too spread out to merit 5 stars.

Howie Day's debut "Austrailia" was a wonderful album, great songs with plenty of edge. (i love edge) The problem was the backing band simply wasn't strong enough and it was a choppy album, but that comes from how it was recorded. Day would record a few songs then go tour until he had enough money to record more. Well Howie got himself a record deal, so he's got plenty of money and time. Both were well spent.

This album is much more cohesive than Austrailia, it just feels more like an album. Standout tracks include the explosive and wildly catchy "Brace Yourself" the sweet, simplistic "Collide" the driving with your windows down anthem "Sunday Morning Song" and the U2-esque "You & a Promise." Of course, I say that before I think of "I'll Take You On" or "Numbness for Sound." The album is practically flawless. Granted Howie wears his favourite artists on his sleeve, you can practically smell Richard Ashcroft or Jeff Buckley when you listen, but if I have to smell two grown me while I'm listening to music, those would be two of my picks, Howie does it gracefully.

The album is definitely where Howie wants to be and it shows wonderful growth, even the re-recording of "Austrailia"'s strongest track "She Says" is worlds better than the original version. If you don't have it, pick it up. If you do have it, you get a cookie.

It is so refreshing to catch a new talent on the rise that is really worthy of the critical acclaim he/she receives. Howie Day really blew me away with his first album "Australia." With his follow-up "Stop All the World Now", he not only fine-tunes his craft but finally has the opportunity to exploit the luxuries provided by a record label...like more than a one day stretch in the recording studio.

Just listen to "Collide." It is currently my favorite song on the album. There's something in the melody and lyrics that stirs all sorts of emotion...it's just undescribable. And you know it's exactly what he's feeling when he performs the song. Now that he has the band and orchestra to back him up, it just makes the music that much more developed and polished. He's just an amazing artist, and I eagerly await the opportunity to see him perform live again.

Definitely not your carbon-copy pop album, Howie Day's music deals with ordinary themes in an extraordinary way. His passion is contagious.

Yes it may be true that Howie was going to release Australia whether Epic signed him or not but Epic should have invested in this phenomenal talent at the get go. Instead Australia was a decent album that did not due the performer justice. . With that being said, Stop All The World was a shock! After being disappointed by John Mayer's quasi sophomore (actually 3rd album) attempt, to the point of tears. . . I was elated by this (dare I say) masterpiece!!! There was big money to invest in this sleeping giant of a talent for Epic. Spend they did with a shiny very dressed up production value that Howie Day deserved. Funny thing is Howie came through with fresh, exciting, powerful, material that meshed perfectly with what was intended. At the first listening I was hooked by reminders of days past with quality well thought out productions by the likes of Brian Eno (U2's Joshua Tree, The Unforgettable Fire). A "perfect" recipe for a wonderful album blending emotional melodies with meaningful lyrics, a strong vocal ability, impeccable arrangements, with a splash of strings to cap off this true work of art. Apology accepted Epic for blowing this future Rock And Roll Hall Of Farmer's first impression with the album buying public and the big fat tour bus doesn't hurt either! Mark my words readers! This album will sell and sell big. It will be on many a music lovers list of one of the 10 albums you wish you had if stranded on an island. In other words RUN, do not walk, to the nearest record store for this fantastic piece of ear candy. Well done Howie! And again I will remind you what I told you when we met 2 years ago. "You are going to be a huge star. . . .Don't screw it up!

Howie Day's "Stop All The World Now" is an amazing album... Every song works its way into your head and your heart, especially "Collide", "Numbness of Sound", "You & a Promise", and of course the new orchestrated version of "She Says". The album is undoubtedly inspiring and has become the soundtrack of my everyday life. Order it now, don't miss another perfect day!

There are two Howie Days (studio and live).

The studio Howie Day (at least the one that showed up to do Stop All The World Now) generally follows a similar formula thats been seen recently with other singer/songwriters' major label debuts (John Mayer's Room For Squares, Jason Mraz's Waiting For My Rocket to Come, and to a lesser extent, Matt Nathanson's Beneath These Fireworks). All of these albums are great pop/rock records that are a little overproduced, a little too synthesized, with a full band, and most importantly, UNREFLECTIVE of the true spirit of their music. Anyone that has been to a solo Howie Day show knows that he doesn't sound like this record does. Same applies to Mayer's solo show (pre-2002), Mraz's 3-piece acoustic show, or Nathanson's solo show.

The live Howie Day plays solo acoustic shows, using a variety of pedals to create effects that change the way his songs are structured. His live songs are infinitely layered, soaked in effects, and showcase outtros that constantly change and can't be shown on a studio record. If you want to really experience Howie, go see him live. You won't believe it's the same Howie you heard on Stop All The World Now.

That being said, SATWN in my eyes is still a great disc, largely because it's Howie, and largely because I could care less that it's an overproduced corporate-influenced offering. It's still good, it's still catchy, it's still reflective of his songwriting ability. For a guy who structures his songs around 4 chord progressions, he's a hell of a songwriter. Great voice, great emotion, etc.

1) Brace Yourself (8/10): Live debut in late 2002. Nice hook, gloomy tone, upbeat in a dark kind of way. Wouldn't be a bad single.

2) Perfect Time of Day (8/10): First single from the album. As far as I know, it was written in studio. I LOVED it at first, and it's hard for me to admit that. Great chorus. Upbeat, happy song. Very radio friendly; but doens't translate well solo live.

3) Collide (9/10): This is where it gets controversial. Stripped down, it's a great song. Simple, pretty, emotional. Studio version is overproduced and a little cheesy. My fear is that Collide will become to Howie what "Crash into Me" became for Dave Matthews and what "Your Body is a Wonderland" became for John Mayer; standout ballads that will largely appeal to radio listeners. If anyone remembers, Crash into Me and YBIAW were also simple, pretty, emotional songs - absolutely amazing songs before they became dulled by studio overproduction.

4) Trouble in Here (4/10): Not impressed. Another song written in studio. It's just not that good; nothing really stands out. And since there is no live counterpart, I can't say that it's just the studio version that's lacking.

5) Sunday Morning Song (6/10): It's simple, it's a bit catchy, it grows on you. It's a decent song, it's just not capable of being a Howie staple the way Sorry or Morning After are. I think Howie knows this too; he rarely plays it solo live.

6) I'll Take You On (9/10): Great ballad. My favorite lyrics of all the new material. Slow, delicate, emotional. Translates very well live.

7) She Says (9/10): The one old song on the album, redone with a full band. I love the old solo version, and definetely prefer it, especially with Howie's interlude using U2's "One" and the outtro featuring Radiohead's "Idioteque". Because it's a familiar song, it gets a high mark from me. I'm not in love with the new one, but it's pretty damn good and Howie did say that this is the way he envisioned the song to sound when he wrote it, so..

8) Numbness For Sound (8/10): I really, really like it. I love the lyrics. Like I'll Take You On, it translates well live. Slow and moving. Pretty underrated in the Howie community.

9) You & a Promise (6/10): Chorus has a nice hook, but it doesn't really have lasting appeal for me. Doens't translate well live. Overproduced. I listened to it a lot when the demo version came out on the Madrigals E.P., but it gets lost in the shuffle.

10) End of Our Days (6/10): The music arrangements are really good. The vocal line could be better. Doensn't translate well live. Piano-based, which is kinda blasphemous to me (at least until I heard So, Goodbye). Don't get me wrong, I love piano, just not used to Howie playing it.

11) Come Lay Down (3/10): The least accessible song here. Howie's love for Thom Yorke and Radiohead shows up in this one; it sounds like his attempt at creating something that could be tacked onto the end of Radiohead's Kid A. It's just a mess. The vocal line isn't that bad, but it's just way too cluttered, too noisy, too confused. Doesn't fit with Howie's sound at all. BTW, I am a Radiohead fan; but this isn't a good homage.

For kicks, I'll review the 2 bonus studio tracks that are found on the Special Edition of the album.

12) This Time Around (7/10): It really grew on me. It's simplistic and has some of the faults that the other studio songs have, but it just seems to work on this one. It's never going to be part of Howie's rotation, but it's a decent studio song. Catchy chorus, nice mood.

13) Standing in the Sun (5/10): Ehh...very average, especially for Howie. Lyrics are a bit juvenile. Sounds awkward at times.

I hope you find this review informative...I'm not a Howie expert but I've seen him about a dozen times since 1999 and pretty much have watched him evolve, so I feel I have a pretty good sense of where he is as an artist and what he's capable of. Also, as a guitar player, I have a pretty good idea of his musical ability, and I take all of these things into account when reviewing him.

This is a truly great release by an artist that elevates the genre. Heartfelt, passionate vocals meet truly great songwriting craft. Howie has a sense for creating mood, atmosphere, and space within the song, and the production on this disc is first-rate. I am 40-something, and a musician myself, with over 1,700 CD's in my collection, and as soon as I heard this CD, my jaw hit the ground! Not many modern day artists have this effect on me these days. Howie Day is a great singer-songwriter, with a damn good backup band to boot.

I first discovered Howie Day when I was listening to an MTV handpicked cd, and his song "Ghost" was on it. Curious to see who he was, I went and bought his album "Australia". It would become one of my favorite albums in my cd collection. If you buy "Stop All The World Now", go ahead and buy the previous one as well. It is just as good, maybe even better. "Perfect Time of Day", "Collide" and "Sunday Morning Song" are a couple of the good songs on the new album. The best way to really see how good he is, is if you to go to one of his concerts. It will be a truly worthwhile experience. "Stop All the World Now" beats John Mayer's new album any day.

Only a kid, this guy has written, produced and sings some very amazing songs. Everybody knows Collide by now. That's a song my girlfriend and I sing along to when it comes on in the car. I am so happy to own this album.

I purchased "Stop all the world now" as a recommendation on the "Fallen From Grace" page, which was an amazing buy as well. Never used the recommendation thing before, but I'm glad I did. This is an album that digs deep into me. Makes me appreciate the simple, yet complex side to storytelling. It defines the necessities of good song writing. Not many folks out there putting out albums where they can express emotion through music anymore. I recommend this to anyone who has an appetite for some sweet "Ear Candy".
Ted