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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This whole album is great, April 29, 2005
Everyone remembers the fantastic hit "Life is a Highway". It is a catchy, upbeat "driving song" that still sounds great to this day. However, if you actually let the CD continue past that classic opening track, you are going to find some other true gems on here.
Take "Sinking Like a Sunset", where Tom showcases his lower vocal range to a cool beat. "Everything Comes Around" has a somewhat alternative vibe to it with its guitar chord structure, but in a good way....I loved the sound of this song before I ever really embraced anything that could be considered "alternative". I also love the somewhat slower vibe of such tracks as "The Secret is to Know When to Stop" and "Emotional Truth", while the title track and "Brave and Crazy" are good surefire rockers. "No Regrets" is another good pop-rocker that I remember briefly hearing on radio as a follow-up to the well-known monster hit.
A lot of good melodic pop/rock has come from Canada. Many of my generation are familiar with the Bryan Adams' and Loverboys of the world, and I also truly embrace certain obscure melodic rock acts from Canada such as Harem Scarem. This album from Tom Cochrane is another Canadian pop/rock gem...and for more reasons than the classic "Life is a Highway". Strong, enjoyable album from beginning to end.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thoughtful Canadian Records Pop-Rock-Folk Song Cycle, December 4, 2004
MAD MAD WORLD is a thoughtful song cycle by a singer-songwriter who is very similar to Bryan Adams, but he's really a lot more than that. His style owes something to artists as diverse as Tom Petty, the Allman Brothers Band, and Bruce Cockburn. Unlike Adams, whose songs are mostly about love, romance, and having a good time, Cochrane's have a lot of subtle messages about personal survival, triumph, and hard work, although it's sometimes hard to figure out just what he's saying in many cases. This album will give you what you want, if you let it give you what you need.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Much more than "Highway", September 30, 2006
Sure, it was "Life is a Highway" that grabbed me. The immediately catchy hook, the joyous chorus and frenetic pacing all contribute to that "feel good" feeling that certain songs produce. But there is a lot more here.
The second cut "Mad, Mad, World" immediately takes you to bit of a darker place, a bit reminiscent of Henley's "Dirty Laundry," but holds its own well. The music keeps driving forward, Cochrane knows a hook when he here's one and each song has a fairly strong beat to hang his words on. Lyrically he covers the basic points; relationships and life's choices, but he stays more towards the positive side which is a nice switch from the self-pity you often find in the singer-songwriter genre. While not entirely original sounding (When "Sinking like a Sunset" opens you immediately think Bruce Hornsby and there are other examples. There is a definite Bryan Adams feel here as well) his own vocal style and the infectious melodies support a continued listen. I'm glad "Life is Highway" led me to this and I found it was very much worth a purchase.
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by Tom Cochrane 
