Stop All The World Now

Howie Day

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 7, 2003)
• Original Release Date: October 7, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000BYM3J
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #62,065 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still developing, January 19, 2004

By	Robert Graves (Thompson Station, TN USA) - See all my reviews

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.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A deliciously thoughtful songwriter, February 1, 2005

By	Michelle L. Lee (West Orange, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Right direction!, January 8, 2004

By	Geoff Smith (Garden City, NY USA) - See all my reviews

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.