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39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hard Candy is Easy to Swallow, July 9, 2002
The Counting Crows have proven themselves masters of sophisticated pop music and on Hard Candy they continue to deliver the goods. Adam Duritz, the group's lead singer and primary lyricist, has said that Hard Candy is a return to form, harkening back to 1993's critically lauded August and Everything After. In my opinion, this holds true.Steve Lillywhite's (producer for U2, Dave Matthews Band) influence can be felt throughout the album, giving the songs a certain internal strength that the Crow's last two albums (This Desert Life and Recovering the Satellites) failed to elucidate. Lillywhite's genius is that he was able to rope in the passion of the Counting Crows, holding the rope taut, not allowing Duritz and company to meander into the maudlin and the mundane, which they have a tendency to do. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to infer that Lillywhite is the man behind the curtain. On the contrary, the Counting Crows are a band hitting their stride. Duritz's lyrics are confident and playful, while his bandmates' musicianship is virtually unparalelled in rock and roll. The title track, Hard Candy, is a beautiful, tight pop song, while the first single off the album, American Girls, is an amalgamation of Tom Petty and Big Star, a killer combination if there ever was one. The rest of the album is filled with poetic, perfect little pop songs sprinkled with show tune gusto, fervid lyrics, and climactic guitars. If you're a Counting Crows fan you will not be disappointed. Come to speak of it, if you're not a Counting Crows fan, this album will make you one.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This could be THE BEST album of the year 2002, July 16, 2002
With Hard Candy, the Counting Crows have released a package of songs that follow the band's proven, successful musical format. All the hallmarks of Counting Crows music are here: the passionately sorrowful vocals of Adam Duritz; poetic, semi-accessible lyrics; vigorous musicianship from the band; and the meticulous production of each track. Putting these elements together, the final result is an album that sounds earnest, refined, and engaging, a product clearly born from a set of veteran musicians who have been around for a long time but haven't lost the focus on their art, even in the wake of huge commercial success. Hard Candy is in my opinion one of the best albums released in 2002. I'm uncertain why "American Girls" was the first single issued off Hard Candy because even though it's a good song, it's not the best or most commercially viable tune on the album. "New Frontier," with its infectious hooks and rhythmic beat, seems destined for the radio. The title track and "If I Could Give All My Love" also have the potential to become hit singles. Like any Counting Crows album, however, the music you may hear on the radio is only the beginning of what Hard Candy offers. "Carriage" is a soft and poignant track enhanced by the reflective, sad bars of a trumpet. "Miami" is a magnificent, compelling tune that finishes off with Adam Duritz's trademark rambling, improvisational-type singing. This is one of the elements I love so much about Counting Crows music: nobody compares to Adam Duritz when he digresses into one of his passionate, almost random, imperfect singing soliloquys. This album has enough of those moments to give the music a relaxed but intense feel. In fact, on Hard Candy, the Counting Crows effortlessly glide through complex musical compositions, revealing the kind confidence and grace found only in seasoned, successful musicians. Counting Crows began their musical career as a group of talented musicians led by a very promising songwriter. The experience and massive exposure the group has received over the years only enhances the band's musical sensibilities. If you liked previous Counting Crows albums, I think you would enjoy Hard Candy. This is another masterwork from one of my very favorite bands.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Addicting and Wonderful, August 14, 2002
Another great album by the Counting Crows. I have 3 copies (home, car, office) and I will probably wear them all out. To me this album was fun, sad, captivating, lyrically & musically superior to any new album I have heard recently. It took only about 3 turns in my CD player until I realized how completely addicted I am to this album. My 6 year old daughter knows the words to every single song. I'd say my 3 year wait was worth every minute. Just a note: as other people have mentioned in their reviews, if you are looking for another August and Everything After, you will not find it here. My comment to that would be: if you are a Counting Crows fan and you happen to have August.....(their 1st) and Hard Candy (most recent) and any or all in between, you will know that NONE of their albums sound the same. (A true CCs fan will also know Adam will make these songs sound just a tad different in concert, as well. A true fan will also note "American Girls" is a little different version on the radio than on the CD. And a just got lucky to catch them on Conan, Leno, etc. fan will hear a different version than on the CD. They are always changing.) As the Counting Crows as a band and each member individually grow and change, so does their music. That is the beauty of the Counting Crows, plain and simple.
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