Advance Review - Hanson's "The Walk"

I love me my Hanson. I'll never lie about that, I'll never add a "but" or qualify that statement in any way. I fell in love with their most recent release, Underneath, a collection of incredibly fun pop/rock songs; I went back and realized the joys of This Time Around, a bluesy romp of a follow-up to their debut. And I appreciate Middle of Nowhere, which established Hanson as the only boy band, a collection of barely-teens playing their own instruments and writing their own songs, one of which was arguably the biggest pop hit of the 1990's.

So naturally, when I hear they've got a new album, coming out, it's exciting, and nerve-wracking. What if I don't like it? What if it bores me? What'll I do? What can I expect?

Well, The Walk feels like a departure, and kind of threw me off at first. The first true song, "Great Divide," is one of my favorite songs they've ever written. But it feels at first less like Hanson and more like a really good Matchbox 20 or Maroon 5 song.

This album is darker, more mature, more adult. The kids are growing up more and more with each album, and their talents are developing in kind. "Great Divide" highlights Isaac's now excellent guitar skills, confident and powerful, "The Walk" is a vritually a solo piano song for Taylor, and Zac's drums come in in surprisingly subtle ways throughout the album.

But they've reduced the impact of their harmonies, one of the elements that made Hanson the unique band it was. This is good and bad. On Underneath, I'll admit, the melodies could get lost, but you didn't notice, because it was all so singable. Here, everything's more complex - so while the melodies are highlighted, they seem harder to sing along to on first listen, and they don't stick in your head quite as forcefully.

I love the album, but it did feel like a departure. Listening to it all day, I've come to this view: Underneath is a party album, the kind you stick in the car and sing with your friends, and dance to at parties. The Walk is more personal, something ultimately more rewarding for when it's just you in the car.

Download: Hanson - Great Divide

Advance Review - Ryan Adams' "Easy Tiger"

I got a really good heart / I just can't catch a break / If I could I would treat you like you want me to / I promise

I'm sitting on the couch at 2am waiting for the new Hanson album to continue downloading, and so it's time to talk about my new candy that I got today: Ryan Adams's new album.

After releasing 3 albums in 2005 and 11 albums worth of mostly-joke material on his website last year, this was an unexpected project, and from the ears of a Ryan Adams fan, a much-appreciated one.

Easy Tiger has Adams continuing to work within the alt-country mode he has so eloquently dominated with Gold (one of my all time favorite albums), Heartbreaker, Demolition, and more. And like many a Ryan Adams album, it truly gets better with each listen.

It starts out pretty damn strong, though. "Goodnight Rose" rollicks into "Two," the masterpiece of the album. It's a slow, sweet song, one I always struggle to get past, but by the time I reach the rock of "Halloweenhead," I'm glad I did.

The lyrics are focused and simple. The music isn't breaking new ground, but continues to subtly twist the country genre to fit Adams's alternative leanings. It's not the freshest album of the year, but it's one of the best. If you're already a fan, you're probably picking it up regardless of how I feel. If you're not, you need to listen to Gold, get over your pretensions, listen to it again, and then give this a chance. You won't regret it.

Download: Ryan Adams - Two