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(George) It's
hard to believe that I started this site bout a year ago with a Best of
2004 article. This past year has been a very productive
one. I have been able to explore more and more styles of music this year,
and I have probably reviewed about 5x what I did last year.
I want to thank all of the readers out there that have helped Rock Is Life.com
have a successful first year. I can proudly say that we are 30,000 unique
(a month) strong, and climbing. And we didn't even advertise!
I also want to thank all of the contributors that have had
my back over the past year. There's no way I could have kept things going
without
Jay Roberts, Matt Jackson, Ken Kirklewski, and Dave Iozzia.
A final
thank you to the record labels, public relations companies, music websites,
and artists that supported the website over our inaugural
year. Thanks for believing in us and having faith in our product.
I always find it difficult to rank albums in a manner to determine
the best. There are just so many great albums that I think are on level ground
with one another. Therefore, I am presenting a list of my favorite and least
favorite albums of the year. Please enjoy my personal Best Of...
...The Names You Know
BILLY IDOL
Devil's Playground
COLLECTIVE SOUL
Youth
ERIC JOHNSON
Bloom
BRYAN ADAMS
Anthology
DEF LEPPARD
Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection
JOHN FOGERTY
The Long Road Home
NICKELBACK
All the Right Reasons
THE CURE
Seventeen Seconds & Faith
STYX
Big Bang Theory
"A
lot of bands this year have been covering songs from the 70s or making
albums that sound like they were made in that
era, but Styx
takes some of
the most mundane and boring songs of the seventies and injects tremendous
energy and appeal into them. Never did songs like "Summer in the City",
I Can See For Miles". and "I Am the Walrus" sound so good.
Styx also show their flair for heavy metal by covering two songs that were
covered by W.A.S.P., "I Don't Need No Doctor" and "Locomotive
Breath". Of course the Styx versions win hands down."
KELLY CLARKSON
Breakaway
"Oh, you don't think Kelly Clarkson rocks? We'll
you obviously haven't been listening. For the American Idol winner's second
album she revamped her
image and sound to become a bit edgier. You can't deny the rock inspired angst
of "Since U Been Gone", "Behind These Hazel Eyes", "Gone",
and "I Hate Myself...". They're a far cry from "A Moment
Like This". There are a good amount on rockers as well as drippy ballads,
but they're well produced and delivered. I know this one has been out for
a while, but it's still tearing up the radio."
...The Names You Should Know
(but
probably don’t)
SILVERTIDE
Show and Tell
BETTER THAN EZRA
Before the Robots
40FT RINGO
Funny Thing
STREET DOGS
Back to the World
HEAVEN & EARTH featuring STUART SMITH
S/T
BLACKFIELD
S/T
HAVOCHATE
Cycle of Pain
WALTHAM
S/T
MACK
S/T
BULLISTIC
Chronicles of Love & Hate
$UPERMER¢ADO
Scary Baby
BALZAC
Out of the Grave & Into the Dark
"This group is essentially the Japanese version of the Misfits;
right down to their musical style, look, and presentation. That's okay though,
because
the Misfits are cool with them. In fact, they introduced them to the U.S.
This collection is two albums combined into one for a total of 22 furious
and raucous tracks. Don't let their hardcore punk label fool you either,
they can lay down some great anthems too. You get a bonus DVD with videos,
live performances, and more audio tracks. You get the total package here."
...The
Euro
GLENN HUGHES
Soul Mover
JOE LYNN TUNRER
The Usual Suspects
THUNDER
The Magnificent Seventh
SOUL SIRKUS
World Play
LANA LANE
Lady Macbeth
BRAZEN ABBOT
My Resurrection
ALLEN * LANDE
The Battle
PLACE VENDOME
S/T
SEVENTH KEY
Live in Atlanta
"I have never heard of the group before this album.
Once this 80 minute live masterpiece was finished, my jaw just dropped. This
is what
excellent
melodic
rock is supposed to sound like. Each song is beautifully arranged and executed.
After just one listen of each song, they become instantly recognizable.
The outstanding musicianship should be no surprise since the group is made
up of melodic rock veterans (ex-Kansas members). Every one of the 12 live
cuts and 3 studio tracks is a potential hit in my book. All rock fans MUST
have this in their collection!"
...The DVD
TALISMAN
World’s Best Kept Secret
BRIAN WILSON
presents Smile
PETER GABRIEL
Play: The Videos
EAGLES
Farewell I Tour: Live in Melbourne
VARIUOS ARTISTS
Live Aid Box Set
HELLOWEEN
Hellish Videos: The Complete Video Collection
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Let It Rock: Live at the Crossroads of Rock N Roll
...THE WORST
HED P.E.
Only in Amerika
KOTTONMOUTH KINGS
Ten Years Deep DVD
ELECTROCUTE
Troublesome Bubblegum
BLOODHOUND GANG
Heft Fine
DAVID TURBOW
Gold Standard
THE VACATION
Band From Ground Zero
"Stop whining, you're on vacation for crying
out loud. When you get back, you might want to take up some voice lessons."
NIACIN
Live in Tokyo DVD
"Bassist Billy Sheehan, keyboardist
John Novello, and drummer Dennis Chambers just sit there and play through
a set of ten jazz-fusion style instrumental numbers. There's no denying
their talent at their respective instruments, but combined together it's
rather boring."
FEAR FACTORY
Transgression
"Transgression is everything
that you would expect from Fear Factory ...unfortunately that's the problem.
The first Fear Factory CD I bought was Obsolete. I liked it so
much I bought the albums that preceded it and the one after it. I soon
realized that they all sounded the same. The reason I think Obsolete was
so good was because it had some cash behind the production. Transgression is
described as being experimental, but it's evident that the only experiment
is to see if they can recreate their sound with less money (almost, but
cheap production is noticeable). Fear Factory hit a creative brick wall
after their second album, and haven't found a way around it."
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(Jay) Let
me say greetings and salutations to my fellow music fans. I’m
completing my first “season” reviewing albums for Rock Is Life,
and as we approach the end of the year, it’s time for the ubiquitous
listing of my top ten favorite albums of 2005.
This list is not just made up of the albums that I’ve reviewed for the
site, nor is it just the ones that I gave the best reviews to. One of my requirements
for inclusion on this list is “repeatability.” I can love an album
when I listen to it, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that I play it endlessly
throughout the year. The CDs that do get repeated plays end up being the albums
that mean the most to me.
I don’t want this introduction to be too long, but here’s how
this list is going to progress. I’m counting down from #10 to #1. The
individual entries will contain a link to the original review if I did it
for the site and
some new brief commentary. If it’s an album that I didn’t review
for the site, I’ll try to have more to say. Pretty easy, huh?
Okay, now as Casey Kasem says, on with the countdown...
The Top 10 Albums
of 2005 
#10. IOMMI w/Glenn Hughes
Fused
This
album was the last entry to make my list and the most recent review as well.
While this
is clearly
Iommi’s project, Glenn Hughes uses this
platform to raise himself into my own personal accounting of favorite singers.
If you consider that the group contains Bruce Dickinson, Robert Plant, Rob
Halford, David Coverdale, and most assuredly, Ronnie James Dio, I think you
can figure out how highly I now think of Hughes’ singing.
The album is a prime example of how to deliver a rock trio album with style,
grace and power.
#9. JUDAS PRIEST
Angel of Retribution
Speaking as one of those who found the Tim “Ripper” Owens era
of Judas Priest a colossal waste of time, this album reuniting The Metal
God, Rob Halford, with Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing delivers not just a
superb helping of the classic Priest sound, but a primal scream announcing
there’s life in the beast still. The album would be perfect save the
horrific final track “Lochness.” Otherwise, I had nothing bad
to say about Angel of Retribution at all. The remaining 9 tracks are fantastic
with “Worth Fighting For,” “Deal with The Devil” and “Demonizer” being
my particular favorites. There’s a reason Rob Halford is still considered
one of the best singers in metal, he proves that school of thought here.
Now if I had only been able to see them on tour this year.
#8. MARIA MCKEE
Peddlin' Dreams
McKee eschews, for the most part, her more rocking
past on this album. The songs here are a sublime mix of perfectly honed mature
style that defies
a general categorization. While the music doesn’t have the high-energy
rock feel to it, she doesn’t leave her voice, which is still breathtakingly
beautiful, in the dust. You can call it adult contemporary, folk rock, country
rock, or traditional pop music. You may be right with one or all of those
descriptions. Of course you may be wrong as well. I just know that when I
pop in this album, she takes me to a place where her voice envelops me and
takes me on a musical journey that I’m very willing to take.
#7. AL KOOPER
Black
Coffee
If
you call this album a “musician’s album” you are
doing a grave disservice. While a simple explanation like that would
fit, it’s far more than that. The album crosses a wide variety
of genres to deliver a wonderfully complex album. Kooper’s voice
alternates between a deep rumbling to a more high-pitched tone. He may
not be teaching at the Berklee School of Music anymore, but this album
finds Kooper and his backing band putting on a clinic.
#6. ROBERT PLANT & THE
NEW SENSATION
Mighty Rearranger
I pretty much said everything I could about this album in the review. Robert
Plant is the consummate singer who always seems in full command of his
music and where he wants to go with it. The first album of original material
in years gives you yet another look into the heart and soul of a master.
#5. ANTIGONE RISING
From
the Ground Up
Yes, if you have been paying attention
to my reviews, it should be obvious that I am now officially declaring
Antigone Rising to be my
favorite
new band of 2005. It’s a pretty gutsy move to release a debut album
that’s also a live album. However, when you combine superior musical
chops, great songs, and a singer who can send chills down your spine
with her emotional and powerhouse voice, it’s hard not to be drawn
into the cult of personality. Here’s hoping for many more releases
from the group.
#4. HAREM SCAREM
Overload
This
album was probably the one that I am most proud to have reviewed for Rock-is-Life.com.
Why? It’s simple really. It introduced me to the
band! The band sounds great, has a plethora of great songs on this release,
and delivers some of the best melodic rock of the year. Oh, and on a personal
note, it’s also the first review I wrote that got linked on to the
band’s official website. You can say I’m shallow, but I thought
that was pretty cool.
#3. GLENN HUGHES
Soul
Mover
I had to audition to get this gig writing
reviews for the site. This album was the one I chose to do my tryout
sample on. I said in that
sample
review that Soul Mover is what a rock n’ roll album should sound
like. I also said the only bad part of the album was that there weren’t
about 30 tracks on it. Seriously folks, if you like rock n’ roll
and this album isn’t in your collection, you’re lying to
us, and you are lying to yourself. You should check out the title cut, “She
Moves Ghostly” and “Dark Star.”
#2. DREAM THEATER
Octavarium
There
was a period of a few years where I couldn’t
stand the band. I found the albums they were releasing to be beyond boring.
It seemed they
were trying to impress us with how well they could play their instruments
rather than crafting actual songs. I was very happy to discover that the
last two albums they have released have brought about a return to form that
served them best like their best known album Images and Words. Octavarium
is Dream Theater at the top of their game. The only real problem I
had with the album was the first 11 minutes or so of the title cut. Otherwise
I played this album constantly from the very first spin. I played it here at
home 3 times for the review and many more for pleasure. I can’t begin to
figure out how many times it was played while I was at work. It’s progressive
metal at some of its highest level of attainment.
#1. BRUCE DICKINSON
Tyranny
of Souls
Whether
it’s with Iron Maiden or any of his solo material, Tyranny
Of Souls represents some of the best work Bruce Dickinson has ever done.
You might have a basic idea of what to expect when you get a Bruce Dickinson
release, but the thing that makes him great is his ability to give his
work just the right tweak and make it still sound both fresh and new.
I’ve played this album multiple times on multiple nights. You won’t
find a better rock album for 2005 anywhere on this planet, PERIOD. Of
course, that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong…BUT I’M
NOT!
MISCELLANEOUS
NOTES
While the
following albums didn’t make the top ten
list, they shouldn’t be forgotten as they were also among the best
releases of the year.
STEVE WALSH
Shadowman
This is a superb 8-song disc. I gave it high marks and I did play it a
lot through the year. I loved the guitar work on this disc.
OVERKILL
ReliXIV
The band finally (for me, at least) delivers an album that delivers a thrashy
follow up to their classic CD The Years Of Decay.
ORANGE SKY
Upstairs
The
band just missed making my Best of 2005 top ten list. I only had two debut
albums even in consideration. The album has a great sound to it, and
I’m looking forward to not only playing it more as time goes by, but
also for more material. This album proves you can find quality rock music
anywhere in the world, you just have to open your eyes to look for it.
NEIL DIAMOND
12 Songs
He
may be my mom’s favorite, but there’s no generation gap
on this CD. Diamond delivers his best and most focused material in years.
The songwriting is top notch.
JAUGERNAUT (A.D.)
Contra-Mantra
The
epic progressive rock sound is alive and well, and this album demonstrates
that amply. It does this without succumbing to the genre’s pompous
excess as well.
JOHN OLIVIA'S PAIN
‘ Tage Mahal
I was
writing my own online column when I got this album in the beginning of
the year. When I gave it a very high mark, I said I would find it hard
to imagine finding better material than this. While that statement didn’t
exactly hold up, it’s still a great album. I can’t wait to see
what Jon Oliva has coming with his next album, which they are already working
on.
SOUL DOCTOR
For A Fistful Of Dollars
While
this album was one of the last albums I did a review for this year, it’s also an outstanding one as well. It’s a great
example of soulful blues-rock with the modern edge necessary to compete in
today’s
marketplace.
I’ve talked about the albums I liked for this year,
but what about individual songs? Well, yes there are a lot of those as well.
Some of the songs are from discs that I reviewed, but there are also songs
that came from artists that I either didn’t review or don’t fit
the description of the website.
The songs (in no particular order) are:
Life of Agony – “Love To Let You Down”
Bruce Dickinson – “Navigate The Seas
Of The Sun”
Overkill – “Old School”
Five.Bolt.Main – “Pathetic”
Shelly Fairchild – “Ready To Fall”
Miranda Lambert – “What About Georgia”
Smile Empty Soul – “Self Inflicted”
Buckcherry - “Crazy Bitch”
Maria McKee – “Season Of The Fair”
Liz Phair – “Got My Own Thing”
Iommi w/Glenn Hughes – “Saviour Of The
Real”
Judas Priest – “Worth Fighting For”
Glenn Hughes – “Soul Mover”
By the way, in case
you are interested, my favorite movie of the year was actually a tie. Though
it was technically released in 2004, I didn’t
see the film until it opened in wide release in 2005. I’m speaking
of the Clint Eastwood masterpiece Million Dollar Baby. The other film that
rocked my world this year was Serenity. If you
haven’t seen it, the
film is based on the cancelled TV series called Firefly. It’s set 500
years in the future and the easiest explanation of the plot is a group of
people living on the edges of space making a living smuggling. They are on
the run from the government who are after two of the ship’s passengers.
The movie has drama, action, comedy and everything else you can possibly
want. It’s due out on DVD December 20th. Million Dollar Baby is available
on DVD already.
My favorite music DVD of the year has to be the Beth Hart concert
DVD Live
at Paradiso (read review).
It’s
an electrifying performance that solidifies in my mind how great Beth Hart
is as an artist.
Well there you have
it, my favorite albums, songs, movies, and music DVDs of 2005. I’m
hoping that 2006 will bring at least as many fantastic things to listen
to and watch.
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