Ask 411 Music 01.29.07: The Edition Four Months In The Making

Posted by Mitch Michaels on 01.29.2007

Ask 411 Music returns with TONS of brief album reviews, including Nas, DAUGHTRY, Meat Loaf, Jay-Z, The Killers and Lucero, The Countdown Theme Time Playlist wrap-up, a new musical ransom note CONTEST, plus, we talk CBGB, Blur, The Beatles, Dylan, 4 Strings & MORE!!!!

Oh, hello!

You may remember this little column called Ask 411 Music and its successful run up until September of 2006. You may also be one of the folks who wondered, "hey, what happened to Ask 411 Music? I mean, sure, Mitch has been known to go a month without posting these, but FOUR months? Has the column been cancelled? Has Mitch died?"

Hahaha! You FOOLS! First off, as the current co-editor of the Music Zone, I can assure you that Ask 411 Music will NEVER be cancelled. And I can further assure you that I will never let some other writer take it over. Even if I go FOUR FUCKING YEARS without posting a new edition, you'll still never be able to wrest the control of this column out of my cold, dead hands. Or my very warm, living hands, as it were, seeing as how I don't plan on taking a dirt nap anytime soon. The Michaels men have incredible life expectancies.

But, anyway…

WHAT THE FUCK?!

Ask 411 Music is back and hopefully running again on a semi-bi-weekly basis. And that's in your hands, readers. Send me questions! Respond to my contests! If not, I will hunt your mothers down like dogs. Like fucking dogs.

Let's see: Mentioned my name? Check. Addressed the hiatus? Check. Plenty of swear words? Check. Threatened the readers? Check. Call it an intro, folks! Off we go…


2007 BILLBOARD #1 ALBUMS

So, OK. I came SO close to reviewing all the Billboard #1 albums of 2006, but things fell off as the year came to a close and I missed about half a dozen. Oh well, I'm sure they all sucked, anyway. Let's see: Ludacris? Yep. Rod Stewart? Boring. Diddy? Seriously, is there a good song on this CD? Hannah Montana? Are you fucking JOKING? Billy Ray Cyrus hit the top of the charts again? Ciara? See ya later. Now 23? Holy fuck, no wonder I quit reviewing these things. I do like the new Jay-Z, though.

Anyway, so I'm going to tweak this gimmick a little this year and instead review these albums in brief, right here in Ask 411 Music.

01/06/07: Nas - Hip Hop Is Dead - A lot of people were creaming over this one, but, to be honest, I don't understand the hype. Sure, the title is controversial, and yes, there are some bright moments ("You Can't Kill Me" and "Black Republican" being my favorite), but Hip Hop Is Dead, with its (at times boring) old school beats and uneven mix of good tracks and yawners, doesn't even live up to Jay-Z's latest, much less the lofty expectations of the rapper who brought us Illmatic. Rating: 7.0

01/13/07: Omarion - 21 - Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of modern day mainstream R&B. That said, Omarion has proven on his second album that he's one of the best the younger generation of R&B stars has to offer. Though 21 isn't quite the eye-opener that Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds was (both are former boy band members), it is a vast improvement over 2005's O, which itself wasn't too bad due to its Neptunes-riffic tracking. If you like "Ice Box" (and as corny as it is, it's still got an awesome hook), then this album is not money wasted. Rating: 8.0

01/20/07, 01/27/07: Dreamgirls: Music From The Motion Picture - OK, so this is a musical soundtrack, so you know what you're getting into. As a person who thought the Chicago soundtrack wasn't bad, I have to say that Dreamgirls does a really good job of bringing the energy of the movie into audio-only form, a tricky feat, no doubt. And, you know, as much as I liked Beyoncé's latest CD, I can't help but snicker at how she gets totally outclassed here by the vocals of Jennifer Hudson. This album is good for a giggle (hey, who doesn't love some new Eddie Murphy tracks?), and you might as well pick it up, because as we head into the Oscars, you're gonna need to know just what the fuck people are talking about. Rating: 7.5

02/03/07: DAUGHTRY - DAUGHTRY - (Yes, in all caps) And the "American Idol" love continues, as Chris Daughtry becomes the next in a long line of "Idol" contestants to shoot to number one. Here's my question: Just who the fuck is this album supposed to appeal to? Chris Daughtry will never get past the lame-ass stench of "AI", and people who listen to the "neo-grunge" that he's known for (a la Nickelback, Staind, Puddle Of Mudd) wouldn't be caught dead watching "Idol". It puzzles me, it truly does. Then again, I have good taste. As far as the album goes, bleh. Despite admittedly nice vocals, Daughtry doesn't have the passion or charisma needed to make this type of "heavy pop" interesting, and his band is a joke. Even the mighty Slash can't lift this album above average. Rating: 6.0


LYNX

Time for a little site whoring (hey, I read this stuff, so should you!):

Check out the debut edition of Music Fact Or Fiction. This week, co-editors Brian Berry and Michael Melchor discuss such pressing issues as the Smashing Pumpkins reunion and who would win in a fight between Keith Urban and Brad Paisley. Seriously!

Matt Stone returns with a new Music For Hypocrites. This week, he's mourning the loss of Weezer. I'm torn. First, he decries the greatest Weezer album ever made (Pinkerton) as "hard to listen to", but then he name checks Tom Petty's Wildflowers and Danzig. Hmm….oh wait, he bashes the Johnny Cash American series. This motherfucker has no taste. Email him and let him know!

MiGo keeps cranking out his Savage Animal. This week, he takes a look at female rockers and, in the process, gives us some hot pics to stroke to look at. In response to your reader mail, Mikey, neither "Crash" nor "Walk This Way" is about masturbation. They're both about getting laid. You heard it hear first: MiGo's readers have never been laid!

Be sure to check out this week's Top 5, where the staff talks about our favorite music documentaries. Seriously, it's not boring. I even made a new logo for it!

Jesse Coy makes his column debut with this week's Notes From A Padded Cell, where he talks about some of the concerts that rocked in 2006. Jesse may be the only person alive to have seen Billy Joel and Ministry within a 2-month span. Ha! Like anybody has any money left after they see that greedy bastard Joel.

Shane Viars returns with his first column in over a year, The Greatest Bands You've Never Heard. In the first edition, Viars talks up defunct punk act Tsunami Bomb, who I've actually heard. Does he have to change his title now?

Over in reviews, we've got Marques Furumoto giving his thoughts on the new album by Lisa Palleschi, which he calls pleasant but uninspired. Matt Clifford takes on hardcore act Plate Six, a band who he's fallen in love with (oh, and Matt, you forgot to mention that Birmingham, AL also gave us Taylor Hicks, so it negates any good that has ever come from there). Finally, Brandon Ratliff hits us with a one-two punch, with reviews of the new albums by Saliva and Killswitch Engage.

Finally, the good news reporters of the site are holding things down every week. Check out Phil, Jamie, Ian, and Ben C. regularly.


Album Reviews – In Brief

After 4 months, there's been quite a bit of new releases added to the Venerable Michaels collection. I'm going to try to remember them all. First off is Jay-Z's latest, Kingdom Come, which was the only CD I got for Christmas (though Dr. Robert Michaels did pick me up the new Metallica videos DVD, which I can highly recommend). As far as Kingdom, I am LOVING it! This is my current go-to CD when I just need to throw something on. Is Jay-Z as vital as he used to be? No way. Is this his best album? Not a chance. Still, there's a laid back flow to this album that you wouldn't expect from a "comeback" CD. Between the HOT single "Show Me What You Got", the braggadocios "I Made It", the hardcore "Dig A Hole" and the gorgeous Chris Martin collaboration "Beach Chair", I don't see this one leaving my CD player anytime soon.

So did anybody out there see Tenacious D in The Pick Of Destiny or was I the only one? If not, you're missing a hilarious movie (though far from perfect) in the vein of such classics as Half Baked and Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle. Unfortunately, that just can't be said for the D's second album. The disc is a straight-up soundtrack and, if not watching the movie, some tunes are just trashy throwaways. The album starts EXTREMELY slow, as even the guest spots by Meat Loaf and Dio turn out to be disappointments. Fortunately, the final three songs make this set worth a listen. "The Final Showdown", which features Dave Grohl as a (shiny?) demon, is "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" on acid (with lots of "fucks" thrown in) and WILL stick in your head. The title tune is straight up funny, as is the closer "Metal", a hilarious take on why metal will never die. Nowhere near as good as Tenacious D, though. Hopefully there will be a third full-length.

I picked up the Foo Fighters' acoustic Skin And Bones as a steal for only like $8 at Wal*Mart. This long awaited first live album by the Foos is, in a word, underwhelming. Maybe it's the inclusion of so many songs from In Your Honor's less than stellar second side. Or maybe it's just the fact that any Foos fan with an internet connection has heard these songs in acoustic form ten times over. I don't know, maybe time will make this album a little better. For now, though, it is what it is and little more.





So, a haul of 5 can only indicate a BMG shipment. I finally fulfilled my membership agreement! The first disc I got was Steve Earle's I Feel Alright, a wonderful set from 1996 that was used heavily in the Talladega Nights movie. Songs like "More Than I Can Do" and "Hard Core Troubador" just soar with country goodness. In fact, there's not a bad song on this album. From there, I got in the mood for some more country, so I picked up Merle Haggard's 20 Greatest Hits, which came out in 2002. I can't really say what makes this album great over other Haggard collections (there are some notable songs MIA, like "I Take A Lot Of Pride In What I Am"), but it does have a lot of the greats. If "Mama Tried" doesn't get you going, what the fuck will? My thoughts then turned to other older singers that I didn't have compilations for, which moved me to the legendary B.B. King and his '05 Ultimate Collection. This is King's only one disc set that truly covers his entire career, so it's notable for that. I was glad to get classics like "How Blue Can You Get" and "The Thrill Is Gone" in their original incarnation, as well as a couple of great tracks from King's Live At The Regal, one of the greatest concert albums of all time. I also picked up No Doubt's The Singles, 1992-2003, mainly ‘cause I was nostalgic for the 90's. This is the best of "radio" No Doubt and, c'mon, like you don't know these songs. It is interesting to hear No Doubt slowly morph from a punked-up rock band to the rock/R&B hybrid they became just before Gwen Stefani went solo. Interesting for historical purposes. Finally, I picked up the 2003 Mars iLL album Backbreakanomics. To be honest, I had most of the good tracks from this album, but I was so sick of NOT being able to find their newest CD Pro*Pain that I just had to buy SOME Mars iLL record. If you're into rap at all, give these guys a shot and let me know what you think.


I went into Best Buy back in November with a crisp, new twenty dollar bill, aiming to pick up the new Meat Loaf CD. Imagine my surprise when I found that disc was under $10 and I could thus pick up ANOTHER new CD! After being disappointed at not being able to find a copy of Van Morrsion's Moondance, I was even more psyched when the new Bob Seger set, Face The Promise caught my eyes for under $10. What can I say? Both of these albums are solid offerings and sure to please fans of both men. Meat Loaf's set is just as good as Bat Out Of Hell II, despite the minimal involvement of Jim Steinman. Songs like "Bad For Good" and the title track are just Meat Loaf kicking all sorts of ass, and he sings the holy FUCK out of "It's All Coming Back To Me Now". The Seger set stands with any of Bob's classic 70's albums, though it does seem to have a lighter touch. The lead single, "Wait For Me", would be right at home on Seger & The Silver Bullet Band's seminal Greatest Hits, and the Kid Rock duet "Real Mean Bottle" is just plain fun.

I picked up Pillar's latest, The Reckoning, during a bored trip through Wal*Mart while my wife picked up groceries. It was strictly out of habit really, and the album has yet to grow on me. The band's breakthrough, Fireproof, was just so insanely good, it's hard to believe they fell so quickly to the "Christian band law of diminishing returns". Even their last album, Where Do We Go From Here, had its moments, more than I can say for this set. If you don't mind hearing the same old same old alternative metal with some Christian overtones, you could do worse, but you could also do a lot better. So could Pillar.



I picked up another nice 3-pack back in October, this time thanks to incredibly low CD prices at Wal*Mart. I went in to pick up the new Beck (The Information) and JET (Shine On), but wound up getting the Killers' latest CD, Sam's Town, too. Well, the Beck album has its moments. I love the lead song, "Elevator Music", but the rest of the tunes really start to bleed together. It's a shame, too, because this set is WAY more fun than Guero, but the songs just aren't there. You have to love the DVD, though, a set of low budget videos for ALL the songs on the album that is worth the price of the album alone. Then there's JET, who, for all intents and purposes, decided to take what was good about Get Born and completely ignore that on their second effort. Shine On is set apart by a darker atmosphere, yeah, but the hooks just don't carry it like, say, "Cold Hard Bitch" and "Are You Gonna Be My Girl". Definitely a disappointment. However, it was The Killers, a last second audible, that REALLY turned my head. Quite simply, Sam's Town is my favorite album of the last four months, bar none. The songs are astonishingly good, and the band knows when to wink and be playful and when to just groove. This album is FULL of great singles, so many that I could imagine The Killers will have plenty of time before needing to hit the studio again. If you liked Hot Fuss, don't go in expecting a repeat. Sam's Town is lighter and catchier, a poppier version of the band's "glamorous indie rock ‘n' roll". Buy this one today!

Finally, way the hell back in September, alt-country rockers Lucero released their anticipated Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers. As a fan of Lucero's stripped down sound, I was first put off by this set, which features bigger arrangements and a fulltime keyboardist. After a few spins, though, it finally dawned on me that Lucero has quietly made the southern version of Born To Run. Sure, it's a little slower, and the accent is different, but Ben Nichols and his band have put together some of the most youthfully energetic pure rock music of the last 30 years. Songs like "What Else Would You Have Me Be?" and "I Can Get Us Out Of Here Tonight" are absolute anthems. It's Springsteen by way of The Band, with a whole lot of beer to fuel it.


The iTunes Theme Time Playlist Extravaganza

iTunes and Ask 411 Music continue their marriage with this feature, the Theme Time Playlist Extravaganza. Basically, I'll use iTunes' "Search" feature and my digital song library to come up with a themed playlist each column. Nothing too taxing, let's see how it goes. (Also, thanks to Bob Dylan for inspiring the title.)

This week's theme:


(PART TWO)

(Note: If you missed or have forgotten numbers 10-6, check them out in the last column.)

Eric Clapton - "Five Long Years" - This is from Clapton's classic blues album From The Cradle. You know, I've said it before, but it took MAJOR balls for Clapton to follow-up the monster success of his Unplugged CD and "Tears In Heaven" with a straight-up blues album. "Five Long Years" is a smoking cover of an Eddie Boyd tune from back in 1952. Coincidentally, Boyd died just 2 months before this album was released.

Old 97's - "Four Leaf Clover" – If you want to explain the Old 97's rocking side to someone, just play them "Four Leaf Clover", a blistering psychobilly rave-up that features X's Exene Cervenka on guest vocals. The song originally appeared on the 97's Elektra debut, Too Far To Care. "I'm still a drunk, I'm still a loser/Living in a lousy neighborhood"

Bob Marley & The Wailers - "Three Little Birds" - From 1977's Exodus. It's hard to believe that Bob Marley wrote this song not long after he was almost murdered. The mellow classic ("Don't worry about a thing") may not be one of Marley's biggest hits, but it's definitely one of his grooviest offerings. Speaking of hard to believe, it's hard to believe that, 30 years later, people still can't make reggae this good.

Rob Zombie - "Two-Lane Blacktop" – I had tons of songs that mention the word "two", but I chose this one because, really, who makes metal songs about driving anymore? This is a new track from Zombie's 2003 compilation Past, Present & Future. The tune, based on the 1971 film of the same name (which also starred James Taylor!) is a pretty standard, hard driving rocker from Zombie, but has actually done pretty well for itself. It was a Top 40 Mainstream Rock hit back in 2003 and appeared in the video game Need For Speed: Underground and in the shitty 2005 movie Venom. I like the handclaps.

Johnny Cash - "One" – Can it be an Ask 411 Music playlist without Johnny Cash? This is a cover of the U2 classic from Cash's American III: Solitary Man, probably the weakest in the American series. U2's version is untouchable, no doubt, but Cash really brings a lonesomeness and weight to this song that will leave you in awe. People have told me they really love Mary J Blige's recent cover of this hit. Listen to The Man In Black's and tell me it's not your favorite.

A new feature for Ask 411 Music and this one can get you a prize. Basically, I'll post a sentence/picture that will be a series of words cut and pasted from album covers (like a ransom note, get it?). The first person to correctly identify the albums that the pasted words came from wins a spot in the next Ask 411 Music to plug, preach, rant or swear about any topic their heart desires. Got it?

Here's last time's puzzle:


Now, unfortunately, last time we had NO winners. A couple of folks got very close, but I just couldn't in good conscious call them victors and taint this, the first edition of Musical Ransom Notes. Let's break this nod to the latest Justin Timberlake album down. The "Future" was an obvious one, cut from album cover for the soundtrack to the hit time-travel flick Back To The Future. "Sex" was another gimme, as it was lifted from the cover of the punk classic Nevermind The Bullocks, Here's The Sex Pistols. The forward slash can be easily recognized by a certain "Simpsons" bus driver as part of the logo for Australia's favorite sons, AC/DC, on the album sleeve for their hard rock classic Back In Black. The "Love" required a bit more skill, but any psychedlia lover (with a few hits of acid in their system) could tell you it was cropped from the art for Jimi Hendrix' Axis: Bold As Love.

Then we have the problem child, the picture that no one figured out: "Sounds". A couple of folks gave it a GOOD guess as being cropped from The Beach Boys classic Pet Sounds. However, the "Sounds" in our puzzle was green, while the "Sounds" on the cover of Pet Sounds was white. Our "Sounds", in fact, was cut from Simon & Garfukel's Sounds Of Silence. Don't believe me? Check it out below:



OK, now that you know how to play the game, here's this week's puzzle:


That's 4 different albums to make up Greatest Hits Volume LXXXIV. Can you figure it out for a spot in the next edition of Ask 411 Music? (Hint: You just may need to utilize an extensive knowledge of Roman numerals. "Rocky V + Rocky II = Rocky VII: Adrian's Revenge!") Send your answers to my email as quick as you can. Good luck!

And now it's time for……..


ASK411 MUSIC

Our first comment this week comes from 411 Music editor Brian Berry, who responds to my comments on the closing of CBGB back in the November Music Roundtable:

Yo Mitch,

Just a follow up on the CBGB thing. I don't know if you know this, but the people they weren't paying rent to are a homeless shelter next door/above the club. Apparently, the CBGB managers are real deadbeats. I went to the club on a trip to NY a few months back and found a club with approximately 10-15 people in attendance. 4 bands played. It's a total shithole. At least 924 Gilman (probably the 2nd most well known punk club in the US) has some character to it. This place was all about selling overpriced drinks, overpriced merch, and having 21+ shows (a big no-no in the punk community). In short, nobody's missing anything by this place closing and they totally deserve your "Biggest Loser of the Month" honors.

Word up,
Brian

Thanks for the info Brian. CBGB, a New York City club that is known as the birthplace of American punk, was founded in 1973 by Hilly Kristal. Kristal had actually owned a club on the site prior, called Hilly's On The Bowery, but decided to change direction when his other, more profitable Hilly's in the West Village was forced to shut down.

Though originally opened as a sort of folkie venue (CBGB actually stands for Country Bluegrass and Blues, while the OMFUG is an acronym for Other Music For Uplifting Gormanizers), CBGBs really took off when it began to feature upcoming, unsigned bands from the local punk scene. Television got the ball rolling in the spring of 1974 and as the 70's rolled on, the club became the first to give shots to acts like the Ramones, Patti Smith, Blondie and the Talking Heads.

As the original punk scene began to die off and the 80's dawned, CBGB helped bring attention to the burgeoning hardcore punk scene (particularly through their "Sunday Matinees"). Bands like Sick Of It All, Agnostic Front and the Cro-Mags all got their start playing the hallowed stage. That is until the violence associated with the music got the whole genre banned by Hilly Kristal.

The next couple of decades were slim for CBGB as it devolved from a historic venue to, what Brian Berry described as, a shithole. Finally, in 2005, a dispute between Kristal and the owners of the property put the final nail in the coffin. Kristal was unable to pay his $91,000 in back rent, nor was he able to gain historical status for the club, and CBGB closed its doors on October 15, 2006. Patti Smith helped play them out.

Recent talk has Kristal trying to relaunch the club in Las Vegas, as he plans on taking most of the club's fixtures (including the urinals) with him.

Reader Neil Brennan has a question with voyeuristic intentions:

Hey Mitch,

No questions about gay rappers this time. This might be outside your field of knowledge, but at the very end of Blur's "Beetlebum" vid, there's a shot that pulls away...and away...and away. So, did they do it?

Neil

Ah, Neil. NOTHING is outside my field of knowledge. Yes, they did it.

Blur's "Beetlebum" video, released in 1997, was directed by Sophie Muller and is a favorite among Blur fans. The video's hook is that it features several zoom-outs, camera shots that pull away until finally showing the earth entirely. There's also a blurred Coke can that catches many fans' eyes, mainly due to the fact that "Beetlebum"'s lyrics are supposedly about drug abuse (heroine or cocaine, take your pick).

Sophie Muller has actually directed SEVERAL well known videos (she's done over a hundred). Chances are if you've seen a video by No Doubt, Blur, Annie Lennox, Sarah McLachlan or Blur, they were directed by Muller. Most recently, she has directed great clips for Beyoncé's "Ring The Alarm", the Dixie Chicks' "Not Ready To Make Nice" and Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie".

Hey, remember Neil? He's back with another!:

Hey man,

My second question this month: When the Beatles released those "new" songs in the 90's ("Real Love" and "Free As A Bird"), how did they chart in the US and the UK? I'm fairly sure they didn't make it to number one in the UK, so what beat them?

Thanks for the question Neil, you know I love those Beatles!

In 1995-1996, Capitol/Apple Records released a three volume album series called Anthology, which featured tons of rare tracks from The Beatles' career. The discs, which all reached #1 on the Billboard charts, were released simultaneously with a well-received multi-part television documentary and a best selling book.

For the first set, Anthology 1, a "brand new" Beatles song was included called "Free As A Bird". The song featured a vocal performance by John Lennon which was recorded in 1977 (long after his tenure with The Beatles) but was left unfinished. Lennon's widow Yoko Ono handed the track over to the remaining three Beatles, who reunited (along with producer Jeff Lynne) to complete the song and thusly create the first "new" Beatles song since 1970.

When the song was released, it was well received by fans, though critics decried it as contrived and not up to Beatles standards. Still, "Free As A Bird" became a Top 10 hit in the US, reaching #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 at the close of 1995. "Bird" also charted on several genre lists, including: #19 Adult Contemporary, #22 Adult Top 40, #2 Hot Dance Music, #8 Mainstream Rock and #36 Top 40 Mainstream. The video for the song won a Grammy in 1996 for Best Short Form Video. The song fared a bit better in the UK, reaching #2 on the UK Singles Chart. Unfortunately for The Beatles, December of 1995 was ruled by Michael Jackson's "Earth Song", which held the #1 spot in the UK for five weeks.

The story of "Real Love", which was included on and released from Anthology 2, is virtually the same: a '77 Lennon demo that the surviving Beatles recorded with Jeff Lynne. "Real Love" didn't fare quite as well as "Free As A Bird", but it can still be considered a hit. In the US, the album charted #11 on the Billboard 100 and #4 on the Hot Dance Music chart.

In the UK, "Real Love" reached #4 on the Singles chart on March 16, 1996. At the time, the charts were being ruled by the #1s "How Deep Is Your Love" by Take That and "Firestarter" by Prodigy. It's also notable that just a few weeks prior, Oasis hit the top of the UK charts with "Don't Look Back In Anger". Many believe that "Real Love" failed to hit #1 because it was excluded from airplay by BBC 1, who claimed it wasn't what their listeners wanted to hear.


Reader Chris Haycox has some comments regarding my review of Bob Dylan's Modern Times:

Son,
I liked your review of Modern Times. You need to go back and have another listen to John Wesley. It's not very poppy, but it is one of Bob's major works. If you can dismiss it at the moment as a "forgettable detour", you simply haven't got it yet. There's greatness in them thar tracks, but you might need to dig a little to see it.
Chris

Thanks for reading Chris. I am definitely a Dylan fan, but I just have never cared for John Wesley Harding. In fact, when my brother and I first started listening to Bob, he would buy any Dylan CD he could find, despite the fact that a lot of Dylan's albums (mostly from the 70's-80's) are VERY hit or miss. I believe it was after buying JWH on CD that my brother finally quit doing that.

Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of great moments on that record. "All Along The Watchtower", though nowhere near the level that Hendrix would take it to, is still a great song, "Dear Landlord" harkens back to Dylan's earliest albums and "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" is a heck of a country-style song. Still, when you look at the fact that this album came out just after Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde, you have to think of this, a country album without even a hint of folk atmosphere, as at least odd. I mean, Dylan refused to hype the album or even release a single. Don't you think that's weird?

Bottom line: Nashville Skyline does it much better, in my opinion. But to each his own. At least we both like good music!

Speaking of the Modern Times review, reader Nino chimes in:

Yeah yeah yeah, who made you the Dylan expert? What're you, 29?

Actually, I was 26 when I wrote the review, and I stand by it at 27.

Reader Drew brings it all home with our last one:

Hey Mitch.

My question is about this dance group called 4 Strings. They had an awesome album and fun songs like "Diving" "Take Me Away" and "Let it Rain", but, from what I heard, the singer they had, Vanessa I think her name is, left. Some say it was because they where doing songs without her vocals, but she didn't leave till a year after those rumors went around. What was the reason she left? What's she doing now? And are they going to replace her or just keep going off the same songs?

Drew.

Thanks for the question, Drew. I can't find much on 4 Strings, but here is what I know. The group is comprised of producer Carlo Resoort and DJ/mixer Jan de Vos. The pair have known each other for years, but only truly began to record together as 4 Strings in the late ‘90's. Their first few singles caused a groundswell of support on the dance scene, and in 2003, the duo released their first album, Believe, which featured the underground dance hits "Summer Sun" and "Let It Rain". Those tracks, along with others, featured the vocals of singer/dancer Vanessa Van Hemmert, who was regarded as a vocalist of talents beyond her years.

Van Hemmert sang on many of 4 Strings best known songs, and was a hit with fans, but left the band in early 2005. I can't find any reasons as to why. 4 Strings' new website does not even list Vanessa in their biography, so one may take that to mean that the split was less than amicable.

I can't find anything about what Vanessa is up to these days, but 4 Strings toured much of the eastern hemisphere in 2006 and released an album called Main Line in November. A song on the new album, "Sunrise", features Vanessa's vocals.

And that's all for this week. I'll be back in a week or two, so keep sending in those questions.