Music Review : James Blunt - All The Lost Souls

James Blunt website



Released on 18 September 2007, 'All The Lost Souls' is Blunt's sophomore album and if he sang about Billy and Jimmy in the debut album 'Back To Bedlam', he is singing about Annie and Simone in this album.

1. 1973 - 4:40
2. One of the Brightest Stars - 3:12
3. I'll Take Everything - 3:05
4. Same Mistake - 4:59
5. Carry You Home - 3:57
6. Give Me Some Love - 3:37
7. I Really Want You - 3:30
8. Shine on - 4:27
9. Annie - 3:29
10. I Can't Hear the Music - 3:45

News of Release of Album

He has stated that the inspiration for the music and lyrics are driven by a "band" mentality rather than "thinking of myself as a singer/songwriter with a guitar and piano". In a sense, this latest offering seems more diversified.

Look out for the album for the lyrics and you may love the album, just as with 'Back To Bedlam'.

'1973' is the infectious first single and Blunt recounted the times he had with an ex-girlfriend. 'One Of The Brightest Stars' is about someone taking chances and fulfilling his potential and try to eventually become a 'Bright Star'.

'I'll Take Everything' is one of the simplest songs in the album and it is spiritually-driven. 'Same Mistake' is one of the best tracks for me in the album and it's about doing/saying something wrong and knowing that he will make that mistake repeatedly, which triggers back memories from my personal experience with someone I used to be with.

'Carry You Home' was co-written with the renowned songwriter from Sweden, Max Martin and another of my favourite tracks. This track is a sad song because it's about someone singing for a close friend (spouse) who has died. 'Give Me Some Love' is, as the title suggests, about someone going through a bad patch "taken ship-loads of drugs" and needing love.

'I Really Want You' is my pick for the album and is a accomplished written and refined track. Hear it for the various instruments being used and if Blunt mention diversity in creating this album, this track probably sums it up. 'Shine On' is an angsty song about defiance.

'Annie' is about a celebrity whose "dreams are crumbling" and will probably relate to some Hollywood celebrities. 'I Can't Hear The Music' takes awhile to understand and it actually reflects the album title "All The Lost Souls".

Look out for the album cover too which depicts a thousand pictures of James Blunt in various snippets of his life.

I rate this album 4 out 5.

Music Review : Bon Jovi - Lost Highway

Bon Jovi official website



Released on 18 June 2007, this is Bon Jovi's tenth studio album. The music is somewhat country-inspired though they did not dispense noticeably with the rock music they are famous for.

1. Lost Highway - 4:14
2. Summertime - 3:18
3. (You Want to) Make a Memory - 4:37
4. Whole Lot of Leavin' - 4:17
5. We Got It Going On' featuring Big & Rich - 4:13
6. Any Other Day - 4:03
7. Seat Next to You - 4:23
8. Everybody's Broken - 4:13
9. Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore" featuring LeAnn Rimes) - 4:44
10. The Last Night - 3:33
11. One Step Closer - 3:37
12. I Love This Town - 4:38
13. Lonely - 3:55 (Bonus Track: UK/Japan/Australia) / Walk Like a Man - 4:29 (Bonus Track: USA, only available on albums bought from Target stores)
Put the Boy Back in Cowboy - 3:59 (Bonus Track: Japan/ UK "(You Want to) Make a Memory" single)
The first single released is '(You Want To) Make A Memory', which was a surprise first single for me as they normally released the more edgier rock tracks before releasing a slow lovely rock ballad eg

1) 'It's My Life', 'Say It Isn't So' followed by 'Thank You For Loving Me' ('Crush' album)
2) 'Everyday', 'Misunderstood' followed by 'All About Lovin' You' ('Bounce')
3) 'Have A Nice Day' album was introduced with the release of the rock album-titled track 'Have A Nice Day'.

I have always like Bon Jovi because they are a clean rock band who really enjoy their music. Of course, it helps that Jon and Sambora writes great music too. I also enjoy their addictive rock songs which was non-evident (to me) in their last album 'Have A Nice Day'.

The most immediate thing I noticed about this album was the way it was packaged in a great casing (yes, casing plays a part too) and that it had collaboration tracks, which was not a feature of their previous albums namely "Til' We Ain't Strangers Anymore" featuring the great country/pop singer LeAnn Rimes and "We Got It Goin' On'" featuring Big & Rich,

The album as a whole is decent although with the exception of (You Want To) Make A Memory, I had prefer it to have more addictive rock tracks ('Say It Isn't So', 'Captain Crash...' ('Crush'), 'Misunderstood', 'Bounce' ('Bounce'). As stated before, 'Have A Nice Day' also didn't really offer these tracks but such is the influence of this legendary rock band.

I will recommend 'Seat Next To You, a lovely ballad, 'Everybody's Broken', which is one of those tracks for the down-hearted soul and the enjoyable country track 'I Love This Town' which has the mould of the song 'Two Story Town' from 'Crush'.

I rate 'Lost Highway' 3 1/2 out of 5, though I will push it to 4 simply because of the best track from this album '(You Want To)...', which I will have in my iPod for a long while.

Music Review: Peterpan - Hari Yang Cerah released 4 June 2007

peterpan official website



1. Menghapus Jejakmu
2. Hari Yang Cerah Untuk Jiwa Yang Sepi
3. Di Balik Awan
4. Kota Mati
5. Melawan Dunia
6. Sally Sendiri
7. Lihat Langkahku
8. Bebas
9. Cobalah Mengerti
10. Dunia Yang Terlupa

The news will have filtered to most people by now (or by the time that "Hari Yang Cerah" was released) that peterpan is now a 4-man band and as with most 4-man band, there is usually no keyboardist and as a result, taken in purely in this context, peterpan is just an ordinary Rock band.

"Hari Yang Cerah" (A Bright Day) is the band's 3rd studio album.

Andika, the ex-keyboardist/pianist, made peterpan music unique to my ears and Huda and myself were definitely saddened that he left. Word was that he and Indra, ex-guitarist,the other member , had been having creative differences (a perennial reason for a split) since the very first album.

No matter what differences, though, the keyboard make the peterpan music different. No doubt, the music is definitely guitars most of the time and Ariel's vocals all the time, still...

If you are fans of "Semua Tentang Kita", "Topeng", "Khayalan Tingkat Tinggi", "Ku Katakan Dengan Indah", "Diatas Normal", "Tak Bisakah", among others, then you'll know what I am talking about.

Despite this, Hari Yang Cerah is a decent album, though it's more or less a follow-up album to "Bintang Di Surga", with a more toned down tempo and radio-friendly tracks.

The first single "Menghapus Jejakmu" (Vanquishing Your Steps) is one such example that is instantly likeable. The title track 2nd song, "Hari Yang Cerah Untuk Jiwa Yang Sepi" (A Bright Day For The Lonely Soul) has that element of keyboard/piano sound, and I won't be surprised if this was actually a song performed before Andika left the band. This song makes me feel there is always hope and optimism (for the lonely soul).

"Di Balik Awan" (Behind The Cloud) is another radio-friendly track, sweet and a good love song. "Kota Mati" (Dead City) is my track of the album, it is one of those songs where I feel like making personal reflections. "Melawan Dunia" (Fighting the World) is the 'you versus the world' and the name is what it is, this is the angsty song if you are feeling down.

Huda is personally a fan of "Sally Sendiri" (Lonely Sally), the next song. I don't feel the song should be in the album, though. I guess it's because the album needed another slow song, and "Sally Sendiri" just makes up the numbers. "Lihat Langkahku" (Watch My Steps) is another one of pre-Andika tracks probably, so 'nuff said.

"Bebas" (Freedom) brings out the rebel in you. "Cobalah Mengerti" (Try to Understand) is the edgy song, the edgiest in the album, and is one of my two favourites on this album.

"Dunia Yang Terlupa" (the World Forgot) is the usual peterpan offering, which summed up the whole album really. (The World may just forget this album.) Lyrical-wise, it is a good track to have on your MP3s, as it is a 'you versus the world' song..... wait, sounds similar. Comparison-wise, it is almost similar to "Melawan Dunia" except it's a toned-down version and using the word "I" instead of "We" which was the tone in the the former song.
"Hari Yang Cerah" was a disappointment in terms of progress. I had expected more, to be honest. The removal of the keyboard/piano member more or less makes peterpan ordinary.

Musically, I like the songs, they are great to listen to, radio-friendly and will rock a crowd at a concert, speaking of which, they should make their way to Singapore already! Yet, this can't be help, if compared to their previous two albums "Taman Langit" (Sky Garden) and "Bintang Di Surga" (Stars In Heaven), "Hari Yang Cerah" is a natural follow-up. If you are not looking for more, then you may not be disappointed.
I rate this album 3.5/5.

For the video of "Menghapus Jejakmu"

If you are a fan of Andika and/or Indra, you can listen out for both of them with their new band "The Titans".

Here is a sample of their sound:
The Titans - "Rasa Ini"
Their first single from their album "The Titans" released in April 2007

Music Review: Lifehouse - Who We Are released 19 June 2007

Lifehouse official website


Lifehouse released their 4th album on 19th June 2007, and at the moment only HMV seems to have it. I got mine through Amazon.com because the price at HMV was ridiculously exorbitant.

From wikipedia.org "Following its release, Who We Are debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200 at number 14, selling about 49,000 copies in its first week. As of July 11, 2007, the album has sold 86,844 copies in the US."

Track Listing
"Disarray" - 3:45
"First Time" - 3:23
"Whatever It Takes" - 3:27
"Who We Are" - 3:27
"Broken" - 4:46
"The Joke" - 3:56
"Easier to Be" - 3:31
"Make Me Over" - 3:57
"Mesmerized" - 3:13
"Bridges" - 4:02
"Learn You Inside Out" - 4:25
"Storm" - 4:25

After the hugely successful "You And Me" single from their self-titled third album, many people could have been expecting more, but I don't think they were keen after hearing the subsequent singles. For me, I am a Lifehouse fan way before when they released "Hanging By A Moment", and especially when their sophomore album, "Stanley Climball" accompanied me on a trip to Taiwan when I was in SISPEC doing NS.

As such, I was already looking forward to the latest offering. Jason Wade, lead vocalist, already stated this album will be more upbeat and rock compared to "Lifehouse" album, and it proved to be so as they returned to the music from the first two albums.

"First Time" was the first single and I believe the hardcore fans may take awhile getting used to it like I did.

Jason Wade wrote and co-wrote all the songs, so as some may know by now, he is a great songwriter.

Going track by track now. "Disarray" is one great example. It is a great opening rock track. "First Time", as I said, took awhile getting used to, but I fell for it eventually, a fantastic but not excellent rock song, though you can sing it again and again. "Whatever It Takes" slows down the tempo and it's a gorgeous love song. The tempo picked up again with the infectious album title track "Who We Are", which was the last three words of the last song "The End Has Only Begun" from "Lifehouse" album. Listen for the start of the song, where it's like horses' hooves clicking hard on the ground.

"Broken" is beautifully written and Wade's vocals executed it. "The Joke" is a great song if you are irritated with that someone you love. "Easier To Be" is a sweet song, and it's really a song to listen to if you are really happy with that someone you love.

"Make Me Over" is a song which proves you can write short one-line lyrics but still produce a impact. "Mesmerized" is a complicated song, it's Jason Wade probably singing he still can't forget his ex-love. "Bridges" is a break-up rock song and it almost touched on my experience in love. "Learn You Inside Out" is my track of the album. It is piano-driven much like Coldplay and Keane (Jason Wade is a fan) and is the only such track in the album. The last track "Storm" is finally in a Lifehouse full-length album, and it sounds as good as when it was not in any album. The previous version was acoustic. Fans who have heard the song before will be delighted to hear it here.

There are no real stand out songs to be honest, to attract new fans (who heard "You And Me"), but if you are the hardcore fan who collects all their albums like me, then you may not be too disappointed.

My rating is 3 1/2 out of 5.