Album Review #4

Asia - XXX (2012)

What to say about this one - after realizing it's not pornography just by looking at the title, of course?  Well, I've listened to this one 3 or 4 times so far, and here are the good and the bad.

Good: While it's not as hard as their previous two albums from this comeback era, 2008's Phoenix and 2010's Omega (which are both excellent), the band still shows a knack for creating enjoyable songs. 

Bad: Not enough Steve Howe.  It just feels like he was used sparingly on this album - dare I say, as an afterthought.  When you have one of the top 5 guitarists I've ever heard, you have got to feature him.  In the previous albums, they did, but here he rarely shows his stuff.  I thought this might be due to either Howe's being in two bands at once - the other being whatever collection of dudes are being called Yes nowadays - or perhaps Howe not being a part of the original songwriting process.  Instead, Geoff Downes' keyboards fill the main riffs.  And when Howe does come in with a solo, I just want it to last and last; so it always ends too soon for me. (My suspicion was somewhat validated when looking at the writing credits for each song, and seeing that Howe is credited on only two - No Religion, and Judas.  There's certainly nothing here on the level of Parallel Worlds/Vortex/Deja from Phoenix; the last three or so minutes of that track are what heaven is like.  (Not to be confused with being like the song Just Like Heaven, by The Cure.)

Grade: C+.  It's catchy, but nothing special.  To me, the album's highlights are No Religion, Faithful, and Face On The Bridge. 

Album Review #3

Aerosmith - Music From Another Dimension! (2012)

I hope my prejudice didn't affect my ears.  Coming in, my feelings could have been summed up as, after 11 years in between original studio albums, "This had better be good."  And to be honest, it is pretty good - though perhaps my prejudice ended up working in the band's favor, as my expectations were so low that it was a pleasant surprise that this album sounded like Aerosmith.  At 64, Steven Tyler's voice hasn't lost very much, and Joe Perry's guitar talent still shines through.  On the other hand, the album's first single, Legendary Child, just seems kinda forgettable and "meh" to me.  I do like several of the other songs though.  Right now my favorites are Freedom Fighter, and Something, which coincidentally both feature Joe Perry on vocals. 

So, while Music From Another Dimension is not an embarrassment, Aerosmith is the "Bizarro World" Rush at this point.  While both bands are legends, Rush has spent the last 11 years on top of their game, thrilling their fans, and breaking new ground, while Aerosmith has spent it on again/off again, injured, and often bickering.  

(Oh, are you surprised that I shoe-horned Rush into a review that had otherwise nothing to do with them?  Well it just so happens that I'm seeing Rush tomorrow, and, making it even more special for me, they chose Dallas and Phoenix to be the two performances filmed for their Clockwork Angels Tour DVD.)

Okay, so back to Aerosmith.  At this rate, Music From Another Dimension could be their last album, and if it is, they went out with a performance that was just okay. 

Grade:  B-.  Good music by most standards, but not up to the high standard Aerosmith themselves set from 1973 to 2001.