Review: Richard Marx “Stories To Tell”

80s balladeer Richard Marx is back with a new CD of sorts. On “Stories To Tell”, Marx doesn’t really present us with any new material, but rather acoustical reinterpretations of his earlier works. Some of the tracks are stripped down and/or tweaked versions of well known hits like “Endless Summer Nights”, “Should’ve Known Better”, and “Hazard”. Others are tunes Marx wrote that were made famous by other artists that range from boy bands like N’SYNC to country superstars like Keith Urban and Travis Tritt to modern rockers like Lifehouse and Daughtry. Since Marx dropped out of the spotlight, many people don’t realize he’s still been a very active and successful songwriter for other artists.

Marx still sounds great (a standout vocal is delivered on “One Thing Left”) and the unadorned acoustic guitar removes the 80s sound from his classics, leaving us with a fresh and more timeless sound. In short, his material sounds less dated. The production is immaculate with glistening piano, crisp fingerpicking, and radiant strumming on those acoustic guitars. My favorites on “Stories To Tell” include “Over My Head”, “Angelia”, “Loved”, and “Should’ve Known Better”, but the other tracks produce mixed feelings. His ill-fated venture into R&B territory with “Keep Coming Back” still sounds pretty drab when unplugged. And some of the songs included here were acoustic and slow to begin with, such as “Now and Forever” or “Right Here Waiting”, so there isn’t anything really new or surprising about them.

The seven bonus tracks that follow the eleven unplugged songs are those that were written by Marx and performed by others – a unique opportunity for fans to finally hear their beloved singer perform his own tunes. These songs are not unplugged and typically feature a powerful backing band – the arrangement is so close to the original that it often sounds like Richard Marx covering another artist. Nonetheless, these tracks are interesting to hear. While no Josh Groban, Marx does turn in a rather stunning vocal on “To Where You Are”. And hearing him do “Had Enough” and “On The Inside” builds confidence that Marx could be a viable modern rocker if he wanted to.

Devoted fans of Richard Marx are clearly going to appreciate this CD, but the more casual fan will probably wish he’d present something new. As for me, I think the first eleven tracks will get plenty of spins on those lazy Sunday mornings and I will hold out hope that he’ll comeback with an infectious modern rock sound next time.

iPOD-worthy: 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 13

Richard Marx on MySpace. Official site.

Listen to “Over My Head”

Rare CD: Blyss "Diff's Lucky Day" (Lifehouse)

Blyss is the forerunner of Lifehouse, a.k.a. Jason Wade & his band.

"1999 Pre Release (1996 lyrics) Special Collector's Edition

Diff's Lucky Day is an EP by Blyss, the forerunner of Lifehouse. Jason Wade and his band, with Ron Aniello as producer, released their debut album in 1999 under the band name Blyss entitled Diff's Lucky Day. Originally intended for sale at concerts, or for giving to friends or potential industry contacts. This is an extremely limited-release CD & very few hard copies exist!!

Track listing:
"Cling and Clatter" (Also appeared on "No Name Face")
"Unknown" (A bit different than the version on "No Name Face")
"Fool" (This song ended up as a Lifehouse B-Side. Catchy tune!)
"Crown of Scars" (Only found on Diff's Lucky Day)
"Mudpie" (Only found on Diff's Lucky Day)
"Trying" (Very similar to the version found on "No Name Face")
"Storm" (Also appeared on "Who We Are")
"Breathing" (A bit different than the version on "No Name Face")
"Somewhere In Between" (Very similar to the version that is on "No Name Face")
"Fairy Tales and Castles" (Later re-recorded and became a B-Side on "No Name Face")
"What's Wrong With That" (Another song that ended up as a B-Side on "No Name Face")
"Revolution Cry" (Good song that was only on Diff's Lucky Day)

Sold for $400 on ebay (37 bids)

News: Lifehouse - L.A. Flyaway Sweepstakes

Lifehouse is participating in a LA Flyaway Sweepstakes where you can win 2 tickets to their concert at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on May 3rd, as well as hotel and airfare. Enter the contest by April 19th at 12PM EST to win!

Click here for the Lifehouse sweepstakes

Review: Lifehouse "Smoke & Mirrors"

Lifehouse is back with a new record, "Smoke & Mirrors", the follow up to the strong "Who We Are". "Smoke & Mirrors", their fifth album, has already earned distinction as being the highest charting Lifehouse record yet, debuting at #6 on the BillBoard charts.

It is hard to believe that their smash debut, "No Name Face", landed in 2000. After ten years, you would expect a band to have perfected their chemistry and know exactly who they are - such is true for Lifehouse. If anything, the band has been steady and consistent, always delivering a batch of succinct, radio-friendly rockers and acoustic driven ballads. Why would a band want to risk screwing around with a formula that has been so good to them? Bearing that in mind, "Smoke & Mirrors" has no new tricks up its sleeve and is yet another CD full of more of the same. Like Collective Soul, the latest Lifehouse albums are largely indistinguishable. There is only one moment of deviation in the 'trying too hard to make you dance' "Here Tomorrow Gone Today", and its miserable failure is strong evidence why Lifehouse should do nothing but what made them famous in the first place.

Producer and AOR star Jude Cole is back on board to lend his expertise on "Smoke & Mirrors" - he also plays, sings, and co-writes extensively on this record, so they should just make him a fifth member of the band. Other guests include Daughtry on "Had Enough", which was co-written by Richard Marx. The infectious first single, "Halfway Gone" is the clear stand out on the record, but other notables include "All In", "Falling In", "By Your Side", and the title track. "Wrecking Ball" marks bassist Bryce Soderberg's first lead vocal with the band - his style and tone is very similar to Jason Wade, so most listeners may not even notice the switch. Lifehouse seemed to struggle in writing a compelling ballad like "You and Me" this time around, but the introspective mid-tempo closer, "In Your Skin", is quite good and ends the record on a high note.

The "deluxe" version features a second disc with 4 extra songs that were probably not deemed strong enough to make the original release. I despise this shameless tactic of milking fans for more of their money while being wasteful in making an entire second CD to hold a paltry 4 tracks that would easily fit on the main release. Even worse is that the only track on the deluxe version worth hearing more than once is "Crash and Burn".

In short, "Smoke & Mirrors" is another solid, by-the-book effort from Lifehouse, a band that is consistent but opening themselves to criticism that too many of their albums all sound alike. The 'deluxe' version is not worth the extra money - curse the record labels that engage in this greedy and wasteful practice!

iPOD-worthy: 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12

Lifehouse on MySpace. Official site.

Check out the video for the first single, "Halfway Gone":