Rolling Stone Album ReviewsFrom the latest releases to archived favorites, here's the final word on all the music that matters, from the editors of Rolling Stone.Billy Joel - The Stranger (30th anniversary deluxe edition)- June 24, 2008 Artist: Billy Joel Review: In 1977, Joel's fourth and best album replaced Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water as Columbia Records' all-time top-seller, establishing Joel as a titan of adult contemporary America's answer to Elton John. The Stranger also launched Joel's longterm collaboration with producer Phil Ramone, who distilled the Piano Man's music to its essence, a hook-packed blend of AM-radio pop-rock and Broadway schmaltz. The hit single was the gooey "Just the Way..http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/260768/review/21471717/the_stranger_30th_anniver... David Banner - The Greatest Story Ever Told- June 24, 2008 Artist: David Banner Review: Much of David Banner's charm lies in his bulldozer flow, his political awareness and his innovative production skills: His xylophone-laden beat for Lil Wayne's "La La" was one of the best on Tha Carter III. But on his fifth album, Banner battles with his urge to bring standard-issue Dirty South chart-toppers and cred-building hardness: The Greatest Story Ever Told is long on brawling tracks like "9mm," which banks on overbearing rhymes about gunplay. There are also..http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/21456894/review/21470285/the_greatest_story_ever... Journey - Revelation- June 24, 2008 Artist: Journey Review: If a band sticks around long enough, it turns into a tribute band. For years, Journey have slogged around the oldies circuit with a rotating cast of singers trying to impersonate Steve Perry, who belted out the group's Seventies and Eighties hits. But this double-CD set, which also includes a live DVD, features the most unlikely Perry sound-alike yet: Arnel Pineda, a 40-year-old Filipino who spends an entire disc delivering note-for-note remakes of classics like "Don't...http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/21456870/review/21470276/revelation?source=album... Black Kids - Partie Traumatic- June 24, 2008 Artist: Black Kids Review: It's true: Black Kids know how to get down. The interracial crew's "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You" was last year's hottest indie-rock tail-wagger — a campy mix of pillow-fight synth-pop and B-52s giddiness. Rerecorded versions of "Boyfriend" and other songs from the band's 2007 EP, Wizard of Ahhhs, make up the best moments of their sugary debut LP — which is a tad worrying. But with Brit-pop vet Bernard Butler behind the decks,...http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/21456848/review/21470262/partie_traumatic?source... Alkaline Trio - Agony & Irony- June 24, 2008 Artist: Alkaline Trio Review: When My Chemical Romance struck platinum, Alkaline Trio might have wondered, "Why not us" The Chicago group has spent more than a decade evolving from a Misfits-inspired hardcore act into craftsmen of exquisite doom-pop. Having recently signed with a major label, the Trio grab for the brass ring with Agony & Irony, enlisting producer Josh Abraham (Linkin Park, Velvet Revolver) to spin their big-hooked tales of funerals and heartbreak into radio-friendly cluster.http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/21342109/review/21470256/agony__irony?source=alb... Disturbed - Indestructible- June 23, 2008 Artist: Disturbed Review: In June, these Chicago metalheads had the Number One album in America. It's not hard to see why: With meticulously constructed guitar skronk, serrated verses and cathartic refrains on cuts like "Enough," the album has clear pop appeal in its own dour way. Singer David Draiman says Indestructible is Disturbed's darkest record yet — it was partly inspired by the band's experiences performing for troops overseas — and he does his best to back up the drama....http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/20983377/review/21455358/indestructible?source=a... |