My Rating: 4 stars

Jewel Returns after her on-stage antics (I don't care what her PR people say, she MUST have been either High or Drunk) with a cleaner slate and a "going back to her roots" album. Nothing can top "Peices of You," as a first album, but "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland" has a similar feeling of "Spirit" (probably the most important Jewel album)her observations of human nature are still there but her penchant for clever/intelligent lyrics is maybe not as clever. (though better than "This way" and "0304") Unlike her previous 2 albums, This one features more musically "Jewel" framiliar sounds and less "experimentation" (no techno sounding songs) a good mix of folk/rock/alternative! A part of me still wishes she had stayed in seclusion to come out with more folk albums like "Peices of You," but the evolution of Jewel still seems to have come full circle with her latest missive.

Tool - 10,000 Days

My Rating: 4.5 stars

First let me say that MOST "Die-Hard" Tool fans are egotistical, over-analytical, nazi-critical jerks that even the band has acknowledged as being over-obnoxious. (how embarrasing!) "10,000 Days" was an 'experience' and the album is bordering on sheer brilliance. I've read other reviews stating that Tool sold out, tool sucks, it's not the same lead singer, blah blah blah. I decided not to listen to the hype or any of the pre-releases (illegal or otherwise) and just listen for myself. the first couple of tracks are trademark Tool: Driving guitars, Morbid Lyrics, screaming vocals. Everything comfortable and framiliar that you've come to expect from Tool. (good stuff) It's the same singer by the way, he's just trying new ways of singing on a few of the other non-framiliar tracks. on a couple of them he sings pretty low and it's sometimes hard to hear him. it adds to the mood of the songs and again: come to be musically brilliant. For me, I was missing some of the more obscure/intelligent type songs from their previous album "Lateralus," but as far as the Tool franchise is concerned, it's on-par. the first edition release of the album has a VERY interresting case. it folds out to be a pair of the new clear type 3d glasses and the inside book is a series of pictures that are 3d when viewed through the glasses. (pictures of the band members, a couple of computer generated images, some other weird stuff, but really awesome) The last track of the album is kind of like sound effects and you hear the voice of what I can only assume to be the "creature" on the cover. I was listening to it and looking at the 3-D pictures when that voice came on, it gave me chills! (pretty creepy!)

Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam(Self Titled)

My Rating: 4 stars

I hate people who trash Pearl Jam because they're expecting another album like "Ten." OK Listen people: "Ten" was Epic-making, not to mention the roots of the "Grunge" movement (ie; Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden) I remember picking up "Ten" on Cassette and wearing the sucker out in less than a week. There has never been, nor never will be another album like "Ten." So get OFF IT! *ahem* that being said: Pearl Jam is the best thing going for Rock & Roll these days. When I think of Pearl Jam's entire catalog of studio albums, the title "Do The Evolution" comes to mind. Why? Because 8 original EP releases later, you can still turn on Perl Jam and know exactly who you're listening to. That doesn't mean that the songs sound the same, in fact, if they did, I don't think I could have stomached them after a 4th release. The songs are dramatically different, but always REEK of the same Pearl Jam brand. Every album offers something different. Every album portrays a medley of moods and to me, it never gets boring. Their latest self-titled album is no exception. It's good music and always sounds smarter than some of the other crap they're playing on the radio these days. I'm a conservative, and Pearl Jam's messages on some of their songs is clearly Liberal or anti-conservative, but this still does not turn me off to their music. I may not agree with their political views, but Lyrically, Musically, Pearl Jam is Evolving to be the best! The only time I thought they were experimenting was on the track "Push me, Pull me" from "Yeild" but even then, they start different, maybe sing a little different, but the music and lyrics are all Pearl Jam.

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