In Search Of...

If Fu Manchu were in search of the lost Black Sabbath riff, they've struck gold. Their debut CD is so chock full of lumbering Sabbath-powered riffs and Blue Cheer-pinched guitar licks that it's a bit unnerving. The el cheapo recording and utterly distorted guitar sound help further this connection even more. This record is about riffs, pure and simple--big fat ones that'll curl your nose hairs and punch you hard in the gut. Devastating sludge: an absolute must-have for fans of Monster Magnet and Kyuss. --Adem Tepedelen sales rank : 45791Customer Rating : 87.5% | Price : $9.98 (new)$5.88 (used)

In Search Of Freedom: Excerpts From His Most Memorable Speeches [Spoken Word]

"I got into Memphis." So begins Dr. King's "Excerpt from Speech the Day Before His Death" at the start of In Search of Freedom. His arresting, mellifluous voice, heard eerily removed, as if coming through a bullhorn, retains all the splendid vibrancy of timbre and his singular gift for oration. His message is urgent: the stalwart journey into civil rights, civil disobedience, and the path of nonviolence has taken him all the way to "the mountaintop." On this disc these spiritual ideals are perhaps best understood in the lengthy yet clearly flowing "Address to American Jewish Committee," wherein King provides the reasons and constitution of nonviolent protest and the fruits achieved from its labors. Decades after his precious life was taken, King's language dances, resonating the very sanctity of living along with his Atlanta congregation, who affirm and encourage with "yes, sirs" and "amens." --Paige La Gronesales rank : 2917Customer Rating : 50% | Price : $6.28 (new)$3.49 (used)

Roman Candle

A member of the band Heatmiser, Elliot Smith recorded home demos on any equipment he could get his hands on. His first "solo" album is a cheap four-track home recording that hints at the melodic possibilities Smith would explore in greater detail on subsequent releases. The title track is remarkable but with four songs referred to in sequential order as "No Name #1," "No Name #2," etc. ... the inspiration isn't always fully firing. Blessed with a quiet angelic voice and a lyrical mind that easily transforms the squalid details of everyday life into something worth hearing about twice, Smith stood on the verge of getting it on. With his next, self-titled release, he did.--Rob O'Connorsales rank : 33474Customer Rating : 87.5% | Price : $13.98 (new)$8.99 (used)

In Search of Sunrise, Vol. 5 Los Angeles

Trance is about as Dutch as windmills, and more than any other DJ, Tiësto is its ambassador. His highly successful In Search of Sunrise series can claim much of the credit for this, and this fifth installment, Los Angeles, delivers in spades. As ever, the man finds his inspiration in the female voice; from Late Night Alumni's "Empty Streets," which pits a bassline that bounces like Silly Putty against Becky Jean Williams's dreamy vocals, to Karen Overton's dancefloor-destroying cover of Billie Ray Martin's "Your Loving Arms," Tiësto again proves himself a master at driving sets to soaring highs with well-placed siren songs. The second disc finds the Dutchman in more progressive territory, luring in the unsuspecting with Pink Elephant's effervescent "LAX" only to drop the hammer with Alex Stealthy's "Something Is Wrong," a track with a disorienting beat that seems to tumble over itself and a haunting melody that sounds as though it were trapped under ice. Tiësto also shows he hasn't lost his affinity for engaging the listener in a test of wills, as in A Boy Called Joni's vertiginous "Green Astronauts." Like all good mixes, the fifth in the ISoS series is after all a study in contrasts. Ironic, perhaps, that with the title Los Angeles the album makes a compelling case that the trance crown won't be leaving Holland anytime soon. --Brent Kallmersales rank : 22584Customer Rating : 75% | Price : $18.98 (new)$11.00 (used)

The Search

Five albums into Son Volt's career--and a pair into the band's rebirth following leader Jay Farrar's several solo ventures--it's time to bury the encumbering "alt-country" moniker that has dogged Farrar since his days in the genre-setting Uncle Tupelo. While the inexhaustible songwriter relied on guitars to drive 2005's rock-heavy Okemah and the Melody of Riot, Son Volt amends its familiar arrangements on The Search, balancing the instrumentation with piano, organ, and dabbles in a horn section. "Feels like drivin' 'round in a slow hearse," Farrar pleads over repetitive piano and East Indian guitar loops in "Slow Hearse." It's a pensive opener that suggests something is askew, but the horns that kick off "The Picture" literally scream it from the Stax vaults. Farrar dives in and out of genres, tingling the ivories to add subtle alterations to both the gorgeous "Underground Dream" and Imagine-like "Adrenaline and Heresy," turning his band into Gang of Four for the 134-second rocker "Satellite" and singing alongside Shannon McNally on the soulful "Highways and Cigarettes." While it may be impossible for this Son Volt to ever reach the pinnacle of their 1995 debut, no one can accuse Jay Farrar of going through the motions. --Scott Holtersales rank : 23811Customer Rating : 75% | Price : $13.99 (new)$7.29 (used)

Call off the Search

Call Off the Search was released in the U.K. in November 2003 to deserved acclaim, alongside countless declarations that this 19-year-old British music school-educated, Russian-born singer is "the next Norah." There are similarities--Melua does work within a jazz/blues idiom, is talented beyond her years, and concentrates more on classics than her own material (ten are covers and two originals). But she's far more of a classic showbiz type singer than the sultry and sophisticated-sounding Jones. On the single "The Closest Thing to Crazy," for instance, Melua's phrasing is pure show tune. But it works for her, as it did for Lena and Liza before. The only weak link resides in a few straightahead blues songs, notably the 12-bar stomp "My Aphrodisiac Is You." Melua has the talent, she just lacks the soul to put oomph into a song that namechecks the Kama Sutra (this is as it should be, of course, as she's a teenager, but the choice of material is suspect nonetheless). Melua is a great torch singer who deserves the spotlight; odds are you'll eagerly await her next album before you're even done listening to this one all the way through. --Mike McGonigalsales rank : 7300Customer Rating : 62.5% | Price : $12.99 (new)$2.91 (used)

In Search Of Freedom: Excerpts From His Most Memorable Speeches [Spoken Word]

"I got into Memphis." So begins Dr. King's "Excerpt from Speech the Day Before His Death" at the start of In Search of Freedom. His arresting, mellifluous voice, heard eerily removed, as if coming through a bullhorn, retains all the splendid vibrancy of timbre and his singular gift for oration. His message is urgent: the stalwart journey into civil rights, civil disobedience, and the path of nonviolence has taken him all the way to "the mountaintop." On this disc these spiritual ideals are perhaps best understood in the lengthy yet clearly flowing "Address to American Jewish Committee," wherein King provides the reasons and constitution of nonviolent protest and the fruits achieved from its labors. Decades after his precious life was taken, King's language dances, resonating the very sanctity of living along with his Atlanta congregation, who affirm and encourage with "yes, sirs" and "amens." --Paige La Gronesales rank : 7776Customer Rating : 50% | Price : $6.28 (new)$3.49 (used)

Roman Candle

A member of the band Heatmiser, Elliot Smith recorded home demos on any equipment he could get his hands on. His first "solo" album is a cheap four-track home recording that hints at the melodic possibilities Smith would explore in greater detail on subsequent releases. The title track is remarkable but with four songs referred to in sequential order as "No Name #1," "No Name #2," etc. ... the inspiration isn't always fully firing. Blessed with a quiet angelic voice and a lyrical mind that easily transforms the squalid details of everyday life into something worth hearing about twice, Smith stood on the verge of getting it on. With his next, self-titled release, he did.--Rob O'Connorsales rank : 8657Customer Rating : 87.5% | Price : $13.98 (new)$10.49 (used)

Call off the Search

Call Off the Search was released in the U.K. in November 2003 to deserved acclaim, alongside countless declarations that this 19-year-old British music school-educated, Russian-born singer is "the next Norah." There are similarities--Melua does work within a jazz/blues idiom, is talented beyond her years, and concentrates more on classics than her own material (ten are covers and two originals). But she's far more of a classic showbiz type singer than the sultry and sophisticated-sounding Jones. On the single "The Closest Thing to Crazy," for instance, Melua's phrasing is pure show tune. But it works for her, as it did for Lena and Liza before. The only weak link resides in a few straightahead blues songs, notably the 12-bar stomp "My Aphrodisiac Is You." Melua has the talent, she just lacks the soul to put oomph into a song that namechecks the Kama Sutra (this is as it should be, of course, as she's a teenager, but the choice of material is suspect nonetheless). Melua is a great torch singer who deserves the spotlight; odds are you'll eagerly await her next album before you're even done listening to this one all the way through. --Mike McGonigalsales rank : 3276Customer Rating : 62.5% | Price : $12.99 (new)$2.96 (used)

In Search Of...

If Fu Manchu were in search of the lost Black Sabbath riff, they've struck gold. Their debut CD is so chock full of lumbering Sabbath-powered riffs and Blue Cheer-pinched guitar licks that it's a bit unnerving. The el cheapo recording and utterly distorted guitar sound help further this connection even more. This record is about riffs, pure and simple--big fat ones that'll curl your nose hairs and punch you hard in the gut. Devastating sludge: an absolute must-have for fans of Monster Magnet and Kyuss. --Adem Tepedelen sales rank : 11792Customer Rating : 87.5% | Price : $9.98 (new)$5.88 (used)

In Search of Sunrise, Vol. 5 Los Angeles

Trance is about as Dutch as windmills, and more than any other DJ, Tiësto is its ambassador. His highly successful In Search of Sunrise series can claim much of the credit for this, and this fifth installment, Los Angeles, delivers in spades. As ever, the man finds his inspiration in the female voice; from Late Night Alumni's "Empty Streets," which pits a bassline that bounces like Silly Putty against Becky Jean Williams's dreamy vocals, to Karen Overton's dancefloor-destroying cover of Billie Ray Martin's "Your Loving Arms," Tiësto again proves himself a master at driving sets to soaring highs with well-placed siren songs. The second disc finds the Dutchman in more progressive territory, luring in the unsuspecting with Pink Elephant's effervescent "LAX" only to drop the hammer with Alex Stealthy's "Something Is Wrong," a track with a disorienting beat that seems to tumble over itself and a haunting melody that sounds as though it were trapped under ice. Tiësto also shows he hasn't lost his affinity for engaging the listener in a test of wills, as in A Boy Called Joni's vertiginous "Green Astronauts." Like all good mixes, the fifth in the ISoS series is after all a study in contrasts. Ironic, perhaps, that with the title Los Angeles the album makes a compelling case that the trance crown won't be leaving Holland anytime soon. --Brent Kallmersales rank : 8768Customer Rating : 75% | Price : $18.98 (new)$13.49 (used)

The Search

Five albums into Son Volt's career--and a pair into the band's rebirth following leader Jay Farrar's several solo ventures--it's time to bury the encumbering "alt-country" moniker that has dogged Farrar since his days in the genre-setting Uncle Tupelo. While the inexhaustible songwriter relied on guitars to drive 2005's rock-heavy Okemah and the Melody of Riot, Son Volt amends its familiar arrangements on The Search, balancing the instrumentation with piano, organ, and dabbles in a horn section. "Feels like drivin' 'round in a slow hearse," Farrar pleads over repetitive piano and East Indian guitar loops in "Slow Hearse." It's a pensive opener that suggests something is askew, but the horns that kick off "The Picture" literally scream it from the Stax vaults. Farrar dives in and out of genres, tingling the ivories to add subtle alterations to both the gorgeous "Underground Dream" and Imagine-like "Adrenaline and Heresy," turning his band into Gang of Four for the 134-second rocker "Satellite" and singing alongside Shannon McNally on the soulful "Highways and Cigarettes." While it may be impossible for this Son Volt to ever reach the pinnacle of their 1995 debut, no one can accuse Jay Farrar of going through the motions. --Scott Holtersales rank : 9034Customer Rating : 75% | Price : $17.99 (new)$7.29 (used)

Roman Candle

A member of the band Heatmiser, Elliot Smith recorded home demos on any equipment he could get his hands on. His first "solo" album is a cheap four-track home recording that hints at the melodic possibilities Smith would explore in greater detail on subsequent releases. The title track is remarkable but with four songs referred to in sequential order as "No Name #1," "No Name #2," etc. ... the inspiration isn't always fully firing. Blessed with a quiet angelic voice and a lyrical mind that easily transforms the squalid details of everyday life into something worth hearing about twice, Smith stood on the verge of getting it on. With his next, self-titled release, he did.--Rob O'Connorsales rank : 12647Customer Rating : 87.5% | Price : $13.98 (new)$7.88 (used)

In Search of Sunrise, Vol. 5 Los Angeles

Trance is about as Dutch as windmills, and more than any other DJ, Tiësto is its ambassador. His highly successful In Search of Sunrise series can claim much of the credit for this, and this fifth installment, Los Angeles, delivers in spades. As ever, the man finds his inspiration in the female voice; from Late Night Alumni's "Empty Streets," which pits a bassline that bounces like Silly Putty against Becky Jean Williams's dreamy vocals, to Karen Overton's dancefloor-destroying cover of Billie Ray Martin's "Your Loving Arms," Tiësto again proves himself a master at driving sets to soaring highs with well-placed siren songs. The second disc finds the Dutchman in more progressive territory, luring in the unsuspecting with Pink Elephant's effervescent "LAX" only to drop the hammer with Alex Stealthy's "Something Is Wrong," a track with a disorienting beat that seems to tumble over itself and a haunting melody that sounds as though it were trapped under ice. Tiësto also shows he hasn't lost his affinity for engaging the listener in a test of wills, as in A Boy Called Joni's vertiginous "Green Astronauts." Like all good mixes, the fifth in the ISoS series is after all a study in contrasts. Ironic, perhaps, that with the title Los Angeles the album makes a compelling case that the trance crown won't be leaving Holland anytime soon. --Brent Kallmersales rank : 4751Customer Rating : 75% | Price : $18.98 (new)$13.49 (used)

In Search Of Freedom: Excerpts From His Most Memorable Speeches [Spoken Word]

"I got into Memphis." So begins Dr. King's "Excerpt from Speech the Day Before His Death" at the start of In Search of Freedom. His arresting, mellifluous voice, heard eerily removed, as if coming through a bullhorn, retains all the splendid vibrancy of timbre and his singular gift for oration. His message is urgent: the stalwart journey into civil rights, civil disobedience, and the path of nonviolence has taken him all the way to "the mountaintop." On this disc these spiritual ideals are perhaps best understood in the lengthy yet clearly flowing "Address to American Jewish Committee," wherein King provides the reasons and constitution of nonviolent protest and the fruits achieved from its labors. Decades after his precious life was taken, King's language dances, resonating the very sanctity of living along with his Atlanta congregation, who affirm and encourage with "yes, sirs" and "amens." --Paige La Gronesales rank : 317Customer Rating : 50% | Price : $6.28 (new)$3.49 (used)

In Search of

The electro-powered grooves of the writing-production team the Neptunes have abetted fine-to-great tracks by everyone from Jay-Z and Ol' Dirty Bastard to Britney Spears. On their debut as performers, they display an irresistible knack for hooky tracks rooted in the eclectic listening habits they developed while growing up in the multiracial Virginia Beach, Virginia, neighborhoods they still call home. Fusing album rock and rap more forcefully and convincingly than Kid Rock or Durst-style aggro bands (the latter of whom they seem to lampoon on "Rock Star"), N.E.R.D. whip up a creamy yet slammin' mix. Main men Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo coax apropos guest shots from Kelis (the get-your-freak-on "Truth or Dare," the sexiest thing here aside from the ménage-a-wow plea "Tape You") and a handful of up-and-coming members. The live instrumentation that replaces the machine-tooled tracks of an earlier import version of In Search Of retains the tunes' syncopation while rendering it palatable for less eclectic rock fans. While not a commercial blockbuster on the order of many of their clients' discs, this venture is nonetheless one of 2002's standout releases. --Rickey Wrightsales rank : 43218Customer Rating : 87.5% | Price : $14.99 (new)$2.95 (used)

Call off the Search

Call Off the Search was released in the U.K. in November 2003 to deserved acclaim, alongside countless declarations that this 19-year-old British music school-educated, Russian-born singer is "the next Norah." There are similarities--Melua does work within a jazz/blues idiom, is talented beyond her years, and concentrates more on classics than her own material (ten are covers and two originals). But she's far more of a classic showbiz type singer than the sultry and sophisticated-sounding Jones. On the single "The Closest Thing to Crazy," for instance, Melua's phrasing is pure show tune. But it works for her, as it did for Lena and Liza before. The only weak link resides in a few straightahead blues songs, notably the 12-bar stomp "My Aphrodisiac Is You." Melua has the talent, she just lacks the soul to put oomph into a song that namechecks the Kama Sutra (this is as it should be, of course, as she's a teenager, but the choice of material is suspect nonetheless). Melua is a great torch singer who deserves the spotlight; odds are you'll eagerly await her next album before you're even done listening to this one all the way through. --Mike McGonigalsales rank : 3353Customer Rating : 62.5% | Price : $12.99 (new)$2.79 (used)