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Music

FEATURES

Stanley Climbfall gives Lifehouse new direction

On Lifehouse’s sophomore album, “Stanley Climbfall,” the band has opted to throw aside the somber acoustic ambiance of its 2000 debut album and smash single “Hanging By a Moment” and spur forward with harder guitar-driven tracks, which thrust the band into a new direction. Lifehouse’s double-platinum debut album “No Name Face” was about self-discovery.

FEATURES

Moment That Youre In memorable final album

The Foolish Heads are unfortunately breaking up this October, so the band put everything it had into the latest release “The Moment That You’re In.” This rockin’ Shelby Township five-piece have produced an album that covers six songs recorded in order of creative inspiration.

FEATURES

Souljahz creates hip-hop, funk inspired rock

Here are the ingredients behind Souljahz: three attractive siblings, one love for God, inspirational modern music and a vibe that grabs on and makes you take notice. On its major label debut, 17-year-old Rachael Washington and brothers Je’Kob, 21, and Joshu’a, 22, produce a powerful Christian album that collides with modern music, fusing hip-hop, funk and Latin rhythms. Combining influences ranging from Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder to Wes Montgomery and the Fugees, Souljahz has created music beyond its years. Coming from San Diego, the threesome appeared at local churches and talent shows, garnering an amazing following and spawning such potential that their father sold his business to manage them. The album begins with the anthemic “Let Go,” which transitions between an R & B hook and a church choir vibe.

FEATURES

Fallon album annoying, unfunny

When listening to Jimmy Fallon’s “The Bathroom Wall,” I am reminded of the several reasons I stopped watching Saturday Night Live. The departure of Will Ferrell, Cheri Oteri and Molly Shannon were a big loss to the show.

FEATURES

Beenie thrives with Neptunes

Beenie Man takes the world of hip-hop, electronica and garage rock and blends it with the subtle ambiance of reggae with “Tropical Storm.” Still in his 20s, this Jamaican dancehall DJ firmly left his mark on the music world in 2000 by winning a Grammy for his previous major label release, “Art and Life,” which won Best Reggae Album. On his new album, Beenie enlists a colorful spectrum of artists who keep the vibes soaring with feel-good tunes and beats to keep you movin’. Producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes have co-written an album of memorable grooves, such as the first single “Feel It Boy,” which features Janet Jackson’s signature voice flowing beside funky electronic riffs. The airy guitar track “Street Life,” adds a nice R & B flavor to the storm.

FEATURES

South African rockers find success with American debut

Seether is definitely a band to keep your eye on. Formerly known as Saron Gas and hailing from Johannesburg, South Africa, Seether is taking a big step forward by releasing its American debut “Disclaimer.” Its blend of emotional hard rock and soft melodies is sure to strike a chord with the American population.

FEATURES

Same songs, but whole new energy

Remix albums are all the rage among rappers and hard-rockers these days, but usually prove to be complete flop or an album with only one or two decent songs. And to make a remix a band should have a few albums to its name to have enough good songs to actually remix. So a band has got to have a lot of guts to remix its debut album and put it out two years later.

SPORTS

Same songs, but whole new energy

Remix albums are all the rage among rappers and hard-rockers these days, but usually prove to be complete flop or an album with only one or two decent songs. And to make a remix a band should have a few albums to its name to have enough good songs to actually remix. So a band has got to have a lot of guts to remix its debut album and put it out two years later.

FEATURES

Nellyville continues the success

As Nelly heats up video and radio stations with his new single “Hot in Herre,” his newly released album, “Nellyville,” sits atop of the Billboard 200 chart, selling 1.2 million copies in its first two weeks. Since Nelly hit the rap scene in 2000 with his album “Country Grammar,” which sold $7.8 million, he has heated up the charts with big sales.

FEATURES

Stuff gives fans what they want

When the Dave Matthews Band’s sixth major release hit shelves Tuesday, the trail of “Busted Stuff” marked a return to roots that most long-time fans will eagerly embrace.

FEATURES

Lavigne adds talent to young female artists

When you think of young and beautiful female artists, everyone’s mind has unfortunately been scarred with images of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and the rest of a long list of untalented schmoes that have plagued music for too long. Please welcome the new minor to hit the airwaves and skate all over the superficial valley girls of yesterday.

FEATURES

Crows continue with good tunes

What can I say? If you’ve ever bought a Counting Crows album and enjoyed listening to its mellow blend of rock and folk, then you’ll undoubtedly love this one, too. When its first radio hit, “Mr. Jones,” constantly badgered airwaves across the nation in 1993, the band was bound to catch on quickly. Nine years later, the seven-member band has released its fifth album, “Hard Candy,” a sweet collection of 14 tasty tracks (one hidden) proving that singer Adam Duritz still longs to be Bob Dylan. Produced by Steve Lillywhite (U2, Dave Matthews Band), the Crows have done what few bands can do - stick with what they’ve always done and not follow the current trend of sellouts.

FEATURES

Glassjaw defies categorization

Once in a while, a band comes along set to change how music is perceived. A painfully passionate and unique band who endures the selfish music industry to create an outlet for themselves and its devoted fans.

FEATURES

Sonic Youth remains fresh on Murray Street

With any artist’s music, the object should be to move something within the listener - if it does that, it’s a unique piece of work, like “Murray Street” by Sonic Youth, the group’s newest album that grooves on almost every song. This rock group began in the early 1980s and is still hot.