Much Like Us

For Rebecca Martin, the comparisons to Norah Jones will be inevitable when critical ears listen to "Here the Same but Different" from Martin's People Behave Like Ballads. The song has the same breezy folk-pop appeal of Jones' hit "Don't Know Why" and Martin's delivery of the song is just as relaxed and carefree. But the comparison is somewhat unfair as Martin debuted her jazzy blend of folk-pop in 1999 on Thoroughfare, three years before Jones's breakthrough.

The Charlatans - Us And Us Only
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 332 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Universal-MCA # MCD 60069 | Country/Year: UK 1999
Genre: Rock, Electronic | Style: Brit Pop

… Soon, it becomes apparent that, unlike most of their trad rock contemporaries, the Charlatans figured out how to make their music sound both timeless and modern by quietly adding influences and changing their attack each time around, while remaining true to their core sound, much like the Stones did in their prime. The Charlatans may not be as innovative or as song-oriented as the Stones, but after a decade of recording, they're turning out to be nearly as consistent as the Stones were at the same point in their career, which is no small accomplishment.

Essential: a masterpiece of symphonic rock music
What a rush it was to put this on this then 15 year old kid who grew up playing with his toys under his sisters baby grand piano while she practiced this and other classics. Being really ELP’s initial work it is truly amazing.

Despite some obvious sound quality problems, I actually like this recording quite a bit. It sounds not so much like an Allan Holdsworth album, but more like a band brought together to sound like the Mahvishnu Orchestra.