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Friday, January 19, 2018

Mungo Jerry In The Summertime Review




The 70's was an era filled with amazing music and musicians.  You had Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and many more.  One artist that helped kick off that era was Mungo Jerry.  In 1970 he put out what is easily one of the most catchy songs I have ever heard,  "In The Summertime".  While many people consider Mungo Jerry a one hit wonder, especially in the U.S., he created a hit that has stood the test of time and is really fun to listen to.  Lets take a look at "In The Summertime".

I have to say, the music in this song is very simple, repetitive, and not much technicality to it.  However, this song is able to make that work very well.  That opening piano is really catchy and even though it is played through out the entire song, I never get tired of listening to it and I enjoy listening to it.  The same pretty much goes for the vocals as well.  While it was repetitive, I enjoyed every minute of listening to it.  Clearly, Mungo Jerry knew what he wanted this song to be.  He wanted to do a simple jam band song and he delivered on it.  The music is catchy enough to keep you engaged but not technical, this just truly is a fun, jam song to listen to. 

The lyrics in this song are pretty simple as well.  The message of the song is just about having fun in the summertime and going out.  So many phrases such as "have a drink, have a drive" and "go swimming in the sea" are all expressing about having a good time in the summertime.  While the lyrics are not some of the best I have ever seen or heard, they work well with this song and really gives it a unique spin.  

While this song may be Mungo Jerry's only hit (at least in the U.S.) it is a great hit.  This song is fun in its simplicity and one you never get tired of listening to.  I enjoy this song and highly recommend it, if you are looking for a good taste 70's music.  I give In The Summertime a 4.5 out of 5.  



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Saturday, January 6, 2018

Skillet Monster Review




Skillet has without a doubt one of the biggest Christian Rock bands in modern times.  With successful songs like Rebirthing, Live Free or Let Me Die, and Never Surrender, this band has proven to be the real deal.  Those songs made the band successful but when they came out with Monster, they rose to big time fame.  This song was my introduction to this band, I saw the music video on Fuse TV when the song came out and man was I impressed.  

Musically, I love the energy of this song.  The opening guitar riff is awesome and really gets you energized. Not only is that riff energizing but the way it sounds dark and heavy is really cool.  It has just the right level of distortion and the down tuned guitar chords create a slightly eerie sound that would work in a horror soundtrack, as many people have shown on YouTube.  Like I said in a previous review of this band, I don't think John Cooper is a great singer, but I will say that this song is great for a voice like his.   His voice really works well with the distorted guitar and he builds on that heavy, yet, eerie feel the song goes for.  

Lyrically, this yet another good song that bridges the gap between Christian music and Secular music. The lyrics in this song address how everybody has a dark side to them which is something that everybody has and deals with, no matter your perspective or religion.  It is a topic everybody can relate to and that really helps to make people enjoy the song.  The lyrics themselves are overall  written very well.  They flow well and the way they are paced works very well with the song. I will also say that they do a good job with rhyming in this song.  They all sound great and blend really well.

This is without a doubt one of Skillet's most solid songs.  I doesn't surprise that is has over 200 million views on YouTube and considered the bands biggest hit.  While it is not my all time favorite Skillet song, it is very impressive and is a song I love listening to.  If you have never heard Skillet before, this song is a good introduction to the band.  I give Monster a 4.5 out of 5. 


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