Welcome to the August Edition of What’s the Guru Listening To? I get asked this question a lot. What
am I currently enjoying and what would I recommend? And since time is severely
limited these days, it gets harder and harder to post a full review of the
outstanding music that I am discovering (or re-discovering). Therefore, every
month I will fill you in on the latest song, album, and/or band that I am
obsessed with.
Here's what The Guru is listening to this month:
Imagine Dragons
– Evolve
The latest record from Imagine Dragons is as spectacular
as their first two releases. This band continues to make exceptional music that
is enjoyed by the masses. And while I like all the songs on the disc, my two
favorite standouts are “Rise Up” and “Yesterday.” Both are wonderful and
showcase what Imagine Dragons can do when crafting and recording. And while not
all critics loved the record (Rolling Stone and The Guardian gave it two stars),
they should have. Just because a band goes in a different direction critics are
quick to write them off without listening to the new sounds thoroughly. A wise
person would ignore the mainstream media and form their own opinion. However,
if you’re on the fence about investing a lot of time in this record, I can tell
you that it is time well spent. This is the third consecutive terrific album
from Imagine Dragons.
KC & The
Sunshine Band – Please Don’t Go
A classic song, “Please Don’t Go” by K.C. and The
Sunshine Band is one of the all-time greatest ballads ever recorded. Every now
and again I find myself going back to great songs that I’ve loved over the
years. I’ll find an amazing one and listen to it several times through before I
move on to some other song. This month the song happens to be “Please Don’t
Go.” If you don’t know this song, or if you’ve just not heard it a long time, I
recommend that you give it a whirl and bring it back into your life.
The Revivalists
– Man Amongst Mountains
Admittedly, sometimes I’m late to the party with certain
bands. Such is the case with The Revivalists a band that I should have
recognized a heck of lot sooner than this summer. Their latest record, Man Amongst Mountains has been out for
two years and I am only really appreciating it now. I first heard The
Revivalists on an alternative station through Amazon Music. “Wish I Knew You”
played through my speakers and I stopped immediately. I jotted down the artist
and song and then sought out more of their music. That led me to their
magnificent album “Man Amongst Mountains” which I’ve been playing ever since.
If you like your music to be different but extremely entertaining, you will
like The Revivalists. They are a talented 7-piece band complete with a horn
section. You can see a lot of influences from bands like O.A.R. and Dave
Matthews Band in their art. Their sound is well polished, well executed, and
well worth your time.
Black Eyes Peas
– Let’s Get It Started
I haven’t listened to this
song in years. However, a recent viewing of the movie Hot Tub Time Machine reminded me how great a track “Let’s Get It
Started” is and now I find myself playing it at least once a day. When this
song first came out, I couldn’t get enough of it. The strength of this song was
the reason I purchased the entire album and I was glad that I did. For a few
months I listened to Elephunk nonstop.
It was a terrific album full of fun songs that had great beats. It’s been nice
to revisit a piece of this record and listen to “Let’s Get It Started” over and
over and over again.
Rise Against –
Wolves
I’ve been a fan of Rise Against for numerous years now
and I was excited to hear their latest disc, Wolves. As expected, the record did not disappoint. Wolves delivers the sound and style of
music that fans have grown accustom to with Rise Against. Pop punk rock and all
the beauty that the music has to offer can be heard on every song throughout
the record. And while the record was released earlier this summer (June) I
haven’t had a chance to really kick back and dive into it until it recently.
I’m certainly glad that I took the time to enjoy it, because Wolves is another fantastic album from
this fantastic band.
Comments are open. Feel free to post some.
