I don't usually criticize too heavily -- but singers like Matthew Sweet -- exactly what school of rock does he come from? He doesn't have the power or aggression of the original of Elvis. Doesn't have the authority of a Jim Morrison. Doesn't have the snarl and edge of John Lennon. Doesn't have the talent and originality of Bob Dylan. He's not quirky and creative as say, a Donovan. Not from the school of singer-songwriters like John Prine, Richard Thompson or Mick Jagger. No swagger and theatrics of Roger Daltry. He does possess the type of voice that came into vogue with hair bands but Matthew was at least better than that. He was far more talented as a writer. Now his singing and performance on this track "Easy," is actually good. I like it. But I like my cousin's singing too and he isn't famous at all. Matthew Sweet should write pop tunes and he should continue to play his instrument because he is good at those things. But singing? What are we buying here? It's not what rock or rock & roll is. Hell, Bobby Rydell has a better voice, Chubby Checker has more timbre, Del Shannon and Roy Orbison -- forget it, let's not get into octaves at all. Matt's not in that category. Freddy Cannon could out rock Matthew. Matthew Sweet's kind of rock singing is what possibly contributed to the demise of rock today. There is no excitement. No rebellion. No message. They are just nice songs. We started out with steak and we have Spam now. It came slowly but it here it is. Many of today's rockers sing with these valium induced voices, or they are so filled with angst -- it's no longer what rock stood for or represented. (That guy Robin Thicke, that's not rock music. It's not even soul music because there is no soul. It's bad elevator music). I am not belittling Sweet. I think he's a fine songwriter and musician (and there are others like him -- I am not signaling him out solely) -- and he does have some nice songs but none I would play alongside Presley, Lennon, Jagger, Dylan or even the Dave Clark 5's Mike Smith. The songs are just too sweet, simplistic, there is no whiskey in these vocals or the approach. OK -- Matt's about 54 today, so maybe I'll listen to some of his more recent stuff and reconsider him. Fair is fair. Maybe he has dirtied it up a little and matured. But I can hardly get through 3 songs without feeling like I'm going to get cavities. This is not what rock music is supposed to be. It's not even as melodic as the poor artists that came between Elvis in the Army & pre-Beatles. Some of which, were actually talented. Fabian, no. Bobby Rydell, yes. Frankie Avalon, no. Bobby Vee, yes. Chubby Checker was rock and he proved it countless times and still holds records in popular music the R&R Hall of Fame has no clue about (but that's another rant). So, we've come from Heartbreak Hotel & Hound Dog, to I Want To Hold Your Hand & She Loves You, to Roadhouse Blues & Light My Fire -- to Girlfriend? And "How Cool?" I can understand why young kids gravitated toward rap, hip-hop and whatever and left rock music in the dust. Matt -- you have melodies write something that has some meat on it and when you're done ask yourself -- would Mick Jagger sing this? If the answer is no, start again.
Sorry, but 20 paragraphs to say a nano-second of nothing but bullshit. Girlfriend is a better album than all the nonsense you mentioned. You're a total idiot
@@alexjerome5429 - Ah...but I am a total idiot. That makes me the best. And you are not. You are a piece of....no, no...I won't be suckered in little Alex. I'm not that gullible. I also don't resort to foul language to make my point. Everyone who knows anything but rock music knows what I say is true. I don't even have to defend it. And despite my rant, no one really knows who Alex Jerome is. You know what they say -- never trust someone who has two first names. By the way, I get paid to write about music, have been published too -- for over thirty years. What do you do? Work at Dairy Queen?
@@lastrada52 it took you nine months to come up with that sorry incorrect response? You're wrong about everything once again. Check your ego. I'm a metallurgist. I have hairs on my toes smarter than your wanna be phony ass. Opinions are like John LaStrada- every body has one. Go wipe the blood off yours, you butt hurt cry baby. If you really are a writer you honestly suck. no wonder why your broke ass gets so easily hurt
@@alexjerome5429 - It didn't take 9 months -- unlike you metallurgist, I don't frequent UA-cam every day to see what people write about me. I have a life elsewhere. And for someone whose supposedly smart your writing abilities are juvenile. "I have hairs on my toes smarter than your wanna be phony ass." (Wooo -- that was creative. Here you say I have a phony ass & later you talk about how my butt hurts. If it were phony it wouldn't hurt genius). "Opinions are like John LaStrada- every body has one." (Right. That means I'm entitled to my opinion and YOU disagree with by being a crass, imbecile about it). "Go wipe the blood off yours, you butt hurt cry baby." (Wow, really quaking from the humor that leaks from your piehole. Your metallurgist writing ability hints to what you're preoccupied with Alex. Naughty, naughty Alex). "If you really are a writer you honestly suck..." (more of what you're 'honestly' preoccupied with. You have anxiety issues). "...no wonder why your broke ass gets so easily hurt." How would you know I have a broke ass? Have you seen it up close? You said it was a phony ass at the start. You're probably wondering now why I get more than you do. Ahhh...just a few more sentences and back to the Rawhide Saloon. As for my writing -- I don't have to worry if you're the competition. See how I responded? No using any foul language except for quoting yours. You like to respond emotionally. I don't. Your problem Alex Jerome -- is that you don't know how to disagree with what someone wrote (and that's fine by me) & be civil about it. You're way too defensive. Metallurgist? you listen to heavy metal music in your basement with headphones on, a cold energy drink from a metal can between your scrawny legs because nothing else thrives there). OK, Alex...your turn. Any more butt jokes over a Matthew Sweet album?
I don't usually criticize too heavily -- but singers like Matthew Sweet -- exactly what school of rock does he come from?
He doesn't have the power or aggression of the original of Elvis. Doesn't have the authority of a Jim Morrison. Doesn't have the snarl and edge of John Lennon. Doesn't have the talent and originality of Bob Dylan. He's not quirky and creative as say, a Donovan. Not from the school of singer-songwriters like John Prine, Richard Thompson or Mick Jagger. No swagger and theatrics of Roger Daltry. He does possess the type of voice that came into vogue with hair bands but Matthew was at least better than that. He was far more talented as a writer.
Now his singing and performance on this track "Easy," is actually good. I like it. But I like my cousin's singing too and he isn't famous at all.
Matthew Sweet should write pop tunes and he should continue to play his instrument because he is good at those things. But singing? What are we buying here? It's not what rock or rock & roll is. Hell, Bobby Rydell has a better voice, Chubby Checker has more timbre, Del Shannon and Roy Orbison -- forget it, let's not get into octaves at all. Matt's not in that category. Freddy Cannon could out rock Matthew. Matthew Sweet's kind of rock singing is what possibly contributed to the demise of rock today. There is no excitement. No rebellion. No message. They are just nice songs. We started out with steak and we have Spam now. It came slowly but it here it is. Many of today's rockers sing with these valium induced voices, or they are so filled with angst -- it's no longer what rock stood for or represented. (That guy Robin Thicke, that's not rock music. It's not even soul music because there is no soul. It's bad elevator music).
I am not belittling Sweet. I think he's a fine songwriter and musician (and there are others like him -- I am not signaling him out solely) -- and he does have some nice songs but none I would play alongside Presley, Lennon, Jagger, Dylan or even the Dave Clark 5's Mike Smith.
The songs are just too sweet, simplistic, there is no whiskey in these vocals or the approach. OK -- Matt's about 54 today, so maybe I'll listen to some of his more recent stuff and reconsider him. Fair is fair. Maybe he has dirtied it up a little and matured.
But I can hardly get through 3 songs without feeling like I'm going to get cavities. This is not what rock music is supposed to be. It's not even as melodic as the poor artists that came between Elvis in the Army & pre-Beatles. Some of which, were actually talented. Fabian, no. Bobby Rydell, yes. Frankie Avalon, no. Bobby Vee, yes. Chubby Checker was rock and he proved it countless times and still holds records in popular music the R&R Hall of Fame has no clue about (but that's another rant).
So, we've come from Heartbreak Hotel & Hound Dog, to I Want To Hold Your Hand & She Loves You, to Roadhouse Blues & Light My Fire -- to Girlfriend? And "How Cool?" I can understand why young kids gravitated toward rap, hip-hop and whatever and left rock music in the dust.
Matt -- you have melodies write something that has some meat on it and when you're done ask yourself -- would Mick Jagger sing this? If the answer is no, start again.
Sorry, but 20 paragraphs to say a nano-second of nothing but bullshit. Girlfriend is a better album than all the nonsense you mentioned. You're a total idiot
All hail Matthew Sweet!
@@alexjerome5429 - Ah...but I am a total idiot. That makes me the best. And you are not.
You are a piece of....no, no...I won't be suckered in little Alex. I'm not that gullible. I also don't resort to foul language to make my point.
Everyone who knows anything but rock music knows what I say is true. I don't even have to defend it.
And despite my rant, no one really knows who Alex Jerome is. You know what they say -- never trust someone who has two first names.
By the way, I get paid to write about music, have been published too -- for over thirty years.
What do you do? Work at Dairy Queen?
@@lastrada52 it took you nine months to come up with that sorry incorrect response? You're wrong about everything once again. Check your ego. I'm a metallurgist. I have hairs on my toes smarter than your wanna be phony ass. Opinions are like John LaStrada- every body has one. Go wipe the blood off yours, you butt hurt cry baby. If you really are a writer you honestly suck. no wonder why your broke ass gets
so easily hurt
@@alexjerome5429 - It didn't take 9 months -- unlike you metallurgist, I don't frequent UA-cam every day to see what people write about me. I have a life elsewhere. And for someone whose supposedly smart your writing abilities are juvenile.
"I have hairs on my toes smarter than your wanna be phony ass." (Wooo -- that was creative. Here you say I have a phony ass & later you talk about how my butt hurts. If it were phony it wouldn't hurt genius).
"Opinions are like John LaStrada- every body has one." (Right. That means I'm entitled to my opinion and YOU disagree with by being a crass, imbecile about it).
"Go wipe the blood off yours, you butt hurt cry baby." (Wow, really quaking from the humor that leaks from your piehole. Your metallurgist writing ability hints to what you're preoccupied with Alex. Naughty, naughty Alex).
"If you really are a writer you honestly suck..." (more of what you're 'honestly' preoccupied with. You have anxiety issues).
"...no wonder why your broke ass gets
so easily hurt." How would you know I have a broke ass? Have you seen it up close? You said it was a phony ass at the start. You're probably wondering now why I get more than you do. Ahhh...just a few more sentences and back to the Rawhide Saloon.
As for my writing -- I don't have to worry if you're the competition.
See how I responded? No using any foul language except for quoting yours. You like to respond emotionally. I don't. Your problem Alex Jerome -- is that you don't know how to disagree with what someone wrote (and that's fine by me) & be civil about it. You're way too defensive.
Metallurgist? you listen to heavy metal music in your basement with headphones on, a cold energy drink from a metal can between your scrawny legs because nothing else thrives there). OK, Alex...your turn. Any more butt jokes over a Matthew Sweet album?