"You're A Hot Mess And I'm Falling For You"

Fangs up Cobra Starship fans, “Hot Mess” has arrived!

Not being hugely familiar with them or a die-hard fan, I found myself able to make a general judgment call on this album without being tainted, but I'm slowly growing to become a fan. As I usually do with new albums, I played it through once to get the feel of the album and then played it through again to form a more solid opinion. Usually with time tracks grow on me but this review is the real raw first impression.
Overall, it’s not a bad album. The songs are all cleverly done and catchy with creative song titles to draw you in. You’ll find them all enjoyable with beats that could set the perfect background music to any picturesque summer scene. I almost picture a game of beach volleyball or a nice boardwalk run. The problem with this album though is after the first play you remember that it was enjoyable, but not much more. Not many tracks really stand out right away or could stand-alone and step away from the rest as a stand-alone track.
Obviously the album’s first single, “Good Girls Go Bad” stands out and probably also takes the title of the album’s best track.
The other song that also is able to accomplish this among the rest is the title song, “Hot Mess,” which I’ve really come to like as well.
A few others worth highlighting are “Wet Hot Summer,” “The World Will Never Do” and bonus track from the deluxe version “I May Be Rude But I’m The Truth.” All of these songs immediately stuck with me for one reason or another and had a little uniqueness to them. I'm sure with time, more of the tracks will grab my attention. In fact, as the album plays a third time through I'm coming to enjoy some of the other tracks more, so definitely give it a couple listens.
Overall, with a few hits and highlights, it is a fun album to just sit and enjoy in the moment.

"Boom, Shake, Now I'm Awake"

No one can deny the talent that is Rob Thomas. Matchbox Twenty is amazing, his debut solo album is great and his follow-up is even better. “Cradlesong” delivers a string of tracks that play straight through and don’t allow you to stop and switch along the way. Each song grabs you in a different way and makes you pay attention through the use of catchy hooks and beats.
The lead single, “Her Diamonds,” is incredibly powerful lyrically and really draws you in to the emotion.
“Hard On You” is one of my favorite tracks on the album because it has this raw truth to it that is amazing. The lyrics are so easily relatable and the beat is so fun that you cannot help but come to love it.
Another song I’ve come to love is “Still Ain’t Over You.” It has this slight rock vibe and rawness to it that takes over and draws you in to it. The drums catch you and the guitars sound so great on this track.
The album is far from a sophomore slump, no curse whatsoever, and a great piece of art from another artist who doesn’t get nearly as much publicity as he deserves.