Review: Scrisori catre Rita – The Show

scrisori catre ritaN-am scris niciodata despre piese de teatru, si cu atat mai putin n-am facut un review complet al unei piese de teatru, dar sper ca entuziasmul din seara aceasta sa ma ajute sa transpun ce se intampla in Scrisori catre Rita – The Show.

Invitatia a venit din partea teatrului In Culise, si am acceptat-o aproape pe negandite, pentru ca de mult le urmaream activitatea, in special cursurile de teatru pe care le au disponibile. Am ales o piesa neconventionala, pentru ca voiam sa vad oameni si caractere aflati la extreme, atat pe scena, cat si in public, si sa am parte de reactii de pe toata scara emotiilor, nefiltrate si pure.

Scrisori catre Rita – The Show reuseste sa faca fix asta. Actul de pe scena e vulgar, direct, dureros, amuzant si sincer, e cam cum am vrea noi sa fim, daca n-am fi atat de incordati si imbatraniti de canoane impuse de altii.

Din distributie face parte Andreea Stafie, care este superba si suplineste rolul de iubita, amanta inchipuita, inger presupus si respiratie pierduta. In cuvinte putine, Andreea da viata mai multor personaje, si isi domina scenele prin prezenta electrizanta si gesturile ei ireale si aeriale.

Alaturi de ea, Stefan Nistor il joaca pe Nic Labis, personajul imaginat de Stefan Caraman, un fel de parodie fara poezie, dar cu foarte mult umor, foarte dezinvolt si canibalic, face din personajul tau un arhetip al zilelor noastre – pasionat de blog, pasionat de comunicarea cu cineva, oricine, fie chiar si o femeie imaginara, macinat de probleme triviale si condus de cel mai inutil cap disponibil, Nic capata profunzime doar cand vorbeste. Si atunci cand o face, nu iese niciodata ceva poetic.

De regie s-a ocupat Cristian Bajora, si de muzica, din ce am inteles, chiar Stefan Nistor (si i-a iesit un superplaylist). Decorul este minimalist, lasand actorii sa se transforme si sa evolueze, sa-si spuna povestile murdare si sa-si expuna gandurile sincere in fata unui public deschis. Atmosfera e perfecta pentru luna decembrie, o luna a povestilor si amintirilor, si replicile lui Nic intaresc adevaruri deja universal valabile – la KFC se intampla iubire, stickul cu melodii preferate a luat locul casetei cu mixuri, shaorma are gust de p*zda si un capot nou poate schimba mentalitati.

Daca sunteti nehotarati si nu stiti daca sa vedeti piesa, raspunsul este „mergeti sa o vedeti”. O sa va dispara din reticente si retineri, si o sa plecati de-acolo razand. Pentru exemplificare, piesa incepe chiar asa:

Ti-am scris un email.
– Sa te f*t!
Tu mi-ai raspuns:
– Asa e frumos?!

Si continua, savuros, cu:

Am luat o sticla de Cola de 2 litri, am ragait de 2 litri jumatate.

Imi cer scuze pentru limbajul licentios, Scrisori catre Rita – The Show m-a invatat cu prea multa libertate.

Review: Poets of the Fall – Jealous Gods

Oh, man! You know how much I love Poets of the Fall and their beautiful, awesome music! Their sixth album, titled Jealous Gods, is one of their best efforts so far, so excuse me for delaying this for so long! I was busy playing it on repeat.

Daze is their first song on the tracklist, and also the first single, and it has been quite the while since I found a lead single this good. Daze is filled with determination, it has rhythm, lyrics, spunk, sincerity, love, and fire, and it’s the perfect choice as a lead single. I just love the chorus – so gentle and sensible, so very opposed to the masculinity of the rest of the song. (9/10)

Jealous Gods is one of their best songs ever. OK, so it’s a ballad, but it’s a beautiful ballad, simple and honest, and it gives me chills each and every time I hear it. Marko, you beautiful animal, what are you doing?! Marko’s voice is the best safety blanket there is, how can I not love it? It has incredibile depths, stories to tell and kisses to share, and it mixes perfectly with the music and the lyrics. (10/10)

Rumors is somewhat of a filler, not really remarkable, to tell you the truth, but the song shows promise in the beginning, and fades away into boring oblivion after a minute or so. The start is a bit energetic, but the chorus is mostly trite and easily forgettable. I guess the instrumental for this one could have been a better fit? (7/10)

Brighter Than the Sun is exactly the opposite of Rumors. The start is a bit boring, and the rest of the song is quite engaging, thanks to pseudo-rapping from Marko. Oh well, it’s not that great, but the verse with „love never goes out of season” and the drums make it bearable. (7/10)

Love Will Come to You gave me the impression that it was written by someone that’s still in high school, so cheerful and simple and honest, and – OK, the song is not that special or complex, but it’s a nice song, very dancey, very lovey-dovey, the lyrics work perfectly through the melody and Marko’s voice is, as usual, sweet and sour at the same time. What’s not to like?! (8/10)

Rogue, because my Poets like to experiment. And when they do it, they do it very, very well. This piece is instrumental, and wonderful. Take it from a person that doesn’t really like instrumental stuff. The guitar is strong with this one, and I can only imagine me, on a motorcycle, going on a highway… This is Rogue for me. (8/10)

Rebirth HAS to be the best song off the album. It just has to be. I love absolutely everything about this song, starting with the beautiful guitar, going through the lyrics, listening to Marko – the whole song is just beautiful poetry, filled with fear, love and hope. The only other song from the Poets that I like this much is All the Way/4U – although I like that one more. However, Rebirth is a great song, for the romantics, and the hopeful ones, and the ones who still love love. (12/10)

Hounds to Hamartia is yet another great experiment, very well done and beautifully crafted through the obsessive use of guitars and metaphors. Rhythm, lyrics, creativity – this song has them all. (9/10)

Clear Blue Sky is just a typical optimist song, but nothing out of the ordinary. I do not skip it however, because it’s quite entertaining, with the fast paced rhythm and the drums and the guitars. (8/10)

Choice Millionaire, OMG! This has got to be one of their best songs ever! It has electronica accents, the lyrics are extremely witty and not only witty, and the chorus uses Markus full power, in the best way possible. His voice goes from deep to high, from serious to playful, all in just 30 seconds of beautiful music. Do not skip this one, if you want to see a different side of the Poets! (9/10)

Nothing Stays the Same somehow reminds me of the gothic bands from up North, with its guitars, and Marko’s voice so deep, and the very, ultra serious lyrics. The song is beautifully crafted, even though I cannot possibly take it seriously! It’s a good piece, nonetheless, so excuse my assholeness! (8/10)

Enjoy the album, I know I did.

Now, I can only hope that they’ll come back… Or that I’ll be able to see them live somewhere in Europe.

Review: Maroon 5 – V

The previous Maroon 5 effort was kind of a let down, since Overexposed didn’t manage to acquire the silent slickness of Hands All Over, so I was hoping for a change of heart (and beat too) from V.

I’ve been in love with the band (and Adam too, why the heck not?) for so long, 10 long years of love, hope, trust, mistrust, happiness and heartbreak, it was only fair that, 10 years after the first meeting, I should be hopeful about V (which is pronounced „five” y’all, my favorite number).

I wanted so much to like the album, so I’ve been listening for a few days now, on a continuous, happy loop, and I managed to find some forever favorites.

Maps is not a powerful first single, I really thought they could have done it better, but hey! You get what you get or deserve or whatever, the song starts out weak and I remember not liking it at first, but now it’s quite catchy, even though it’s not a brilliant song. I guess Adam’s falsetto can be annoying and cute at the same time. (7.5/10)

I am under the impression that Animals should be the sexy song of the album – after all, preaches primal, sexy sex, so yeah. I guess that’s what they’re going for, even though the beat is predictable, the bass is sometimes boring, and Adam sounds bored too. It’s not a bad song, but not a great one, and I’m starting to sense a pattern here… (8/10)

Oh, Adam, It Was Always You! 80s’ sound?! Check! Adam’s falsetto? Check? Synths? Check! The song is the peak of the album so far, almost as if the slow start of Maps and Animals were building to this great 80s’ electronica piece. Just lovely! And I wanna see this more often, Adam! It suits you. (9/10)

And because Maroon 5 are really good at declaring stuff, romantic stuff, of course, Unkiss Me is that once in a lifetime declarative ballad. It’s perfectly mushy, with a barely there bass, with incredibly romantic lyrics and a sincere Adam on the lead vocals that makes my heart melt. You can almost hear the heart break… (10/10)

And because food is always a metaphor for sex – for Maroon 5, at least (remember Kiwi?), we have Sugar. Food and sex. Raw emotion, 80s’ sound, a white, sexier Prince. Awesome beat and sexy lyrics, and I can almost feel Adam kissing me. Ok, not kissing me per se, but still… (9/10)

Then Leaving California happens and I’m like „dude, WTF?!”. I’m not really sure what’s with this song, except that it’s a very dull filler. (6/10)

In Your Pocket. Ugh. I can’t even. Yeah, it’s dancey and stuff, but. Ugh. Jealousy and stuff. (4/10)

New Love must be my favorite song off of the album. It’s danceable as fuck, Adam abuses his notorious falsetto, also he makes quite the declaration of love, the 80s’ are uber strong with this one, and the lyrics are fun, enjoyable and sincere. (10/10)

And then there’s Coming Back for You. Is this Tears for Fears or something that the 80s’ rejected with vicious hate or what the actual fuck happened here? (6/10)

Feelings makes me want to go to the gym and perform the choreography from Physical. But that’s only until the chorus starts, because that’s when weird stuff starts happening and I wanna go out of here. (7/10)

My Heart is Open. Oh, the epitome of boring. Sorry, Ms. Stefani, your contribution on this song is awful, your voice is so masculine next to Adam’s, and… Oh, dear God, no. (5/10)

If you have the chance to listen to the Deluxe edition of the album, then you have three more songs that are actually quite interesting.

Shoot Love is not so great, but a whole lot better that My Heart is Open. The beat is catchy, I could move on this one if only it were more remarcable. I also find it really good for speeding on the highway. (7/10)

Sex and Candy, because sex and food. We already covered that part. But Adam wants a new approach. This song is a bit slicker, a bit dirtier, a bit subtle, but still ever so sexy, ever so 80s and awesome. The bass line makes me want to buy a strip pole and dance, but who cares, right? Mom, please don’t read this! (8.5/10)

Lost Stars the last song from the Deluxe edition and everyone who saw Begin Again (not me, unfortunately) knows it. I like the dreamy sound of it, the hopeful sound of it. It sends me so much love, I want to be in love. I almost forgot that Adam can bring me so much love in just one song… (9/10)

Review: Sam Smith – In The Lonely Hour & Nirvana

samsmithIt was bound to happen. You know how much I love music and how much I obsess over stuff like that and a simple search on my blogs will reveal the ugly truth: I am so enamored.

I just love the tenderness and the sadness and the loneliness in Sam Smith‘s gorgeous, full voice, and his album is exquisite, at least for a debut album that came out of nowhere.

As someone who felt pain at some point in her life, this album is spot on. The lyrics have a maturity I am not able to express when talking about love, the music is this great combination of orchestra, jazz, blues, soul and sincerity, and Sam’s voice is so overwhelming, I can’t seem to listen to anything else. It’s been almost a month since the release of In The Lonely Hour and it’s still the only thing I listen to.

Money On My Mind is so dancey, omg! The RnB beat is strong with this one. The blue eyed soul voice of Mr. Smith does great justice to this awesome beast of a song. The lyrics are simple, of course, but the emotions are never anything but complicated with Sam Smith, so the song is a great start of an awesome album. (10/10)

Good Thing is the second song from In The Lonely Hour and, as much as I can say that Money On My Mind is a great opener, and that I dislike La La La with all my ears, this one is the most meh song from the album. Yes, I like the lyrics, but the constant screeching of the guitar, and the hum-dum of the drum cannot hide the mediocrity of Good Thing. (5/10)

Stay With Me is probably the song I bugged you with the most. It’s so perfect in its simplicity and honesty, and I can see myself dancing at my wedding (lol) on this beautiful piece of love story. Hope, dreams, patience, respect. Love. It has them. (20/10)

Leave Your Lover is my current obsession and the song that made me want to write the review. I must’ve listened to it 100 times yesterday, on my way back home. This plea is so full of hope, yet so realistically sad, so sincere and depressing, it will forever send chills down my spine. Sam Smith‘s vocals on this song are truly amazing, he makes me see that orange sunset-y color all around me whenever I hear this song. (12/10)

I’m Not The Only One – I never know what this song is about. I guess Good Thing has competition in a mediocrity contest with this one, but for me, it’s just „skipskipskip” whenever this song is on. (5/10)

I’ve Told You Now seems to be the spoiled kid’s response to the one thing he cannot have. The beat of the song blends with the bratty voice Sam Smith employs on this piece, and I gotta say I love the determined attitude on I’ve Told You Now. (8.5/10)

Like I Can comes with the 90s vibe, with a guitar that never breaks the rhythm, with a drum that follows a secret road inside the singer’s heart with such accuracy, it’s heart warming. I just love the song for all the positive vibe it sends me and I can imagine some matured Spice Girls singing this one with great success. (9/10)

Life Support will forever be a favorite of mine. The dependency, the kleptomaniac feeling this song induces me is overwhelming. This is the dark side of Sam Smith and it is gorgeous as ever. Also, the hip hop beats blend with his cries for help and love so perfectly, I feel like crying just thinking about Life Support. (10/10)

Not In That Way – I’ll come back after I’m done crying. This song will bring you to your knees, believe you me. Not In That Way is exactly what it appears to be – a ballad about an unrequited love story. It has raw emotion, raw sadness, sincerity, and when Mr. Smith says „You will never know that feeling / You will never see through these eyes” it’s truly gut wrenching and it makes me stand still waiting for the sorrow to stop.(11/10)

Lay Me Down is one of my favorite songs of the album (I know it feels like I’m saying this about every song from In The Lonely Hour, it is not true!). Another request, a sensible request, of course, from Mr. Smith. Got to love his vocal mastery on this piece. His voice conveys hope and hurt and a plea for happiness, all the while trying to hold it together. (10/10)

Restart – so 90s, so dancey and groovy, can’t help but loving it! I dunno what makes me love this song – its simplicity, or the vintage vibe it sends, but I never skip it. (9/10)

Latch – this is, I guess, the third Sam Smith song I heard, the Disclosure version, of course, and I was forever hooked. The acoustic version, however, is so much better. It has pure emotions and Sam Smith has this eerie voice, like he’s in another plane, where only love and happiness exist. That plane must be awesome, because this song, with its violins, is so beautiful, it can only spell love. (12/10)

La La La – oh, well, I must admit I hated this one. So badly! Omg, I can’t even listen to it now. Yes, Mr. Smith has an awesome voice, but the La La La part just brings me down. The La La La part sung by the kid, of course. I also don’t like the video, so that adds to the sum of factors that make me skip this patience challenge of mine. (7/10)

Make It To Me is, again, one of the most beautiful live songs of the album. Simple, this piano driven tune is so frickin’ gorgeous and hopeful, and Sam Smith’s voice is so conveying, carrying the emotion beyond ear buds and stereo speakers and into my achy breaky heart. (10/10)

Safe With Me – because Mr. Smith experiments also and because why not. I am unsure how to describe this one, even if it’s intoxicating and so RnB, I can’t even begin to describe the whole feeling to you! It’s like Timbaland came and put his little Midas finger on Sam Smith and stuff happened. (12/10)

Together – because Disclosure is always a good idea. I gotta say I love this combination of soul and funk and electro, I only see green neon lights whenever this song hits my ears. (10/10)

Nirvana is the second song I heard from Mr. Smith, and I’ve been hooked on him ever since (the first one was La La La and you already know my opinion on it). So slick, so 70s, so reactive – so addictive! And the vocals – oh my god the vocals are so truly sexy and sensual and promising! Very good job, Mr Smith! (12/10)

The whole album, along with the Nirvana EP, brings me peace, and love, and hope. Sam Smith’s voice is a sweet medicine that mends broken hearts, and his lyrics, while simple, are sincere and upfront. I will never tire of listening to his music, I can tell. If only I could see him live…

Pic.

Review: Game of Thrones

I just jumped the Game of Thrones wagon, complete with the cumbersome task of reading the saga that inspired the TV show, but I am not, by all means, new to the following it has, nor am I new to the events that happened until I started indulging on the phenomenon.

Last year I was intrigued by the oh-so-known Red Wedding episode, but it wasn’t enough for me to start watching the show. This year I read about the controversial rape scene near boy-king Joffrey and, while I was a little curious, it still wasn’t enough for me.

But what made me catch up with Game of Thrones was the sudden realization that one of my favorite actors from Misfits also joined the ensemble cast, and now watching it was a challenge.

Iwan Rheon joined the cast as Ramsay Snow, the vicious bastard of Lord Roose Bolton, who practically enslaved Theon Greyjoy, after torturing, flaying and mutilating him. The way that Rheon portrays this wild creature that resembles a human from afar is kind of mesmerizing, after seeing him as the shy and gentle Simon in Misfits.

Oh well, that was the only reason I had for watching the series, but now I am kind of hooked, as I started reading the books also. I find them a bit too pretentious for my taste, as the vocabulary used is a bit far fetched, but it is a compelling read nonetheless.

I have some observations regarding the show (as I my book advances are modest so far), because I noticed that my favorite characters are rarely the ones that the vast majority of the public prefers.

Maybe the most obvious choice is the always-adored Tyrion Lannister, the Imp that everyone loves, and that’s not a bad thing. He uses sarcasm when others use swords, and even when he uses swords, he’s still a better fighter than most. His greatest flaw is his acceptance of his physique, combined with the superiority that comes with a witty mind. Add to that a sharp tongue and little obedience, and we have the most funny, deep and caring character of the show.

Of course I love Sansa, with her red hair and her innocence, but I also love her new found maturity, the one that comes after a great deal of pain. I also love her bastard brother, Jon Snow the brave, the fiery and the passionate beast of the north that he is. And I like Bran enough to wait and see what he grows up to be.

But besides these obvious choices there are some weird ones, like Theon Greyjoy and Ramsay Snow. Theon is interesting, always switching sides, always cocky (well, now… not so much), always horny and ready for a good fight, ready to prove himself, ready to do anything to be accepted. Basically, a little boy at heart. I never liked the character that much until he was morphed into Reek, but now I can appreciate Alfie Allen’s true talent, and I must admit that he is a great actor.

Ramsay Snow is a very weird choice, indeed, but I can explain it by choosing to see what Iwan Rheon shows us – a flawed man, filled with insecurities. I can draw many parallels between him and Theon (and maybe Jon, Robb, and even Arya and Bran). All of them have to prove themselves, all of them have to fight to be accepted, to make their fathers proud, to earn their place in the world. So far, only Ramsay manages to do that, albeit his methods are very unorthodox.

I must admit that the Game hasn’t fully caught up on me yet, as I am not as fond of it as are my other friends, but I love controversy, I enjoy witnessing stories about faulty people, I like watching them choosing their paths, and so I will not give up on this. Yet.

Review: Peter Gabriel – Back to Front

Peter Gabriel is one of the greatest things that ever happened to music and me, so it was only natural for me to attend the greatest sermon that ever graced my eyes. Yes, I tend to use hyperbole when talking about gods, so please bear with me.

The Back to Front concert hosted on the 8th of May of this sweet year (joking, this year has been everything but sweet to me) was met with great expectations by me, and I am happy to say that these expectations were surpassed by Mr. Peter Gabriel.

I tend to Google the plot synopsis before I watch movies and TV shows, but I never look for set lists online, because I want my live experience to be virgin and genuine. So, except for one video of In Your Eyes, I didn’t know what to expect from Back to Front.

Mr. Peter Gabriel is very punctual, fortunately, and I did know that, but I didn’t expect to see him at 8:00 on the stage, announcing the beautiful Jennie Abrahamson & Linnea Olsson, who served as his backing vocals too.

I was glad to see that this great artist I have loved since I was little was still full of energy, with his raspy voice somewhat changed – it has a deeper, more serious tone, but it’s still sweet and full of hope. Whenever I listen to him I managed to drift away and dream of home, and dream of dreams, all the while I’m dancing and floating in space.

I tried several times to tell you about this experience, but I never had the full dictionary available. I am so sorry for being so poor with regards of words, and I am sorry I lack the imagination to tell you about one of the most awesome experiences I had when it comes to live music.

I remember the crowd, that special crowd you see only when live „old music” is playing. The crowd that suffered the limitations of the old regime, the crowd that found liberation in music, the crowd that still has values and still dreams while having its eyes open.

I remember not fitting in that crowd, because I am too young to fit in there, but not fitting in the Tiesto crowd either, because that doesn’t make me feel safe or warm, but I also remember Mr. Peter Gabriel making me feel at home with his music, so I guess there’s no greater achievement for an artist.

I remember feeling quite unsure of how to dance and act during O But, but I remember feeling full of home while listening to Come Talk To Me. Shock The Monkey was great, of course, and innovator, but then Family Snapshot followed, and I was left WTF?!

Digging In The Dirt was there to remind us of Perter Gabriel’s eclectic taste in music, as were Secret World, and The Family And The Fishing Net. No Self Control was awesome, musically and visually, and with Solsbury Hill the Master touched old fans and new ones alike. This part of the concert ended with Why Don’t You Show Yourself?, a song that’s part of the soundtrack for a movie that’s a part of a trilogy about drugs, prostitution (I think) and religion. The song has a message, but I think its concept was lost somewhere on the way, because the public was very bored during the performance.

The peak of the concert was, of course, the reiteration of So, the 1986 album. Red Rain started this session with red visuals, and everyone singed along with Peter Gabriel. Sledgehammer followed up and everyone was already high on music, but when Don’t Give Up started it was clear that this is the best version of the song. I am sorry, Miss Bush, but Linnea Olsson beat you at your own game. That Voice Again and Mercy Street slowed down the people, but thank god for Big Time, whose only purpose was to renew everything in anything. This song is truly so much larger than life, even after all this time. We Do What We’re Told (Milgram’s 37) is so underrated, and I really don’t understand why, and so is This Is The Picture (Excellent Birds). These two should’ve been taught in music classes, because stylistically they are so out of this world, I can’t even begin to…

The concert should have ended with In Your Eyes. Where else can I see 40+ year old guys singing songs that belong on teen flick soundtrack? But no, the next two songs pushed the public away, at least here in Romania. The Tower That Ate People and Biko ended in a distant note what should have been left at awesome.

The whole concert was a great experience, and I must admit that the crowd was even more engaged in the show than I expected. Even though some of the songs were a little bit too artsy fartsy for their own good, Peter Gabriel pulls that off, so kudos for him. I’d love to see him again!

Review: OneRepublic – Native

I’ve been hooked up on a lot of things lately – music has been a refuge for me, so it’s kinda understandable that I’m always playing something in the back of my head. I also dream of living in a musical, so there’s that.

But there’s one album that keeps creeping up on me while I try to work, or meditate, or, you know, just breathe.

OneRepublic‘s Native is their best effort so far, and that’s easy to see if you check how many times I’ve hit play and not skip while listening to their stuff.

The album has spawned a few hits so far, and everyone knows the oh-so radio friendly Counting Stars and even Burning Bridges, but there’s so much to this album than what meets the ear.

Counting Stars is dependable, for lack of a better word, but it’s poppy and dancey, and that can never be a bad thing, right? It’s full of energy, but it doesn’t have that urban sound that Tedder strives to achieve most of the time. It’s just a safe song, and I can live with that. (7.5/10)

If I Lose Myself is deep, deeper than expected from the second song of this album. It starts soft, but in just few seconds it builds up to so much more. The song incorporates the urban sound that Ryan Tedder loves so very much, and it feels like home for OneRepublic. This song smells like summer, and that’s never a bad thing. (9.5/10)

Feel Again is such a pop anthem, it hurts. In a good way. I could use it to pump up the energy while hitting the gym, and I love it for that build up that can be heard while playing the chorus. (8/10)

What You Wanted is a beautiful ballad, filled with feelings, because… Love. I just feel safe, at peace whenever I hear this song, and they lyrics are pure poetry for us people looking for meaning and love. (9/10)

I Lived is the best song for declaring mistakes. How can you not love it?! So full of energy and belief, this song opens the eyes and brightens the day, and I just love it. (10/10)

Light It Up makes you witness a little switch – from the pop anthem to the sexy pop anthem. Charged with electricity, this song uses the bass line more, and that means only one thing: sex! Too bad the sexiness is short lived… (8/10)

Can’t Stop is just a cry for something (or someone) you lost. It’s sad, and selfish, just how I like my songs. It’s a plea, a bargain, a quest – something that never ends well. But Tedder’s vocals on this one send me goose bumps and chills, so the song rises through his voice. (9/10)

Au Revoir feels a little misplaced on this album, with all the violins and the strings, with all that peace that emerges through its words and sounds. The beginning of the song states perfectly the mood that it induces me… „Today I’m not myself”. (8/10)

Burning Bridges is, by far, my favorite song off Native. I love the hopeful sound it has, and the urban beat that can be heard throughout the song. Ryan Tedder never sounded this good. (10/10)

Something I Need gives me the impression that Ryan Tedder is an addict, and he likes his addiction very much, thank you. This song is playful and fun, and hopeful, and lustful, and that’s kinda awesome, don’t you think? (9.5/10)

Preacher is, again, one of the songs that don’t feel like a part of this album. But somehow, this song fits perfectly. The story is great, the first time I listened to it made me cry, and I never had a grandpa. Maybe I should have had one… (10/10)

Don’t Look Down is, by far, the most forgettable song of the album. Whenever I get to listen to it, I’m always amazed by how little I know this song. I couldn’t rate it, if I wanted to. (?/10)

Something’s Gotta Give is the urbanest of the urbanest from this album. It’s a weird song, that seems to drag on too long, it never feels like home, but somehow, I never push skip whenever this one hits my earphones. (10/10)

Life in Color starts out like a Christmas song, so cheery and colorful (see the pun? please laugh at my pun!), and it just fills me with joy and happiness. (9/10)

All in all, this album is awesome. I never want to push skip, I only want to listen to it while walking around the town. Now, since the weather allows me to…

Tracklist: 0:00 Counting Stars 4:16 If I Lose Myself 8:24 Feel Again (With Heartbeats) 11:27 What You Wanted 15:26 I Lived 19:19 Light It Up 23:29 Can’t Stop 27:39 Au Revoir 32:30 Burning Bridges 36:48 Something I Need 40:49 Preacher 44:55 Don’t Look Down 46:37 Something’s Gotta Give 51:28 Life in Color 54:51 If I Lose Myself (Acoustic) 58:42 What You Wanted (Acoustic) 1:02:05 Burning Bridges (Acoustic)