I was very excited to be included in a new review project by One2OneNetwork, the latest CD by Rod Stewart arrived in my mailbox a couple of days ago. I have loved Rod Stewart's music for years and was looking forward to a new album by him. When I heard that "Time" included songs written by Rod Stewart himself I was expecting something spectacular and was not disappointed. Some of the songs are really reminiscent of the songs from the 70s and 80s like Maggie Mae and You're in my Heart.
I like the mix of slower songs alternating with fast-paced songs. I especially liked the songs "Finest Woman" and "Brighton Beach". Finest Woman is typical Rod Stewart, fast-paced and energetic. While the text seems a tad generic, the beat makes up for these lyrical shortcomings. Brighton Beach by contrast is a slower song, but that allows you to focus on the lyrics, which detail Rod remembering a love story back some years ago. Rod being older, maybe not wiser, you believe these lyrics and these two songs exemplify the range of songs included on "Time".
Overall, I really like the selection and hope that Rod Stewart continues to write songs again. For a first effort after almost 20 years of not doing any songwriting, it is so nice to recognize the Rod Stewart from the early years again in this album and so I am hoping he continues on this streak and we get to listen to some more of his life stories in songs.
It is hard to believe that this album is his first album with totally new material in almost 20 years. Where has time gone? Certainly Rod has not changed a bit (his hair style is still the rather 'unique' not quite standing up straight hair he has been sporting for ages) and his voice is still the familiar hoarse vocals that made him famous. No one would mistake him for a famous tenor, but his voice and the lyrics make him unique and in my opinion more believable because he does tell his story in his songs and we can relate to it. And Rod got quite a story to tell after 40 years in showbiz, several marriages and a bunch a kids, all the while touring and singing to his fans.
This album is currently only available on pre-order and will be officially released on May 7, 2013. The 12 songs included on the album have 11 songs that Rod wrote and produced. If you are like me, you too are wondering why now and why wait so long to create new songs? Rod explains that his inspiration for writing songs again after all these years came when Rod was reviewing his life for his recent memoir and realized that he still has stories to tell in song, not just in the book. He started to wrote these songs in his honest style that we can relate to as listeners and fans.
To quote Rod: "Suddenly ideas for lyrics were piling up in my head. Next
thing I knew, I had a song called 'It's Over' about divorce and
separation. And now I was getting up in the middle of the night and
scrambling for a pen to write things down, which has never happened to
me. I finished seven or eight songs very quickly and I still wasn't
done, and it became apparent that I would eventually have a whole album
of material to record."
To shorten the wait for the album, below is the video for the song "She makes me happy"
If you are luck enough to live in Europe, Rod is starting his European leg of his Live the Life tour on 6-1-13, while we can enjoy him in the USA starting 10-17-13 (with Steve Winwood).
The list of songs included on the CD are:
1. She Makes Me Happy
2. Can’t Stop Me Now
3. It’s Over
4. Brighton Beach
5. Beautiful Morning
6. Live The Life
7. Finest Woman
8. Time
9. Picture In A Frame
10. Sexual Religion
11. Make Love To Me Tonight
12. Pure Love
So if you like Rod Stewart, especially the songwriter, you can go to Amazon here and pre-order Rod's newest creation. I promise you, you will not regret it.
Disclaimer:
I participated in this campaign for One2One Network. I received a free
copy of the CD to facilitate my review. By posting, I am eligible for
incentives. All opinions stated are my own.
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