More Than Just A Slice

"There was a time, a long, long time ago..." ...when I remember being in college with precious few funds available for withdraw from my laughable bank account. Be that as it may, I was always determined to build my music library piece by piece exposing myself to new styles & artists. You see, I hold firmly to the belief that as a musician, it is just as important to listen to great recordings (actively, not passively) as it is to be in the practice room for untold hours on end. It's no different than the budding author who builds her home library by leaps & bounds. At any rate, those years have since passed me by. Like the rest of you, now I simply listen for free much of the time on youtube, some musician's myspace page (thank you Isaac Lausell & Lou Pardini!) or download songs for a mere buck off of Amazon.

Not the case with the new album "Slice" from artist John Ondrasik. Who? Oh yes, you may better recognize him from his stage name "Five For Fighting" (hockey terminology). No, this time around the good Chessking laid down twelve whole U.S. watermarked dollars for a physical copy wrapped in the most annoying invention of the previous century-shrink wrap.

The album screams of Carol King & William Joel influences & is heavily laced with thought provoking lyrics that seem to be the exception rather than the norm in this American Idol age that perpetually favors style over substance.

I am particularly fond of the second track off the album entitled "Note To An Unknown Soldier" which quite poignantly personalizes & magnifies the ultimate sacrifices made by our brave men & women in uniform. Refreshing to hear the recognition & deep sense of gratitude pumping through my Dell computer speakers from a nationally known act rather than the usual antiwar one sided rhetoric we've grown so accustomed to enduring. Excellent job John! I give the album a resounding two thumbs up! Now hurry to your nearest discount store or music distribution website & support this new body of work! Hurry I say! Why are you still reading this? ;0)