Is the debut album cursed?
Many reviewers have said this, all a lot more experienced than this one, but an old idea is a good idea; bands have their whole life to record their first album, no-one is listening and much of the time no-one is waiting for it.
Christian Kane – Part Two
Live in London is an acoustic set performed by Christian and Steve; it’s more intimate acoustically but does not lack any of the energy of the full band recordings. The Live In London is a closer representation of the UK gigs this month. Perhaps listen to this set if you are at all daunted by the country music tag, because this will give you a chance to hear the music and the lyrics in a rawer setting without the other guys. In this collection and on the night in Liverpool you can really hear Steve and Christian play off each other in the songs as well as between them. Their chemistry shines through and they set the songs off well.
“Do we get the thumbs up?” – Christian Kane Part One
This Is Not A Dark Ride
Tunnel of Love’ was Bruce Springsteen’s first studio offering since 1984’s ‘Born in the USA’. That album catapulted the man to the platform of mega stardom and created hype that, unlike with Born to Run, Springsteen was happy to go with. For many that image of Springsteen is the one that they remember and during that whirlwind tour of 1984-1985 he married. Bruce Springsteen had made it to the top of the mountain with the previous album and to everyone he was a hero. The next album is all about the man behind the image, finding out who that man was and living the married life. It may not have sold as many as its predecessor but to many, myself included 1987’s ‘Tunnel of Love’ is a stronger collection of songs and the concept behind it is truer and more lasting simply because there is no concept. Nothing on ‘Tunnel of Love’ is manufactured because Springsteen ‘needed a hit’, nor is any part of it re-packaged in a bolder brassier arrangement because that would sell more. Throughout this album you get the sense of a man stripped of the image, learning to deal with life’s issues like the partnership of love and marriage and how much it takes to make that work and, ultimately what to do when it isn’t.
Given to Sounds 