Train - "Cab (Single)"(Columbia, 2005) * * * *

Normally I don't review singles. But in the case of Train I think an exception deserves to be made.

STEP 1: Listen to Train - "Cab"

I'll lay it out on the line. Until their disasterous flop My Private Nation, which fell victim to Patrick Monahan's addiction to cliches of all manner, I was a Train addict. Their first, self-titled, album is one of the better country-rock-pop hybrids to come out of the late nineties, and while Drops of Jupiter treaded down a pop road best not travelled, the band pulled the album off in style. But My Private Nation ... well, I believe my original review speaks for itself: "[My Private Nation] was the biggest waste I've ever had the 'opportunity' to review." (Ball State Daily News, Pop Misfires, April 22, 2004)

But that said, Train's upcoming album For Me It's You (due out January 31 on the Columbia label) suggests a lot to look forward to, if the rest of the album can lift from the creative edge of "Cab" -- the leadoff single -- to create an album for once, instead of just another jangly pop single. "Cab" throws off the excesses of past singles "Drops of Jupiter," "Calling All Angels," "Get To Me" and "Ordinary" -- all catchy but built mostly on empty platitudes -- to create something that is truly surprising.

No longer is the band happy ripping off the success of "Meet Virginia." Monahan's vocals borrow liberally from the likes of David Gray, with a melody that hearkens back to seventies AM radio. It's a combination that is arriving at exactly the right time, when radio -- particularly in the adult contemporary genre -- is looking for something beyond the usual retreads. Newcomers such as Daniel Powter (writer of the infectious Canadian pop single "Bad Day") have taken Europe by storm with what a pop song used to be -- catchy and worth talking about.

Give the song a listen and try to tell me the band doesn't sound revitalized. Talk about a great early Christmas gift, now I'm actually excited to hear new music from a band I'd almost written off as irrelevant.

Vote For Your 2005 Favorites!

Vote for your top 5 of 2005 and email them to me at jonathansanders@justice.com! I'll compile the results from all voting throughout winter break, and will publish the official list of favorites for the first 2006 edition of the online 72 Hours magazine!

2005: The Year In Review

It's been a long strange year in the world of music.

January: Continuing the trend in which artists prove they're activists by playing a concert and adding "Relief" to the name, a Tsunami Relief concert was held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on the 22nd, featuring Eric Clapton and a score of bands no one outside of England follows. Halfway around the world, Canada retaliated with a concert of it's own for tsunami relief in Vancouver, proving that in the world of music there's no such thing as too much copycat activism.

February: On the 22nd, pop-punkers Blink 182 stunned the world by declaring themselves on an "indefinite hiatus," but might return in the future. On the same day, Korn guitarist Brian Welch left the band for Christianity. Scientists blame these two freak occurrences on a rip in the space-time continuum, and are still investigating.

March: 50 Cent releases "The Massacre." The album sells 4 million copies in two months, spawns five top-five singles, and successfully drops the American IQ 20 points.

April: Mariah Carey releases "The Emancipation of Mimi," which quickly equals 50 Cent's sales and proves with ultimate finality that as long as a Photo Shop airbrush is nearby, any 40-year-old diva can remain a sex symbol. Women worldwide rejoice.

May: Eric Clapton proved he really will do anything for money, when he joined the original lineup of Cream for a four night stand at London's Royal Albert Hall. For a guaranteed $50 million and 2006's Album of the Year award, he promises he'll record a new album with Cream. I hear the Grammy committee is still actually considering it.

June: A jury officially found Michael Jackson not guilty of child molestation, but in an unusual move, the jury did find him guilty of Grand Hubris for titling his last album "Invincible." In a settlement, he has agreed to give up the King of Pop title and retire to Neverland in shame.

July: The Live 8 concerts proved once and for all that when it comes to activism, the music industry does have the biggest penis, hands down.

August: R. Kelly performed the 12th chapter of his "Trapped In The Closet" epic for an audience of millions at the MTV Video Music Awards. The performance successfully taught Americans to properly laugh again for the first time in years. Kelly says he hopes to continue writing pieces to this musical soap opera, as long as it distracts us from his statutory rape trial.

September: In some really weird news, a rumor spread around the internet that hip-hop artist Ciara used to be a man and had to have a sex change. Web snoop Snopes revealed that the confusion was over an Irish transexual with the same name. And America's IQ dropped another 20 points.

November: Paul McCartney's children begged their father to celebrate his birthday quietly. The pop icon turned 64, and his children were concerned the jokes would be unbearable. As a compromise, McCartney has recalled all recordings of "When I'm 64" for retooling. New title: "When I'm 84."

Only time will tell what craziness 2006 has around the corner. Until that happens, as an end of year bonus I've gone through all of the reviews I've written this year for 72 Hours and my online blog "In My Headphones." Here is my 2005 top ten. Visit www.inmyheadphones.blogspot.com to read any of the reviews you might have missed!

1. Regina Spektor - "Soviet Kitsch"
2. David Crowder Band - "A Collision"
3. The Soul Rebels - "Rebelution"
4. Brandi Carlile - "Brandi Carlile"
5. Ray LaMontagne - "Trouble"
6. Our Lady Peace - "Healthy in Paranoid Times"
7. Ben Folds - "Songs For Silverman"
8. Jamie Cullum - "Catching Tales"
9. The White Stripes - "Get Behind Me Satan"
10. Blue Merle - "Burning in the Sun"

Honorable mention should also go to the Muncie-area bands who made my top 25 this year. The Human Chain's self-titled EP came in at #11, while Everthus The Deadbeats and their album "Nothing, I Want Nothing" was #19. Both are definitely worth your purchase. Muncie music is alive and well, people, so keep listening.

Faithful Pop's Cutting Edge

David Crowder Band - "A Collision"
(Six Steps, 2005) * * * * 1/2

This one wins my vote for most innovative album of the year in its genre. Opening with the brilliantly lo-fi "Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven" which brings comparisons to the White Stripes, the album progresses through a series of stunningly arranged songs the likes of which any number of artists in any genre would love to be able to produce. "Come and Listen" relies on a piano and strings structure to bolster Crowder's prayerful vocals. He chooses an apt cover in Sufjan Stevens' "God Where Are You Now?" which allows Crowder ample room to bend the original to fit his unique vision -- showing in the process how Stevens' songs can work as epic arrangements or as haunting bare-bones melodies. "A Beautiful Collision" marks a 180-degree stylistic shift, as Crowder turns his ear toward alt-rock without sacrificing one hook-laden ounce of originality. And "Do Not Move" takes the album into electronic pop territory with an ear-bending hook that begs for radio airplay -- in a good way of course. All things considered, this album deserves to achieve crossover attention. However, it's more likely to go down as the best album of 2005 that few people will hear.


Rebecca St. James - "If I Had One Chance ..."
(EMI, 2005) * * *

If you're a fan of pop songsmith Anna Nalick, you'll probably enjoy Rebecca St. James's sixth studio album If I Had A Chance To Tell You Something, released on the EMI label. St. James has clearly mastered her blend of alt-pop Christian contemporary music; she's comfortable on single material as ear-catching as "Shadowboxing," which features a Nalick-esque vibe, while attempting a wider-ranging sound with "Love Being Loved By You" which is comparable to recent material by Liz Phair. The album is frontloaded with material that should tear up the CCM charts, particularly the ethereal track "I Need You," which opens with dissonant string chords and a haunting vocal melody that goes well beyond the typical pop format. If cutting edge alt-pop music with a religious bent is up your alley, you'll find little about this album disappointing.


Third Day - "Wherever You Are"
(Brentwood Music, 2005) * *

Third Day's one of those tried-and-true CCM "format bands" -- they write catchy rockers that please their core audience without ever having to stretch too far beyond their comfort zone. Wherever You Are doesn't change that, so if you haven't enjoyed the band's previous six studio albums you're unlikely to find anything here to change your mind. "Tunnel," which opens the album, features a typical Third Day hook, which if you can get past the cliché chorus ("There's a light at the end of this tunnel for you / There's a light at the end of the end of this tunnel shining bright for you ...") isn't a terrible track. The album progresses through another eleven like-minded tracks, including "Eagles" ("I will soar on the wings of eagles / I will learn to fly high above this world") and "Rise Up" ("Rise up my friend / this will never be the end / rise up my friend / and live again") which can't quite reach beyond a handful of weak cliches. The band should take a lesson from their contemporaries Jars of Clay if they want to learn how to craft an album that could expand its following beyond the Christian mainstream. This is not a groundbreaking album by any stretch, but that said, Wherever You are is almost certain to become the biggest album of the year in its genre on the strength of melodic hooks alone.