"This CD is outstanding, ranking up with other Meat Loaf classics such as Bat Out of Hell (1 and 2) and Welcome to the Neighborhood. (OK, it's even better than WTTN). I purchased it in April when it was originally released in the UK, and it has not left my CD player since. It includes the drama filled ballads we've come to expect from ML (Couldn't Have Said it Better, Why Isn't that Enough, Did I Say That, etc), as well as a touch of gospel (Testify), rocking Broadway (Tear Me Down from Hedwig and the Angry Inch), hard rock (Love You Out Loud) , classic covers (a version of Forever Young that puts Dylan and Rod Stewart to shame), even a bit of rockabilly (Mercury Blues). This is an outstanding album, I would strongly recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed ML's previous work. Heck, I'd recommend it to anyone who just plain likes good music. Meat Loaf delivers- this CD rocks!"
Absolutely Brilliant - - Meat Loaf Has Done It Once Again
Vicki Pearson | Newark, DE USA | 09/24/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I read in an interview that Meat Loaf originally thought this was going to be his last CD. Well, if that was true, he clearly saved the best for last !!To me every song on the CD is perfect in it's own special way ... from the powerful duet Couldn't Have Said It Better (which clearly showcases the strong talents of Patti Russo as well as Meat), to the fun hard rocking tracks that you can't help singing along to : Do It, Testify, Tear Me Down & Love You Out Loud, to the slower, superb ballads Why Isn't That Enough and Forever Young. There's definitely something for everybody's taste .... But if I have to choose my favorite song, it would be Did I Say That. Meat brings such a level of emotion to the song that I still get goosebumps every time I listen to it ... yes, it's sad, but powerful and truly overwhelming at the same time. It's one of the most beautiful and heart wrenching songs I've ever heard .. a true Meat Loaf classic :)) And Meat if you read this ... you said this CD is the best work you've done since Bat ..... well sir, I Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself :))) Well done and congratulations !!! Trust me - I don't think we'll see you becoming a decorator :))Vicki Pearson"
For the first time in a long time, real power rock is here!
Vlitch Godunov | Birmingham, MI United States | 10/07/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Meat Loaf's latest musical adventure may not portray him at his once high entertainment, operatic best (ie: 'Bat Out Of Hell 1 + 2'), but it still contains enough vibrancy and energy to claim it something very worthwhile for those fans that have been waiting way too long for something new from the big Texan. Marvin Lee Aday has brought to the fore on this new album of 12 (if you count the hidden track - and we ALL should) songs a feeling of musical passion that is so long been missing from the sulky, broody, young bands of today's weak charts. His long-time collaborator Jim Steinman is noticeably absent from this project, but those influences aside, songs like the opening powerhaus title track, the apologetic "Did I Say That" and the maturing-man song "Man Of Steel" all ensure that his absence isn't too cried upon. Faring way better song wise than his last outing in '95 with 'Welcome To The Neighborhood,' Meat Loaf has kept with his strength of voice, his trailing lyrical empathy, and provided us a work of pure rock art that should tide us over nicely until the '05 release of 'Bat Out Of Hell III: The Final Conflict.' Thoughts or comments - exclusivemagazine@flash.net"
An extraordinary album
Kathy Borror | Columbus, Ohio USA | 10/07/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've had this CD for almost two weeks but haven't felt able to put my thoughts about it into words. I'm going to give it a shot anyway. I had listened to audio clips of all the songs on the internet and knew I would like the new album - I was looking forward to its release and thought I knew what to expect. But I was totally unprepared for the gut-level impact of listening to it all the way through.What do you say about an album that turns you on, then makes you cry, turns you on again, makes you cry again, then yet a third round, and that's just the first side! The first time I listened all the way through I was exhausted! I'm laughing here, but I'm also serious. How often does an album grab hold of you with the first phrase and simply refuse to let go?Meat's astonishing ability to express the full depth of human emotion is the foundation of this album's impact, and the music drives it home. Kasim Sulton was quoted as saying "This is some very slammin' rock 'n' roll," and he wasn't just a-kiddin'. It rocks. At this point, because the radiant heat of this record's fire is still new to me, I have to stop what I'm doing, close my eyes and just listen. But eventually I'll be playing it in the car, etc., and enjoying it as the really good rock that it is.Bat Out Of Hell is kiss-your-fingertips perfect rock: the best there ever was and possibly the best there ever will be, but I'd like to point out that CHSIB does one thing better - it tells a complete story. Meat Loaf and his writers have perfected the story album here with this mature narrative, in which the beginning tension is sustained all through the first side, and the songs form an integrated whole. As a result, I don't have a favorite song. Chapter One is so cohesive that I have to take it as a unit, and I can't begin to single out a favorite song. I might pick 3 out of 5, but I don't even want to do that - it doesn't make sense to me to do that.I love the Intermezzo -- it sounds almost like something O'Carolan would have written (a favorite of mine).The tortured conflict in the first part has been resolved by Chapter two, which lets us down gently while maintaining the same honesty of feeling. The guy in the story is getting his sense of humor and his self-reliance back; misses his old love but has found someone new and is happy. "Do It" made me laugh (I love the dude in the Everlast gloves) and on another level, "You can sip it through a straw; you can throw it back neat ... just do it" are words to live by, aren't they? And of course "Forever Young" is just beautiful: a sweet, tranquil ending to an extraordinary album."
Meat Loaf is always satisfying!
Martin Maenza | Hickory, NC | 09/30/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Unlike some of the reviewers, I wouldn't say "Couldn't Have Said It Better" is not greater than "Bat Out Of Hell" (1 or 2) but it is certainly a worthy album (better than most of the dreck put out these days). The songs are rocking and driving when they need to be, a soulfully haunting when they need to be. That is the true power of Meat Loaf! The man has two great styles to draw upon. Theatrical? Sure. Dramatic? Of course. I wouldn't expect any less from the man.A good album to add to your collection. 12 songs (including the hidden track) plus two music videos for the regular price of a CD? I'll take it!"