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It's been a long time since there's been something this good

Bookwormwood | Alexandria, VA USA | 09/19/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Folks,



This is a very good album. I've had it for about 3 weeks and have been drawn to listening to it daily. Every song is interesting musically and emotionally satisfying. I for one, am beginning to believe that Ryan was meant to front Rock Star Supernova. After listening to this and Ryan's solo project I think it would have been the next logical step in his career and theirs to have selected him and to see what resulted. I don't think they'd have had 20 years together but the time together would have resulted in some great music. But, alas, we shall never know. And, that's why I was so upset at his departure. I feel like he was robbed of the last ten minutes of his fifteen minutes of fame. He was cheated, they were cheated and we were cheated by poor decision making. But I digress...



If I had to pick the best songs on this album, I'd have to say they are "Live Happy, Live with Anorexia" and the epic "Jesus was a test-tube baby." The former actually reminds me a bit of Led Zep in terms of the melancholy riffing and the latter is just one wild ride of a song. I'm not sure what Ryan's spiritual inclinations are, but I like his modern metaphor for the Christ event and the resulting effect of killing off our science. In other words, miracles turn our world as we know it upside down. Maybe that's not what Ryan meant by his song, but at least that's what I get out of the song.



All in all, the songs on this album, such as "the world has come between us" stays in your head for days. But that quality seems to be inherent in all Ryan's song writing. Which means, he is a very talented musician, singer and lyricist. I really can't understand the 1-star reviewers for this album. Are we listening to the same album? I visited their other reviews to see what they were promoting so that I could stay away from it. I can see giving this album less than 5 stars but certainly not only one star. C'mon, Stage ain't Nirvana, but they ain't Yanni or Brittney Spears either.



This is a solid modern rock album well worth the $. If you liked Ryan on Rock Star Supernova, then you will like this album.





"

The surprise album of 2003!

Greg | Houston, TX | 02/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Stage is a band who shares similarities with Live, Our Lady Peace, Goo Goo Dolls, but most of all, I'd say they're a good blend of Pearl Jam meets Lifehouse. I'd never heard of them until August of '03 when I went to an Eve 6 concert (whom I'm only a semi-fan of). Anyway, Stage was the second of three bands, and about halfway into their set, I found myself enjoying it more than any other opening band I'd seen in a while. It was a small club, so I went to a little booth where Greg (the guitarist) was selling copies of the album. I bought a copy, and since then I've hardly stopped listening to it. Stage has a passion in their song-writing and an energy in their live set that can only be compared to that of the early 90's Seattle scene.



The album begins with a bittersweet tune called The World Has Come Between Us, which is a good example of the singer's talent (Ryan Star). I Will Be Something is the closest thing the band has to a hit, and once you familiarize yourself with this tune, it's impossible not to get pumped up by it. Songs like I Don't Know, Flag, and I Know Where You Are are beautifully written ballads that are very moving. On songs like Perfect the band sounds like a less commercial version of Tonic or Third Eye Blind. Country Bleeding is an energetic anthem from beginning to end with driving guitars and powerful vocals. When I saw the band perform Live Happy Live With Anorexia they managed to capture the attention of the whole club even though nobody knew who they were. There's a lot of passion in this song, but then the whole album is full of passion. For me, the highlight of this whole collection is an 11-minute song called The Scientist's Canvas, it's incredibly epic and very moving. There's a lot of talent and passion in this band, and I can't recommend this album enough!"

Surprise! I've been Dopolized! 4.5 stars

Pistachio Disguisey | Dallas, TX | 03/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Instead of doing busy work, I'm just busy looking like I'm working. The fruits of my labor? Hopefully it's having at least one person BUY this album.



Steal it and listen to if you need proof (I did), but please have the decency to cough up the $12 and buy the CD. Some things are just worth paying for, and this is one of them.



And here's my (brief) story of discovery:



I'm on vacation in Kuala Lumpur, watching a little TV before beginning my night of debauchery, and on comes Rockstar:Supernova. Stupid show, as is all reality TV, but with an interesting premise. Experienced performers trying out for a band put together by a bunch of has-beens, and I got lucky with episode that I caught.

Some guy is going to cover 'Losing my Religion' (this is how the contestants compete), playing only a baby grand piano. And he didn't just cover it, he completely remastered it. I was amazed. Then awed. Then mad when I realized he was trying out for a band this crappy. Fortunately, he was cut, Supernova has since tanked, and the guy released a solo album. Which was pretty good, I might add. Of course, I didn't know any of this until after I checked you tube to find the guy's name, Ryan Star, so that I could find the guy's album.

However, after doing an entire two minutes of googling, I also found that he'd been with a previous band, and they'd released and album. After illegally downloading it, I decided that it was good enough to buy, and I downloaded it legally from itunes. And it gets better every time I listen to it.



The Bottom Line: Just when you think you've turned in to your parents and won't listen to any new music, along comes something like this. Discover Ryan Star. SpottieOttieDopolicious."