It Is About "Time"

 

It is a musical week on I Need Mom!

I wanted to post this today as the album was released.

My suggestion...buy it!

 

     I grew up listening to Rod Stewart. I was in high school when the album Every Picture Tells A Story came out. When I hear that raspy voice, I am right back there with Maggie May and Reason to Believe.  Over the years there were albums I liked and some I didn't, songs that stuck in my head (remember Hot Legs) and others that were forgotten, but I always was a fan.

 

     Then, in 2002, Rod began a decade of doing The Great American Songbook series. He started by singing songs from the 30's and 40's and gradually moved on to old standards and old rock covers. He lost me. Those album were very successful, but I missed the Rod Stewart that was creative and a little crazy with his music. I found a quote where he said that Time, is a rock album of his own original material. It marks a return to songwriting after what Stewart termed "a dark period for twenty years"; he said that writing his autobiography gave him the impetus to write music again. As a fan, I couldn't be happier.

 

     Time, released today, May 7th, 2013, marks Stewart's long-awaited return to his songwriting roots and features 12 tracks, 11 of which he wrote and produced. Rod rediscovered his voice as a songwriter and rekindled his gift for writing the honest, nerve-touching narratives that have been the cornerstone to the first three decades of his career. "Suddenly ideas for lyrics were piling up in my head," he says. "Next thing I knew, I had a song called 'It's Over' about divorce and separation. And now I was getting up in the middle of the night and scrambling for a pen to write things down, which has never happened to me. I finished seven or eight songs very quickly and I still wasn't done, and it became apparent that I would eventually have a whole album of material to record."

     It took about 2 seconds to realize that this album was while new and creative, flavored with the happy, feel good songs of the Rod Stewart I always enjoyed. Opening with She Makes Me Happy (watch the video here), one would never know that Mr. Stewart is 68-years-old. You can't tell by his hairstyle either as somehow, it remains the same over all these years. It's Over is a beautiful ballad that will touch so many hearts as it speaks of the end of a marriage. Beautiful Morning is a feel good song that will have you singing along and Finest Woman sounds very much like an old Rod Stewart rock song.

      What I love most is that this is rock album for my generation. Every song "tells a story" that I can relate to as a grown-up. I can only say that this record was a very pleasant surprise that I will be listening to often. Time is available on iTunes and Amazon. Along with the release of Time, Stewart is set to embark on the European leg of his Live the Life tour on June 1st, while American dates with Steve Winwood will kick off October 17th.


Time-Track Listing:
 1. She Makes Me Happy
2. Can’t Stop Me Now
3. It’s Over4. Brighton Beach
5. Beautiful Morning
6. Live The Life
7. Finest Woman
8. Time
9. Picture In A Frame
10. Sexual Religion
11. Make Love To Me Tonight
12. Pure Love

I participated in this campaign for One2One Network. I received a free copy of the CD to facilitate my review. By posting, I am eligible for incentives. All opinions stated are my own.