Live Album: “Birds of Pray”

I must say I was a little skeptical at first upon hearing Live had released a new album. V was, in my opinion, not only their worst album, but not a very good album by any standards. However, having bought Birds of Pray I can safely say that my confidence has been fully restored. Simply, I think this is their best effort since Throwing Copper, and that's saying something seeing I loved Secret Samadhi. The album is MUCH more guitar-based than the lame ambience they tried on V and to a lesser extent on Distance, and this is really where Live excel. The songs Like I Do (track 6) and Lighthouse (track 9) are two of my favourite Live songs ever. Enough said. Admittedly there are a couple of songs on the album that show a lot of the "Distance" motif in them and are a little weak and lame (Run Away comes to mind) but all in all it is very, very good and a must for Live fans.

Forget about your skepticism, this is their second best album (and Throwing Copper is THE best album in musical history so that is definately not a slight on Birds of Pray).

For me, Live have scored their Hat Trick with Birds of Pray. I would officially give this CD A 6-star rating, if I could.

After Mental Jewelry and Throwing Copper, Live's next 3 releases (Secret Samadhi, The Distance To Here and V) had offered shining moments of what originally got me hooked on their music. The albums, over all though, did not have the "staying power" of MJ and TC - both of which literally spent a number of months straight in my player. V, in particular, didn't grab me much at all - a sentiment many others in these reviews seem to share to one degree or another.

Now, I'm ecstatic to report that "Birds of Pray" will likely sit aside MJ and TC as a CD that will spend the coming weeks in my CD player. I am hooked. This release is, put simply, amazing. Live have recaptured - or at least returned to the energy and, dare I say, passion they conveyed on their first two releases. I'd say this one even leans a bit closer to Mental Jewelry than Throwing Copper - (a Very Good Thing in my opinion, as MJ remains my all-time favorite from Live).

Few male rock singers I've heard can deliver lyrics with such emotion as convincingly and potently as Ed Kowalcyk does. And, to me, this is his strongest and most consistent vocal performance since MJ and TC.

But don't let the praise end with him... The entire band delivers a solid, moving and overall stellar performance on Birds of Pray.

All in all, Birds of Pray is a fantastic release from a truly gifted band who has returned to their "sonic roots" and still clearly find those shoes quite comfortable.

Bravo.

I highly recommend this CD.

Let me start by saying that I am a true fan of Live - have been since Mental Jewelry was first released. I have bought every album within the first week of release, and have seen them in concert 5 times.

With that, I bought Birds of Pray expecting nothing less than the intensity and evolution that the last 5 have shown. With each new CD, Ed Kowalcyzk has grown a little, and become a little less cynical, but this new CD leaves much to be desired. They are making the decent into the all-too-often seen "Complaint Rock" category.

The album opens with "Heaven" an ode to his new family life, and the final good-bye to Ed's days of questioning the existence of God (which I personally liked about his previous songwriting - it had purpose and introspection). It should not have been the album's opener, but I understand why it was chosen, seeing as the album pretty much stays on that same listless note throughout.

Lyrics like "Ride a Harley through the heart of danger" and "I don't know who, who I am. I aint never felt like this before" turned me off immediately. He seems to have lost his touch on this one - they're tepid and lack any bite or imagination. Even on his gratuitous anti-war song "What are we fighting for" {which arguably should have been his best - his forte is anti-establishment lyrics} is mild and whiny. The chorus simply repeating "What are we fightin' for" - Personally, it sounds to me like he doesn't really care.

OK - so there are a few gems on the album - I enjoyed "Like I Do", "Run Away" and "Sweet Release" - they have the sustainability of tunes from the "Throwing Copper"-era, but that's it.

Hopefully #7 will redeem them. Thanks for reading :)

Birds of Pray, Live's 5th studio album since 2001's disappointing V, brings the band back to its guitar driven brand of alternative rock and more convincing lyrics which were both compromised (temporarily) at SOME points in V. Cheesy lines such as "I will go on like a soldier through the storms of love" in Like a Soldier from V are traded with more meaningful, honest, and simple verses in Birds of Pray: "I don't need no one/To tell me about Heaven/I look at my daugther and I believe." Perhaps what turned most people off about V was the inherent lack of catchy tracks..a staple of Live's sound. In Birds of Pray, songs such as Like I Do, Runaway, the first single Heaven, and perhaps the best song in the album Life Marches On, are anthems in themselves capable of making believers once again out of those who fell out during the V era. Although Throwing Copper is unarguably their best album, Birds of Pray, in my opinion, is Live's most warm and envigorating offering to date.

I just bought the new album and must admit that it was much better than I had expected it to be. I was very impressed the first time I listened to it. I was expecting it to be good but I think the boys really did their homework on this one.

Birds Of Pray is definitely a classic sounding +Live+ album with big guitar sound and emotionally charged rock songs that I am used to hearing from them. "Like I Do" is a definite stand out rocker on this album and my personal favorite. There are many songs on this one that could easily be singles. It is one of those CD's I could listen to straight through without having to skip over any songs. I am also happy they have strayed away from the keyboard and other frilly overdone sounds that I thought were way over done and just plain annoying at times. Mainly from their last album "V" which I was very disappointed in. But Birds Of Pray in my opinion will definitely rank up their with Live's best work right behind Throwing Copper, Secret Samadhi and The Distance To Here.

It will be a shame if it does not get the recognition it deserves because it is a truly great album. If you want to hear what good quality rock music sounds like than buy this album. I reccomend it to any Live fan or just a fan of good music in general. I think it is safe to say that Live is back!