Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:  
Summary: "A Rush of Blood to The Head" & "X&Y" much better than this.
Comment: I keep on listening it and still I don't like. I rated 3 stars because I only found 3 good songs: track 1, 4, and 6 and maybe the last track; but no matter what I just said. In the deep of my heart I know that Coldplay is a great band.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Some good tracks, not terribly impressed...
Comment:
I was hoping to see some better tracks on this CD and was only fairly impressed with the songs I haven't heard before.
My rating *** out of *****.
Customer Rating:
Summary: OK Coldplay
Comment: Love Coldplay but this cd is just ok in my opinion. Sounds like they are trying to be Radiohead. Just not my favorite Coldplay CD.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Evolution of Coldplay... for the better!
Comment: First to start off this review with a positive note. Coldplay is an awesome band; they have a cool sound and they make alternative rock even cooler than it is. However, particularly with their last album, X&Y, I've felt that a majority of the media was a bit too kind to Coldplay. Sure, they are one of my favorite bands, but I haven't always felt they were "as good" as the media has made them out to be. With X&Y, aside from standouts like "What If" and the hauntingly, exceptional "Fix You", it was very similar to A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD. The chord progression for lead single "Speed of Sound" was a bit too close to their Grammy-winning turn on "Clocks". Sure, "if it ain't broke don't fix it", but if Coldplay had made another album that cloned the preceding album, then I would've had to complain. Thankfully, Coldplay enlisted U2 producer Brian Eno to tweak their sound. And that, Mr. Eno does, making VIVA LA VIDA refreshing as opposed to more of the same.
VIVA LA VIDA isn't quite a masterpiece, but it is consistent by Coldplay's standards, and certainly more interesting than X&Y (which was good, but a bit too similar to Coldplay's previous work). Here, Eno gets the band out of their "box" and tightens up their sound. Alongside that, Chris Martin/Coldplay's songwriting appears to be tighter and generally more pleasurable to the ears. While Coldplay has always had a knack for sound, peaking with 2005's excellent "Fix You", tracks like "Lost!" and even the sick guitar riff of "Violet Hill" show you that Coldplay's three year hiatus wasn't in vain - they were truly "tightening up" their sound.
"Life in Technicolor" serves as an introduction to VIVA LA VIDA and indicates that the album is going to showcase more "colors" than the band has before. "Cemeteries of London", the first true selection starts the album off with a bang with haunting sound effects, and an addictive, eery sounding piano riff. To call it 100% removed from previous Coldplay openers such as "Square One" or "Politik" would be an overstatement, but the sound is definitely different. There is a sense of "integration" that to me personally wasn't in Coldplay's earlier work prior to this album. "Lost!" is definitely in my top three of tracks from VIVA. The organ-synth is one of the most ingenious things I've heard Martin play on keyboards. Furthermore, the drum groove here could be at home on any R&B, Pop, or Hip-Hop album. Who does that? !?!?! Even more impressive is the catchiness of "Lost!" - there is a more inherent pop quality to this track than some of Coldplay's other work. Maybe it's because of Martin's numerous collaborations with hip-hop artists that a certain heightened tunefulness has evaded his songs. I know one thing though, I like it!
"42" continues the string of hits (it makes my top five), while "Lover in Japan/Reign of Love" is also good, though not one of my favorites. "Yes" restores any faith I had lost in the band (which was none), while killer singles "Viva La Vida" and my personal favorite "Violet Hill" are just exceptional. "Viva La Vida" has some killer strings, not to mention Martin's soaring, expressive vocals, or the top-notch songwriting. As great as the #1 Pop single is, the more underrated, bluesy "Violet Hill" takes the cake in my eyes. Never to me has Martin sounded so political, nor so good. He has always been a strong vocalist, but here on VIVA LA VIDA, he sounds better than he ever has. His falsetto is immaculate! "Strawberry Swing" and "Death To All His Friends" end this overall excellent album on a strong note, leaving me no doubts that Coldplay could one day be the greatest band to ever live. They aren't there yet, despite what the media says, but U2 better watch out as the boys from Britain are out to get them!!! 4 big stars!!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Chris Martin Fails Again, Just Like Usual....
Comment: There's only one good song Coldplay has ever done and that is Clocks. Every other song has been garbage. I finally figured out why I can't stand Chris Martin. He's a wannabe of Dave Matthews. The only problem is that Dave Matthews has talent and Chris Martin has none. What boggles the mind even more is the fact that Viva La is the number one selling CD for the past few months when there are a lot better bands that have come out with cds for example, Shinedown. I've heard the first two songs from the CD and there's nothing that differentiates their sound from their first two albums.
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