Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle picks his ten best 'discs' of the year:

Link

guess he'd agree with a lot of us, then, that the secret weapon should become the notsosecret next single.

I'm hoping so sherwood. It is the jewel in that crown.

i know that some will disagree with me but i think Movin' On would be a better choice. Why? Well, because its upbeat, and many people in relationships might want to let their emotions out, and that might of what made "Never Again" so popular. PLUS, thats what youngies want.

I always thought there was a strange behind-the-scenes reason why Movin On wasn't fully released.

Train Wreck has always been my favorite....it is a secret weapon and I hope it gets released as a single.

This writer obviously has exquisite taste in music!

I love trainwreck but I can't picture it on pop radio... but then again - what do I know? I'd love to see Trainwreck or You Are the One released to AC/Hot Ac and Movin on, Alright or I'll Make You dance released to pop for the third single release.

TW is the sleeper hit. Virtually EVERYONE here loves it. It's "old school", but - remember - "old school" is in; just see Amy Winehouse. For some reason, it reminds me of "Rehab".

We never know what will and will not work at Pop.... the focus shifts all the time.

It's a great song, and if it is everyone's fave here....it could well be likely that it could catch on broadly with the general public.

Great point OG. I know when I'm listining to pop (only for Elliott!) I'm surprised by some of the songs I hear. I stand corrected.

I agree also. Amy Winehouse is a total throwback. I think if the music is that great, it can transcend the pop boundaries. Train Wreck is THAT great, imo.

I think they've talked about how the response to Wait for You was so good (callout at KIIS) they decided to go with that song instead of Movin' On.

all the TW love. lol TW seems to be a lot of peoples favorites. I'll make you dance is a throwback too.

Any of those songs (TW, MO, IMYD) would show listeners a different side of Elliott, which is a good thing. He's not a one-trick pony.

LOVVVVEEEE IMYD!!!!!

waiting now for everyone to arrive to tell us why TW would never work....

OG stomps foot in anticipation..... LOL :-)


:whistle:

:santarotfl: I'm sure you won't have to wait long OG.

John Mayer released Gravity and it did pretty well. It's my favorite on his CD. Train Wreck can do as well, without a doubt!!!

:santarotfl: :santarotfl:

I really do like all of the album and I'm working for OW right now, but I'm a Trainwreck lover from way back - isn't this one of the songs that Elliott co-wrote or am I mistaken? (I'll go check on my CD) Trainwreck is a perfect song - I do think it's a strong R&B so I don't know about how it would do on pop, but I've discovered through my 2 years of Elliott that R&B is my favorite style (I'd never really put that into words before, but when I found that my daughter-in-law wasn't a fan of Elliott, it turned out that she wasn't really a fan of R&B - she loves Wait for You so there is enough pop there to please her). That's why I can't say if Trainwreck would be a hit or not, because my great love for it doesn't necessarily speak to the masses (down deep, I'm sure that it would be a hit with Elliott singing it, but oh well).

I fell in love with TW the very first moment I heard it, which I believe was via YouTube, after it was taken down from a certain MySpace page.

Train Wreck is the only Elliott song from the CD that I loved at first listen. I love all of the others now, too, but TW remains my favorite. I just never get tired of it and probably never will.

I remember that one time when the CD was newly-released and I was playing it on the CD when I had family visiting, my 15-year old niece, who is more of the WFY-liking type, suddenly stopped gabbing to look at me and earnestly say (when TW started playing), "What a beautiful song that is, Tita." Up to that point, I didn't think she was paying any attention to the music, or even hearing it. So I guess my point is I agree that maybe there is a chance TW will catch on with the general pop music-listening public, too. :)

I've got my popcorn ready!


I love TW and I especially love watching how much Elliott loves to perform it live.

ITA. Train Wreck has been my favorite since day one. At various times all the others have vied for favorite #'s 2 and 3, etc. The consensus around my house is that TW is the best cut on the cd ( and they're not even Elliott fans...)
I just love, love, love the old school vibe to it.
Yes, Yes, Yes, please release Train Wreck as the next single.

I doubt many here will speak ill of this song, so I'll bite . . .

"Trainwreck" is not one of my favorite songs on the disc, to be perfectly honest. I like the *idea* of the lyric--a lot, actually. Elliott sings well on the track, but the instrumentation drives me nuts. There's simply too much going on in the background, and the instruments often "glump" together rather than fuse well. One could maybe argue that's the "train wreck" angle on the music, and I'd be okay with it if it seemed more deliberate and occasional in the piece. I also dislike the transitions between chorus and verse. (ALso, something sounds sorta cheap/unfinished in the recording/mastering of this song on the disc. I can't put my finger on it.) And darnit, the song just DRAGS in places.

My opinions aside . . . even if I liked the track, I still couldn't hear this as a release in any radio format. What do people have in mind? Pop would NEVER play this, and AC doesn't even play this kind of R&B stuff. It's too old sounding for contemporary urban. Maybe Urban AC? It's such a small format that it really wouldn't be worth it, and I'm not even sure it fits at that format.

"Movin On." "Alright," and "You are the One" are the only songs left that are real single contenders. But I'm not 100% sure any of them could work.

Does anyone else get the feeling they're packing it up and moving on to the next disc?

Alien,
I'm not even enough of a musicphile (is that a word?) to even pretend to understand what you mean in your critique.
Yes, Train Wreck is old- sounding and that's why I love it!
I hate what passes for r & b today.
Guess I'm just an old fogie, but I bet there are plenty more like me who would love to hear it on the radio. Would it fly with today's audience? Probably not, but I can dream, can't it?

Don't get me wrong: I don't have a problem with old school R&B. I just don't think this is that great of a song.

And more to the point, I hope to see Elliott continue to find ways to bridge old school sounds with current ones. That's where he'll find his niche, I think. It doesn't have to be "neo-soul", per se. But this is part of why I think "Movin On" is the best track on the disc. It seems old but somehow current at the same time. It's got a bit of edge, but it's not mean.

Hmm, good one.

OK. Another bite. TW also drives me crazy, cause I hear so much potential in the song. As usual, E's vocals are great, and he does get a chance to stretch out some in this song. But IMO the instrumentation takes much of the power away from the song instead of building it up. This style of music needs a fuller, tighter sound. The transitions in the music are especially and noticeably choppy and always take me out of any kind of flow that the song has built up.

This song is one of the prime examples of what E could do with really tight production and some killer r&b/soul artists backing him up. It was great to hear some horns in the song but they felt like just a teaser of a full sound that song really deserves. If E could hook up with the Dap-Kings or some other great musical r&b/old-new soul group, that would be heaven.

Have y'all heard Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings? Here's a sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0iGhFwZx6c

Course, that stuff is more r&b/soul, with little pop crossover appeal. So unlikely to get much radio play. But the Dap-Kings were the backup group behind Amy Winehouses's Rehab which, to me, really makes that song move. She was able to navigate that pop-r&b line, now if she could just clean up to live through the experience and keep it going.

The fact that so many people here love the song tells me that this kind of material is E's sweet spot. I know he's been exploring where he wants to go with his music, and I hope that he hones in on this kind of sound, and surrounds himself by talent that can truly complete the sound and allow it wings.

The one thing about Elliott and his songs on the album is that I keep changing my favorites.. every song gets to be my # 1 favorite. Today it was Take my breath away. Yesterday it was Believe , before that it was I'm the man. and on Christmas Day it was A Song For You, and before that it was Alright then Sign Your name and etc etc... so I am not good picking out what will go . I love them all . And that doesn't include the Christmas songs. yes, I listen to Elliott alot. My CD player in my car holds 6 discs and five are Elliott and one Elvis.

Maybe they will use the complex selection system of eeny meeny miney moe to pick the next release. It would work for me.. :xmascheers:

I love TW's soulful groove and fusion of the old school and modern vibe. I'm in my early 20's and love it......then again, I also love Italian Opera and Psychadelic Rock, so maybe I'm not the conventional portion of my demographic lol. Anyway, I agree with everyone on that one. I also love Movin' On. Either way, I just hope he releases a 3rd single.

Train Wreck is the best song on the CD, followed by Movin On, imo. I don't have the technical musical jargon to back up my opinion, but I know my ears are pleased by the sound of it. I don't know why anyone thinks something retro or old school can't work on the radio anymore. Winehouse, Mayer,Legend are all pulling of a retro sound. It may not have the success of WFY, but to say it has no potential on radio, I strongly disagree. I also don't know much about production, or transitions, etc......Does a song have to have an over produced sound to be successful at radio? I really don't know. I may not have extensive music knowlege, but I think I have pretty decent intincts as to what sounds good and I get annoyed at being told, this song is no good, Movin on needs to be remixed, Alright needs something....I have been VERY, VERY pleased with Elliott's first offering. I am sure there is room for improvement, but it is still good, none the less.

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

The love for Train Wreck is pretty universal on the message boards I read. I'm not saying it couldn't be improved upon, but its good enough for me! It's often singled out as a notable track on the cd.

It doesn't bother me when people have criticisms. I recognize that we have many different levels of musical appreciation and sophistication amongst our members. That's what makes these threads interesting to read.

Picking a song for many formats would probably be Movin On and Alright. A song to grab you first listen is You are the One but may be too sweet for Top 40. Alright is great for cross over to rhythmic . It could be too soulful for Top 40 but could catch too... with airplay. I love the music to Alright. It is different for sure...lots of energy to the song.
Movin On and Sign Your Name Elliott shines with the vocal gymnastics in these songs. I love Sign Your Name and wish this was on the album, it has a kind of a foreign flavor , making Elliott sound sort of like the male version of Shikira with that kind of energy, but it is a bonus song.

Alright is definately my favorite on the CD!

I think Alright (or Movin On) should be released next. As some have already said, people need to know Elliott can sing more than ballads. I think either of those 2 would do well on Top 40 and beyond.

As for TW....I like it. But for a slower grove song, I would pick Take My Breath Away.
Free is a great song, but I don't think it would fit that great on radio.

I also really like Believe, Sign Your Name, I'll Make you Dance, Sharing the Night Together, but don't think he will release any of those because unfortunetly they are not on the CD.

A few responses to this post:

(1) Linda, your instincts and reactions are as fine and valid as mine or anyone else's here. Did anyone suggest this wasn't the case?

(2) I think it's important to remember that there's a difference between saying a song has weaknesses and saying a song needs to be remixed for radio. Pretty much every single is (re)mixed to some degree to prep it for sending out to radio stations. For me, I love the version of "Movin On" on the CD, but I also recognize that it needs to sound a little (or maybe a lot) different to fit in at pop and rhythmic formats. There's also a matter of "tightening" up the track, but like I said, almost every song needs this before being released.

(3) I'm a little thrown by the "I get annoyed at being told, this song is no good, Movin on needs to be remixed, Alright needs something" comment. Sure, a few of us have said things like this in different threads. But, keepin' it real here, on THIS site . . . are you suggesting that negative assessments of Elliott are the majority opinion?

If you look at this thread alone, I see TWO posts that aren't 95-100% positive towards "Train Wreck." I'm fairly certain that these sorts of comments are in the minority.

This gets back to the long-term discussion we have here about opinion expression. I understand 100% that an opinion you don't agree with can seem annoying. But I hope we're not suggesting that people shouldn't be speaking up with their honest thoughts in these threads.

FWIW, I like Elliott's first CD overall. And I hope to see even better on the next one!

Personally, I love the whole dayum CD, so ANY song released will make me happy. I pray E & the team DO release another single once OW is done, because IMO, it would be a disservice to the CD NOT to! I can literally count on ONE hand the number of CD's that I love every song on & Elliott's CD is one of the 3. I love TW, although TMBA is DA BOMB for a slow song, yet I would LOVE to have Alright or IMYD be released next, since they are upbeat & make me wanna shake what my momma gave me. :)

Well no one can annoy me tonight because THE WASHINGTON REDSKINS JUST BEAT THE DALLAS COWBOYS AND ARE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS! Elliott, how bout you release a funky version of Hail to the Redskins! Didn't I read somewhere that Jamie is a fan?

:xmascheerleader: :xmascheerleader: :xmascheerleader: :xmascheerleader:

Jumping on this band wagon..... :xmascheerleader: :xmascheerleader: :xmascheerleader: :xmascheerleader: :xmascheerleader: