Released on this day 20 years ago, this is a concept album on relationships and love by the band Mae. The packaging and the recording does a really good job of reinforcing the fact that it's a concept album, as the booklet with the CD looks like a book and has an image associated with each song that shows a man on a journey to finding love. And on the first and last track, a narrator opens and closes the "audio portion" of the album and encourages the listener to "read along" with the booklet. Musically, it's an alternative/rock album that is not too innovative, but works really well as a cohesive whole thanks to their passionate musicianship and vocals, plus the emotional and easy-to-identify-with lyrics. This may still be Mae's most-revered album, and I get to see them play live tonight for the first time too, so I may come back as an ever bigger fan of this band.

Release Year: 2005
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Steven Curtis Chapman grew up in Kentucky and became an early leader in Christian pop/contemporary music with a dash of country. In 1997, preparing for his first Greatest Hits album, he and his band recorded a number of tracks in the famed Abbey Road Studios in London. Also, a documentary of his life and career was produced called The Walk. Two of the best tracks from the session were on the compilation album, but little did we know that a few more tracks were recorded. Released this week 20 years ago, five tracks from The Abbey Road Sessions were released on CD, accompanied with the DVD of the 1997 documentary. These are very fun, energetic versions recorded live in the round with Chapman and his band. The songs definitely sound different from their original studio album versions, and a few have a bunch of fun jammin' moments where it's clear the band is enjoying themselves. It's a short EP that does demonstrate why he's an amazing artist, and I'm glad we go to hear these recordings even though they took nearly 8 years to be released.

Release Year: 2005
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The Choir is an ambient alternative rock band that's been active for over 40 years now. Released on this day 37 years ago, this is their third studio album. The first half of the album is just 4 tracks, the last 2 of the 4 running at 7 minutes each, for an epic, meandering rock album. They're one of the few rock bands I listen to that has a saxophone player in the band too, and that adds a fun element to their music from this era. Despite being from the '80s, it actually sounds a lot less dated than some of the rock albums of that time period, and it's a good listen that's a bit new to me. Note that on streaming, tracks 11-15 are from an EP released a few years before this when the band was known as Youth Choir, and that does sound a bit more '80s.

Release Year: 1988
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If you've been following me, you may have noticed I like lots of styles of music. For example, yesterday was a Sara Groves album (adult contemporary/folk), but today's a nu metal album that was actually released around the same time, but had mostly a different audience, I expect. Released on this day 25 years ago, this is the second album by Project 86, which has been fronted by Andrew Schwab for nearly 30 years now. As with most of Project 86's albums, there's lots of emotion, anger and angst to Schwab's vocals and lots of screaming over the roar of guitars. The vocals are pretty dark and bleak, but there is some light and hope hidden deep in there, I think. I don't listen to this band very often and I don't know this album well, but it's pretty good, and I remember hearing "One-Armed Man (Play On)" and "Me Against Me" on Christian rock radio/TV a bunch back when this came out. If you ask me, there's something to music like this that amps you up and questions authority a bit, and it's fun to rock out sometimes. If it's not your cup o' tea, come back tomorrow for something different and maybe you'll like that more.

Release Year: 2000
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