Stay Positive

I'm an old guy, so holding steady in general is fine for me, and the tracks on this are consistently sound, non-repetitious and combine rock with melody. Not head-bangingly hard nor soft - that in-between spot that few bands achieve these days. I don't do thrash nor do I like working hard to pick out the lyric, so I count this as one of my best recent buys. Check the band out on YouTube and see whether you agree - before you buy!

I am a genuine Hold Steady fan. The Hold Steady remind me of pre-Born-to-Run-Springsteen--a torrent of words and attitude. I fell in love with the group after hearing their second album, Separation Sunday. When I first heard "Your Little Hoodrat Friend," it felt like a "first kiss." I have liked everything they have done since (and before).

Even after hearing the songs on Stay Positive just a few times I can safely say that this album is as good as anything they've released so far. After hearing them a few more times, I wager some songs may turn out to be even better.

Every track is enjoyable in its own way. Not as good, in my opinion, as their last album Boys and Girls of America but still great CD for anywhere from the car to a bonfire.

Why not? Since it wasn't available in CD format thru Amazon, I purchased it on iTunes.

I love the Hold Steady. "Boys and Girls in America" is one of the best albums I've ever heard. That said, "Stay Positive" is testing my ability to do just that. The album certainly has a lot of redeeming moments, but overall it doesn't quite cut it. It's stripped down, but in a bad way. Gone is the raw intensity and "get off your a$$" riffs that make their previous albums so memorable. This one is just a little too overproduced, and not quite genuine enough. Boys and Girls makes our high school and college drug and induced adventures and antics sound like the dramatic and meaningful experiences that they felt like at the time. Stay Positive tries to do the same, but its corniness is making me wonder if I need to grow up.