disappoinment...

and the dealing with the same...

I hate being disappointed. And it seems to be a common theme in my music selections lately.

Example? Rush's "Snakes & Arrows". After my favorite Rush album ever (Vapor Trails), they put out a rehashed hippy protest CD with no balls.

The same with Victor Wooten's last one (well the last two, actually). No spark, nothing to grab me as a listener.

And it just happened again recently with a bassist by the name of Bryan Beller. He put out a really good CD called "View" a few years back. Great tunes, great production and plenty of balls! Most of the songs have a pleasant grit to them. Overall an amazing first release.

Then I get the follow-up, "Thanks In Advance"... and it has no balls. I mean, the songs are nice enough. Good playing... decent production, decent melodies... but no balls. Nothing grabbing and no immediacy to the music whatsoever. Very disappointing.

I just wonder what it is that causes musicians to fail like this. Are they just not hungry enough anymore? Too happy with their home lives? To rich to care?

I don't know, but it sucks big time.

I have Planet X's third studio release in the mail headed my way right now. Man I hope Derek Sherinian and his pals don't let me down with this one...