Fallen

After wallowing through all the usual clutter of people who still do not know what the review function is for concerning music and complain about the wrong CD, a skipping CD, a cracked case, etc., I realized that there are about maybe 8% of the buyers who not only do not like this album but despise it. The intriguing part is most of their ire is shallow and the review function really seems like a chance to just bitch. There are some CD's I do not like and usually aligned with genres I do not favor. Why bitch about it? It merely show the closed minded limitations of to many of the "one starrers." The one star reviews tend to be mere name calling with a huge helping of laziness. Sort of a "I feel better" because I hate this album and want to show everyone "how sophisticated my tastes are" then I'll just drop my faves into the ever so brief facade of a discussion. Too Much!This is one of the top debut albums of its time. This is a 20 year old Amy Lee whose voice has filled out and gotten better through to the eve of an interesting concept, but by no means new formula, Synthesis and whatever their fourth full album will be called. Fresh, different, a home run by a group that had been in existence since 1995. My only nit pick is the rap singer from 12 Stones on the 2nd track, Wake Me Up. Evanescence was correct in holding out to prevent the suits at the record label from forcing them to hire a rapper for all of the songs. I'd love to know who these pinheads were. This one song is a begrudging compromise, the song sounds better without the rapper and the forced extra lyrics. It actually dates the original song to the early 2000's, in a negative way.I like to listen to most of my favorite CD's with closed headphones. This CD is no different. The subtleties of Amy Lee's voice are unlike most other singers, It's not so much what she does during the formal lyrics, it's what she does approaching a song, the flourishes within and at the finish. Although her voice does not reach full potential on this album, you can just project where it might go and then it does on later work. For most of us here, this album was fresh new and goes in a different direction. Ben Moody was top form for his contributions (I'll avoid any discussion about his leaving, what is done is done and to spend anymore time that that on it is a distraction.)The staying power of this band, even after long absence, is a testament to how this work and those CD's to come speak to and move maybe roughly 75% of who has ever listened to it. Now, that could be a definition of "pop" music. The term has taken on an air of negativity. It is popular music. Music can be popular with out being the latest gimmick or something by some one trick pony.Venture out and sample. It's a safe bet that you just might be that ~75% of listeners who enjoy this album to the point of singing every word at live concerts, even when the songs are not in your native tongue. There is a lot of detritus in music out there. This is not In that category by a long shot.

thanks nice LP !!!

👌🏼

Great

This is one of the best CD's I have purchased in a long while. It seems like it has been a decade or more since the days of Patty Smythe and Pat Benetar. Has the world forgotten that women can rock too? There seems to be a dearth of rock bands with female leads, only corporate fabrications. Evanescence fills that void. Hats off to Ben Moody (he looks a little like Fred Durst) for "finding" Amy Lee. I am sure she would have surfaced somewhere or another but I am very grateful she debuted with Evanescence. Her voice is so powerful and penetrating. Sometimes too penetrating. The only reason I gave Fallen four stars instead of five is that it is just too edgy for my wife to listen to (she cannot handle anything with much harder than Bruce) so I am limited to listening to the CD on my computer.The whole CD is excellent. Some CD's have only a few good songs and a lot of chaff. Vanessa Carlton's CD (yes, different genre) is like that, two or three good songs, a lot of forgettable ones and a several really bad ones.Almost every song on Fallen is great. Bring Me to Life and Going Under are getting the most play on the radio and for good reason. I love the way Lee's voice can not only handle but slay low and high ranges. The heavy feedback guitars on Going Under and My Last Breath are great. The guitars kick in ten seconds into My Last Breath and it is like a jump start. The video for Going Under is tripping. Haunted is, well, haunting. Tourniquet is a little heavy but after having read an interview in which Lee explained the inspiration for the song I can appreciate what the band was trying to accomplish. They were successful, it is just not a song that you feel like dwelling on. The best song in my opinion is Hello. Amy Lee's voice soars in this ballad of the mind trying to soothe the soul. Her voice is positively angelic. I highly recommend this CD to anyone that enjoys good rock and can handle lyrics with weight and import.

A friend of mine had her car broken into and some of her CDs were stolen. Among them was a copy of Evanescence: Fallen. I was able to get her a replacement for the one that got stolen as a gift. She loved!

Both the cd and case came in good condition.