Ed Kowalczyk
Edward Joel Kowalczyk (; born July 16, 1971)"Edward Kowalczyk IMDb entry" '', lead singer of the band
Live
Live may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film
* ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film
*'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD)
Music
*Live (band), American alternative rock band
* List of albums ...
.
History
Kowalczyk entered the studio in early 2010 to record material that he began writing in 2008. He wrote songs for ''Alive'' with an acoustic guitar, as he had when he wrote for Live.Chad "Ed Kowalczyk Rejuvenated by Solo Career" ''Alternative Addiction'' June 19, 2010.
The lyrics on ''Alive'' feature much religious and spiritual imagery. Kowalczyk's acknowledgement of his faith is much more explicit on this album than it was on his work with Live. The album entered
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
's Christian albums chart at number six.
The album entered the charts in the Netherlands, debuting at number four on the
Dutch albums chart
The Dutch Album Top 100 or Album Top 100 is a weekly hit list of music albums, compiled by Dutch Charts. List shows the 100 best-selling music albums of the moment in the Netherlands. The list has passed through various name changes and has expande ...
. It has also charted in the United States, Belgium, and Australia.
Track listing
All songs written by Ed Kowalczyk, except where noted
#"Drive"
#"The Great Beyond"
#"
Grace
Grace may refer to:
Places United States
* Grace, Idaho, a city
* Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois
* Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office
* Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninco ...
" (Kowalczyk,
Gregg Wattenberg
Gregg Wattenberg is a Grammy Award nominated songwriter, music producer, and musician residing in New York City, New York.
Work
Gregg Wattenberg has co-written and/or co-produced eight No. 1 hit songs that reached the top of Billboard Hot AC, Adu ...
)
#"Stand" (Kowalczyk, Wattenberg)
#"Drink (Everlasting Love)" (Kowalczyk, Chris Daughtry)
#"Zion"
#"In Your Light"
#"Just in Time"
#"Rome"
#"Soul Whispers"
#"Fire on the Mountain"
#"Eat Your Love" (Dutch bonus track)
#"A New World" (Dutch bonus track)
''Alive'' garnered mixed reviews. ''Allmusic'' was positive, giving the album three out of five and saying that ''Alive'' features, "The biggest, boldest music he’s made since ''Throwing Copper'', lacking the overheated hard rock poses of Live’s albums immediately following that blockbuster." They conclude that Kowalczyk's, "Unfettered passion and sincerity...burn brighter now that he’s on his own." ''Decoy Music'' was less favorable, claiming that the album lacks character, "Each song sounds like he hired some run of the mill group of musicians to come in and play...There's nothing exemplary about the writing, in music or lyrics." They conclude by saying that listeners would only appreciate this album if, "You find yourself happy to take whatever the modern pop-rock stations feed you." ''Lazyrocker.com'' gave the album 81 out of 100, describing the album's tracks as, "Energetic, melodic alternative rock songs about faith, love, children and the elements of nature." They conclude a very positive review by saying that, "Ed Kowalczyk made a damn good first solo record, full with new classic rock songs." ''
The Border Mail
''The Border Mail'' is a daily newspaper and online news brand published in Albury-Wodonga, Australia, serving the twin cities and the surrounding region. It was originally published as ''The Border Morning Mail and Riverina Times'' and later a ...
'' summarized the album as ''passionate'' and asserted that Kowalczyk "doesn’t stray too far from his former band’s signature sound."
''Pop Matters'' was highly critical of the album, claiming that ''Alive'' was "an album that deals in a calculated sort of emotional manipulation that comes up short of its targets in every conceivable way." ''
About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...
'' said that the album is, "Filled with lumbering, spiritual-themed songs" and "so unremittingly bombastic that...anyone who isn’t already a sucker for Live’s pseudo-uplifting songs will easily resist Kowalczyk’s barrel-chested fervor." With regard to Kowalczyk's spiritual lyrics, the website bemoans that, "''Alive'' is so relentless in its metaphorical content that it feels like a crutch. Great artists...have made great music about their spiritual struggles, but Kowalczyk can’t seem to express himself without resorting to cliches that fail to dramatize his personal journey of faith."