A friend of mine burned me a copy of this disc saying see what you think?  I thought enough of it to order my own copy since I liked the cover, wanted to read the lyrics, and try to support new acts like this!  I like listening to this CD when I want to feel good in the morning, when I want to relax after work, or when I want some pleasant company in the evening.  The Echoes aren't background music however!  Their songs deserve (and get) my full attention since they seem so relevant and energetic.  I've always loved females voices singing rock and roll, and Teresa Starr of The Echoes ranks right up there with my favorite female singers.  Her cool delivery over the instrumentation sends shivers up and down my spine, and the words she sings (and maybe wrote) are poignant too!  It looks like enough other people are catching on that I feel like a late bloomer, but I've already ordered the next Echoes CD and am looking forward to getting it.  From the song samples I heard here on CD Baby, their new CD should be a surefire hit.  Go ahead Echoes, make my day!
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In his review of "Listen Up It's The Echoes" for the "All Media Guide," journalist Joe Viglione stated that "There are fifteen songs on the group's first full-length CD, 'Listen Up It's The Echoes,' the follow-up to the limited edition 'The Echoes Sound Off,' and they all have a charming appeal all their own."  Supporting this notion, critics and would-be critics alike debate which tracks they like best on sites such as Amazon.com, CD Baby and the late, great Tower Records.  Therefore, I suggest that The Echoes' first full-length CD be rechristened "The Echoes' Greatest Hits, Volume One!"  "Yes, the songs are that good," in paraphrasing a fellow appreciater of Echoes' music, and it's truly difficult to imagine a "Greatest Hits" compilation without the majority of these cuts included.  The CD opens strongly with the fun and energetic "If I Do" followed by its rocking little brother "Never Wanna Let You Go."  We're then treated to a change of pace with the thought-provoking "More Than Ever" and "Leaves" before being transported to another state of being via "Love Never Dies."  At this point, the disc begins to mellow with "Wasting Our Lives," the introspective "Cross Between The Two," "Dreamer," "Starlight" and "Need A Little Romance," but returns to a faster-paced format with "When The Love," "All That's On My Mind" and "Wish There Was Something To Say."  In the footsteps of "Never Wanna Let You Go" comes "From A To Z:" a simple, yet effective tune with nice guitar work and a pleasant melody.  Minimalism appears to be the main key on this album, with a few notable exceptions, and I for one salute the musicians involved for their tasteful restraint!  From the celestial keyboards of "Starlight" to the barren, but crazed sounding "All That's On My Mind," The Echoes have indeed filled this release with surprises, climaxing with the slide guitar/harmonica duet that closes "After So Long, Goodbye" and leads the way to future work on the group's follow-up disc, "Now Hear This."  The production is minimal on this selection, but, again citing Viglione, The Echoes "communicate their feelings well over a stripped down framework" that seems highly appropriate and, therefore, highly imaginative for these songs in this day and age.  "Listen Up... Indeed" it states on the Amazon.com product description page.  Like others before me, I suggest we do just that!
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As a recent convert, I have to confess that I had never heard of The Echoes before reading a review of their album "Listen Up It's The Echoes" on AllMusic.com.  Upon hearing the song samples provided by that site, I purchased both "Listen Up" and the newly released "Now Hear This" CDs.  Both have most definitely proven themselves to be worthwhile investments!  

"Listen Up" is a much more "wooden" release--akin to The Beatles' "Rubber Soul," Crosby, Stills and Nash's self-titled debut, or many early works by Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel, etc.--while "Now Hear This" is simultaneously more electric and eclectic.  On "Listen Up," the arrangements are more stripped-down, straight-forward and acoustic-based although, granted, there are exceptions.  The opening number ("If I Do") and its follow-up ("Never Wanna Let You Go") are both electrically charged, yet what I term to be "songs of innocence."  "Songs of experience" come into play with selections such as "Leaves," "Love Never Dies," "More Than Ever" and "When The Love."  Marshall McLuhan's famous phrase "The medium is the message" crosses my mind as I note the urgency by which the vocals and lyrics are delivered.  The musicianship is clearly apparent, but the songs on the "Listen Up" CD are much more abbreviated than those on its successor.  

"Now Hear This" again showcases exceptional lyricism and vocals by the lead players, while expanding on group dynamics through longer, more biting solos and instrumental fade-outs.  The opening drum roll, cymbal crash and raga-style bassline of track number one ("I Couldn't Stand") serve to inform the listener that he or she truly does need to lend an ear to what this CD has to offer!  

The innocence present on "Listen Up" tracks "After So Long, Goodbye," "From A To Z" and "Starlight" has given way to the experience of "Ourselves," "Stained," or any other social commentary or opinion the band chooses to voice on "Now Hear This."  The religious element hinted at in "Cross Between The Two" and "Dreamer" on "Listen Up" resurfaces via "Now Hear This" closing cuts "Follow In Your Footsteps" and "Take Me As I Am" with songwriter Mark Alexander, in a rare solo vocal appearance, claiming "I never had a soul, I never had a life, but I'm hoping to find one some day" on "The 8th Of December."  These sentiments may echo "Wasting Our Lives" from the first CD, but delve much deeper into the human psyche.  The ease of which the band transcends all boundaries is truly amazing with banjos, basses, dulcimers, guitars, harmonicas, keyboards of all sorts, and who knows what else blaring away on everything from classic rock to much mellower folk, country and beyond!  

Personal picks include "I Was Dreaming 'Bout A Woman" and "Take Me As I Am" although this in no way discredits the other fine numbers on the "Now Hear This" release!  Special notice should be given, as it has been on the lyric booklet included with this CD, that Teresa Starr acts as lead vocalist within the group and does a most admirable job in translating and interpreting the wide variety of songs she must sing.  Much more instrumental and vocal layering occurs on "Now Hear This" when compared to its predecessor "Listen Up," but none of the numbers rely on nor depend upon this.  The layering of sound merely serves to drive each melody and message home to a greater degree!  

In summary, both "Listen Up It's The Echoes" and "Now Hear This" are well worth the price paid, and are guaranteed to bring many hours of pleasure to the serious listener.
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I'm back and I'm impressed!  I saw The Echoes play Paducah Labor Day Weekend, so when a friend told me they were back in Aurora Columbus Day Weekend, I figured it was worth the trip.  Was it?  Only a month later and so much new material it really knocked my socks off.  "I Couldn't Stand" is destined to be another Echoes classic and they already have so many?  Hurry up and get the next CD done, y'all, your fans are waiting!
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