TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you are given music product reviews in English language. The goal is to classify the review as "POS" if the overall sentiment of the review is positive or as "NEG" if the overall sentiment of the review is negative.
PROBLEM: The Best singer you've never heard of..... . I first heard Joe Carson back in the early -70's while going through some of my folks' 78's. At first, I thought it was Webb Pierce (on one of his best days); then I distinctly heard Hank; on the other hand, there was the sound of Ray Price (his Cherokee Cowboy Days). All of these sounds came from a young kid (16 when he started performing) who should have, by every right, been the most heralded Country/Hillbilly/Honky Tonkin' singer ever; and yes, that includes even the great Hank Williams. But, Joe Carson's life was cut short just as he was hitting his stride. If there was a way to rate this collection higher than 5 stars, I would not hesitate to do so. As with all of the Bear Family Records releases, this one is an outstanding collection, beautifully recorded and mixed, and a thorough set of liner notes/booklet. Not only does this album showcase the stellar voice of Joe, the backing band (all legendary members of the Hank Thompson era) will knock your socks off. While there are 33 songs here (3X more than most current releases), there are a few real standouts: "I Gotta Get Drunk", "The Last Song I'll Ever Sing", and "Shoot The Buffalo" all showcase his voice. And, there are a few old favorites here as well, inlcuding "Fraulein" and "Who'll buy the Wine". This is one of those albums you have to own; and I can assure you, you'll be shaking your head in amazement at Joe Carson's talent. A+++

SOLUTION: POS

PROBLEM: More classic Pac . Of all of Tupac's post death material, this is probably my favourite album. Though some may complain that the songs were not as Pac intended, I think they are a fitting tribute to him and for the most part, the updated production is great. Most will already have heard the singles "letter 2 My Unborn" and "Until The End Of Time", both are great, and it is easy to see why they were chosen as singles. Other notable tracks are "This Aint Livin" which is probably the best track on here, "Breathin", "Everything They Owe", "Lastonesleft", "M.O.B" and "World Wide Mob Figgaz". In fact most of the tracks on here are at least good. It goes without saying that this album is not as good as the material Pac produced while alive, after all these are his throw away songs. Just goes to show what a genius Pac was, that these are songs he didn't consider good enough for his albums, they put most other rappers A tracks to shame. I give it 4 stars because there are a few filler tracks and The Outlawz are just on here too much. While I have a load of respect for The Outlawz for staying true to Pac, I just don't rate their rapping skills too highly. Anyway an amazing album, especially considering Pac had been dead for 5 years when this was released. R.I.P Tupac

SOLUTION: POS

PROBLEM: Pop Rock Gem! . It continues to amaze me to find "new" musicians who record in bedroom studios all across the country. Everyone was amazed when Craig Chaquico pulled this off, Roger takes it to the next level. The closest event I can recall to this release is Steely Dan's 1972 "Can't Buy a Thrill" that put pop/rock on its ear. The influences are many and varied...Beach Boys, Beatles, Osmonds, Neil Sedaka, Jimmy Webb, The Who, Styx, Yes, Chicago, Alan Parsons, ELO/Jeff Lynn, Astrud Giberto, Wondermints, Burt Bacharach, Supertramp, 60's Brit Pop, the list goes on... As for Roger's vocal ability, he's no Bocelli, but he is better than 90% of the front men out there. He has a unique "honey" styled voice with a smoothness not often heard these days (think Joseph Williams, David Pack, Donnie Osmond, Gerry Beckley). He doesn't try to imitate anyone, and has learned to be comfortable using his instrument as intended and well trained. Primarily a keyboardist, his chops on guitars and drums are commendable as well. Can't think of enough good things to say about this artist. Not every cut is excellent, but eight of eleven are standouts and addictive. The three deleted cuts from Solid State Warrior make for eleven very strong songs that could all be at home on the top 40...during some point of time. Buy this CD Now

SOLUTION:
POS