From having multiple songs featured prominently on The Voice’s second season to having his song “Fire” featured on the 2012 Summer Olympics, Viv And The Revival have already accomplished much more in their lifetime than most bands could dream of.
Viv took some time to choose 5 albums that, well, pack a punch. Whether it’s songwriting or just good music, all the choices are timeless in their own ways. Check them out after the jump.
Peter Gabriel “So”
This record is, in my opinion, the middle ground between pure pop and art. It’s so catchy, and accessible for the non music lover, but it’s also tasteful, classy, and a great world music album. Peter’s voice is so haunting, and he’s one of the reasons why I wanted to start writing music.
John Mayer “Continuum”
I listened to this album constantly while living in L.A. It totally has that west coast vibe. I would put it on whenever I was in my car and it was just fitting to the scenery. In my opinion, this is his best work. The songs are top notch and the guitar playing is unreal! You can play this album from top to bottom, and every song is just so good! It’s the perfect combination of songs for the masses and music for guitar nerds.
Michael Jackson “Dangerous”
I remember seeing the “Black or White” music video when I was about 4. It was so mesmerizing. I remember trying to dance and sing like MJ, he was such a dope entertainer. When I got into music in my teens, I would listen to Michael a lot, especially this album. Teddy Riley’s production on this record is incredible, and the songs all groove like no other.
Toto “Isolation”
My dad had the cassette and I wore it out within a year. This record is such an amazing collection of pop rock songs. These were the best studio musicians in LA and this album really shows that. Steve Lukather is the best guitar player in the world, in my eyes, and the solos on these songs are really worth checking out. Listening to Steve made me want to play guitar. All of the music is really well played and very polished. The production is very 80’s which is good and bad at times, but the songs are so good that you just forget about all of that.
Bryan Adams “Waking up the neighbors”
This is an album that I still listen to when I want to learn about song structure, melody, and production. Mutt Lange is such a genius and you can see that all over this record! The songs are perfect pieces of pop rock, and the performances by Bryan Adams and his band are unbelievable.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=98jcb2eHjmg
