A concept album of sorts, Ed Hale and the Transcendence‘s All your heroes become villains is a collection of songs tackling different genres. Not too diverse to be disparate but still different enough to be dissimilar, it harks to some brit pop, some prog rock and, of course, some blues based rock.

After a strange, chaotic and almost cacophony-laden intro (‘All your heroes become villains – Main Theme’), the band goes for a more straight up approach. ‘Blind eye’ has a foot clearly planted in 70s arena rock with some good ol’ riffing (rocking moments there). It’s a wild song and it’s a safehaven after the more experimental nature of the opening track.

Read full review: http://sloucher.org/2012/01/10/ed-hale-and-the-transcendence-all-your-heroes-become-villains/

Belgium music magazine Roots Time CD review of the Ed Hale newly-released European Import album Beautiful Losers.
Anyone speak Belgian?

ED HALE – BEAUTIFUL LOSERS

Ed Hale werd geboren in Parijs toen zijn vader er in militaire dienst was, maar zijn echte roots liggen bij zijn Engelse vader en zijn Italiaanse moeder. Zijn eerste stappen in de muziekwereld zette hij op 17-jarige leeftijd onder de artiestennaam ‘Eddie Darling’ die op zijn debuutplaat “Eddie” werd gebruikt. Zijn fans noemen hem wat smalend ‘The Ambassador’ omdat hij graag veel reist, heel wat vreemde talen leerde en altijd met andere culturen in aanraking wil komen. Hij nam die eretitel met veel plezier over voor zijn MySpace-website. Ed Hale woont momenteel zowel in Seattle, Washington als in New York City waar hij de leadzanger is van de populaire Britpop- en rockformatie ’Transcendence’, maar hij is ook zeer actief als vredesactivist en als singer-songwriter. In die hoedanigheid bracht hij in de recente jaren enkele soloalbums uit, zoals ook nu weer met de vierde solo-cd “Beautiful Losers”, een album dat midden vorig jaar reeds in Amerika uitkwam onder de titel “Ballad On Third Avenue” en omwille van het grote lokale succes nu ook in Europa wordt gelanceerd. Er werden al twee singles uit deze cd getrokken: het op iets van David Bowie lijkende “I Walk Alone” en het prachtige “New Orleans Dreams”. Beide songs worden op deze Europese release trouwens een tweede keer in een ‘extended version’ aangeboden. Ook de nummers “Scene In San Francisco”, “Incompatible” en de catchy titeltrack “Ballad On Third Avenue (Beautiful Losers)” zullen als single worden gelanceerd en zijn sinds enige tijd al te downloaden op het internet.

The fourth studio album by itinerant project Ed Hale And The Transcendence brings together new contributors and a collection of songs intertwining the talents and influences gathered together. The album opener offers uplifting soul vocals accompanied by a blissful piano and trumpet melody which ebbs and flows during the eleven tracks. Intermittent phrases of dialogue, another recurring motif carried throughout, consolidate a cinematic feel of the LP as the prelude segues into the next.

‘Here It Comes’ is the track infused most with the spirit of Britpop; the anthemic instrumentation, the rousing chorus and the soaring strings all present and correct. Hallmark elements of the Britpop sound also surface in ‘Solaris’, where Hale’s vocals, carried along by jaunty acoustic guitar chords, echo Bono and Alex Kapranos in parts; ‘After Tomorrow’, seven minutes in length, apes the likes of the mellow vibes and extended outro of ‘Champagne Supernova’ and the close backing harmonies of ‘Hey Jude’.

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New York, NY, July 06, 2011 — Ed Hale is known for being a musician and singer/songwriter, however there is more to his music than meets the ears. On his last solo studio recording Ballad on Third Avenue, a rousing collection of alternative pop-rock acoustic tracks, he sings about love and all the emotions that are forthcoming.

Yet there is much more on the album that needs your attention, particularly the track “New Orleans Dreams”. The track is a rather poignant take on the aftermath of hurricane Katrina and the ineptness of our government to help the suffering people of the area when it was needed most. This is a story that continues today several years later as people are still reeling from the disaster of the hurricane and many other natural disasters that would follow in that area including the disastrous BP oil spill.

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Read entire review here. Or…. below:

Ed Hale stirred up a great deal of controversy in 2005 with the Transcendence album Sleep with You that explored relationships, sex, women, romance, drugs, and life on the road. Anyone who knows him best appreciates his deep passion for music, writing, and his unyielding frankness when it comes to matters close to his heart; however, unknown to some, he is also the author of an award-winning screenplay and a pop-culture/ sociology non-fiction book, about to hit the market, as well as being a guest columnist on the Sundance Film Channel Website covering how “green” peace on earth really is.

Music is in the blood for this man who released his first album at the tender age of 17 and whose great-uncle was none other than the famous musical conductor and arranger, Antonio Morelli, well known for his many years at the infamous Copa Room in Vegas during the ‘Rat Pack’ years. After having received a guitar from his mother at a young age to ‘vent his creativity and keep him out of trouble’ – the rest, as they say, is history!

The songs on Hale’s latest impressive new album Ballad on Third Avenue are said to be the most personal and intimate collection of songs he has ever recorded. An eleven song acoustic singer/songwriter venture, it is said to be reminiscent of Bright Eyes, Kings of Convenience, Rubber Soul era Beatles, Belle and Sebastian, and Simon and Garfunkel. Not surprising that his latest album debuted on the CMJ Most Added Chart at #14 and then climbed to #140 on the CMJ Top 200, along with the release of the first single, I walk Alone, which became a staple on Triple A radio stations all over the United States and Canada.

In a recent review of Ed Hale‘s latest solo effort, the acoustic leaning whisper-pop styled Ballad On Third Avenue,  “Ed Hale’s “Ballad On Third Avenue” has a fearless and eloquent songwriter who is a dysfunctional artist and a lost soul sound to it; finding love romantically and losing it tragically. If you need a good cry on Third Avenue, and we all do, then carry this album wherever you go. I do.”

Shelton Ivany
National News Bureau

CD REVIEW IN BOOTLEG MAGAZINE August 2009: Ed Hale has recorded a solo album away from his Brit Pop band Transcendence but hasn’t left the pop sentimentality too far behind, using the skill to help shape something acoustically raw and introspective. Ballad on Third Avenue is rich in memorable and pleasantly catchy songs that eschew common trappings of a larger sound in favor of recording more sparse and intimate material. It succeeds in practicing restraint and in also telling stories weaved through American landscapes. The album recalls the jingly soft sounds of late sixties bands that seemed to crystallize sugary melody versus stomping easily all over it.

The cast of supporting players is terrific (several played in Transcendence), and Hale demonstrates an enviable gift for brooding, introspective melodies that are as quietly compelling as those of Leonard Cohen or Nick Cave. And yes, they’re that good.

Artist: Ed Hale
Album: Ballad on Third Avenue
http://www.edhale.com
Style: Indie/Powerpop/Acoustic
Rating: 3.5/5
By  L. Anne Carrington
How does one describe the newly released work of Ed Hale’s Ballad on Third Avenue? Perhaps one way would be a soft intimacy of acoustic and pop sounds that will make the listener feel comfortable right from the beginning of the album’s very first track. Ballad on Third Avenue may also take one back to the days of Bright Eyes, Simon and Garfunkel, and maybe a little Beatles thrown in for good measure. The lead singer of the popular Brit Pop/modern rock band Transcendence who have scored numerous hit singles and have had songs featured in films and television shows over the years, Hale made a side trip into the recording studio and made his own album. The end result was Ballad on Third Avenue, a brilliant blend of acoustic guitars, pianos, organs, xylophones, cello lines, and mellotron that may not have worked for many artists, but it certainly has paid off for Ed Hale in more ways than one. Hale is not always the easiest performer to keep up with; his style is always changing in his roles of writer, populist blogger, controversial YouTube star, outspoken political activist, or civilian diplomat. In his first solo effort, however, he can add another accomplishment to his list: creating a magnificent album that instantly draws in even the most finicky music aficionado and holds them there until the very end.

http://indiemusicstop.wordpress.com/2009/07/02/ed-hale-ballad-on-third-avenue/