So I bought this bag of 50 random bargain cds and now I’m going to review every last one of them. Starting with a Creed cd really set the tone. I knew there would be some music that I was familiar with but out of the first 6 I owned 4 of them at one time. Here is the first group of reviews:

CD 1/50: Creed – Weathered (2001)

Creed was on top of the world when this album was released, they had no idea the rug was about to be pulled from under them. This fitting first cd from the bag is really generic butt-rock. I was excited when the opener “Bullets” was a hard rocker when this was released. The single “My Sacrifice” was huge, I mean everywhere. I never needed to hear it again but here it is in my cd player. “One Last Breath” was popular too, it is worse than “My Sacrifice.” Overall these are just generic songs without a lot to them, they sound like radio rock from the early 2000s.

CD 2/50: Creed – Human Clay (1999)

They aren’t all going to be Creed cds right? Although, that would’ve been about the funniest thing ever. I was very into “Higher” when it first hit the radio, don’t judge. It was a catchy rock song and I still don’t hate it. The sentimentality of “With Arms Wide Open” fell short of me liking it though. “Are You Ready” was an alright song too but overall this album is pretty “meh,” even for what it is. I’m glad we got the Creed cds out of the way early and I don’t have to worry about them lingering in the bottom of the bag.

CD 3/50: Crash Karma – Rock Musique Deluxe (2013)

This is the only cd out of the first 6 I hadn’t heard of. Opening the booklet reveals a band picture that tells a lot of the story though. A group of 4 pristine looking guys with shades of hipster leanings. They turn out to be Canadian and have one member from the band Our Lady Peace, pretty cool. The music isn’t bad but it also isn’t all that great. It’s standard pop punk meets alternative rock. The songs are hooky and have memorable choruses but nothing stands out as amazing about this cd.

CD 4/50: Dire Straits – Dire Straits (1978)

Really? The Dire Straits? I didn’t see this one coming. This album is really really good. I own it on cd and vinyl and have a ton of respect for it. So why is it in here? It isn’t hugely sought after but still I would think it could fetch a $3-5 price tag at a used cd store. It has “Down By The Waterline” and the great “Sultans of Swing” as cornerstones of the record. It also has the great and underrated “Water of Love” hidden away in the tracklist. This is a cd that already was in my collection somewhere so it was a shocking pull, it’s a really great album.

CD 5/50: Finger Eleven – Finger Eleven (2003)

I should have seen this coming after the Creed albums. Wind-Up label mate Finger Eleven sold lots of cds riding Creed’s coattails in the early 2000s and I’m sure many are right back in the cd store again these days. You probably have heard the megahit off this one, “One Thing” it’s an acoustic ballady thing and it’s not that great. It’s a radio song and doesn’t make you throw up in your mouth or anything but it’s probably not on any of your current playlists or anything.

CD 6/50: Ben Folds Five – Whatever and Ever Amen (1997)

I had planned to only review 5 in the first group but I couldn’t stand it, I needed one more. Pulling out a Ben Folds album was a nice surprise. Something I was familiar with and didn’t mind listening to at all. I had forgotten how bouncy this album is, the upbeat piano tunes are pretty fun to listen to. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t tire of them by the end of the record but it’s still a fun listen. You’d probably recognize the mega-hit “Brick” off of this album, it’s a great radio song.

Now that I’ve hit “publish” on this article I can open the next group of cds, I must admit, I’m really excited to see what I’m going to pull out.