No. Although Johnny Depp seems to be in the midst of a very public midlife crisis, I was reminded that I wanted to do a piece on the latest release by his friend Marilyn Manson when I recently read about Johnny throwing his son a birthday party in which Manson performed. And so here it is!

This may come as a shock to some of you because of all the shock-rock, industrial, and metal acts I’m a fan of, but I actually avoided Marilyn Manson like the the plague for the longest time. I did not give the music a chance because I was no longer an angsty, rebellious teen with a driving need to piss everyone around me off, and I found the band itself just too damned gimmicky. Then? One day on the way home from work, I heard a cover of The Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” that sent chills down my spine. I think my jaw might have dropped just a little bit when the DJ announced that the song was by Marilyn Manson, and although I had expected the band to be at least passable as musicians, I really hadn’t expected to like them.

So, despite the bible-ripping headlines (hey – no one can deny Manson’s gimmickery has definitely worked), I’ve called myself a fan ever since. Not only is he a marketing genius, but he’s also an artist as well as a writer/journalist (and a very good one at that. Seriously; he is well-informed, and much more articulate than you might think.) Admittedly, my interest pretty much peaked with 2000′s Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death). I did like a song or two from 2003′s The Golden Age of Grotesque, but found Eat Me, Drink Me (2007) abysmal and I couldn’t even tell you what The High End of Low (2009) sounds like.

That brings us to this year’s Born Villain, which has more than pleasantly surprised me, especially after being progressively disappointed by the band’s previous two releases. I’ve had a chance to listen to this record through and through a few times now, and I have to say that I love every song. It’s not as heavy as Antichrist Superstar and beyond, nor as glam or industrial-sounding as some other releases. But it seems to combine the best sounds and elements of the best records, yet still manages to sound exciting and fresh. In my opinion, Born Villain most closely resembles Mechanical Animals and is their best effort since. So if you liked the band during that era, you’re sure to like Born Villain.

Tracks to check out: As I said, I think I love every track on this record. In addition to the first release, “No Reflection,” some of my other favorites are “Born Villian,” “The Gardener,” “Pistol Whipped,” and “Breaking the Same Old Ground” (which took me right back to “Sweet Dreams”. No lie!). And don’t forget about his collaboration with Johnny Depp (yes, we’re back to Johnny Depp now!), a cover of Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain”.

And with that, here’s a video of a live performance of “Sweet Dreams” featuring Johnny Depp from Revolver’s Golden Gods Awards in lieu of a playlist of new material:

Track 1: Comin’ Home Baby by Mel Torme

Can you think of Mel Torme without thinking of the TV sitcom Night Court or did I just totally (a) date myself and (2) give you a reference that you don’t know? This gem has been resurrected thanks to exposure on Mad Men and a commercial for something that I can’t remember except for the fact that I heard this song on it and immediately downloaded it.

Track 2: Rattle and Roll by Street Dogs

Liam was *so* on the money with this one! Okay, here’s the back story: I caught a podcast with Tim Armstrong (Rancid frontman & Hellcat Records founder) and he was talking about some of the bands on his label (which include the Dropkick Murphys) and that’s where I heard about Street Dogs. I think they’re pretty freakin’ awesome. Downloaded their disc soon after hearing it and it currently fuels my slow and steady ass around the track (read: it’s good music for running).

Track 3: Be Mine by Alabama Shakes

Heard about these guys through my music secret weapon (I’m talking to you, Lucky13 or whatever you are calling yourself these days) and love the old-school swagger that they are rolling. These youngsters really know how to break it down and they could challenge the most road-wearied blues musicians to a blues-off, were there ever such a thing.

Track 4: Bad Example by Pistol Annies

Another one I found out about through a podcast–this time it was a Kid Rock interview, he talked about this Miranda Lambert project (also featuring Ashley Monroe & Angaleena Presley), a trio singing about whatever the hell they want to sing about, radio-ready singles be damned. That sounded right up my alley (and, truth be told, I like the southern-fried twang & humor of this as much as I like the gritty edge of Street Dogs). You may have also heard their other popular release, Hell on Heels, which was most recently butchered by a contestant on The Voice.

Track 5: Somebody that I Used to Know by Gotye featuring Kimbra

I don’t know if the first time I heard this song was when I saw it performed on SNL, but holy crap, it hooked me. It’s a bit haunting and the lyrics are lovely, in a longingly creepy and weird way. The music sounds straight out of a Blue Man Group show (when they slap those big tubes on the ground?) and I have listened to this about a bajillion times since I downloaded it.

So to that end, I give you a Friday Fiver a day early. Won’t you play along with me? Here’s the deal: listen to the songs, critique them like you’re Cee Lo and these songs are performers on the Voice. Give your feedback in the comments and spill your feelings on the tracks–the good, the bad & the fugly.

Then come back on Sunday to go behind the music. Come back in between too, to see how everyone else weighs in on the music. It’s rollicking good fun.

So are you ready? Without further ado…

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This was her first teenybopper show, and like her mother before her, she caught boy-band-itis, a condition resulting from exposure to cute boys singing catchy pop music with lyrics that make every girl feel like she’s The One. (See video below for a case study.)

Because I wanted a written record of this night (you would, too, if your kid was born deaf and you once wondered if she’d ever hear music, much less learn to love it), I live-tweeted the concert, until I got so into it that I forgot about it! (For those who don’t know, Big Time Rush is band and a TV show on Nickelodeon.)

Riley and I are #BetterWithNashville and @bigtimerush.twitpic.com/8tcuko

— TiffaniHillPatterson (@SoundCheckMama) March 8, 2012

Crowd goes wild for these boys @onedirection. Never heard of ‘em. But they’re cute as all get out. — TiffaniHillPatterson (@SoundCheckMama) March 8, 2012

And the more I listened to and watched One Direction, the opening act, the better I liked them. They’re five dudes from the UK who were finalists on “X-Factor” in 2010. Their album Up All Night is out today – I listened to the stream on AOL last week (OK, every day since Thursday) and really enjoyed the tunes. Here’s a clip of their performance on Today.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

While Riley warmed up to One Direction after two or three songs, by the end of the British boys’ set, she was definitely ready for the main act.

OK. She’s had enough of the openers. She’s ready for @bigtimerush now!

— TiffaniHillPatterson (@SoundCheckMama) March 8, 2012

She’d waited for this since right after Christmas, a whole two months, which to a 10-year-old is a lifetime. When she found out they were coming to Nashville, she left a hot pink Post-It note with the details on my nightstand. The first time I checked for tickets, the show was sold out. The pink Post-It showed up again. I checked again … and success! She was thrilled, even when I told her we wouldn’t be up close. She didn’t care. She was going to see Big Time Rush!

That is … until James, Kendall, Carlos, and Logan made their way out into the crowd about midway through the show. When she realized they wouldn’t be coming to our seats? Major letdown, as evidenced by the following tweet and photo (notice the tear-stained face).

Ohmylawd. My girl cried because they didn’t come up to our seats.Gah’

— TiffaniHillPatterson (@SoundCheckMama) March 8, 2012

She rallied, though, when the boys sang Superstar and The City Is Ours. She was out of her seat, tears dried, faster than you can say “Bieber who?” She danced. I danced. She laughed at me. I laughed at myself. And we loved it!

As for the music? Boy-band pop isn’t for everyone, and that’s OK. I like it, though, and while they’re never going to win any Grammys, Big Time Rush put on a great show, they sounded good, and they interacted well with the crowd. We came away with another boy-band favorite: One Direction, who, by the way, recently won a Brit Award (a Grammy equivalent in the UK). And we shared something special, something just for the two of us.

The next day:

Last night was amazing as a mom. The music was pretty good too.#nowplaying Boyfriend ♪ Big Time Rush bit.ly/6rTkj1

— TiffaniHillPatterson (@SoundCheckMama) March 8, 2012

Yeah, my kid bombed a grammar test today. Teacher called to ask what was up. Told her what we did. It’s all good.

— TiffaniHillPatterson (@SoundCheckMama) March 8, 2012

Now she’s begging to go see BTR again when they’re in Alabama in July. Looks like it’s time to start the Boy-Band Fund and prepare our voices for another case of boy-band-itis.

Teeth by “The Ettes”
This is a Nashville based Retro Rocker Trio. Two Thirds of this group are estrogen based which I love. Felt like Teeth had a little spagetti Western twang feel to it, I sort of dug it.
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Up, Up, Up by Givers
This is a Louisiana Indie Pop Band. You gamers may have heard this song from the EA Sports FIFA 12 game. Catchy little tune, not my favorite.
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I just might pray by The David Mayfield Parade
This big hipster bearded boy play a country-folk-bluegrass hybrid. Not usually my thing, I honestly threw it in for Ri, but I sort of dig this guy. If you can, watch the David Mayfield interview from NPR. The footage from his live shows is hilarious and engaging. I think this guy would be worth the ticket for admission.
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Portraits by The Wheeler Brothers
These boys are from Austin, TX. Three of the five gents in this band are brothers. I wasn’t sure if I would like these guys but after a few listens to their mixture of rock, folk & blues I was a believer. Dare I say they remind me a bit of less screachy version of Kings of Leon?
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The Tale of You and Me by Wild Child.
This indie group started out as a duo and now are a full band. Another one from the home of SXSW, Austin, Tx. These newbies were probably my favorite of the bunch.
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Settle Down by Kimbra.
You may not have heard this song but I guarantee you know this voice. Kimbra is an Australian gal currently on  the airwaves singing “Somebody that I used to know” with Gotye. Kimbra is not everyone’s cup of tea but she seems to be growing on me.
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I hope you enjoy this Mama’s first fiver.

Song #1: If You Could Read My Mind (Gordon Lightfoot).

Seriously. Is there another voice that rivals Gordon Lightfoot? For my money, he can break it down. This is a song that sticks to your ribs after you hear it, which is why it’s here; popped up on random and I listened to it over & over for days. Love it.

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Song #2: Shannon Stone (Go Home Productions).

This one… yeah, kind of a hot mess. But a compelling hot mess. One of those songs that I am going to turn off but I just never get around to it & before I know it, I’ve listened to the whole damn thing and liked it. You know the guy who took Blondie & The Doors and mashed them up to make “Rapture Riders”? And the one who took Madonna and the Sex Pistols to come with “Ray of Gob” (which, for the record, is a great song to run to). This is by that guy. And he’s got a ton more remixes. Some are awesome; some? Not so much. This is in the middle range but worth a listen. And you can download many of them, gratis, here.

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Song #3: Shake the Shackles (Crystal Slits).

A freebie from amazon.com, this one is a little bit Psychedelic Furs in the vocals and a whole lot of jingle-jangle in the guitars. I like it good enough.

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Song #4: Slow (Rumer).

What can I say? The name is very appropriate because yeah, this song is slow. This sounds like Fiona Apple’s mother. Not really my thing.

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Song #5: It’s Electric (Metallica).

Yeah, boy-eee. (that was my Flavor Flav impersonation, if you couldn’t tell. These things sometimes don’t adequately translate through the screen, I know). Originally by Diamond Head, this is a remake by Metallica that off the Garage, Inc., CD, a release that also includes remakes of Turn the Page, Tuesday’s Gone & the much-overplayed Whiskey in the Jar (which I still love), plus a slew of other covers including those originally released on Garage Days Revisited & Garage Days Re-revisted among others. This is my jam.­­

So here’s the deal, for the uninitiated: listen to the songs, the whole songs & nothing but the songs. Leave your extremely biased feedback on said songs and share your critique with the world in the comments section below. Do they make you happy? Sad? Make you think of other songs? Curse your speakers (and perhaps, by extension, me) for playing these dastardly songs?

We wanna know.

So without further ado, let’s get it on:

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Track 1:  “Fake It” by Seether

I love this song…not a little because I feel exactly this way on LOTS of days.  Plus, the music has just enough edge without trying too hard to be grating or angst-ridden or creepy.  Funny, I haven’t sought out more Seether – maybe because this song stands alone and I don’t want to sully it by hearing anything that might possibly fit the aforementioned description…

Track 2:  “Dreamer” by Supertramp

Yep, this is the same Supertramp from Breakfast in America fame…but this song came earlier – 1974, to be exact.  I imagine the use of “Far Out!” as an interjection might have tipped you off that it wasn’t a new release.  (What?  Yeah, I’m old.  I was seven at the time.)  I’ve always loved Supertramp – there’s something about the Hodgson and Davies vocals that just works for me.

Track 3:  “Candy” by Paolo Nutini

Ahhhh, Paolo – Scottish Boy Wonder.  Forget the fact that I’m old enough to be his mother -  that voice with the accent melts me. (Looks don’t hurt, either.) He really is an old soul and a very versatile musician.  Can’t say I’ve disliked anything I’ve ever heard of his!  Yeah, must be that Italian connection we’ve got going…wink, wink, nudge, nudge, fahgeddaboutit.

Track 4:  “Wooden Ships” by  Crosby, Stills & Nash

“If you smile at me, I will understand…’cause that is something everybody everywhere does in the same language.”  Think about that – pretty powerful lyrics, especially for 1969  when this song came out – on their first album.  Yeah, an album which spawned not only this classic, but “Suite Judy Blue Eyes”, “Marrakesh Express” and “Long Time Gone”, the latter being their response to the assassination of Robert Kennedy.

Maybe take a listen again with fresh ears and hear this not just as one of those songs you hear on the oldies radio station, but as the bold statement that it was meant to be from three young idealistic folk rockers just starting out in their career.  In that context, it blows me away.

Track 5:  “The Dead Parrot Sketch” by Monty Python

Oh, like YOU don’t have any Monty Python in your mp3 collection!  (…if you don’t, don’t tell me.  I don’t want to be disappointed in you.)

No rhyme, no reason, no filtering, no planning whatsoever – wherever my mouse landed is what we’ve got. Some are likely to be embarrassing, I’d imagine.  I’ll be back Sunday to face the music…(yuk, yuk, yuk!)

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