Believe (Emerson Drive album)

Believe is the sixth studio album by Canadian country music group Emerson Drive. The album was released in Canada on May 5, 2009 via Midas/Valory/Open Road. The album's first single, "Belongs to You," reached the top forty on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in the United States.

Critical reception

The album received mixed reviews from music critics. It received a three-and-a-half star rating from Todd Sterling of AllMusic, who said that the album was "slickly produced" and that it "sticks to the well-worn formula of the group's previous releases," but said that it had "every color of the musical rainbow." Sterling cited "Your Last" as a standout, calling it a "lump-in-the-throat masterpiece." Jim Malec of The 9513 gave it one star out of five, referring to the song's lyrics as largely cliché in nature and saying, "There is not a single song on Believe worth hearing. It is an entirely disposable album that is unoriginal, uninteresting and unnecessary." Malec also criticized the album's sound, saying that the mixing of instruments and Brad Mates' vocals did not seem cohesive.

Criss Angel Believe

Criss Angel Believe (also written as CRISS ANGEL beLIEve) is the sixth Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas, which was premiered at the beLIEve theatre (which holds 1,600 when at capacity) inside the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas in 2008. It is a theatrical production created in partnership of Cirque du Soleil and magician Criss Angel, who is billed as the "co-writer, illusions creator and designer, original concept creator and star" of the show.

It was rumoured in September 2015 that beLIEve would close having concluded its 10-year contract at the Luxor in 2018 and this was later confirmed on the 'about' page which states that "BeLIEve is performed live eight to ten shows per week and will continue its 10 year run through 2018 exclusively at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas". Initially Cirque proposed a possible 5-year extension to the confirmed 10-year contract (depending on the success of the show), however they have since retracted this offer most likely due to lower than intended ticket sales.

Ocean Avenue (album)

Ocean Avenue is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Yellowcard. The album was the band's major-label debut and brought them to prominence. It was a commercial success in the United States, led by titular hit single "Ocean Avenue". The album received generally positive reviews from music critics and has been certified platinum in sales by the RIAA and gold by the CRIA. It was produced by Neal Avron, and released on July 22, 2003 through Capitol Records.

In 2013, the band released an acoustic version of the album, Ocean Avenue Acoustic, in honor of the album's tenth anniversary.

Commercial performance and promotion

Ocean Avenue sold 11,000 copies in its first week in the U.S., debuting at #23. It is Yellowcard's most successful album and has been certified Platinum for sales in excess of 1,000,000. It was released as an enhanced CD in some countries. The enhanced CD includes a video entitled "The Making of Ocean Avenue" and a previously unreleased video of the song "Powder" (from The Underdog EP). In 2005, the album was released as a Special Edition in Malaysia, with live videos and music videos. The album was re-released on limited edition vinyl in 2011.

Grits

Grits is a food made by boiling ground maize (also known as corn), and usually served with other flavorings as a breakfast dish, usually savory. It is popular in the Southern United States.

Grits is of Native American origin, and is similar to other thick maize-based porridges from around the world such as polenta.

Modern grits are commonly made of alkali-treated corn known as hominy, in which case it may be called "hominy grits". "Instant grits" and "quick grits" use hominy processed for faster cooking, widely sold in supermarkets.

The word "grits" may be treated as either singular or plural; historically, in the American South it was always singular. It derives from the Old English word "grytt," meaning coarse meal.

Origins

Grits have their origin in Native American corn preparation. Traditionally, the hominy for grits was ground on a stone mill. The ground hominy is then passed through screens, the finer sifted material used as grit meal, and the coarser as grits. Many American communities used a gristmill until the mid-twentieth century, farmers bringing their corn to be ground, and the miller keeping a portion as his fee. State law in South Carolina requires grits and corn meal to be enriched, similar to the requirement for flour, unless the grits are made from the corn a miller kept as his fee.

Grits (novel)

Grits is the debut novel by British author Niall Griffiths, published in 2000 by Jonathan Cape. Set in and around Aberystwyth and concerning promiscuity, drugs, alcohol, and petty crime it gained for its author, who lives and works in the town the dubious honorific "the Welsh Irvine Welsh". The novel is largely autobiographical, Niall Griffiths moved to Aberystwyth to research a PhD in post-war British poetry but soon became, as he puts it, an "enthusiastic participator in parties" and dropped out of his studies.

Ianto, a character briefly appearing in Grits became the anti-hero of Griffith's second novel Sheepshagger.

Reception

From the rear of the 2001 Vintage Books edition :

GRITS 7

GRITS 7, the musical group GRITS's Seventh CD was released on Gotee Records in 2006. The majority of the songs come from previously released albums, heavily from the Dichotomy albums, but there are three new songs: "Changes", "I Try", and "Time to Pray".

Critical reception

Giving the album a nine out of ten at Cross Rhythms, David Bains writes, "To those who don't own anything from those masters of dirty south stylings I would advise this as a starting point!" Sherwin Frias, awarding the album four stars from Jesus Freak Hideout, states, "7 is proof positive that while there is plenty to celebrate about". Rating the album five stars for The Phantom Tollbooth, describes, "Prepare yourself to be rapped-up in one of Christian hip-hop’s greatest assets. With Grits’ new album, Seven, hip-hop lovers and even hip-hop toleraters will be more than pleased to hear the extraordinary sounds of the best of the best in Christian hip-hop." Timothy Gerst, indicating in a four star review by The Phantom Tollbooth, replies, "it continues to keep the GRITS legacy alive and leaves the fans on the edge while waiting for the next GRITS release." Signaling in a two and a half star review at Christianity Today, Andree Farias responds, "The new tracks ("Changes," "I Try," "Time to Pray") are all vintage GRITS, with a vibe that's soulful, old-school, and meditative, not unlike the duo's Dichotomy A and the Factors projects. They're really the main incentive to get 7, which seems well-intentioned if you're a latecomer to the GRITS party, but unnecessary if you're already a fan of the group."