Over the years we’ve seen rock, pop, and even hard rock slowly erode into over-commercialized, corporate puppet shows providing music that is extremely sing songy, predictable, popish and highly corporate. I hereby call this new breed of music “Poser Rock” and I want to personally thank all the corporate giants for successfully transforming “Sex Drugs & Rock n’ Roll” into “Yoga, Vitamins, & Nikelback” Of course millions of musical lemmings don’t know the difference, but not everyone is entertained. Talking to many music fans out there the response is overwhelming. Give me something new, something with a positive message, something that’s pushes the emotional envelope with a fresh sound that doesn’t leave it soul at the door.
So across my desk slides the new 5 songs EP by Hawaii based Phil Jones : http://www.facebook.com/PhilJonesBand entitled “Raise-Up.” What I heard put a smile on my face. It’s a nice easy flowing record that delivers solid songwriting with a nice rock feel. Jones reminds me of a modern day Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Lifehouse, and Eric Clapton with a classic Ventures guitar groove. You will also hear a side of Rhythm and Blues, Alternative Rock, Classic Rock and even Pop. If you like the above bands you should definitely check out this CD. My favorite track is probably “The Golden Race” EP is available through the link above.
“Raise-Up” by Phil Jones is an invigorating. Invigorating in the sense that it will lift your spirits, and give you a sense of hope for a better tomorrow. This EP is a solid release with many feel good rock grooves with a pleasant rock driven guitar sound that is just a pleasure to listen to. Trust me when I say I could listen to this guys solo guitar licks all day long. It’s an EP that gives us a fresh glimpse at an amazing artist and takes us back a few years — before everything started sounding like — well like everything else.
Kevin Huber
Edited by Cyrus Rhodes
