CD and DVD reviews
Richard Schroder opens his EP, The Stillness, appropriately with a song called “We All Start Somewhere.” After all, even the greatest human accomplishments have a starting point. With this upbeat track, this country singer sings about the way very beginnings can sometimes be rocky. But just because this genesis is not exactly smooth sailing, is…
Danny Lamport might just be my new summer soundtrack. His upcoming album ‘Musician On A Mission’ is a sonic adventure through the foundations of folk and it makes for some seriously easy (and introspective) listening. This upcoming project that’ll be hitting our headphones on the 2nd of July is an exciting evolution from his previous…
Blake Red is the fearless force to be setting the metal world on fire right now. Her latest single ‘The Cradle’ is a defiantly dynamic track, showcasing the more hardcore edges of her artist persona. It comes off the back of her previous single this year ‘Follow Me’. ‘The Cradle’ is an effortless evolution for…
There are some debut records that are so perfectly realised, that you can tell it’s a result of a lifetime of experience living and breathing music. That is most definitely the case for Keith Curtis’ debut album ‘Happiness is Hard’. The Minneapolis based singer-songwriter has been honing his craft for over ten years and only…
Andrew Neil’s album title track, “Sunny Side,” borrows its chorus from a great old Carter Family song. That classic song encouraged a focus on the positive. Yes, there are rain clouds in life, and it rains. However, if all you think about is how much you hate cold weather, you’ll never leave enough time to…
There’s a real scrappy attitude on display with the band Mold! and their single “YOU ARE BEING LIED TO!”. Certainly indebted to the monumental rise of bedroom indie hits that have blown up with epic proportions over the last few years, there’s something truly special about this band that’s almost hard to place. It could…
There are a lot of ways to break into the entertainment business, and on the music front, Song Angel can provide you with some of the most efficient and credible tools you need to reach a higher level of exposure as an artist or a manager. There’s nothing quite like the tension that arises out…
Trevor Drury has perfected art pop. The new song “Alice” is an ever-evolving train track cruising through splatters of pop and jazz ventricles. It’s not that Drury’s song is weird, it’s that it’s a quickly moving current flashing before our ears, with quick snippets of bells, driving riffs and robust strings. If ever there were a time in…
It’s an honor, privilege and blessing to get to work with the uber-talented Sophie Dorsten once again! From the first moment I heard this young, female artist I knew I was witnessing greatness in its early stages. Sophie Dorsten can do no wrong when she sings and harmonious notes come rushing out of her voice…
The Pop scene is pretty saturated and it’s hard to create something now that stands out. “Trouble,” a new single from 18-year-old singer/songwriter Ashley Suppa, might be an exception. The song has a cool retro feel to it, it almost feels like an 80’s dance song. The first thing that sticks out is Suppa’s voice,…
Armed with his trusty guitar and notebook, Sean Waterman is gracing our playlists with the sweet sounds of folk meets pop. The up and coming artist is back with another beautiful body of work on June 18th. ‘Devices’ is the latest edition of his ever-evolving discography and, quite frankly, it’s sensational. What is so intriguing…
Rev Peter Unger lets a glowing, reflective stance run through the entirety of “Through the Generations”. His distinctive voice carries the weight of the song, for there is something quite comfortable about his delivery. Lyrics focus upon the history that everyone shares in a sense, for the way that generations have come up to build…
“In another era, I would have played square dances, and loved it. I would have been a court musician in Versailles in the 17th Century or a violinist in a circus orchestra.” These are the words of the vibrant violinist, Chris Murphy, and if his upcoming album is anything to go by he’s spot on.…
Formed in 2015, in ATL, Pistols At Dawn have been steadily building a following, over the last six years. Their recent release, “Crown” is from their EP, Nocturnal Youth. Their music is inspired by their internal consciousness, and how they view that dynamic with external circumstances and realities. In many ways, they are a traditional…
Chris Murphy has just released a sensational, summer-fuelled singe, set to lift our spirits with the sweet sound of folk stylings. On its surface, ‘Halfway Around The World’ is a single rooted in the uplifting air of folk, but its substance is deep with sensational solos, intricate melodic lines and magical musicianship. No rookie to…
Elisha Marin has an upcoming album this month, and trust me when I tell you it’s one to anticipate. The Minnesota based musician is setting to light the folk world on fire with his debut album ‘Shining Out’ with its release on the 18th of this month. On first listen, I couldn’t quite believe it…
While some songwriters are most comfortable creating fictitious characters to inhabit, Jamie Dunphy is not one of these. Instead, he sings what he knows the most about – Jamie Dunphy. Dark Night Bright Morning is Dunphy singing about himself, many times with disarming detail. As a vocalist, Dunphy sometimes sounds a lot like folksinger Gordon…
The Blind Pilots’ All Kinds Of Crazy album opens with three strong dosages of amplified blues. Then the act takes a side road with “Take Me Home,” which is more of an acoustic, country-ish piece. Although this latter one starts out quiet, it soon revs up to a big finish. For the most part, All…
Levara consists of guitarist Trev Lukather, Jules Galli on vocals and Josh Devine on drums. This is their first studio album after a lengthy pre-pandemic touring schedule. The release is noticeably and pleasantly absent of keyboards. Former Journey frontman Steve Perry was involved in the entire studio project. https://www.loudersound.com/features/introducing-levara-where-rock-star-genes-and-synth-rock-jams-collide Heaven Knows is a catchy tune,…
Chris Donohoe’s five-song EP could have been created any time other than during the current Covid pandemic. However, it makes more sense within the context of an extremely difficult period in human history. It’s been a time when darkness has pervaded, and an era when someone, anyone, needs to let the light in. The project’s…
Ranzel X Kendrick combines the smooth sounds of country with the penning of poignant lyrics — and it’s everything I’ve been searching for this slow summer. His sound is clearly rooted in old school folk with enticing elements of Caledonian soul, blues and Americana sewn into the fabric of his sonic tapestry. Ranzel X Kendrick…
DICI’s rise to prominence within the underground has been nothing short of meteoric, but if you listen to his new single “Five Rings,” you should be able to pick on the same two things that I did regardless of what you think about big indie hype. First off, “Five Rings” doesn’t show off a player…
Kechi’s debut album is stirring up a lot of buzz across the pop world this year, and while the entire record is going to be worth checking out on your own, lead single “All the Time” is definitely the signature song you should start with. Featuring a flamboyant rhythm and lush guitar melodies that seep…
Steady and strong, the guitar strings echo an unpolished sound as patriotic as the red, white and blue on our flag in Jesse & The Hogg Brothers’ gruff “America,” and while the instrumental edge in this track is endearing to the honest cowpunk in all of us, it produces but half of the charisma the…
Dick Aven’s It All Started In The Garden is an unusual album, and one difficult to easily describe. Aven sings with a slightly jazzy voice and the album includes some jazz-related instruments, but one wouldn’t call this full-length release jazz music. Perhaps the best descriptor would be sophisticated pop. The album’s title suggests something spiritual.…
The first great song on John Engholm’s Little Big Things album is “Believe in Yourself,” which kicks off with a wonderfully jangling electric guitar part, which tastes like frosting on the beater that the Posies missed. It features a melody that immediately sticks in your brain and sweetly harmonized vocals. The song’s lyric is a…
A slow, somber piano and strings begin to play as a bass creeps in and kicks up the tempo. Suddenly, horns flare and the laidback song you thought you were a few steps ahead of kicks itself up by about five gears, sweeping you off your feet — with Love & Conflict’s first track “Glamour…
This musical duo brings to you a patriotic theme on their latest single titled “My Flag Too”. Aaron Nathans & Michael G. Ronstadt tell a story about Old Glory and what the flag means to them. Just in time for Memorial Day, what a perfect time to soak in the sun and stars & stripes…
Bev is a band led by Niki Becker, and Crusher is the group’s new album. Artistically, this act leans toward the left of the dial, so to speak. The album is filled with guitar-oriented, mostly mellow pop. With that said, though, there are a few more upbeat inclusions. One of these is “The Scenery,” which…
Blind Uncle Harry is back with another single set to tug at our heartstrings this month. ‘Song For Kori’ strays slightly from the self-defined ‘hillbilly hippie shreddin’ folk rock’ that he is best known for, but is still rooted in the folk foundations at the heart of his sound. This latest single comes off the…
Steam Train Hearts are a source of a pretty sweet sound. Fusing the fundamentals of the ’80s, indie, rock and pop, this four-piece are a force to be reckoned with. The group got together through the union of the Silent Boys’ singer Wallace Dietz and the guitar genius of Bruce Smith from the Dismal Swamp…
Flippin’ Gothic Fabp is back with another banger-fuelled body of work. To date, Flippin’ Gothic Fabp has twenty-eight albums and eighteen singles filling up his Spotify feed, and is continuing his captivating musical journey with his latest album ‘Platinumism Playlist’. His style feels totally free form, reflecting a stream of conscious like essence to his…
There’s a revolution going on right now in the DIY music scene with fresh, young artists storming the scene. One of those bright torchbearers is the up and coming artist Maya Wagner, who is taking the music world by storm with her fresh take on indie-pop. Whilst pouring her heart out, Maya releases tune after…
Where do you go as a musician after being part of a band that resides in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? It’s no secret that this is almost seen as a ceiling for some musicians, a lifetime achievement for others, but there’s no manual on the goings-on of a rock band career trajectory…
Jeff Goldsmith is a very hard artist to pin down. The composer, musical sound designer, engineer, producer and all around sound sorcerer is blessing our playlists with his upcoming single ‘That Witch’. The Minneapolis based artist is expanding his ever-evolving repertoire as he joins and expands on a canon of artists offering up an audio…
Matthew Austin Hunt’s “Free” starts off with a big, foreboding electric guitar riff. Although this song is about freedom, it’s not the sort of freedom most men long for. The lyric’s opening lines speak about how someone is free to see whomever they want. Indeed, Hunt is singing about a lover that has recently become…
The London-based band Project CONCUBINE have a new single released on 26th May 2021. Fuck Daddy builds on the gauntlet they threw down with previous single I’m addictive. Vocalist and fashion muse Jera Diarc has a style that is semi-spoken and slightly wailing like a more Gothic Mark E Smith in a dance with Bright…
Although Trippy Hearts may have begun with a long-distance band relationship (spanning from Boise to Boston), the act’s tightly tracked Lacewing album proves they were clearly on the same page, musically. The album opens with “Flaming Gold Piano,” which feels a little like a 60s blues-rock experiment. Groups like the Animals (think “House of the…
Les Fradkin goes for the bombastic on the swinging, rock licking good time with “Turn to the Movement”. In spirt of its short duration it packs a mighty punch, with the drums hitting with a furious pounding and the vocals seemingly swimming through the din. Done with such majesty they touch upon a cinematic presence…
James Henry brings the fire on the passionate “Watermelon Man”. So much heat is behind the song it sounds sizzling. Everything about it has a celebratory, communal presence behind it for it incorporates so much into the colossal mix. Layer upon layer is filtered into the fray ensuring that there is a beguiling quality to…
