CD and DVD reviews
Tom Rhodes “With or Without” is as warm and as real as a group of friends gathered around the campfire. Honest, sincere, and raw, “With or Without” is the sound of country music done right. Vocals drive the whole thing, as Tom Rhodes’ voice is without peer. His band is amazing as well, knowing when…
The aptly named Gasoline Bros are filled up with heart and possess a keen driving rhythm. Nicely embodying the best of rock and roll, the songs possess a lot of energy. Vocals are incredibly earnest doing a great job of portraying a life and a moment in a life. A narrative sensibility helps carry these…
EB 11’s “Enjoy The Ride” is a passionate album. The songs demand to be played loud. Volume is a must. An absolute rush the songs burn through leaving their imprint in the mind long after they are gone. Remarkably talented EB 11 shows off its considerable chops: great rhythms, great guitar riffs, and thoughtful lyrics.…
Cold Emotion is an album rich in sound and rich in meaning. Inviting the songs are comfortable pieces full of soul. Lyrically Troy Lindsey & Bosaya opt for the narrative for these pieces weaving them together to give a composite on a person’s life. Details are of the utmost importance: from organ swells to the…
Wicked stuff. Right off the draw I’m hearing music that reminds me of elements of some fantastic pop/rock/electro bands like Snow Patrol, MGMT…even some R.E.M. thrown in here. This two-piece band is making completely exciting music with intense grooves and fantastic songwriting. And what’s THIS? They’re from my home-away-from-home of Seattle? LOVE IT. Just an…
Having cut his teeth with multiple of stepping stone musical experiences musicians producer/songwriters Sonido featuring Arie Salma (Piano) and Rob Math (Guitar) are turning people’s heads, and ears with his latest 10 track collection entitled “Camino de los Suenos”. Quite simply these two have set his sights on creating a new style of music: a…
Steeped in the traditions of folk, jazz, and rock and roll, Laney Jones mixes a musical cocktail with a vintage flavor that’s all her own. Honing her craft and effortlessly welcoming stage presence in coffeehouses, speakeasies, and concert venues across the United States, this scrappy Americana singer-songwriter is making a name for herself as a…
Music is moving. Sometimes it can bring one to tears and other times it can cause one to think more deeply. It can bring about feelings of rage or despondency and it can strip layers off your armor, casting you closer to the matters of the heart. And then there are times when music is…
Who doesn’t like Singer-Songwriter music? Who doesn’t like a good live album? I’d all hands go up in the air. I mean, while Singer-Songwriter, which by the way kind of emerged in the late 60’s and 70’s with the arrival of artists like Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, Elton John, Jim Croce and Billy Joel they…
The release of this CD celebrates the Australian’s 30 years as a solo artist, and 15th studio release. The artist was formerly with the band Cold Chisel. This release features an ensemble of friends and associates including Steven Van Zandt, Joe Bonamassa, Jon Stevens, Jonathan Cain, Neil Schon, The Living End, Diesel, Baby Animals, Tina…
Heart is without a doubt one of the most successful bands in rock ‘n’ roll music history. The Wilson sisters have cemented a name for themselves in an industry that, as a general consensus, is perceived by many to be an all-boys club. By the time Heart’s debut album “Dreamboat Annie” was released in ’76,…
Strength and Kindness is a Jazz Project based out of San Francisco. This latest CD entitled ““Somebody’ Else’s Nightmare” (2014) is a powerful and eclectic album tells the story of a gifted player/composer with beautiful melodies, a smooth playing style, that is emotional and at times very refined sonic feel. I am talking about the…
Ashley Rivera is a singer/songwriter/vocalist from Georgia who just released their latest CD entitled “Danger Dreaming.’ This impressive release is an original blender of sound mixing Adelle, Vanessa Carlton, Lisa Loeb, Paula Cole, Beth Orton, Delta Rae and The Swell Season. Visually I must admit she bares a similar resemblance to some of the more…
The Satisfactors are balls to the wall rock and roll. Everything they do taps into the spirit of early classic rock. With a defiant, party attitude to their songs their entire album is pure fun. Lyrically the songs explore the grimy side of rock, from parties to escaping bad situations. None of the songs overstay…
Universal You’s “Perfect EP” is pop perfection. Bursting with energy the EP virtually demands to be played loud. That way every particular nuance of the songs shines through: from the strong vocals to the infectious melodies, “Perfect EP” is exactly how pop music should be. In fact the vocals are the heart of the EP…
“Vinyl Floor is a 3-piece rockband which hails from Copenhagen, Denmark. The band was formed in 2007 and consists of the two brothers Thomas Charlie Pedersen and Daniel Pedersen and the longtime friend and colleague Rasmus Bruun. It’s always a breath of fresh air to hear a new and exciting band that’s not afraid to…
Let’s be honest for just a second shall we. I get a lot of albums sent my way for review and I mean a lot. Most of them don’t do anything for me. They don’t always get happily placed in the CD player, but the ones that do usually get a three song stay of…
Sarantos succeeds with beauty on “Let’s Call It Love”. The style recalls that of dimly lit Bossa Nova. Luxurious and rich the sound is pristine. Jazz-influenced the vocals are reminiscent of Arto Lindsay’s graceful singing. By letting these many elements play off of each other Sarantos is able to create an atmospheric, softly sung romantic…
In our modern age of Rap synths and autotune it can be difficult to find the top seeds among the harvest. What makes masters The White Stripes, The Lumineers and Two Door Cinema Club so sought after? Sure they sound good, they look great, the feel is good. But above that they got something else.…
Bobby Livingston’s “High & Away” displays a keen sense of storytelling. These songs play like chapters in a life. With each one representative of another phase of life they come together quite nicely to form a fully formed individual. Observations are astute. Here the band proves to be of the utmost importance helping to set…
‘Devadatta’ is the follow up album to 2010’s ‘A Century of Lullabies’. Much like it’s predecessor, it’s another concept album (with more than a nod to the progressive rock genre) mixing stark imagery, social commentary and humanist philosophy to create a tapestry of vivid soul-searching and storytelling. There is immensely detailed substance to this album,…
Patrick Ames sings directly from the heart. “Oakville Ontology” possesses a pure spirit. The songs are deeply felt. Ruminating on loss while looking for hope, the songs offer moments of quiet reflection. Arrangements are simple and effective. With a low key approach these are songs that have been worked on many times until they were…
Heart & Soul Radio “thieves” is an indomitable force. Bursting forth with great energy it is infinitely optimistic. Elements of it hark back to the halcyon days of alternative rock movement: of Dashboard Confessional, 30 Seconds to Mars, even Blink 182. Yes their songs are unforgettable. The choruses invite the listener to sing along. They…
A lot of rock bands forget the debt they owe the blues. Astrobleed is not one of those bands. Barreling through with powerful pieces that display true grit and soul, Astrobleed shows that it can say more without saying a word. Instrumental rock rarely sounds this unrestrained. The album virtually begs to be played loud…
Joseph Eid composes in an eclectic style borrowing from Folk-Pop music, combined with an Alt-Rock aesthetic. His lyrics share a black humor/self-deprecating sensibility. He writes of the mundane and the complex, and probably doesn’t understand everything but questions what he already knows. On this his latest entitled “Human” it seems to captures the spirit of…
Buffalo Huddleston Band’s “Sunrise” is a tapestry of sound effortlessly weaving together hip-hop, reggae, folk, and classical into a colorful whole. “Sunrise” Tasteful and refined they are a unique beast in the musical kingdom. No other band quite sounds like Buffalo Huddleston. Their vision is entirely their own. With a sound that remains playful yet…
“A Summer To Remember”, released March 6th of this year, is the debut EP of Los Angeles based singer-songwriter Tan. Born and raised in Malaysia, Tan always had a passion for music, contradictory to his upbringing and the established norms of success through traditional college education. Tan began his musical career as a child and…
The man of a million sounds and King of the Ztar produced a piece of work that is simply revolutionary, creative genius! The title of the record is ‘Baroque Rocks!” and it showcases Fradkin’s deep love for classical, Baroque-style music with 12 compositions that are pure as gold. Les pays homage to many of the…
ARJUN, the three-piece instrumental band from New York, has been trailblazing their own hybrid of rock and improvisational jazz since 2003. Made up of Eddie Arjun Peters (guitar), Lamar Myers (drums), and Andre Lyles (bass), ARJUN fuses the power of rock with improvisational alternative jazz, resulting in a delicate balance of intricately crafted melodies backed…
Jude Gwynaire’s music is other worldly, fascinating, engaging, challenging, and altogether mysterious. Time to get lost in space… Track URL: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/judegwynaire67 On ‘New York Ghosts’, Jude Gwynaire has created a sublime soundscape which is peppered with infectious drum beats, nervous sounding guitar riffs, and sliced up vocal samples that create a strange mixture of anxiety…
Solveig & Stevie’s “Fire and Other Playthings” harks back to a more innocent time in pop music. With a mellow sound they are able to accomplish quite a bit from the playful to the dramatic. The songs display Solveig’s power as a singer as well as Stevie’s adept restrained playing. A clear love of pop…
It’s funny how music can change. It’s so malleable; you could hear it in one setting and hate it, vowing to never again let such filth invade your eardrums again. I’m referring to mainly pop by the way. Then, you could hear it at a different time, in a different situation, a different artist…
“Diamond from Coal” is an album full of hope. The sound shines with cautious optimism about the future. Vocals are earnest. At times the songs embody the joy of “The Polyphonic Spree” with its giddy sensibilities. Synthesizers are prominently displayed throughout the album helping to emphasize the gleeful nature of the work. The many different…
Monique Angele is a unique emerging singer-songwriter from Toronto, Canada. Her self-titled debut EP is a combined style of classical and pop, officially naming it “divine pop.” Her versatile style portrays pianistic finesse and soaring vocals. Today I am listening to her debut self-titled EP released in 2014. This is such a complex, amazing and…
Rainstick Cowbell (Scott Arbogast) in an interesting Slop Folk artist based out of Portland, OR. As I gave this, his fourth release to date a right and proper listen I have to agree with the slop folk comments – but it also has remnants of classic Psychedelic Rock. I’m a huge fan of Psychedelic rock.…
After six arduous weeks of recording, the collaborators were met with a major setback: All twelve “Raven Heart” songs needed to be remixed and re-mastered. The problem was that Rachel Lynn had already scheduled a six-month U.S. tour to promote the album that would not be rescheduled. The decision was made: Cori Jacobs (Master Fader…
RxGF’s third full length release is action packed and positively brimming with indie cool. “How To Make It”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQR6urI2z4M#t=48 Listen to the full album Streaming links: BandCamp: https://rxgf.bandcamp.com/album/any-other-way SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/rxgf/sets/any-other-way-2014 Any Other WayOpening with title track ‘Any Other Way’, things sound painfully hip from the start, with its sprawling echoes and glacial tone that perfectly…
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…
Wolfgang Douglas’s “Wonderful Life” lets loose. Everything within the two songs emphasizes this carefree attitude. Sonically the songs resemble The Strokes’ second album hopped up on unreasonable amounts of caffeine. This means the hooks are strong. Rhythms are out of control moving as fast as possible. Lyrically the two songs reflect this overall gleeful abandon.…
Here’s to pouring old wine into new bottles. Hunter & The Dirty Jacks, a Los Angeles based blues-rock outfit, have self-released their full-length debut, Single Barrel, without even a blink of irony. While younger, retro-themed bands in other subgenres are increasingly steering towards sharper moments of outright parody, a unit like this never falls completely…
