CD and DVD reviews
Doug Ferony brings a creative flair to the timeless classic “Jingle Bells.” With a nice, fully fleshed-out big band swing, the song has a joyous communal presence. The band’s interplay features a great deal of fun, for they hold nothing back. Volume is an absolute must, for this is a sound that needs to be…
It starts with a mere growl, and before we know it, a groove urgently warning us of the apocalypse has picked up the track and made everything sound all the faster. Winchester Revival’s new single “Reborn, Reformed, Revived” is a beastly, unrelenting exhibition of strength and songcraft, and while it’s true that its cornerstones are…
Working Class Hussys are on a roll of late. They continue to marry Americana flavour with modern rock grooves as they release a string of singles this past year. Made up of lead singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist Ian Patrick Gentles and backing vocalist Paddy Lin, Working Class Hussys has an intriguing sound that can’t…
Chris Zurich’s new single “You’re My Crutch” is the latest release from a young singer/songwriter with a growing discography. This New York City artist plied his trade for some time on the Big Apple’s subway platforms and this constituted a baptism by fire few traditional venues can hope to match. His previous releases illustrated a…
Singer/songwriter Rory D’Lasnow plies his trade in familiar territory but with panache and individuality. It is often said that there’s nothing new under the sun, but there’s always a new way to say it. The New Jersey native’s EP Songs from an Empty Room is brimming with idiosyncratic turns of phrase and imagery mixed in a way…
There are a lot of different ways to establish a smooth pop sound inside of a single, but Barry Muir is intent on taking a blue-collar route to stardom in his lovely new track “Weathered the Storm,” which at times feels more like a cover of a classic than it does something recently penned. Through…
Hannyta combines the experience of Native American culture mixed with an electro-pop flourish on the truly inspired “Wildflower”. She incorporates a great deal of her heritage within the narrative. Lyricism here proves to be the very core of the track. Every word here is chosen with the utmost thoughtfulness to ensure that it covers every…
The strings dance ever so vibrantly to a cautious beat as we look in on the opening chords of “The Pen” by Corey Stapleton and The Pretty Pirates. The piano has yet to enter the fold, but there’s already a classiness to these first few bars that feels like the perfect bridge between pop/rock and…
Sun King Rising delivers pure fire on the swinging swagger of “Free Will in China Blue”. Blues, R&B, jazz, gospel, and more filter into the truly unique mix. Volume is a given for theirs is a strong atmosphere, one that draws you in. His voice rises above the rest of the mix, but the rest…
“Glance” is the dreamy new alt rock hit from Los Angeles’ rock outfit, The Tracks. Dripping with yearning lyrics and vocals that teeter-totter from residue marked glossy uber-focused imagery, to a foreground, omniscient observer. Rattled between the stanzas, and bridging the gap is a fierce guitar riff whipped into shape from the heavy lifting percussion.…
A tried-and-true Americana defines Richard Lynch’s elegant “Christmas Time”. Sung with such a deep resonate voice, the piece touches the very soul. Beyond the clear anchor in Americana, he brings pieces of country, rock, pop, and soul into the mix. The melodic richness completely consumes the listener for there is a delicate balance in the…
Kristi Flagg has a rich, musical history that included major touring and opening up for the likes of: Odetta, John Gorka, and the Indigo Girls. Kristi took a long, 25 year break from her busy schedule to focus on other things in her life. Then, in 2018 as if by fate, the microphone found Kristi…
Eugene Cole goes for an easy-going disposition on the soothing soul of “Together Forever In Love”. Vocals take front and center stage for there is a decadence to be felt within the entirety of the work. Done with such glee the track unfurls at its own leisurely pace. R&B, soul, and pop mix into a…
Tearing us asunder with every lumbering strike of the piano keys, we’re drawn closer to a world of melancholic melodicism in the painfully surreal “Coming Home” that is both ominous and strangely fascinating, especially if you’re as appreciative of dark harmonies as I am. The drums kick into place and the bassline starts to rumble…
Uncle Tadashi & Da Boyz feature a beautiful, communal spirit on the optimism of “Distant Dream”. Done with the utmost of dignity there is a lightness to be found within, one that touches the very soul. Instrumentally kept light on its feet, the song has a fragile, delicate balance about it. The amount of sunshine…
Daxton sings with heart and soul on the powerful “Otherside”. A strong bluesy quality dominates much of the work. Sung with tremendous fire to it, the rest of the band works wonders in accentuating the power of his words. The way it all comes together lends it a certain pathos for the word choice helps…
A minimal yet affectionate take on futuristic R&B, Leol provides a real passion on the intense “Savages”. The sound has a crystal clarity about it. Production has a great glimmering sheen about it making sure that every single detail matters. His voice is mixed front and center with a degree of pure love for the…
Scott Waters opens his album, Vibes For Miles, with “Love Is Gonna Find You,” and the optimism suggested by that title doesn’t lag much for the eleven songs on this consistently positive album. The lyrics to this album-opener, borrow from The Bible (“love is patient and kind”), as well as pantheism, in that God is…
Tar and Flowers blooms with a majestic, classic sound on the expansive “Western Symphony”. Sounds soar up into the heavens. A clear love for the psychedelic informs the entirety of the experience. Elements of spaghetti westerns, world music, indie rock, and ragas emerge throughout. By far the highlight comes from the soothing, smooth lived-in vocals…
Bob Dylan famously sang “the times they are-a-changin’” in 1964, giving way to a new style of American folk and poetry. Laura Sumner takes a cue from the famed songwriter and molds together the worlds of pop music and Americana in her new hit “American Man”. WEBSITE: https://www.laurasumner.com/ A masterful storyteller and magnetic singer, Sumner…
Elsewhere are, in some ways, a band from an earlier time. Their sound is thoroughly modern, they aren’t moored to the past in any way, but the artistic spirit behind this band adheres to a much different aesthetic. Elsewhere comes across as everyday people gifted with the ability to convey their thoughts and feelings through…
Aggression is where rock n’ roll began. Before there were music videos or even watching players on television, a desire to release was driving the gods of rock n’ roll into the theatre of creation like no one had ever known before, and it’s in this spirit that we find the new single “Am I…
Hello London sings straight from the heart on the shaggy dog style of “Stay That Way”. There is a clever mixture of lo-fi, folk, and indie rock that gets filtered into their unique vision. So much soul resides within this four-tracker. Done with such care and dignity there is a loveliness to be found in…
Frank Viele is a talented singer-songwriter, guitarist & performer and he has outdone himself with his latest EP titled ‘Time Is A Thief’. This project was spawned during the pandemic where Frank Viele realized time is much too valuable to waste. So, Frank put his pen to the test and started writing songs about the…
The title to Russell James album, Feel Your Pain, is a heck of a proposition. How many times have you heard someone say, ‘You could never feel my pain.’? One person can never fully feel another’s pain. Yes, we may offer to walk in another’s shoes, as a sort of social courtesy, but we never…
You can tell right away that Mark Joseph isn’t living the high life during the title track to his “Vegas Motel” release. Las Vegas is famous for its lavish hotel resorts. Many of these maximum occupancies are like small cities. They intentionally make it so guests don’t really need to leave their premises to get…
Longtime music listeners will relish the outright ambition on display here. BD Gottfried has a plethora of melodic skills at his disposal, sings like someone who knows well how to entertain large audiences, but he has something meaningful to say as well. Many of Onion Doves’ thirteen songs have a pronounced social consciousness though Gottfried is far…
The Insufferable Paul Scott? Hardly. Insufferable Nickelback, for sure, as well as – of course – severely insufferable Milli Vanilli. Paul Scott, however, knows how to create catchy, enjoyable pop-rock. He doesn’t bludgeon us, the way Nickelback does, nor try and fake it, as we all know Milli Vanilli got caught doing. Tea and Medals…
Austin’s Undermine is labeled cow punk on the group’s website. The term “cow punk” brings to mind old SoCal acts like Blood on the Saddle or Nashville’s Jason & the Scorchers. However, the act’s single, “Frost,” sounds like cow punk without the cow part. This track jumps right off with charging guitar chords and equally…
“What’s It Gonna Be” is a long song by singles standards, at 4:44. It’s a sultry R&B tune, featuring Rebecca Jade and some backing vocalists. With its horn-like backing instrumentation, “What’s It Gonna Be” sounds a little like an Earth, Wind & Fire song. It’s upbeat, but more thought provoking than dance inducing. Lyrically, this…
Some albums take a little time to grow on you, whereas others attach themselves and cling to you like a small child does to his/her mother. When New York Is Drowning is just such parentally bonding work. This Brooklyn-based act has created one crack-like addictive sonic substance with this one. While the quartet’s influences are…
Conceptually speaking, there’s really nothing elaborate about what Chukwudi Victor Otubelu is producing in the new single “Run Up My Bands.” From top to bottom, this is the kind of trap song that speaks to formulaic standards in the genre today more than it does the rebelliousness of its critically acclaimed past, but within that…
The first song that really strikes you on Steve Williams’ Surrey Road is called “Colours.” It begins by asking why we can’t have simple conversations anymore. It’s sung honestly and stream of consciously, like a – well – simple conversation. Although this is not an all-political topic album, this one song, nevertheless, will grab your…
The Orange Goodness is hyperactive rock act, so Flying Under The Radar Of Chaos is an appropriate title for the act’s five-song EP. The listener gets the feeling this music might go off the rails at any minute. Listening to it is the equivalent to that first energy drink of the morning. The trio mostly…
An ambient-dance bliss to behold, Earth To Abigail’s heartfelt ambient hues of “The Forest” are stunningly beautiful. Radiant colors pop throughout. The usage of found sounds and field recordings help to establish a sense of place within the work. Delicate touches further add to the fragile sense of geography within the work. Every track plays…
Fires of Denmark music will likely appeal to fans of post-punk, as well as Kraftwerk’s synth-pop inventions. This music is synth based in many places. It’s also rather dark throughout. Best of all, Relativity is an adventurous eight selection release. The album was tracked over a week’s time at a Frank Lloyd Wright house, which…
There’s just enough of a pressurized swell from the piano in the new single “Sweetest of Melody” for me to call the song the easiest-going of anything I’ve been listening to in the last few months, but you’re crazy if you think the performance Rina Chanel is giving here is solely about turning in a…
Bo Baskoro’s latest EP release Wildfire accomplishes more in six tracks than many of his contemporaries and peers achieve in two albums. Portland, Orgeon’s Baskoro debuted in 2016 and has released several singles and EP’s since then with clear growth defining each new outing. Wildfire hews close to many of his long-established songwriting and performing strengths, namely his emotive…
Synth pop outfit Babe Club’s new single “That Feeling” revolves around the duo of Jenna Desmond and Corey Campbell but boast a full-band sound. Campbell and Desmond initially met during their college years and began collaborating then. The pair later joined Americana influenced act Susto and this experience exposed their skills to a larger audience…
A duality of sorts informs the plethora of ideas that flow from Jasper “The Jazzmaster” Myers’ totally immersive double album “Juggernaut/Colossus”. One of those rare feats that brings the past and present together while pushing things forward into the future, there is a density to the sound here. Layers are brought in with care, for…
