CD and DVD reviews
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…
American Greed’s single “Together” is the title cut from the band’s new full-length release. Bandleader and drummer Michael Mesey is the central figure behind American Greed and his long pedigree in music, including playing drums for Chuck Berry and rockers Head East, is apparent throughout the track. He’s joined by four other class musicians and…
Yes, it’s a little unusual to find an electro duo that is a mother/son collaboration. However, after you get past the unlikely combination of a mom and child making dance music together and hear the actual music they’ve created together, you know it’s legit. Vanessa Littrell (mom) is a strong, expressive vocalist, and Bowman Littrell…
Sam Green and the Time Machine’s creative run from 2013 through 2018 is unlike any I’ve recently encountered. The Australian born singer/songwriter and poet has been a presence in the national music scene down under for many years, but the string of releases he authored within those five years defines prolific. Green released five full…
Old school vibes in pop music are making a big comeback in the 2020s, and if you’re wondering why, I would recommend taking a peek at the American underground and artists like Ronnue, whose new single in “Dance Tonight” is the perfect blend of retro R&B and modern pop physicality tailor-made for this discriminating generation…
It’s often said the music gene runs in the family. In Sugar Addikt’s case, that’s couldn’t be more true. This mother and son duo demonstrates that special synergy that only a family bond can foster as their infectious electronic anthems are released into the world. What struck me most when first listening to their debut…
Drifters In Vellichor are back with another belter as they explode into 2021 with their latest single ‘The Shadow’. The duo is made up of Dan Black and Rich Barnett’s musical mastery, as they boast a beautifully diverse repertoire. Featuring their uniquely genre-fusing flavour is the dynamic debut EP ‘Forgotten Tracks’ that burst onto the…
Indie rock band Highland Kites released a new single, “Long Road” on April 21st, 2021. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Highland Kites is made up of Marissa Lamar on lead vocals, guitar and piano and Neil Briggs on drums. Their music creates dreamy landscapes around brutally honest and direct lyrics; interweaving themes of hope into dark…
The New Chums call their new, five-song EP Shruggin’ Off The Feelings, and then spend the whole 17 minutes of the project singing about their feelings. Then again, shrugging off feelings is much easier said than done. Without expressed feelings, there would be no pop music, after all. Objective music might please, say, mathematicians, but…
Featuring the music of independent artists that were accepted by the Recording Academy™ 1st voting ballot for consideration for the 63rd Grammy Awards®. A fiery blistering guitar solo opens up Fiction Syxx’s undeniably decadent “Bleed For The Truth”. Everything about the track possesses such urgency. Nods to Type O Negative’s industrial gothic approach dominate much…
The DK Effect is from the deep (Australian) south, which in Aussie terms, means Tasmania. However, this 8-piece band sounds as though it could just as easily be from the deep American south. Its 10-track album primarily touches upon various black music styles. “God Forgive Me,” for instance, sounds like a Sunday morning gospel choir.…
Rev Peter Unger looks for the silver lining on the contemplative “Storm Clouds In the Sky”. He sings with such grace and patience, for his lyrics are ones that have a timeless classic cadence about them. A deft mixture of folk, gospel, and country filter into the soothing lovely sound. The attention to detail means…
For most of us, this past year has put a pause on even our best-laid plans. Yet for the upcoming artist Gozie Ukaga, it’s proving to be a pivotal milestone. Gozie’s debut EP ‘Shade’, released back in 2019, is one of the most impressive debut’s I’ve been put onto. With intricately sculpted soundscapes, Gozie’s synth-oriented…
When I hear the words “Tears In Heaven” I immediately think of the MTV unplugged video from 1992 of Eric Clapton pouring his grief out on the stage. If the song doesn’t make you cry at least once, there might be something wrong. The song, written about the loss of the rock star’s young son,…
Carnal, animalistic, unfiltered sexual desire – we’ve all got it, and sometimes there’s no choice but to act on the urges it induces when presented with the right kind of partner to share the night with. In his new single, the well-titled “Instant Sex,” Rob Alexander isn’t getting hung up on what happens between the…
To say Joy Harjo is unique, would be putting it mildly. Joy Harjo is an American poet, playwright, musician, and author. Her album, I Pray for My Enemies, is filled with poetry, just as you would expect from a United States Poet Laureate. However, there is so much more than Harjo’s Native American poetry contained…
Greg Smith’s album title, “Redemption Road,” suggests a kind of musical reckoning. It may make you think of the Apostle Paul’s road to Damascus, a path where sweeping transformation takes place. Maybe this change is happening to Smith, as well. It just doesn’t ever sound nearly that epic. This is because Smith’s music is so…
Because Villains is Travis James’ solo project, with Yes, his three-song EP. In fact, Travis wrote and recorded this release. The release opens with one titled “The Feeling.” This recording kicks off with just some tasty guitar work and James’ breathy lead vocal. Lyrically, it finds Travis playing Monday morning quarterback, if you will, and…
I have never heard the term ’emo-positive’ before, yet the self-coined term by Meghan Pulles encapsulates the spirit, heart and emotion of her music perfectly. What struck me most when delving through the singer-songwriters repertoire was the unwavering authentic and honest feel that engulfs you in each song. Since the age of seventeen, Meghan Pulles…
Aint Afraid is a duo that creates positive rap music. However, they also list acting, storytelling and modeling as some of their many creative outlets. They also wear their hijabs unashamedly in performance, which reveals then to be two artists that are quite serious about their religious faith. Their album is, nevertheless, filled with plenty…
Billy Jeter’s new album Shine Eye Landing is as finely crafted as any musical release I’ve heard in recent memory and brimming with emotion. The album’s ten songs are rife with blues, folk, and country influences without ever seeming beholden to any particular instrumental voice. A large reason for this is Jeter himself. Though backing…
What an incredibly refreshing listen here as Robby Rothschild captures my attention from beginning to end. This is an artist with a true voice & vision who performs each song from the heart. Robby Rothschild invites you to take a round-trip listen taking in all of the unique chords and melodies along the way. One…
With Keep On Climbin’, West Side Joe & The Men Of Soul give us a survey of soul music’s past. Each track is just a little bit different from the others, and each approaches the genre from slightly different angles, yet all are authentic, and all are good. The album’s title track goes all the…
From the delightful swing of “I Miss My Miss in Mississippi” to the quiet march of “Dyin’ to Hold Her Again,” there isn’t much about the joy in Bridges and Backroads that doesn’t come from its incredible string play in one way or another. In his sixth album, Jerry Salley puts a lot of stock…
It’s no debate that live venues have been hit pretty hard this past year. Well our knight in shining cowboy hat, Phil Robinson, is releasing a single to help out. The New York native is releasing an acoustic version of his country crowd-pleaser ‘Transcendental Cowboy’. The singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist is releasing his first single…
Gary Pratt delivers a pitch-perfect piece full of honestly on the aptly named “A Song You Can Drink A Beer To”. The song has a playful disposition to it as it goes through all the many different life events that can be a cause for having a beer from the joyous to the sorrowful. With…
Brian Shapiro of his band of the same name has led nothing less than interesting life. Growing up the son of the attorney of Fleetwood Mac, he’s always been surrounded by music, both in the romantic sense of being able to see literal legends perform in front of him in the recording studio, but he’s…
Of the many changes the music industry has faced in the new decade, the possibility of achieving pop stardom has never been more viable and possible than in today’s modern streaming landscape; artists as monumental and well-known as Billie Eilish have done incredible things with minimal recording setups, ending up achieving all but global domination…
Lightning never strikes twice, that’s the general understanding. People often equate this with stellar debuts and performances in art, sports, and other high-standing careers within the public eye. Well, not to burst any bubbles, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is here to tell you that “actually, lightning can, and often does, strike the…
A western twang rings through and true on John Vento’s passionate “New Mexico Way”. The sound itself recalls New Mexico’s wide-open vistas and beautiful landscape. Volume is a must for this is a force of nature that cannot be tamed. Right in the very heart of the sound are John’s commanding vocals. With the rest…
“A world in which people seek the uncertainties, and possibilities, of art” is the vision of one of the most innovative ensembles to be gracing the popular music landscape right now. With the recent release of their latest album, it’s undeniable that Art Of Time Ensemble is bringing that vision to life. Led by the…
A tender quiet ode, Mauri Dark delivers something quite heartfelt on the touching “Love Will Prevail”. Never raising his voice, he explores an entire universe of compassion throughout the whole of the trac. Things are kept to the basics for he taps into the very essence of good folk – the way that the piece…
E.G. Holmes delves into a living, breathing communal sound on the bold big band spirit of “Time To Rest”. Stylistically he incorporates elements of jazz, rock, the blues, and more into the singular approach. By far the true heart of the album rests with the power of his vocals which have a fully realized power…
This April The Bongo Boy Rock n Roll TV show series new episode features 7 music videos by independent artists from around the world. The TV show can be seen on 72+ Terrestrial TV Channels in the USA and Bongo Boy TV always uploads each episode in HD to Vimeo for viewers outside of our…
Comfort Cat, who sings these twelve songs, is a vocalist that plays a guitarlele, which is a six-stringed ukulele. These friends include Jason Laney playing keyboards and providing percussion, and bassist/guitarist Dan Veksler. Originally from the west coast, Comfort Cat has played music in New York City fifteen years now. There are a wide range…
With summer looming and normal life peering on the horizon, it’s about time we found a suitable soundtrack for our sunny days. Well, I may have found it. THRILLCHASER (yes, caps every time) are offering up an alternative anthem to bring the vibes this Spring. Their upcoming single ‘Fantasy’ is the first release from the…
