CD and DVD reviews
JRtheBand imbues a great degree of sheer unbridled optimism on the lush “Blind Eye Beholder”. Heavily rooted in a folk ethos, the chamber pop aesthetic works wonders to fully extenuate the tenderness of his vocals. Word choice is done with an exceptional crystal clarity for he proves to be an exceptional storyteller. Melodies possess a…
The past comes back to haunt, but musically speaking “For What It’s Worth” has more to say with what Scott Celani adds to the Buffalo Springfield song about the coming of and age and this version is also about that and seems to beg for another blast through the ears of the world. And what…
Ten Penny Gypsy’s second studio album Fugitive Heart undercuts pre-conceived notions. It is common for albums following this musical path, Americana immersed in blues and country music influences specifically, to embrace somber songwriting subjects. The overall mood of this ten-track collection isn’t remorselessly happy-go-lucky, Ten Penny Gypsy tempers its emotional highs with maturity and a realistic point…
Many people say you have to have faith and one thing is for certain and that is that this particular Faith is hitting all the right, heavenly notes! This young Indie artist is dropping her debut single/video titled “Sweet Fantasy” and what an utter delight it is! It’s hard to believe that this song is…
Kelly’s Lot’s single, “Hurricane,” kicks off with bluesy acoustic guitar and harmonica. Lyrically, the song speaks to events in life that hit us much like a storm. “I lost my passion, I lost my bliss,” writer and vocalist Kelly Zirbes sings. “No bursting of joy for any of this.” No, this is not a happy…
Escape into the quaint, cozy small town living life and listen to the calling of singer/songwriter Jasmine Bharucha. Her smoky tones meshed with folksy delivery in her track “Fog Horn Blowing” is undeniably catchy and endearing. Inspired by the town of Steveston, British Columbia, Canada, Bharucha’s love for the tiny fishing town carries a heavy…
Horror, terror, and nostalgia become important weapons in Kilo House’s aural assault of “The Witching Hour”. Samples are worked through, twisted, distorted and stretched almost beyond recognition. Incredibly creative the beats skitter about resulting in a virtual kaleidoscopic rush of darkened hues. Little to no light comes into the fray for this are dark, brooding,…
Tina Sisay delivers a message of unity on the passionate soul of “Red Light and Blue”. A clever mixture of the faith in humanity alongside a desire to rise above what divides the world, the track radiates hope. Her voice possesses an incredible range working up from a hushed whisper to a tremendous soaring ray…
BSC consists of Chris Robertson (lead vocals, lead guitar), Ben Wells (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Jon Lawhon (bass guitar, backing vocals), and John Fred Young (drums, backing vocals). This release by the Kentucky band is their seventh, and will be available also on red transparent vinyl, Limited Edition CD Box Set and Digitally. Ride is…
Philip Scott Poli has been active in the Toronto area music scene for many years as a tenor vocalist for the band The Fabulous Haircuts. However, ‘One Sky’ is Poli’s first solo album and what a fantastic One it is! Spanning a decade’s worth of creative thoughts & material, ‘One Sky’ digs deep and supplies…
@skopemag HQ – http://smarturl.it/skope Bedroom-pop experts ROSEHIP TEAHOUSE share sprawling new cut ‘A Million Times’ Speaking ahead of the release, Rogers revealed: “‘A Million Times’ is a lot of my anxiety manifesting in a song. I was finding that I would try and mould myself into what I thought everyone else wanted from me, not…
Heistheartist offers a beautiful bit of bliss with “Landslide”. Done with the greatest level of care, they provide a fantastic cover of Fleetwood Mac’s gentle ode. Cascading gestures gingerly work their way through with a compassionate tact that feels ever so welcoming. Guitar work opts for a nimbleness for it deftly slides on through with…
Hemisphere opens its album, American Dream, appropriately with one titled “America.” Unlike much of the rhetoric we hear in the media today, this is a positive assessment of the United States. In fact, much of this 11-song album is overwhelmingly positive. There’s lots of really nice keyboard instrumentation working throughout the album. That, and harmony…
A physical bluesy quality permeates “Stick It To Ya” proving Izzie’s Caravan to be purveyors of deep, meaningful rock n’ roll. Their powerful interplay proves that they are a band that listener to each other. Much of the riffing results in a kaleidoscopic series of colors and patterns. Vocals seemingly rise out of these epic,…
Rev Peter Unger offers an ode to humility and admiration with “If I Were a Hero”. Lyrics focus on the self and the desire for self-improvement. Full of a sense of self-reliance that defines the American experience, there is a kindness and a quiet joy to the way that the piece evolves. Small gestures here…
As cool as a tropical breeze, Natty Prophets delivers a song of pure sunshine on the joyous “Cherish”. The celebratory spirit reveals itself in an updated reggae pop format. Bass has an expressiveness to it while it anchors the whole of the work. Guitar work goes for the right degree of laid-back beauty. Percussion has…
A confident swagger rests at the heart of Billy Ray Rock’s aptly named “I’m Bringing Rock Back”. Everything about the sound stuns: from the righteous guitar riffs that run through it to the force of nature of the percussion. His voice seems to harken back to rock n’ roll’s greats. Shoutouts are given in ample…
Summer of Love, as its eclecticism-alluding title would suggest, isn’t a record that features an artist in Robert Miller of Project Grand Slam who is even the least bit interested in coloring inside the lines. From the moment that we press the play button on the opening song in the tracklist, “Aches and Pains,” through…
Mardini is Chris Mardini, and he’s not your average modern artist to say the least, he is a force to reckon with on his new breakout debut EP – Out Of Pocket. I could just be sugarcoating something because Mardini is so young and has such a long future ahead, but when I am genuinely…
I want to see you dance, I want to see you party, showstopper and songstress Cristal Carrington sings. The song – “See You Dance” keeps the party bumping way into the winter months. Carrington, who hails from Baltimore, Maryland, is on the scene with her debut album Revenge. Spunky and freeing, “See You Dance” has…
A stream of consciousness confessional approach reigns supreme over the sparse folk musings of Psychopath Etiquette’s “When Anxieties Attack”. Things are kept to the essentials merely a voice and a guitar at first. Within this careful construct a thoughtful musing emerges. Every word is delivered with so much honesty as each verse is weighted with…
“Take the time to know me / Take the time to sit down / And I’ll tell you my story / What’s lost can be found” sing a passionate Twin Flames in the song “Outcast,” one of the more powerful performances to be observed on their new album Omen. Offering a genuine Album of the Year…
‘In The Middle Of Hope’ is the latest release from Mike Montrey Band and what a dynamite job overall on this 6-song set! This new record is chock-full of promising & optimistic messages, which we could all use right now! This album offers plenty of heart, soul and fine musicianship all around. The group is…
This project all started back in 2018 and has blossomed into 10 well-executed songs all dedicated to the great Neil Young. All songs on ‘Words’ are written by singer/songwriter, Neil Young with the exception of one written by Steven Stills of Crosby, Stills & Nash. Larry Schmid is on vocals, guitars, harmonica and mandolin and…
As much as it’s been true of his past works, and especially those to have won him the respect of critics around the globe, I’m not sure that the groove and its magnificent power have played as big a part in making a song work Ronnue as it does in the new single and music…
Waterplanet’s “Girl” is built upon a sparse backing of primarily rhythmic electric guitar. There’s drumming, but it’s relatively quiet. There is a counter melody provided by chimes. The vocals on the song’s chorus sound a touch like The Turtles sunshine pop of the Sixties (think “Happy Together”). The song’s title is a little deceptive. It’s…
Alex Price is from Ontario, Canada, but if his single is true to life (which he says it is), he needed to go all the way to Los Angeles to finally fall in love. He explains how the song was inspired by his first trip to Los Angeles. He’d been playing a guitar riff over…
Matty Marz says his single, “Mine!,” took a full three years to create. That sounds more like Steely Dan, which also took that long – but to create full albums! He describes the song’s lyrics to be about “a blossoming relationship.” Let’s hope that relationship didn’t take three entire years to blossom, as well. The…
Ryan Todd Garza’s single, “These Arms of Mine,” is taken from his album Ekam. The song is a soft and gentle recording, featuring Garza’s tender singing voice, which is placed atop acoustic guitar and accompanied by supporting violin. The track also includes organ running through it. It’s a pretty, if extremely sad, song. The album’s…
The first few seconds of “Transmission” by Hemisphere sounds like the beginning to Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark.” It has the pop sheen that Springsteen created in the ‘80s while taking a break from the E Street Band. However, after an extended synthesizer part, the vocal kicks in – and it’s not at all…
One can easily imagine how fans that miss those early those days of Killers music will take a liking to “Hold Me” by Harbor and Home, off the group’s Hold On To Love album. Vocalist Kaleb Williams sings this love song with a conspicuous quiver in his voice, similar to Brandon Flowers. Even before the…
Frankie Marcos is the founding member of the band Clouds and together, with the help of Grammy & Emmy award-winning jazz artist Arturo Sandoval, have created pure magic on “Oh Havana, When I Think of You”. This song and video captivates the audience with stellar audio and pleasant imagery. Just stop everything you’re doing for…
Maybe you need to be from the Los Angeles area to get this joke, but Velodrone clarifies, “We are not cyclists, but a power trio ROCK BAND in Los Angeles, CA,” on the group’s Facebook page. They’re likely referring to the Olympic Velodrome (entirely different word) in Carson, CA where 1984 Summer Olympics bicycling events…
The effortlessly cool jazz rock fusion of Edward W. Sealey’s “Brighter Than This (Ft. Felton Pilate)” displays a deft understanding of pop dynamics. Chops are abundantly clear throughout as the guitar and keyboard fuse to become one. Without needing to say a single word they forge their own path one that offers rising action with…
CIENFUE’S music has been described as psicodelia tropical, which speaks to the Panamanian region where the man is from. Life in the Tropics is the artist’s first English-Language album, and it’s a jumbo variety-packed release. Latin music has been burning up the pop charts of late. Whereas not all that long ago, it would have…
Get ready for a musical duo that will knock your socks off with their third album titled ‘Shadow of the Cyclone’. Aaron Nathans is a guitarist/songwriter from Philadelphia and Michael G. Ronstadt is a cellist/songwriter based in Cincinnati. Together, these artists have created music that speaks volumes and offers much depth. With 11 songs on…
With a heavy-handed thrust to lead the way, Dan Ashley’s new single “We Stayed Home” comes stomping out of the silence ready to turn any mundane moment into a memorable highlight of the day. While it’s beat is saturated in a poppy swing that doesn’t necessarily match up with the rustic feel of the strings…
Como Asesinar a Felipes is a Chilian band, which is also known by the acronym CAF, and its new single is titled “Hemos Vuelto del Abismo,” which translated means, ‘We have returned from the abyss.’ It’s taken from the group’s album, MMXX, released on October 16. It is also a strangely moody song, too, which…
Under the Gallows revel in a dark brooding series of vignettes on their self-titled debut. Pain, loss, salvation, and searching rest at the center of the entire sound. They deliver these narratives with so much fire and passion. Vocalist Brandon Gallemore opts for a commanding presence for his voice conveys so much anguish with a…
I love music which I can’t quite put my finger on. Music which doesn’t fit neatly into one box or another. That’s why Rodeo is an interesting prospect. It’s not really pop but utilises all of the energy and engaging qualities that pop professes to run on. It isn’t quite rock but employs some of…
