CD and DVD reviews
There is lots of talk in music making circles about “groove.” Often it gets used to describe everything from melody to beat to rhythm to bass lines but a groove is less definable than those more tangible things. It is something which exists partly in the sonic world and partly in a spiritual one. It…
Nothing sinful at all with this latest single from Bigg Homie Sin as “Therapy” will add some bounce to your step. This may be a therapeutic release for Bigg Homie Sin & Feel Banks because they appear to be hitting on relevant topics that hit home for many. Bigg Homie Sin & Feel Banks are…
Silence may be in the name, but this debut album from West of House is anything but quiet! Crescendo of Silence is a striking new album from emerging alt rock band West of House. The band, comprising of: Erick Bieger, Kevin Huynh, Dave Roberts, Lance Bletscher, and Tommy Maras hail from Orange County, California. Their influences however,…
Trey Connor’s single, “Fear,” is drawn from his Horizons album. Connor, who is just 23, has already appeared on NBC’s The Voice in 2015, where he was a casting finals participant. He is based in the good musical breeding ground of Austin, TX. The song’s title comes along in the track’s very first line, when…
Five-piece bands have a special place in the history of rock n’ roll. Two guitars, a bass, drums and a powerhouse lead vocalist – it’s a combination that can’t be beat, and for Moon Fever, it’s the right setup to produce some of the smokiest alternative rock I’ve listened to in a long time. Their new single…
Like the cruel wee-hours of the morning shift, or calloused hands from working construction, the tale singer and songwriter, Brandyn Cross, shares in his single “If Money Talks (It Ain’t on Speakin’ Terms With Me)” co-written by Daryl Stevenett is embedded in the heart of every person earning a paycheck. A fulfilling day’s work can…
Tom Ciurczak is originally a New Yorker who relocated to the West Coast in his early twenties. Now in Los Angeles, California, Tom has music running through his veins. Tom has been writing songs since the young age of 12 and even played in numerous rock bands back in his New York days. Tom Ciurczak…
CIENFUE’s “Eyes Wide Open Remix of “Open Her Eyes,” begins slowly and traditionally with what sounds like pan flute accompaniment. Once the vocal comes in, the track is transformed into an easygoing reggae tune. It prominently features a clacking rhythm part, as well. Furthermore, it includes a tropical-sounding electric guitar counter melody. The best term…
Soft vocals, a searing pair of guitars, a poetically melodic piano and subtle bassline are all churning together in a vortex of harmonies inside of Pretty Awkward’s new single “Misfits,” but while this latest release is perhaps the band’s most complicated by design, it’s also their smoothest in finish. URL: https://www.prettyawkwardband.com/ SMART URL: https://orcd.co/misfits From…
The PondHawks, as one of the country’s leading indie bands has just released “Invisible Stranger”, a chorale or chant for these challenging and unpresidential times. A warning and inspired hope, the song brings to light the fragrance of issues surrounding the pandemic in a musical soliloquy. The PondHawks have a unique harmonic sound like no…
Los Musick/P.A.T. Louisiana’s Finest delivers a timeless confident sound on the fantastically funky “Inside The People: The Sequel”. A true joy to behold they jump genres with gleeful abandon. The stylistically tour-de-force races from classic rock to G-Funk to hip-hop. Within a singular song they manage completely defy listener expectations for their ear for melody…
Really big things are happening in the pop music genre right now thanks to the advent of studio technology in recent times, but some artists – like Taylor Colson, for example – are keeping their aesthetical approach to the craft rather simple and subsequently yielding a substance of riches in their work. Colson’s new single,…
Lace describes its music as the combination of “four eclectic musicians” that incorporate elements of “neo-soul, Konnakol inspired grooves and jazz harmony to form” a unique sound. We all know what neo-soul and jazz are, but what the heck is Konnakol? Konnakol, which is sometimes spelled ‘Konokol’ or Konakkol,’ has been defined as the art…
Two hungry rappers hailing from Texas and Louisiana are excited to release their new record titled ‘Inside The People- The Sequel’. Los Musick & P.A.T. Louisiana’s Finest certainly have southern roots but before you jump the gun and think “Dirty South” style…FREEZE! Hold up, stop, wait and forget it when it comes to that predetermined…
Bruce Wayne Carl is known as Warbler BC, and his album, Warbler BC One, is a short – but by no means sweet – six-song set. He’s been described as a tortured musical soul. Well, the tortured soul label fits, that’s for sure. The music he creates is consistently sad, so don’t select this release…
This MC from New York is just simply relentless! Flippin’ Gothic Fabp consistently churns out track after track with no end in sight! I’ve been fortunate enough to listen to many of Fabp’s songs over the years and review the material. What I can honestly tell you is that Flippin’ Gothic Fabp is constantly evolving…
The 2010s were a transformative time for CCM, and if you were following some of the genre’s more noteworthy scenes during any part of the decade, you know that the best talent came out of the underground and, for the most part, remained there. Take Lavendine for example – years after the initial release of…
Opening with a mournful acoustic piano part, Paul Karcz’s single “Home” builds into an emotional power ballad. The song’s artwork is just as dramatic. It features ghost-like figures heading to an old house right around evening time. Home is usually such a comforting concept. However, this song leaves anything but a comforting feeling within the…
Ella Blue is unapologetically herself, something female artists are often discouraged from being. But not Blue – she has forged a music career centred on one premise – wearing your heart on your sleeve makes you strong, not weak. Growing up in a dysfunctional family, with addiction at its core, Blue writes from the pain…
At the core of Ohio trio Coldswell are two brothers; Evan (guitar, vox) and Brandon Krise (drums). They are joined by talented bassist Ian Hudson, whom Evan met studying Music Technology at Kent State University. The story goes that Evan filled in on drums for Ian’s music theory composition project when the drummer initially set…
The life of Des Cox is an interesting one to say the least, and it would take a lot of space to cover it all but the five tracks presented so far for a future double album can be covered along with some of it. This is no ordinary artist, Des Cox is well known…
A silky-smooth voice rests in the very center of Sangeeta Kaur’s ethereal “Illuminance”. Her breathy vocals have an angelic quality to them while they unfurl at their own pace. Quite operatic in their cadence the ambient classical bliss works wonders in creating a fully soothing sound. So reassuring the way the action ebbs and flows…
For the past 13 years, songwriter Jason Perrillo has been crafting music from his NY studio. A producer and multi-instrumentalist to boot, Perrillo has all the skills. His music is a kaleidoscope of colourful sound; melodies and textures interwoven much like a beautiful watercolour. Now, for his new album ‘Halcyon’ (being released in September 2020),…
A big, brash and bold swinging sound defines the Brokys On Band’s “Las Vegas Experience”. Energetic to its very core the whole group appears to be quite game. Nimble instrumentals and smooth vocals lead the way. The timeless take on these standards feels outright joyous. Virtually bursting at the seams, the sheer amount of versatility…
The man behind Seven Crows is violinist, composer & band leader Chris Murphy and get ready for an electric wonderland full of different moods & soundscapes. “Secrets of Navigation” is the title track on the full album by Seven Crows and I have to say that this track is smooth sailing at its finest. This…
You may be thrown for a loop while listening to the bluegrass-y (meaning, plenty of bluegrass instrumental elements) on “Early to Bed, Early to Rise” off Liam Moore’s second album, Visions of a Perfect life. This is because Moore spends much of his day job time writing classical music for choirs and chamber ensembles. The…
I have to say that this is one crafty take on the original, which was originally performed by Pat Benatar. Pat Benatar rocked the hell out of “Invincible” back in the day and now Cyborg Asylum gives its own, futuristic spin on the brand new single. With elements of: electro post-industrial alt-rock, Cyborg Asylum is…
Bloomr came to play and they are not messing around on the new release titled “Vamanos”. This single has an overload of energy that never fizzles out from beginning to end. Bloomr will have you hook, line and sinker throughout the entire track, so all I have to say is “Vamanos”! Bloomr was started by…
It is impossible for me to dislike this song. I knew from the beginning, when the slinking groove kicks in, that this single “Buddha” would win me over. Elz Bentley’s vocal style sealed the deal as words and images began rolling out of him, bouncing with the rhythm, darting, ricocheting through my head. He knows…
A soulful, elegantly crafted “Work With Whatcha Got” shows off the Bobby Deitch Band’s impressive, undeniable chops. Going for a truly impressive, all-encompassing sound there is something outright joyous about the way the tracks all come together to create a vast tapestry. Tremendous color pours out of every piece from the taut guitar riffs to…
Starting out in New Jersey in the 1960’s, Walter has always brought the whole package of writing, playing, and singing on his blues journey. His lengthy trip took him from stage to stage with the likes of Canned Heat, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, and John Lee Hooker among others. This album continues in Walter’s trend of…
Jeffrey Li is only 15 years old, but his commentary on romance through retrospection in the single “Anniversary” is mature far beyond what the status quo in pop music would normally call for. An acoustic guitar is waiting to greet us shortly after pressing the play button in “Anniversary,” and while its strings emit a…
Echoing the beauty of singers like Joni Mitchell and the smoke-hued timbre of Fiona Apple, Los Angeles-based Temme Scott offers sanctuary with her dynamic pop number, “A Lot To Lose”. Part peppy and particularly inward, the song leaps Scott farther onto the national radar than her previous singles. What hasn’t changed is Scott’s talent at…
“Voo Doo” by The Jorgensens, is a title that refers to Louisiana Voodoo. We know this because its lyric namedrops Dr. John, one of New Orleans’ primary proponents of voodoo-infused New Orleans music. It’s also been said voodoo’s liturgical language is Louisiana Creole, and this is one of the two primary heritage languages (the other…
Gepe’s single, “Confia (Trust),” featuring Vicentico, begins with what sounds like traditional Latin acoustic guitar. However, what follows is a long way from traditional Latin music – especially visually. The video next opens a door into a four-piece band playing. Not just any four-piece, mind you, but four skeletons performing with rainbow-colored instruments. The band…
Sings Some Great Songs Pt.4 by Hughie Mac is another installment of a series of releases where he sings the greats with his own flair, never disgracing the originals in the process. Mac sings around the greater Philadelphia area in pubs, private parties, and senior centers. The authenticity of his voice is on the level…
Jay Stott is a man of many talents who has seen and done a lot in his lifetime. Everything from a ski instructor, fishing guide, bus driver, brick layer, carpenter, hot tub technician, retail worker, raft guide, janitor, heavy equipment operator, house painter to a vacuum cleaner salesperson, airport shuttle driver, bouncer in a strip…
Art Schop is an intuitive artist who seems to be in tune with the universal space of time & sound that surrounds him. Art Schop is set to release his new single “In The Street” off of the upcoming album titled “Starguide”. When you hit Play, the listener will immediately think that they’ve been sucked…
For many young listeners, the song “In the Dark” will strike them as a great new song. But for the older among us, this Billy Squier tune will provide a wonderfully welcome jolt of familiarity and happy nostalgia. This was a single taken from Squier’s album Don’t Say Now, the same album that gave us…
Steeped in raw, lo-fi psychedelia and surreal alternative folk alike, to say that Streaking in Tongues’ sound is as one of a kind as it gets might not be doing it the justice it deserves. The scattered patches of noise and melodic textures that one encounters when listening to any of their records often provokes…
