CD and DVD reviews
When you first see the words The Catalina, one might think of an exotic island or tasty salad dressing OR perhaps the freakin’ “Catalina Wine Mixer”! Well, The Catalina is neither an island oasis, condiment or “Wine Mixer” although the vibe has a welcoming taste that is fine as wine. The Catalina is actually a…
Ascending from the silence like a divine force that was always meant to rise from this earth and return to the heavens from which it was originally sent, we discover the opening bars of “Get Closer” adorned with a melody as rich as it is palatable to anyone who loves piano-driven pop music. Even before…
An arresting song from a rising star – “I Don’t Need You (Ryan Riback Remix)” from singer and songwriter Maggie Szabo expands its pop sounds into a tricky EDM realm. The sweeping backdrop and gorgeous vocals are just two things that make this feisty track a winner. Taking to task the turmoil that has haunted…
Some times when you listen to music it can be background noise. Filler music. Even if you have the radio or Spotify playing at your work station throughout the day, you sort of just blend into the sounds. This is far from the case for Casely. His new track “Never Be Alone” swallows the listener…
With a name like Bobbo Byrnes, I am already anticipating something super fun & highly original and I have to say that this singer/songwriter did not let me down! The latest single titled “Queen of the Party” is off of Bobbo’s new album called ‘SeaGreenNumber5’. This song is dedicated to all of the female musicians…
An entire universe emerges on Freddy Charles’ immersive “Emportez Moi”. Sprawling epic ballads define the whole of the album. The incorporate of funk, the blues, alongside a driving classic rock flavor lends the album a timeless tasteful air. Instrumentally vibrant the tracks teem with life. Vocals have a fiery, passionate core to them. Layer upon…
Kokou Kah describes himself has a Liberian-Minnesotan afro fusion artist, which is a description that may take you more than a minute to untangle. The single “Best Friend” is taken from Kah’s album Nefi. It’s dance-y song, which is sung in a hip-hop cadence. The song’s video features Kah performing in front of some colorful…
One song immediately comes to mind the moment Second Hand Mojo’s “Open Up Your Mind” begins playing, and that’s Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” This song has a similar tempo and melody. However, that’s pretty much where these song similarities end. Axl Rose was singing to his child, while Second Hand Mojo has…
Alias Wayne’s “Joan of Ottawa” is an acoustic rock song, which features Wayne singing the song’s lyrics with a gritty, rock & roll vocal tone. Stylistically, this track may remind you of grunge music. It’s an extended piece, clocking in a at just shy of five minutes long, and features a long electric guitar solo…
Meghan Pulles’ single, “Light After Loss,” is the sound of an artist in transition. Pulles was raised in Florida but relocated to New York City. She is a trained opera singer and a theater actress that describes her evolution to this current role as a singer/songwriter, as something both healing and spiritual. “Light After Loss”…
Alias Wayne has political thoughts on his mind, which he expresses with his new EP Firebrand. This six-song project opens with “Radiation Town,” his commentary on climate change. The song is a funky rocker, colored with organ fills. Wayne’s point is that the weather’s hot now, hotter than before, which he believes is caused by…
Hereami’s “Flow State (mix. 7)” is the sound of one man’s search for peace. It’s a slow track, with a sparse musical backing. The song’s title may refer to what positive psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi refers to as an “optimal state of consciousness.” This is that mental place where we feel and perform our absolute best.…
Get ready to catch a cool “Breeze” from One Less Guest on their new single. This song is off of the band’s debut album titled ‘Monochrome’ and what a fresh release it is! “Breeze” will make you feel better and is sure to brighten up your day a bit. One Less Guest is a quartet…
With a subtle click, “Dream Symposium” begins to unfurl its collection of beats with a hesitant sway. That very sway will soon grow into a beastly wave as we continue on here, in the opening song of Toronto Tabla Ensemble’s new album Unexpected Guests, but as we’ll learn in its tracklist, this record is full of…
In what feels like a love letter one writes to themselves, tucking it away to read during trying times, the Dallas String Quartet’s version of “Better Days” is the remedy to feeling low. Originally recorded by One Republic in March 2020 as a response to COVID-19, DSQ elevates the listener into a world of no…
A firefly makes its way across the sundown. The insect is sprinting to find cover for the nightfall. The city is aglow with the sounds and flavors of dancing everywhere. These are just a few of the feelings evolving from the track “Indulgent Fool”, a passionate instrumental from New York City’s Gasoline Tequila. To listen…
The buoyant beat that we discover upon pressing play on the new single from pop singer Johnnie Mikel, “Nothing to Lose,” is indeed one of the more potent elements that the song has in store for listeners this June, but it’s hardly the star of this show. That title belongs to the lush lead vocal…
Kaveh Karandish’s “Spirit of Hope” delves into a blissful, hallowed realm full of endless possibilities. Without needing to say a single word a narrative begins to unfurl. The delicate piano playing ties the entire album together anchoring it in a sense of optimism. Arrangements effortlessly swirl around the majesty of Kaveh Karandish’s uncanny chops, with…
I was taken aback by the high quality and well-executed detail put into this new release by Kristian Montgomery & The Winterkill Band. Come to find out that this album was inspired by Kristian’s time spent in prison, so the material is extremely personal. It goes to show that light can form out of darkness…
EP ‘Magenta Carta’ sees four piece Worry Party channel bliss in the form of three tracks. Being made from a mix of casual everyday samples and guitar jams, the band communicates that we can find beauty even in the most mundane things, through the talent of their own musicianship. In Chell’s own words, “It was…
With a title like “Mind Reverse Hypnosis 432Hz meditation with Romantic Indian Flute Binaural 3D,” this Art Tawanghar presentation sets your listening expectations sky high. This is worlds away from mindless pop music, and Tawanghar’s recordings have always existed on a plane far above most other pedestrian instrumental music. Most all of us believe in…
The Insufferable Paul Scott titles his new four-song EP Radio Station. The title song’s chorus finds Scott declaring, “You’re my radio station.” Presumably, Scott is talking about a girl via this declaration. But maybe not. Whatever the case, some of the song’s lyrics may not make sense unless you’re an alternative music fan. For instance,…
David K. Mathews is certainly no stranger to the music world as the current keyboard player for the incomparable Santana plus he formerly toured with the band Tower of Power and spent 20 years touring with the great Etta James. Along the way, David has performed with many accomplished artists/musicians and this new project is…
I had the pleasure of reviewing a previous release for Phantom Phunk and knew right away that these guys were true originals, (https://skopemag.com/2020/02/06/phantom-phunk-new-single-day-by-day). Phantom Phunk’s overall sound is truly unique to the core and their latest release, “One Week Ago” stays right in line with this notion. Phantom Phunk includes four members: Hector on guitar…
Hailing from Boston, Jeff Michaels Band is providing fresh, substance-heavy material on the new release titled “Annie”. With elements of polished rock and pop, Jeff Michaels Band gives the audience something new to chew on. Not your basic, mainstream pop/rock song, “Annie” is so much more offering the listener high-quality tunes. Jeff Michaels is a…
8rooklyn 8atman isn’t playing games with the listeners in his new single “Chitty Bang;” for all intents and purposes, he’s going after the climax here harder than most any of his peers are this summer. “Chitty Bang” isn’t structured around a single-dimension hook at all; contrarily, there’s a multifaceted layout to the verses in this…
Rocky Kramer, a child musical virtuoso hailing from a musical family in Norway, has grown to be one of the most accomplished guitarists in current times. Along with his metal expertise he is also a composer, lyricist, and producer. His first album, “Firestorm” is an autobiographical concept album released by Allied Artist Music Group and…
Charu Suri is a one-of-a-kind composer & pianist who is taking the art of music to a whole new level on ‘The Book of Ragas’ (scored for jazz trio with Sufi singer). With a completely original style on her latest release, Charu is not afraid to take it to the limit musically. Charu Suri gives…
A thematically adventurous exploration of sound emerges on Jude Gwynaire’s carefully crafted narratives of “Lemonhead Drive”. Without needing to say a single word a story arc begins to form. This is displayed in the number of rather playful song titles and uniquely crafted themes. Still heavily focused on a dreamier side of experimentation, with “Lemonhead…
The Sidleys are a band headed up by the husband and wife team of Annie and Steve Sidley, and are based in Washington, DC. Annie Sidely is the act’s focal point, as she’s its lead singer. Whenever they perform together, these shows are oftentimes family affairs, with sons Sean, Colin and Ian also joining in.…
The indie artist The Castlebuilder is preparing his debut single “Solidarity Song”. The production is expected to be released on July 17, 2020, through different streaming platforms such as iTunes and Google Play. Music has become the perfect means of healing in these troubled times. That seems to be The Castlebuilder’s fundamental drive to compose…
Singer/Songwriter William S. Baek is presenting his latest album Humanity during 2020. Much of the album is now available on various streaming platforms such as YouTube and Spotify. Baek’s musical proposal shows an interesting diversity in the handling of synthesized sounds and time. The production has several attractions that stand out, one of which is…
Sharon Lia Band goes for an epic, sprawling scope with the fiery passion of “Why Can’t We Pretend”. Featuring a fantastic buildup, the way the song washes over the listener feels majestic. Best of all are her vocals which soar up into the sky. Hyperkinetic tempos take hold with Val Kinzler’s rush of “Everyday”. Pop…
Daniel Torloledo opens his album, Through out These Years, with “Dark Times (Brothers and Sisters).” He sings it in a rather sinister voice. Its arrangement also features an angry electric guitar solo and a harmonica part that sounds straight out of Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.” The contrast between that track and an instrumental…
Jude Gwynaire embraces a big beat attitude on the powerful “Super Skull Music”. Capturing the energy of the dance floor with such tremendous ease, the layered patterns work wonders. The music harkens back to 90s dance and trance pop. So cheery, the sense of optimism that permeates these tracks makes them a tremendous joy to…
Rapper Najee Janey opens his As Is EP with a track called, “Tired of Being Tired.” This music is said to have been inspired by the recent Covid-19 pandemic, and you can hear Janey’s emotions spilling all over this five-song effort. Saying that one is ‘tired of being tired,’ just about says it all. We’re…
The first track on Electric E’s eleven-song collection Babylon Music, the title song, opens with a duet between the percussion and bass. The electronic instrumentation drops in soon after the song begins. It reaches a level of tastefulness we do not normally associate with EDM artists. His object here isn’t to overwhelm listeners – he’s intent on…
Cosmos Sunshine is back and better than ever with his latest release titled ‘The Way Is Clear’. I’ve had the chance to review one of Sunshine’s albums in the past and so couldn’t be happier to hear more stirring material from this talented singer/songwriter. I can honestly say that the material is just as impressive…
Marius Holth is a Norwegian singer/songwriter & composer whose musical tastes run the gamut. ‘Wild Poem’ is his latest release and the 12-song set is wildly inventive. It comes as no surprise to me to find out that Marius has an extensive background in stage production and musicals because there are heavy theater-like elements throughout…
When you say timing is everything, Scott Waters couldn’t have timed this project any better with his new release titled ‘Peace Signs & Dragonflies’. With 12 well-composed songs on this album, a sense of peace & joy is the overlying theme. Who couldn’t use a little good, old-fashioned peace & happiness to brighten their days;…
