CD and DVD reviews
The Pink Dust’s single, “Fathom,” begins with a sound that feels like the combination of a sitar and a digeridoo. It’s long, eerie and slightly industrial. It is also truly an odd intro to a song. Eventually, though, percussion enters the mix and gives it a more familiar musical tone. The Pink Dust is an…
Maybe that TV gameshow Who Wants to Be a Millionaire comes to mind when you think of a lifeline. You remember, of course, how whenever a contestant needed help or confirmation for a money-winning question, he/she could ask the audience, or use the 50:50 game computer to eliminate two wrong answers, or phone a friend.…
You can really hear the Bruce Springsteen influence on Brian Charles Tischleder’s “Momma Told Me So.” The track a little bit like the lovechild of the Boss songs, “Fire” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.” Its melody sounds to have been slightly borrowed from “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” but it’s pacing somewhat follows the rhythm of “Fire.” Its…
Mark Ambuter has released his song “Let’s Go Home”. It is best described as an acoustic, yet upbeat, song that mixes the alternative music with pop rock. The song starts with drums and quickly adds in guitars. The lyrics begin with the chorus, which is a smart move given how catchy it is. While the…
Bobbo Byrnes’ opens his single “Angelia” by announcing, “It’s snowing tonight downtown/But it’s warm in this bar.” This simple couplet highlights the refuge nature of drinking establishments. It’s a physical shelter from the storm, but drink can also be a used as an escape from more emotional types of storms. Byrnes sings the song urgently…
Brian Charles Tischleder has released the album “Momma Told Me So”. It is best suited for fans of acoustic rock, as well as those who enjoy hearing the saxophone incorporated into acoustic rock songs. The album consists of ten songs: “Momma Told Me So”, “Cold Night Air”, “Memphis”, “I Found You”, “Dog On A Chain”,…
Whether he’s slashing through the iconic verses of “Ask the Lonely” or marrying heavenly harmonies together in a heart-warming rendition of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” alongside the legendary Michael Omartian, Jeff Coffey proves that he has the vocal chops to sing just about anything he wants to in his new record Origins, Singers and…
Why do people go through sufferings, is it the will of God, or is it that one has to go through that face. Those are some of the questions Don one of the character in the book “The Prisoners Cross” tries to answer. In fact those are some of the questions that go through the…
Kerry Pastine and the Crime Scene’s new single “City of Love”, the title track from her latest release, is sharp and focused. It clocks in at a little less than four minutes long and doesn’t hesitate bringing listeners straight into its burning bluesy heart. The drums and guitar alike are laden with tasteful echo and…
In 2014, Lynn Taylor Donovan recorded the song “Dear Santa”, written by Tony Koenen. As the title implies, the song is timely right now as much as it was when it was first released, given the Christmas season. The song sets to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas, which is not the giving…
“Your Skin On My Skin” has a new video by White Owl Red, and it is worth a listen. The song takes elements of rock ballads and combines them with a country/folk vibe, leading to a unique sound that will have listeners longing for more. If you like what you hear, new album, Afterglow, the…
Dubbed as Neo Classical Afro Jazz, Mustafa Khaliq Ahmed and his latest album titled ‘Son Of The Drum Song’ give the listener a refreshing mix of styles. Mustafa is the master of percussion handling: bongos, chimes, claves, congas, cowbells, cymbals, djembe, drums, flexitone, gongs, granite blocks, jingle bells, rain stick, shakers, tambourines, triangles, vibraslap, vibratone…
In a deluge of chic tones defined by a well-sculpted EQ, “Found,” the new single from Melissa B., slinks into view with a heavy-handed groove that will only grow stronger in the next few minutes of play. The instrumental introduction to the verses only lasts for about twelve seconds, but the fire that it starts…
Get ready for singer/songwriter Ernie Hendrickson and his high-spirited album titled ‘Roll On’. Ernie mixes in some good ol’ fashion southern rock with Folk and Americana roots on the new release. Ernie covers the entire spectrum of human emotion on ‘Roll On’ tapping into the good times, bad times and everything else in between. This…
International Orange stands by the motto: “Guitar driven musical sunshine dancing to a global beat”. This band certainly has an international flavor due to the exotic rhythms that can be linked to countries such as: Brazil, Africa and India. With elements of jazz & funk heavily in place, I.O. is barking up the right tree…
Jupiter in Velvet, since first emerging in 2012, has never lain fallow for long. He has produced over a half-dozen releases in that period and the same kaleidoscopic passion distinguishing his prior collections spearheads his latest, an EP entitled Anthems 2 Love. Though briefer than his recent outings, Anthems 2 Love soars and sings with the…
When you think of Blues legends, names such as: B.B. King, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Albert King, Buddy Guy and Elmore James come to mind. Dudley Harris is keeping this treasured music alive with his new release titled ‘All The Money’s Gone’. The much anticipated album is nothing but old-time…
In July 2019, the R&B singer July put out his song “Catalina”. It is a song that is sure to please the listening tastes of R&B fans, and generally anyone who enjoys songs about having a good time. What immediately sticks out is the beat, an electronic sequence that is showcased by itself at the…
Time for Love, the latest record from bluegrass singer Donna Ulisse, kicks off with an upbeat swing in the opening bars of “When I Go All Bluegrass on You,” and through the next few minutes of unquestionably contagious grooving, it’s hard to focus on anything other than the relationship between the verse and the adjacent…
The drums slowly click into place and usher in a harmonious piano part as “Never Gonna Let You Go” starts to play. One of the cornerstone compositions of the new album from Rob Alexander, Being Myself, “Never Gonna Let You Go” wastes no time in casting a spell as big as the instrumental melody it greets…
“Please don’t leave me,” croons a passionate Mattia Pironti, his heart on his sleeve and his vocal as virtuosic as it’s ever been in the new single “Don’t Stand a Chance,” and though his voice is but one element in this suave song, it’s undeniably the most fetching. In “Don’t Stand a Chance,” Pironti doesn’t…
BWH Music Group has gathered together a wide array of artists to create an album, titled “On Peace Street, Volume One”. The 19-song album brings together artists across many genres of music, each being showcased in a song. Here is the track listing: I Wish I Was Wrong by The Reverent Love Is Everywhere by…
I had the pleasure to work with the super-talented and highly optimistic Radio Drive once again and couldn’t be happier! Radio Drive’s music oozes with positive messages and pleasant melodies that will lift up your spirits for days to come. The new album, ‘In The Light’, is no exception to this rule as the record…
Mostly Tree’s self-titled album was recorded at Pachyderm Recording Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, which is where Midwestern legends (Soul Asylum and The Jayhawks), as well as just plain legends (Nirvana tracked In Utero there) have also laid down tracks. It’s too soon to tell if Mostly Trees will be local or international legends, but…
Probably as many people don’t know about Luke’s accreditation outside of the band Toto as those who do, but there is a short list of musicians with his overall accomplishments. Many of the industry luminaries started out their careers as studio musicians/hired hands. Luke explains how he and the other California childhood friends that formed…
“I Love Christmas” is the title of Cassandra’s single for charity to Amnesty International, and it’s a vibrant, fabulous piece of work for which they and anyone helping-out the cause should be proud to participate in, hear and own it. That’s the consensus after hearing it on loop enough to give it the right amount…
In a bold gust of strings that will persist throughout the ten songs that follow, the opening salvo of melodies in Jeff Parker & Company’s “Southern Wind” welcomes us with open arms into the new record Time Has Made a Change and rouse the attention of just about anyone within earshot of their misty presence. “Southern Wind”…
Jesse Blank Rundle calls the track “Nomad Exquisite” an “explorer’s song.” Be that as it may, Rundle’s ability to channel the essence and spirit of Florida’s everglades is a magical thing. His beautiful tribute is a mesmerizing tune that sends ripples of polished acoustic guitar riffs and his stoic vocals reach beyond the rings. “Nomad…
“Santa Bought A Yacht” is one unexpected sleigh ride from 308 Ghost Train. Just in time for the holidays, 308 Ghost Train sings about a hipper, Ray Ban Sunglasses wearing Saint Nick. Matching the energy and spirit of a rockabilly tune from someone like Brian Setzer to the humor and fun of a National Lampoon…
Gerry Cea is from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and while he may sing with a distinct accent, his music is quite Americanized. For instance, “Our Love Goes On Forever” plunks along nicely, with warm backing vocals and plunking, 50s rock piano. The handclapping “Mine” also mines – no pun intended – similar sonic territory. But there’s…
2019 has been a so-so year for independent pop artists in the United States, but the same just can’t be said for Canada’s brood. In the north, artists like Jeremy Rice have been whipping up a storm of buzz with a new breed of easy-going, always sweet pop/rock that toes the line between vintage and…
Lily Vakili’s passionate vocal bray reminds me of prime Patti Smith; she belts out the lyrics for her latest single “She Wants What” with such unmitigated go for broke energy listeners will be swept away by her possessed commitment to realizing the potential behind each line. She’s backed by an equally ferocious musical attack prioritizing…
The video for Invinceable’s “So Loaded” is not going to make prudes think any better of hip-hop music. There’s plenty of public drinking and images of scantily clad women. What makes it noteworthy, though, is the track’s sound mixture. It’s not a rap song built upon, say, and AC/DC or Led Zeppelin samples, the way…
A gorgeous jazz fusion flows through Stephanie Angelini’s “Coz Of You”. Lush tones radiate through the easy-going rhythms. With a style that has a 70s Steely Dan cadence to it the entirety of the piece’s production shimmers. Melodically vibrant the way it twists and turns pays tribute to the impressive chops of her band. Instrumentally…
Led Zeppelin, during one of its more acoustic moments, comes immediately to mind once West of Corey’s “Course of Things to Come” begins. It starts, ever so mystically, with what sounds like wind-chimes. Next comes a finger-picked guitar part, which then leads into a riffing guitar. The song is, with its moodiness and message, a…
Gregory Suarez’s “Around the World” single begins with nice, bell tone guitar notes, which introduce a happily swaying, folkish tune. ‘Happy’ is the word that comes to mind, again and again, while this song plays. Suarez doesn’t have an especially commanding voice. Instead, it’s more of a light and airy instrument. He may not be…
“Your life is a tale of what was” raps B Fhukken Have in one of the more chill-inducing lines from his new single “Babyfood,” an unfiltered juggernaut of percussive blasts and human passion that joins four other songs in the aspiring hip-hop mogul’s discography this season. “Babyfood” isn’t the first time that the energy has…
Planet Peacock’s single, “Blind Side,” has a distinctly 90s rock sound, especially with its semi-grungy electric guitar groove. From New Jersey, this fourpiece rocks hard, yet ever so melodically. This song combines riffing guitars, with fluid bass lines and adds in layered lead lines. Once the vocal kicks in, though the backing instrumental quiets down…
Scottish born and Canadian based singer/songwriter David Leask has six praised albums to his credit and multiple awards adorn his career thus far. He has toured Canada and the United Kingdom while likewise bringing live performances to unexpected locales like beteran’s care facilities and hospitals. He is an educator who works with aspiring songwriters ranging…
The band The PondHawks have released a song titled “Afraid Of Love”. The song at its core tells the story of someone who is mystifying in the way that they do not outwardly express love. Running at approximately 4 minutes and 22 seconds, there is plenty of time in the song for listeners to hear…
