CD and DVD reviews
Are you interested in listening some thought-provoking music that will jerk your soul? Then make your first encounter with Tony Tedesco & Full Fathom 5’s newly released debut, “Full Fathom 5”. And there lies the song, titled, “Shoes”, that alone can make you amazed, leaving your jaws opened. This song features the auxiliary flair of…
The latest release from New York City based The Merrymaker’s Orchestrina, Act 3, showcases vocalist/songwriter and guitarist Ryan Shivdasani’s talents in a gripping way. The trio now includes the aforementioned Shivdasani, bassist Daryl Chen, and drummer Sal A. Mander, though the album’s personnel differ save Shivdasani’s constant presence. The two new members will likely bring…
Who is Michael Peterson, and why haven’t I ever heard of him? Okay, I can’t say that I am the greatest aficionado of country music, but I know the big names, the old standards and a few slightly off the wall artists that might make some people cringe. But, when I had the chance to…
How time flies, is an expression of saying, that is used quite often if not always by many. This goes for The Norm, an alternative rock hip hop act whose time at last has come for them. This being that those days and nights of the past, that were spent in their parent’s garages, so many years prior where hours…
“Shades of Gray” is the latest single from North Florida’s Aunt Stella’s Ashes, the latest project in front man Tim Schichtel’s long history with bands in the North Florida rock scene. This project has the potential to be the most successful yet for Schichtel thanks, in no small part, to his continuing collaboration with band…
“Bout Dat Action” shows off the impressive confidence of Frank Stylez Ft. Logan. With a passionate flow, the way the song builds up reveals a real talent for crafting infectious hooks. Everything works wonders: from the crisp beats to the lush production. Multiple layers come together to create a virtual kaleidoscopic swirl. By far the…
ESP Evolution goes for a great, lush style with the inspirational “Wishing on a Falling Star”. Optimism rests within the song’s very soul as it drives forward with a tremendous power. Grooves have a physicality to them that results in something that feels so inviting. Layer upon layer of sound is brought into the mix…
Summertime…Summer heat…Summer fun…Summer love…It’s that time of year again where the most enjoyable moments are just a phone call away; a moment in the year where the kids get out of school, parents get that opportunity to plan the summer travel, the barbeques begin, and then festival season hits! All along the way, the summer…
Gentlemen and Scholars are another bright star, shining the sky of rock and roll genre of music. After the enormous success of ” The Record, The Keepsake, And The Thief”, ”The Fault”, ”Bad Apples”, in 2017, they have launched another rich music album, ”Revelry”. ”Revelry” starts out with the electrifying Blues riff, but one single…
With summer waiting just around the corner, beat master Calazzus is dropping a sick new collection of jams on us in his latest extended play, The Calazzus Project II. If you’re not already aware, Calazzus (pronounced Colossus) is a Maryland-based composer who has primarily worked in hip-hop, R&B and soundtracking up until this point in his…
Sung straight from the heart and from personal experience, Cat Dail proves to be a deft storyteller with the insightful “Fight for Love EP”. Blues, soul, with a little bit of funk, the way the songs evolve gives them a gorgeous temperament. Perfectly balanced, the whole collection has a classic cool to it. By far…
Jeffrey Dallet goes for a rustic sort of timeless folk with the passionate “Abnormal Oddities EP”. Tenderness flows through these songs recalling Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s earnest vocal delivery. Done with the utmost of care these tracks are imbued with such life and vigor. Stylistically Jeffrey Dallet incorporates a wide variety of approaches into the mix,…
You And I is a playlist about love. It is filled soft and sweet tones. Jon seems to understand these emotions which he is singing about well. He may understand emotions well; this may be because Jon has been an actor for twenty five years. For five years he’s been writing music influenced by The…
Les Fradkin’s spirited “Escape From Earth” offers a beautiful marriage of electronica and classical in a swirling, spellbinding mix. A fully immersive experience, at times the album recalls some of Wendy Carlos’s best-known pieces. Highly visceral, the way the many layers intermingle results in a true exploration of sound. Stylistically, Les Fradkin draws from a…
The magnificent indie artist, Tom Esch, has just released his latest single, “I Just Can’t Believe It’s True”, from his debut, “Modern Devices EP”. This song is a token of appreciation to the classic rock from the artist that he has wrapped with a vibrant alternative fringe. In this song, Tom Esch pours all the…
Finally, we have an up-and-coming artist of Today that truly wants to bring back studio magic! When I think of masterful sessions and legendary studios, I first think of the original Sun Records recordings with Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and many others who helped shape & define the…
Exploring the ultimate concepts of building a true real relationship, Sarantos offers a thoughtful take on importance of cherishing love with “No One’s Perfect Until”. Lyrics describe how true, compassionate partners will always make the time for those who mean everything, making sure that they give attention when it is ultimately needed. By opting for…
On “Me and Leslie” Karen Mansfield crafts a nostalgic, otherworldly sound with the utmost of ease. By taking on such a gorgeous approach, Karen Mansfield delves into a rich past as she explores a relationship with a dear old friend. Done with the utmost of care, the rollicking rhythms go for a fantastic, driving style.…
Texas-born and brought up musician, Ranzel X Kendrick has recently released ‘Texas Sagebrush’, the second installment of his Texas series music album. And in this music album, Ranzel X Kendrick has assimilated his rich Texas roots music through a charming and engaging blend of sound, maintaining the Americana styling. The previous released ”Texas Paintbrush” was…
The first solo album from singer/songwriter and musician Conor Gains, Compass, vividly illustrates his full emergence as a potentially once in a generation quality musical artist with the needed durability to leave a legacy behind him given time. Compass reflects the immense growth as both an individual and artist that Gains has experienced over the…
It is a kind of aphorism that good things will make you wait. After gigging around the live performances throughout North-East America for almost 25 years, Rob Ashley has recently come out with his own music album, ‘Premiere. Farewell’. It has been, for sure, very hard for his fans to wait for an exclusively Rob…
Classified Misinformation, The Grey Agents’ debut effort, garnered considerable acclaim upon its release, but their sophomore release Last Generation consolidates the promise of that initial recording and expands on its musical possibilities. The West Virginia based five piece continues to embrace songwriting influences like REM and Elvis Costello, wiry adult oriented rock with a decidedly…
Popz, also known as “The Triple OG” is based out of Merced, California, and it probably one of the coolest artists you could ever listen to, hip and cool at the age of 73, when most people are settling down, Popz want to know “R U Freaky?” “R U Freaky” is a combination of Funk…
Fans of rock, country and folk alike will be very thrilled to hear the new split EP by Stephen Karl & Handsome Animals and Darlin Darlin, available this coming May 4th. I was fortunate enough to give the split a couple of spins today, pre-release, and was not only satisfied with what I heard, but…
The factual date when Bud Collins Trio Band did form lies in ambiguous; it may be the 70s’ or 80s’, even the band members are not sure about it. But, when it comes to producing gorgeous pop music, evoking powerful emotion with beautiful yet strange effects, Bud Collins Trio stand in the first row. From…
Canada has been known for giving the world everyone from Anne Murray, Brian Adams, Justin Beiber and Drake;however, there is a group that may not have been as well known as the above names but around longer than Beiber and Drake, they are called “Crack Of Dawn” The group was originally signed to Columbia Records…
David T. Dunn’s release, Catch That Train, is a straightforward singer/songwriter effort. These six songs never attempt to do anything fancy. You won’t hear unusual instrumentation or unexpected time signatures. Instead, Dunn gives us a six-song set of solid songwriting. The title track is like the troubadour’s siren song. Dunn isn’t sure where ‘that train…
Mr MooQ’s “Double Happiness” is a simple song about the joys of romance. Over a gently bopping beat, colored with various keyboard elements, it’s like a perfect date soundtrack. “You can let your hair down/I will put the top up,” Mr MooQ advises. It’s all about relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. This is…
Using carefully arranged acoustic guitars and brooding harmonies, the Texas branded Suzanne’s Band creates a charming set of songs on the new extended play, Breathe, which is available now on Amazon.com. Suzanne’s Band is the official vehicle for Houstonian singer/songwriter Mia Suzanne Walker, and Walker is nothing short of a blinding force of positive energy…
It takes a lot of intense focus to craft an album, and it demands even more focus to compose and record an instrumental album. Although a lot of people might think that a band without a singer is a band with a lot less details to cover, quite the opposite is true. The effort and…
Joshua Ketchmark has made a career out of splitting time between Nashville and Los Angeles, two music maker hotspots, but his enthusiastically energetic album The Misses (mostly) sounds more L.A. than Music City. About the only place where cowboy boots win over fancy nightclub shoes comes at the album’s end with “Those Were the Days,”…
Loya’s ”Heptapod” from the upcoming album ”Komaglass” is something that one cannot judge by its title. If you judge the song by its title and expecting to hear something related to heptapod, be sure, you will receive a total badass blow. Call it an artwork, a hunch on the musical landscape, or hell just coming…
Austin Colon embarks on a mystical path of self-discovery with the illuminating “The Path Ahead”. Drawing from psychedelic rock, folk, electronica, with a little experimental pop edge, the album employs a wide variety of twists and turns. Over the course of the album’s journey, Austin Colon’s highly articulate thoughtful lyrics come to give these songs…
Bruce Lev explores a soothing pastoral realm on the spacious “Through the Vortex – The Sedona Effect”. Quite playful, Bruce Lev incorporates a wide variety of styles into the mix, going from field recordings to classical with folksy elements all filtering in. The uniqueness of the album comes from how Bruce Lev creates an entire…
I think this may be one of the more potentially under the radar gems I’ve heard in recent years and, based on its merits, deserves remembering at the end of the year when people start compiling best of lists for the year. Across the Board’s second full length studio recording Sonic Boom ups the creative…
The Australian artist Daxton Paul James Monaghan has released his ninth music album, “In Verses”, and it has already become one of the most centers of attractions in the musical landscape. It is a collection of amazing nine soundtracks that will encourage and provoke the blues lover to get escaped into a marvelous sonic journey.…
Giant – The new EP, by Anjali Ray, shows a different side of the artist, as the opening track explores. The Illinois native was raised in Dew Delhi, India, until the age of 10, and is now working in Chicago and Los Angeles. She stays in tune with her roots by practicing Hundustani classical singing.…
So much fuss surrounds Michigan’s Jake Allen’s guitar work, and rightfully deserving. But, don’t forget the guy can sing and write songs that carry the listener into far and wide spaces. His lush orchestrations and layered music beds are much more New Order and Nine Inch Nails than Nugent; his alt-pop tunes are much more…
Left On Tri, is Parker Longough’s third album, and it finds this Alaskan band in their element. Longbough is the stage name for Matthew Witthoeft, to front the Parker Longbough band with other various members. It follows up the last album, “Bridges To Nowhere” with tracks written around the same time, which makes it a…
Marley Waters knows how to get the party started with the wild free-spirited style of “Wine Pon It”. Allowing for multiple layers of sound to intermingle in such a fantastic way means the whole song feels all-encompassing. By opting for such a loose freeform quality, the piece has a timeless youthfulness to it. Over the…
