CD and DVD reviews
There’s no doubt that Saint Jaimz’s nearly two decades in the United States Army has influenced his development as both a songwriter and performer. The discipline necessary for building a strong career in the modern music world is in full evidence on his collection Life Songs and backed up by a passion and facility for…
This album is soft and calming. It is the sort of music that you would listen to when you are sad and in need of some cheering up. This effect is created through the acoustics and the vocal techniques. Ben Nobel uses a lot of fluctuating sounds as well as sound tones. The album has…
Joshua McClain is a cellist, composer and studio artist based in Oakland, CA. He’s best known for his unbridled and mesmerizing solo performances using a looping pedal and effects processor, creating intense, otherworldly soundscapes. He regularly performs with six-time Emmy winning songwriter Monica Pasqual in the group, Monica Pasqual and the Handsome Brunettes. Coming Home,…
Glen Naylor and Chris Wilson draw the listener in with the captivating world of ‘Bill The Bastard – Australia’s Greatest Warhorse’. Proving to be deft storytellers, the way the narrative unfolds makes it a pure joy. The attention to every detail helps to imbue it with a tremendous sense of life. Instrumentally deft, they keep…
Swirl are experienced hands in the hard rock game who, arguably, are reaching their peak as musical unit finally having hit upon the right lineup and presentation to best satisfy their musical desires. Their new single “The Lift” is the band’s first release since their contributions to the Ditch Day soundtrack garnered them a tremendous…
Giovanna McDanel created a mixed tape when she was a little girl of, soothing songs and lullabies from various movies. When she grew up, she decided to recruit two of her friends, Mark Kassenbrock and Giovanni Mera, to make an album of the songs from the mixed tape. The result is her full-length album –…
The EP release Satisfied from singer/songwriter Ashley J represents one of the most formidable short form recordings to emerge from the modern pop scene in sometime. It’s a clear testament to her talents as both an interpreter of modern material and her skills composing personal, yet universally resonant, material that cuts across genre lines and…
”Satisfied EP”, the latest music album of Ashley J shows her remarkable evolution from a budding talented recording artist to a magnificent and proficient Pop singer. There is no doubt that Ashley understands that her musical presentation must be mesmeric to leave the audience with awe and surprise. But, in ”Satisfied EP”, has an underneath…
The Steve Gadd band, headlined by the legendary drummer, is out with their fourth self-titled album on March 23rd. An eclectic collection of jazz songs that showcase each member’s individual taste and talents, it is certainly a pleasure to listen to. Playing with Gadd are Walt Fowler (trumpet and flugelhorn), Jimmy Johnson (bass), Michael Landau…
The brother-duo of Conceptz has a number of release, conventional and otherwise, in their growing discography and their latest single “Fall” qualifies as their most potent release yet. They’ve definitely paid their dues in the hip hop world and worked their way up from obscure novices to rubbing creative elbows with some of the genre’s…
Madam West began its artistic life as a synth pop duo but has since evolved into a quintet who blends soul, folk, pop, and alternative rock influences into an appealing, substantive mix. The project has aimed to bring a wholly different, highly stylized sound to bear since its genesis in a Bushwick basement and the…
The six song collection In Itinere from New York City based five piece The Chordaes is the second studio recording resulting from the creative partnership of its first members drummer Ethan Glenn and lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Leo Sawikin. The talents of two-time Grammy winner producer/songwriter Marc Swersky behind the boards for the release further…
Forrest Hill is a indie/folk rock artist who has recently completed his latest album called Shadowlight. Hill is a well-traveled individual who cultivated his unique sound and voice from hitchhiking his way across the United States. He learned a number of things and found an incredible amount of inspiration from the people who touched his…
A native of Turkey, Demir Demirkan’s musical upbringing naturally assumed a much different trajectory than experienced by his American or European contemporaries and peers. He began playing at a very young age, as most great players do, and culled his initial influences from guitarists such as Ritchie Blackmore and Eric Clapton before hearing the work…
Tom Vicario offers an inviting galloping rhythm with the powerful “Baby Let’s Go”. With a sense of tenderness, the lyrics unfold with a sense of purpose. Nicely framing it all is the gorgeous western twang of the guitar work helping to make it feel so joyous. “Come On Come On” goes for a 60s psychedelic…
This year, Fraction and Finsta, the famed rap artists, have introduced a new cut to the world of Hip-Hop through their album ”Thoughtwork”. The music album comes with a fresh flush of beats, heavy rhymes, and thought-kindling subject matter. “Thoughtwork”, shines of the influence of the East-coast Hip-Hop, along with a conscious rap. The album…
Nick Lamb’s playful pop confection of “Gettin’ High Off You” embraces a raw, garage rock sort of style. Volume rules supreme for the whole piece has a freewheeling, careening sense of power. The vocals have a commanding presence to them while instrumentally the track goes for a visceral sound. Attention to detail means that the…
Intensely personal experiences power the nine songs on Noble Son’s first full length release Joy In Violence and the collaborative musical effort supporting these songs embodies those experiences in atmosphere and sound. Noble Son is the moniker for the project chosen by its creative center, singer/songwriter and voice actor Adam Kirschner. Kirschner first planted seeds…
The famous singer and songwriter, Elliot Schneider, has been glorifying the world of music for many years, compared to his contemporaries. His songs come with a fresh melody and jovial mood. In most of his musical creations, he follows the trend of the 60s’ and 70s’ rock style. “I Second That Amendment Blues”, the latest…
Happy Curmudgeons have stepped their feet in the world of classic rock on December 1, 2017, with the release of their first music album, ”Meant 2 Be”. This music album has brought a fresh air in the classic rock genre, promising to cross the limitations of how a classic rock can be composed. The music…
Listen and enjoy to the brand new hip hop track CH@O! by The Band of the Hawk. By the ending of 2017, the Band of the Hawk, the famous Hip Hop band, released their music album #BOHUP (Band of the Hawk Underground Pyramid Crew). The album brought out the talent of famous BOHUP artists. It…
Sex, Hip Hop, Rap, have been buddies for a long time, as many rap songs reflect their hand in hand friendship. Songs that spring from the rap culture, comes with a salt-pepper sexual aroma, sometimes makes us sick. In terms of rapping about sex, there are girls side by side the bad boys, who wants…
Blue Helix’s “Anti-Social Butterfly” goes for a pummeling, hard rock sound. With a defiant, swinging rhythm the song possesses a tremendously powerful attitude. Volume deserves to be absolutely blasted while things build up into a righteous fury. Stylistically Blue Helix draws from hard rock, metal, and more in such a deft fashion. A sultry style…
Greg Koch does the guitar work, Dylan Koch the drums, as they team up with keyboardist Toby Lee Marshall, on this B3 driven blues release. Considered one of the best blues guitarists out there, Greg makes it sound like he plays what he’s thinking at the time. The riffs that your mind is expecting to…
Pop perfection pours out of Meelow’s “Humans”. Sung with the utmost of passion, Meelow creates a thought-provoking track that embraces the EDM beat that anchors it. Stylistically Meelow incorporates elements of electro, happy house, and even a hint of jazz into the proceedings. By choosing such a myriad number of approaches this helps to emphasize…
Unfurling like a story about a favorite friend, Mark Rogers makes “Rearranged” teem with life and goodwill. Americana, country, rock come together ever so effortlessly anchored by a poppy sensibility. Mark Rogers proves to be a deft storyteller for these pieces offer snapshots of a life lived to the absolute fullest. Over the course of…
Marco Raes goes for a tender tale with the intimate “I Drive Alone”. Lyrics have a nimbleness to them while they focus upon the defiance that comes with solitude. The way the track ebbs and flows give it a passionate quality. At times Marco Raes goes for a cinematic flourish, for the piece comes into…
Annamaria comes from the NYC music scene to the world without hesitating to make an everlasting impression, with her single “Affection” proving her talent to be a force to reckon with. This artist is only seventeen years-old, but she is a singer who is bringing “R&B and Soul laden Pop with a distinctly powerful vocal…
Sterling Ball and his longtime musical associates John Ferraro and Jim Cox have put together a CD of rock/pop classics. For this recording, they enlisted the help of other friends (and Ernie Ball endorsers) like Albert Lee, Steve Lukather, John Petrucci, Steve Morse, Jay Graydon, and Steve Vai. Sterling mainly handled the bass duties (with…
City of the Weak offer up a perfect rendition of Incubus’s “Pardon Me”. With a truly original take on the piece, City of the Weak emphasizes the desperation that Incubus felt in such a lovely way. The way that City of the Weak capture the tenderness of the lyrics helps to imbue this piece with…
Portrait of a Nightmare delves into a world of distortion and destruction with the raw visceral “Dirtier You, Dirtier Me”. Stylistically Portrait of a Nightmare nicely combines industrial, hard rock, and metal into a satisfying whole. By far the highlight of the track comes from the intense vocals that have a commanding presence over the…
Jiggley Jones isn’t supposed to be here. It’s 2018 and the wheeler dealers of mainstream music are well into their campaign aimed at eliminating melody and reducing everything to its lowest common denominator. Musicians, writers, and singers like Jiggley Jones should be long gone, consigned to busking for dollars on pedestrian drags, quaint reminders from…
I The Fire presents their new album Disable The Ego. Listen , enjoy and disable your ego. Does ego block your brain? Couldn’t you find out the ways to drop your ego down? The tiny, little inside you, called the ego, is the main source of your anxiety, and suffering. And there is nothing more…
Billy Swayze goes for a passionate sound with the powerful anthem of “Got A Hold”. The song deserves to be absolutely blasted for the track simply stuns. Vocals have a fiery quality to them, as the lyrics embrace an extreme desire of sort, a true love and care for another. Instrumentally varied, Billy Swayze nicely…
New Zealand native Robin Kelly’s fifth album release, Orewa Heartbeat, is another offering from a singer/songwriter and musician unafraid to explore weighty, important themes and talented enough to make them come alive in an entertaining and powerful musical landscape. Recorded at Manuka Studios, the indie nature of his recording shouldn’t ever prove misleading – the…
Beca embraces a late night EDM spirit with the slick minimalism of “In Deep Love”. Vocals rest at the heart and soul of everything, while the many layers swirl about with a sense of mystery. Nearly psychedelic at times Beca ensures that the grooves have a hypnotic quality to them. Languid, bluesy rhythms power Dwight…
Exotik Robotz explores a moody chamber pop on the beautiful “Tears in the Rain”. Stylistically Exotik Robotz incorporates elements of the blues, rock, electronica all nicely framed with a perfectly executed balladry. Easily the soul of the song comes from their powerful, highly articulate and lovelorn lyricism which neatly ties everything together. At times the…
Soulful to its core, Sarantos delves into the ups and downs of relationships with the powerful “Sweet As Sugar”. Everything about the track emphasizes the importance of truly building a relationship. Lyrics focus upon the strength that a relationship can bring, the problems that two people together can solve versus a single entity. By opting…
The origins of the alternative hip hop act Little Stranger begin in Philadelphia, but they’ve built a passionate and growing following in their adopted home of Charleston, South Carolina and are prepared to take that appeal to a national level on the back of a quality single with “Sing It High”. The Philadelphia connection brings…
RAR’s “Worried About You” goes for a summery R&B style with fresh passionate vocals from J. Burney. Crisp beats add to the infectious poppy quality of the entire piece, with neon-hued synthesizer weaving in and out of the mix. Best of all the lyricism reflects upon a tenderness, a compassionate caring for another. The buildup…
