CD and DVD reviews
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…
Reverend Peter Unger is out with a new song called “Blood On Our Hands”, a chilling response to the Parkland Shooting and the greater gun violence debates that occur each time a horrendous mass shooting occurs, especially within the past few years. Rev. Unger calls to end this useless back and forth in the search…
Listen and enjoy how Rob Larkin & The Wayward Ones amaze the audience with their song Long Time Gone from album Lights Are Burning. Rob Larkin & The Wayward Ones are experts in amalgamating vintage and contemporary to create a wonderful fusion of Blues, Soul, Rock and Roll, that leaves the audience with awe and…
Monsieur Jobs’ debut single “Chow Chow eyyy Pow Pow” is a revelatory musical synthesis from an outfit culling their lineup from a variety of backgrounds. Veteran vocalist Martin Cintron fronts a winning musical arrangement courtesy of songwriters Stan Kolev and Toby Holguin. The project’s genesis is the brainchild of Basswalk Latino’s chief executive Jose Fernando…
Luanne Hunt & Steven Bankey taps into a homespun country charm with the passionate “Lightning In A Bottle”. Sung with the utmost of honesty a great soothing quality washes over it all. The lyrics focus upon trying to resist temptation, for that temptation brings a quick fix, not a satisfying feeling. Applying multiple layers of…
Resolute – by Matt Michaelis can be found on all digital music platforms, the songs primarily employ melodic riffs in the style of Led Zeppelin, lyrical concepts similar-to The Black Keys, and guitar work in the style of Gary Clark Jr. The disc is packed with nine tracks with different vocalists appearing on eight of…
Nicola Thoms’ musical career has scarcely begun, but she’s kicking it off in an auspicious fashion with the high quality single “Beautiful Mind”. She’s harbored a passion for performing since her earliest days and attended the Brit School of Performing Arts at the astonishing age of sixteen. Since her graduation, Thoms has continued to pursue…
Cap, performing name for Michael Capshaw, isn’t necessarily a newcomer to the hip hop/rap scene, but he’s arguably made more waves behind the scenes as he has upfront as a performer. That’s set to change more and more based on the quality of his recent releases. He’s produced four albums of original material and hard…
Listen and enjoy to the marvelous creation of Joe Jermano and start Dreaming in Colors. Nothing brings more joy and excitement to a musician or singer than his audience is enjoying his song, and making out the real meaning of it. On the other side, the audience and music-enthusiasts like the kind of music and…
The Nine Beats Collective is a collaboration of musicians, singers, songwriters, poets, and activists who came together in order to create a refreshing look at the Beatitudes, a set of eight blessings recounted by Jesus in the book of Matthew. The album is called Nine Beats to the Bar, and it takes the blessings and…
Singer/songwriter Jarel Portman is out with his album, Supersonic, a collection of timeless alternative rock songs that serve to remind you of songs from the 80’s and yet sound incredibly refreshing. A brilliant blend of the old and new, with a spectacular band backing Portman. The musicians who helped bring Supersonic to life include Scott…
Ranzel X Kendrick is out with the first of three albums in a collection of original songs called Texas Paintbrush. The second installment, Texas Sagebrush is currently in production, and the third, Texas Cactus, will come out later this year. Kendrick is an intriguing artist with a rich and dynamic sound, with a variety of…
Last Charge of the Light Horse is a piece with a gentle vibe and rock undertones; it has a colorful sound that is reflected in the cover art. The art on the cover is shaped like the visual representations of sound. They are shaped liked waves and scribbles of sound. It’s a great way to…
Keith Morris & the Crooked Numbers tap into a rollicking bluesy folk with the powerful “Psychopaths & Sycophants”. With a classic sound, the approach feels positively timeless. Impeccable storytelling drives the entire album forward, for the fragments from a life lived fully along with a desire for redemption. Reminiscent of Bob Dylan’s incredible early work,…
Scandic Tribe’s “Revolution of Confusion” goes for a hard-hitting, heavy sound. With a timeless defiant attitude, the song deserves to be blasted at the highest possible volumes. Careening wildly the way everything comes together gives it a visceral impact. Vocals rest in the heart of it all, while they opt for a commanding presence. Lyrics…
Anthems For Autumn go for a passionate hard rock sound with “Feel Me”. Volume is an absolute must for there is a ferocious physicality to the entire piece. Layer upon layer of sound comes together in a most satisfying way. By far the true heart and soul rests with Brianna Rose’s vocals. Ranging from defiant…
Tired is sure to heal a lot of wounded hearts with soulful tunes of Chlo Subia. Listen and Enjoy! Every one of us feels vulnerable at some point in time in our lives. No matter who we are, what we do, or where we belong to – we still feel pain, sorrow and suffer from…
About Joe – the latest EP by gifted Australian singer/songwriter and guitarist, Brendan McMahon, is another fine release in his growing catalog. The Melbourne artist teamed up again with a batch of Australia’s most brilliant musical “gods,” for this amazing collection of travel-driven songs that go all over the map like an exotic musical trip.…
King Errisson has rubbed artistic elbows with some of the last century’s preeminent musical talents during his career. He’s a long-standing member of Neil Diamond’s touring ensemble, a former featured performer in The Incredible Bongo Band, and has collaborated with Hall of Fame vocalists and songwriters such as Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, and The Temptations,…
The sixth studio release from North Carolina based singer/songwriter Tom Eure entitled The Coin, The Prayer & The Crow is a thirteen song collection featuring the collaborative talents of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Amelia Osborne. She’s a perfect musical partner for a deep exploration of Eure’s Celtic and Appalachian musical pedigree and the results are uniformly…
Patrick Goddard’s “Better Not Wait” possesses an infectious pop, one delivered with the utmost of urgency. Incredibly thoughtful, the abstract lyricism works wonders for a narrative comes from these many pieces. The unfolding nature of the story focuses upon seeing friends spiral out alongside the concept of carpe diem. Nicely framing this is a pop…
Through Infinity’s “Shine” embarks on a wordless mystical journey, giving psychedelic rock a refreshing update. Everything simply works for Through Infinity engages in a rather fantastic display of group play with every single player given their own moment to truly show off their impressive chops. From the soaring style of the guitar to the glistening…
Rachel Price’s “Sunshine and Rainbows” possesses a fiery passion to it with a fully realized, lovely sound. Vocals rest in the very heart of the piece, as Rachel Price’s voice displays an incredible range, going from the intimate to the bombastic. Her lyrics have a playful quality to them, as she offers an incredible narrative…
