CD and DVD reviews
Sung with the utmost of passion is Kenny Fame’s “Oh What A Night”. With a mellow laid back groove Kenny Fame explores great truths in life. He frames the song as a snapshot of a singular pivotal moment in a life. By giving the listener the background as well as a glimpse into the future…
Factory of good sound by Astronauts of Antiquity! Lately we can hear many new bands – all hail the Internet for that lovely opportunity – but don’t many of them sound too similar? It became quite hard to find those special, unique and memorable bands. Yet, if you are persistent enough, you can still find…
With a sultry seductive spirit is MAAD’s “Black Ice”. A slinky groove nicely meshes elements of dance and electro pop into a fully fleshed out sound. The song unfurls with a true sense of elegance. Blue Helix’s “Aliens” has a tender, cinematic quality to it. Tender articulate lyrics serve as the beating heart of the…
After two decades of writing songs, Jeff Road’s debut full length Come Ride with Me is the satisfying result of years spent honing his craft and sharpening his skills. It is firmly in a traditional country singer/songwriter vein and eschews the relatively facile pop country style that’s dominated country radio and charts for a number…
Possessing a great sense of optimism is the perfect jazz-rock fusion of “Stronger Than Before”. Tying the entire piece together is the undeniably strong vocals of Toni Redd. With such attention to detail the piece possesses a late night mood, as the song positively glows. Everything comes together ever so effortlessly from the steady rhythm…
The second single from Astronauts of Antiquity’s forthcoming EP Beyond the Maze, “Future Back”, builds on the impressive success of the EP’s first single “Paradise”. The same distinctive elements are still in place – Astronauts of Antiquity write fantastic arrangements for their material that explore many textures, produce irresistible tempos, and engage listeners with serious…
Alex Mery & The Townsmen presents a highly spirited narrative with the carefully crafted folk leanings of “Safely On Your Way”. Lyrics are front and center of the album as they articulate an entire life. The highs and the lows of a life lived most fully are explored in impressive detail. Instruments shine through with…
Knoxville raised Zoe Nutt is a guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, and storyteller. Her debut album Like You bears full evidence of the fruits harvested from her life experience and her tenure as a student in the renowned songwriting program offered by Nashville’s Belmont University. The album’s eleven tracks are a rich compendium of country, pop, and…
Soles of Passion deliver “Bump Me Up” with a strong sense of optimism in the future. Emphasizing a sense of freedom, the song shine with crystal clarify. Vocals serve as the heart and soul of the album as they reveal a sense of play, purpose, and desire. Further giving their sound greater power is the…
Sung with the utmost of hope is WORLD5’s “Heartbeat Of The World”. Possessing an inviting thoughtful pop sensibility reminiscent of Genesis, the songs are filled with bright shining textures. Lyrically articulate these are pieces that sing out for the best in the world. By letting them interact ever so gracefully what results is a fully…
Robert Miller’s Project Grand Slam, The Queen’s Carnival after much anticipation has been released and melting faces in its path. Ably backed by Marcello Casagrandi, Mario Castro, Yasser Tejeda, Joel E. Mateo, Fabio Rojas, Willy Rodriguez, Meritxell Neddermann and Nathan Cepelinski. This jazz compilation is a mix of instrumentals and a nice cover of You…
The Front End sings the song of the downtrodden with their “Growing Pains EP”. Offering a series of portraits from varying degrees of disappointment, the pieces feel pitch perfect in how they capture some of the frustrations that can disrupt a life, from photos from a picture perfect vacation while they linger around alone, to…
The front woman for Heart, Ann Wilson went out on a solo adventure with her new EP The Ann Wilson Thing on Rounder Records. When I was presented with this review, I was elated and cannot believe my good fortune to be able to celebrate this dynamic, power house vocalist. Ann Wilson has a 4…
P Bailey’s “Story” effortlessly merges funk and dance into a celebratory whole. By far the heart of the collection are the strong thoughtful lyrics that drive the songs forward. Carefully constructed these incorporate elements of house, acid techno, funk, and hip-hop into something truly unique. Quite nimble in terms of how carefully it all comes…
It’s easy to forget how good this sort of music can be. We’ve lost the spirit in the marketplace that bands like Cranky George conjure – now it’s just pretty faces with a diminished appreciation for melodic variety and substantive statement. The teaming of former Pogues accordionist James Fearnley with the Mulroney Brothers, Kieran and…
The Bongo Boy Rock N’ Roll TV Show is proud to present their episode 1090 in their Rock N’ Roll TV Show series, featuring 6 talented independent international recording artists in 1 special ½ hour TV show. This Bongo Boy TV produced episode premiering in September on all channels in the Bongo Boy TV National…
Despite the fact that Circles and Squares is his debut solo effort, there’s a better than average chance you’ve heard a Seth Swirsky penned song before. Swirsky is partially responsible for the now iconic 1988 pop hit “Tell It To My Heart”, first popularized by Taylor Dane and frequently covered since then. Swirsky has written…
With a tight flow and an infectious groove J’Moris’s “Dope Life ft. Sunny BoBo” is a pure joy. Lyrics paint the picture of an entire life. Beats hit hard with the bass rumble working wonders, as the sound is almost physical in nature. Samples are woven deep into the mix giving the song a kaleidoscopic…
On “Whiskey” Sarantos sings with true longing and passion. Like a mystical swirl of sounds the piece moves at an incredibly fast pace. Tying together elements of folk, country, rock with a hint of gospel the piece simply refuses to let up. Sarantos poetic, urgently delivered lyrics serve as the heart and center of the…
The third and most recent release from The Retakes, Trash, is a four song EP continuing in the Pixies-inspired tradition of their previous releases, an August 2015 split with Gramma and 2014’s Girl. While their music might wear its love for the Pixies on its sleeve, the Minneapolis four piece shows more than enough individuality…
On “Waste Away With Me” Lee Smythe taps into a jaunty, nostalgia-tinged sound that marries the Elephant6 Collective aesthetic with vaudeville. Colorful to its very core the piece is a jovial piece, one that includes a great deal of play in its execution. Doing the work of an entire band is the warped warble of…
Seattle native and multi-discipline artist Anomie Belle’s album release Flux will likely garner her considerable attention as one of the most innovative artists on the indie music scene. Belle, likewise, demonstrates enough accessibility to suggest her stay in the indie world may be brief – despite any odd textures or arrangements she explores over the…
Thomas Charlie Pedersen, member of the three piece Danish alternative rock band Vinyl Floor, has released a debut solo effort that takes his songwriting in a distinctly different direction. The fourteen song collection favors the pop song hooks and melodies distinguishing his material with Vinyl Floor, but it’s cut in a largely acoustic mold and…
Jason Rylan sings with true power on the reassuring “Help is on the Way”. With an upbeat, giddy melody moving the song forward the rhythm is positively triumphant in tone. Vocals are poetic in nature as they highlight the comfort that people can give one another. As the song slowly unfurls what is revealed is…
The Bongo Boy Rock N’ Roll TV Show is proud to present their episode 1089 in their Rock N’ Roll TV Show series, featuring 6 talented independent international recording artists in 1 special ½ hour TV show. This Bongo Boy TV produced episode premiered in September on all channels in the Bongo Boy TV New…
Indie Award winning recording artist Monica Pasqual presents a deeply personal album with “Is Fortune a Wheel” – a vivid, daring journey into what happens when unforgettable memories are lost by a lover whose ability to recall the past is fading. These memories, still cherished by Pasqual, are explored through song as she navigates the…
Kamau is a Toronto native who first gained popularity on Youtube with a cover of “Hey Ya” by Outkast. His soulful voice and unique rap style brings a certain authenticity that is lost in today’s hip-hop scene. Kamau released his EP on July 1st, if this EP is foreshadowing for what is to come from…
Tapping into the spirit of the blues, Diana Catherine’s “Gossip in the Devil’s Radio” has a classic timeless sound. With carefully crafted stories emerging throughout the album her strong commanding voice draws the listener into a compelling world. Arrangements are pitch perfect as they effortlessly bring together elements of country, folk, rock, into a satisfying…
Tapping into a classic rock sound with a sense of play is Tumbler’s “Come to the edge”. Lyrically the songs are a true radiant joy as the vocals are sung with the utmost of passion. A nice balance between folk, rock, and pop, the songs are truly solid. Over the course of the album Tumbler…
The latest release from American born, UK based multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter Jupiter in Velvet entitled The One in the Many is a vibrant ten song collection ranging across the usual wide range of influences. While there are many readily identifiable strains in Jupiter’s compositions, they are blended with such finesse and electrified with a…
New Jersey born hip hop lyricist and musical artist Zay P spent his formative years in California and cross-continental influence shows on his material. The top class production highlights writing often quite superior to many of his peers in the genre and his vocal delivery simmers with a cool confidence that never needs to beat…
With an infectious, summertime celebratory spirit is the infinitely catchy “Heart & Thunder” by FIVES. Everything simply works from the articulate lyricism to the emotional melody. Reminiscent of the best of the Postal Service, FIVES sings with a true sense of soul. Attention to detail is an absolute must as the many layers of sound…
If you have had the chance to read some of my reviews from the past, by now then you should know that I love authentic music. In a time where, in the words of The Narrator in Fight Club, everything is basically “a copy of a copy of a copy…” and for some people with…
The electro-pop duo Porcelain People, hailing from the unlikely locale of Louisiana, have written and recorded quite a memorable debut. Their first full length release, Streetlights, aims at merging melodically driven electronica and pop. They earn their pop credentials with sharp, well-crafted hooks and intelligently composed synthesizer and keyboard textures that are tastefully applied. The…
The latest release from American born, UK based multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter Jupiter in Velvet entitled The One in the Many is a vibrant ten song collection ranging across the usual wide range of influences. While there are many readily identifiable strains in Jupiter’s compositions, they are blended with such finesse and electrified with a…
Hailing from the Twin Cities area in Minnesota, Bob Lien’s journey from the land of Bob Dylan to the West Coast and back has deeply enriched his musical approach and obviously informed his life in a lasting, significant way. His deft and often highly finessed blend of thoughtful folk rock with quasi-classical string arrangements is…
Silky smooth and with a true sense of style, MJM’s “MJM Parables Part 1” feels positively freeing. Tying together jazz, dub, lounge, and R&B into a satisfying whole the piece is delivered with great passion. By far the heart of the sound is the expressive articulate lyricism. Vocals merge easily with the luxurious tasteful sound.…
Bone and Marrow’s “Introspectator” takes the anxiety of the Talking Heads and electrifies it. With strong, commanding vocals and taut rhythms the songs linger in the mind long after they are over. Attention to detail is impeccable as the songs are carefully woven together making the album into a tapestry of sound. Easily the highlight…
The release of Bunny Sigler’s latest single “Stand Up” brings together the greatest of the legendary singer’s talents in one compelling work. The Philadelphia native, long ago nicknamed Mr. Emotion thanks to his particularly deep feeling singing performances, retains every ounce of his much ballyhooed ability to transfix listeners, but likewise, he retains the ability…
On “Days Like These” Flight Feathers neatly tie together elements of classic rock, folk, and chamber pop into a lovely whole. Reminiscent of Grizzly Bear’s stylish thoughtful take on pop, the pieces teem with life. Layer upon layer of sound interact ever so gracefully as their playing reveals a band that listens to each other.…
