CD and DVD reviews
Both in the mainstream as well as the amateur scene, R&B has been having a sensational year in 2023. It’s only June, but we’ve already seen more potential hits from artists around the country than we have in the whole of 2022, and among them, Sasha Prendes’ “Shake This” has been a consistent standout in…
Troy Petty’s single, “Alonetown,” is a dramatic piece of music. It is a full 4:27 of powerfully emotive sound. The song begins dramatically with ten seconds of spoken word content, before the track’s instrumental parts set in. These come in quietly, with Petty singing gently over subtle piano instrumentation. This same hushed performance lasts for…
If you want to know where modern pop music is today, you must look to artists such as Calliope Wren, though pop hardly seems the right word in this case. The term pop might suggest accessible and infectious music and Her and I is certainly that, but it is a loaded term, perhaps implying something…
Epic Nelson goes for a rustic slice of Americana on the riveting classic rock of “So Many Years.” The interplay amongst the band is fiery, bringing up elements of the blues, folk, and so much more. By blending the many influences, Epic Nelson has a colorful array that befalls the listener. An unrelenting optimism propels…
Although Randy Ross’s single, “Blown’ Dust,” begins with somewhat rock-ish electric guitar, once fiddle enters the mix, it’s clear this is a country song. It’s a travelling song, too, adding to a long line of troubadour musician-y road tunes. Ross looks like a young man in pictures, but sings – at least this song –…
The Brian Berggoetz Band plays with pure fire on the revelry of “It’s Gonna Rain.” Everything about it syncs into place effortlessly. Guitar work goes for a classic rock fervor, as they let the piece embrace a driving rhythm. Everything about it suggests vast, wide-open spaces in the best way possible. Volume is given, for…
S.N.A.K. imbues Tears for Fears’ classic “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” with a righteous amount of funk. They possess much dexterity, as the bass work embraces the nimble. Rhythms have a taut, jazz-like cadence. Neat little flourishes play off the original, and while it is evident that this is a cover, it is also…
Rock has needed some new revolutionaries for a while now, and this summer, King Falcon is out to prove they’ve got what it takes to bring on a new renaissance the genre needs to survive. Their amazing single “Ready Set Go” is already out everywhere this June, and while it’s hitting record store shelves at…
It is fair to say that Chris St John is on a creative roll at the moment. With previous albums, I’m Dreaming and Fly Away, garnering an array of chart placements, not to mention critical praise from both industry stalwarts and fans alike, it is easy to see why there has been much anticipation for…
Taken from his album, The Threshing Floor, which releases in October, “I’m Ready” is filled with punkish spirit. It’s an anthemic statement of purpose, in fact. “I’m ready for a good time, baby,” Anders sings out, like a guy ready to party. It is, in its essence, nothing short of a party song. Although it’s…
A song devoted to gratefulness frames Slyvie’s Songs tender “One Love Changes Everything (Feat. Bryon Harris).” Gentle guitar work adds to the sense of community. The care and compassion brought into the fray feel outright liberating. Layers filter into the mix and let the sound blossom. By opting for this unique framework, they delve into…
The NEW Bardots delves into a wild, cacophonous sense of the blues with “On Our Own.” As they let it rip, volume is a given, incorporating guitar athletics alongside unhinged rhythms. A force of nature, they hold nothing back. Harmonica proves to accompany the wild presence of Gypsy Carns’ “Now I’m Alive.” Faith-based, the message…
Clark Ford engages in a jazzy pop elegance with “Meant To Be (feat. Underground Treehouse).” Instrumentally rich, there is beauty to be found with the many different flourishes. Vocals rest right at the heart of the matter, allowing the songs to float gracefully. Melodies bounce off the walls, further adding to the inherent bliss of…
Rollicking strings dispense a quiet harmony with Ranzel X Kendrick’s honey-sweet but quite distant vocal in the folky “Eight Ball in the Corner Pocket” which is both simple and bitterly complex in its emotional tinge, but much like the song’s tracklist neighbor in the new EP from his Alias Wayne moniker, Fubar, “Window of My Soul,”…
I confess that while I am familiar with The Stanley Brothers and Dr. Ralph Stanley’s contributions to music, I am ignorant of their progeny. Nathan Stanley, grandson of Ralph, has carved out a durable niche for himself in the music world based on talent alone without ever having trade in on his family history. It…
Kalen Hogan is precocious, to say the least. At just 17, this Australian already has the maturity of someone twice his age. His debut album, Isolation, is as serious as a heart attack, too. With its gentle, folkish sound this is also no sort of kid punk outburst. Although just shy of being an actual…
Susan Wendelken is a force to be reckoned with in the music world and proves it with her latest release titled ‘Alayne’s Echo’. This singer/songwriter is originally from Long Island, NY and music has been a part of Susan’s life since she was a child. Wendelken learned to play piano at just three years old…
I defy anyone to successfully pigeonhole the band Noshows. Max Satow initially began the band as an one man project but soon broadened his vision. The New York City based act is now a five-piece outfit featuring Satow on vocals/guitar, Dylan Satow on trumpet, and Amedeo Corey on keyboards and backing vocals. Bassist Zac Munowitz…
The Nocturnal Adoration Society is the singing/songwriting/marital partnership of Alt-Country pioneer Jimmy Ryan (Blood Oranges, Wooden Leg, Hayride) on vocals, mandolin, mandocello and Donna Sartanowicz (The Very) on vocals and bass guitar, along with with Eric Royer (Royer’s One-Man Band, The Sacred Shakers) on pedal steel and Chris Anzalone (Juliana Hatfield, Dennis Brennan, and Roomful…
You can tell just by the potency of her poetic emissions in the new single “My Best Mistake” that singer/songwriter Taylor Jules isn’t messing around in this latest release to bear her name in the byline. She’s assertive, venomous even, and every word she utters is meant to hit us like a ton of bricks,…
Steve Power is an Austin-based, award winning, singer-songwriter that has been performing for over five decades now. Power has played all over the US and afar, has released two EP’s and now his fifth album release is titled ‘The Earl Sessions’. With an array of elements from rock and roll, classic country and blues to…
Little Hurt explores the ups and downs of love on the new album Lovely Hours. Darkly ruminative takes on failed relationships is a time-tested topic for popular music. Songwriters of various stripes have made it their bread and butter. Colin Dieden, however, proves himself capable of pouring old wine into new bottles. Lovely Hours’ ten songs do not…
I felt a little overwhelmed by Rob Alexander’s “Get Over Yourself” when I listened to it for the first time. It comes on like gangbusters with its hyperdrive electronic riffing and Alexander’s singing flirts with histrionics. He has a declamatory vocal style and its theatrical edge won’t appeal to everyone. Listeners who relish songwriting emotions…
The Sheyana Band is the vehicle for soulful singer Sheyana. The group is based in Australia and incorporates a wide variety of styles into its overall sound. There’s soul, yes, but also blues and a touch of country mixed in. The Ricochet EP took shape, like a lot of recent musical ventures did, during the…
Frank Jurgens’ Recording Den Sessions is one of the more notable EP releases I’ve heard in 2023. The New Jersey born singer/songwriter has successfully threaded several influences together into an unique musical voice that says as much about the man writing the tunes as it does the subject of each song. The three songs included on this EP…
“Run! Run! Run!” is more than just Vineet Singh Hukmani’s new single. It heralds the arrival of his new project, the creation of a multiverse environment headed by the debut of his comic Run Storm & the Hope Star. He isn’t stopping there though. Hukmani will be releasing a 3D animated film based on his superhero character Run Storm…
Leo Sawikin, former front man of the New York indie rock band The Chordaes, released his new single ”Hold On” May 5. I think he makes it pretty obvious that he’s starting to outgrow the insularities of his indie scene. There’s a restlessness to his vocal in “Hold On” that is the opposite of off-putting;…
Country music has always been big in Canada, whether the average beer-guzzling, beer-belied American realizes this or cares to admit it or not. However, with all its wide-open country and rural regions, it only makes sense that country music would thrive in this nation. One artist that has been making great country music since she…
Meshing the best elements of both bluegrass and country music together isn’t a new concept by any means, but in the new single “Three Arrows” by Daniel Grindstaff, the acclaimed instrumentalist, songwriter, and all-around darling of the critics brings together the aesthetics of these two genres in a way perhaps perfect for a new generation…
Country balladry is one of the most overthought elements of America’s favorite genre, but Lorraine Jordan isn’t about to complicate her sound with a lot of overly elaborate beats in the new single “Mama’s Cross.” Much as she makes clear to us in the lyrics of this song, her interests lie far more in taking…
Imagine if you took the idea of a boy band and applied it to the traditional sound of choir performance. Imagine if you took ordinary boys from South London schools, boys that just happened to like singing, and allowed them to develop a repertoire that ranged from the traditional and devotional to the pop and…
John McDonough’s latest single, “We’ll Answer the Call,” is a wonderful addition to the country music genre. The song starts out slow and calm, before building up to an upbeat and fun climax, and ending smoothly. McDonough’s impressive vocals, combined with the track’s excellent production values, make for a memorable listening experience. The song’s opening…
Dan Krochmal is an Australian-born singer/songwriter now residing in NY and is exploding on the music scene! His most recent release is titled “FOMO” and is the second single being featured off of the upcoming album, ‘Home & Holding’. As soon as I hit play, I knew I was hearing something special from Dan Krochmal…
It’s not often you find a band that’s been playing together since middle school. However, Sun Wave Mountain Cave is just such an act, together now for fifteen years now. They became Sun Wave Mountain Cave, though, only after adding Andy Brace as a guitarist/vocalist, and Familiar to Me is a tight, five song EP.…
Gil Karson and the Karson City Rebels offer an ode of praise with the poignant “Freedom Guaranteed.” The right amount of western twang gets brought into the mix, thanks to the stride of the acoustic guitar and the wry slide glide in the background. Rhythms have a stately grace, allowing the vocals to rest front…
Jasper “The Jazzmaster” Myers goes for a powerful piece of soul with the gospel-tinged experience of “CHUUCH.” Vocals serve as the focal point from which all else flows. The lo-fi aesthetic and near-broken beats add to the sense of triumph the tracks explore. Genre-wise, it is cleverly couched in jazz, with dance, pop, gospel, and…
Brian Iannucci embraces the late-night party atmosphere with the mission statement “Pour One Out.” Stylistically it runs the gamut from country rock to pop to hip-hop, neatly tying these visions into a unified force. He has a commanding presence over the course of the piece. The verses reflect upon a night spent unwinding. Much of…
Big, bombastic beats reverberate throughout the entirety of P Bailey’s “More than just friends.” Meant to be played loud, very loud, and the whole song works into a frenzy. The looping hypnotic quality of the sound feels intense. In certain moments it is like a single phrase being repeated endlessly in my mind, a mantra…
Genres are for losers! Red Matter is in it to win it! Which is what makes a whole album of their music such a hot prospect. Anyone who has shared stages with the likes of Gov’t Mule and Tedeschi Trucks Band clearly knows what they are doing, and Northbound Train is all the proof you…
With its driving rhythm and nocturnal saxophone, Jude Gwynaire’s “Night Drive Through My City Notorious” does sound like a nighttime ride. It’s an instrumental that simply shouts forward motion after sundown. One immediately wonders what is meant by the description, “City Notorious.” Notoriety suggests something distinctly pejorative. A notorious city sounds like one known for…
