CD and DVD reviews
With the advent of digital music distribution, albums just seem to be getting longer and longer all the time. Take Anthology by Joe Boris, for example. His release contains 30 songs and lasts two hours and 38 minutes. There are Hollywood movies that clock in with shorter lengths than that. Thus, just listening all the…
Kenny Frame’s single, “Puzzle,” is unusual in the best possible ways. It begins with a jazzy guitar part, before Fame begins talk-singing its lyrics. It’s the story of an outcast, and it’s told introspectively. It’s also effective in getting its serious message across. The track’s instrumentation is sparse, which is both intentional and a wise…
Anyone who knows their music will have spotted the wonderful Springsteen reference that was last year’s album title, Last Chance Power Drive. And while I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Elephants and Stars are plowing a similar musical furrow as The Boss, there is certainly something in the scale of their music,…
Colors, tonal simplicity, and a sense of comradery that isn’t promoted in pop culture nearly as much as it should be; indeed, the backdrop for the new music video “Don’t Want the Phone to Ring” from Ajay Mathur is nothing to scoff at, but when attached with the melodic command of this singer/songwriter’s vocal it…
At first glance, the song title to Joe Boris’ single “Set Me Free” reads like a cry for release some oppression or other. It’s a demand for immediate change, one might gather. Perhaps, even a command for the same. Then when the music starts, with its loping reggae groove, you (the listener) are set up…
While there is a lot of originality in the music that Greg Hoy makes, it is worth pointing at bands such as Radiohead or Guided By Voices to give you, dear reader, an idea of where he comes from musically. It’s not so much the sound or the styles that he uses that draw such…
You might think “Ms Mystery” is just another song about an enigmatic girl. And you’d probably at least be half right. This acoustic track is, indeed, about a kind of girl. However, when Alias Wayne sings about ‘mystery Babylon,’ it’s immediately clear there is much more going on. This is also a song that references…
Tony Adams goes for a celebratory, swinging sound on the genteel “Praize Hiz Name (feat. Eddie Scarlett).” Pure positivity overflows from the sound. Fanfare frequently bursts through, adding to the sheer power of the performance. Lyrics genuinely serve as the heart of the entire thing as he passionately explores the concept of faith. The arrangement…
If you are looking for a neat slice of fun and frantic pop with plenty of low-slung rock and roll attitude and punk swagger lashings, then look no further than the infectious new single from The Underbites. A short, sharp, shockingly good sonic blast that takes in raw, rhythmic guitars, punchy, sing-a-long lyrics, and salvos…
“Late in the Morning” begins with a quiet yet jangling electric guitar part. Obviously, this guy is a late sleeper. He even mentions how someone (his girl?) calls him a stoner. From the look of it in the live music video for the song, where the singer is wearing sunglasses – at night – well,…
ACTHEKiDFROMSPACE presents a wild, unhinged party atmosphere on the chaotic flows of “EARTHQUAKE (feat. Pupe Tee & Rhaffy).” The lyrics rest right in front of the whole thing. Nods to reggaeton, dance, hip-hop, and more enter the equation resulting in the ultra-saturated spirit. Word choice recalls the aftermath of an animalistic experience, a kind where…
The ongoing evolution of alternative music has been spurred forth by the underground experimentalists before everyone else – and this especially includes the fusion players like those in the surging star Rob Alexander, whose facilitation of a proper pop revival has brought forth an exciting wave of music out of his south Florida scene for…
Step into room, and you will see Henri Cainglet’s work. The Filipino native has an undeniable, visual aesthetic that inspires both delightful bewilderment, and a sense of all-encompassing, wild-eyed immersion. There’s something refreshingly modern about his style, whilst simultaneously displaying a kind of timelessness. Mr. Cainglet’s mixture of his cultural roots with elements of key…
The outer realms of heavy music are known more for muscle than melody, for power rather than poise; it is both rock and a hard place. A very hard place indeed. But veteran NYC bassist Doug Berns, with his twin loves of, on the one hand, funk, jazz, and afro-beat, on the other pummelling metal,…
A certain sound has evolved only in the last musical generation, a blend of 60’s folk and 21st-century poise, rootsy structures with added electronica, its edges and corners softened with an ambient vibe. Cosmic folk? Ambient roots music? Call it what you will, but you certainly have that sound echoing in the likes of Fleet…
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…
