HOT NEW REVIEWS
UPDATED APRIL 18 - 2015
SARANTOS
'NOT WHERE I WANNA BE' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Multi-instrumentalist
Saramtos comes out of Illinois, USA and he was kind enough to sent me his
very first CD Not where I wanna be, which marks the start of his
discography carreer, because his intention is to release a new song each month
of the year and a new CD every November until the day he dies. He looks quite
young, so I assume we can expect at least 50 albums the rest of the 21st
century. Anyway, let's first discuss his debut album. As he mentions in the
inner sleeve of the CD booklet, the music genres he chooses are not just focused
on 1 main genre. This is well appreciated by yours truly, although it becomes
clear that a few genres can easily be ignored next time. The calmer
singer-songwriter pop/rock opener Not where I wanna be sounds nice, but
it's the following track Nothing to hide that shows Saramtos at
his very best, because this is a catchy uptempo AOR/Poprocker that feels like
it's summer again and a comparison to Bryan Adams is quite clear. The
guitarwork is by the way very impressive and I would love to hear him rock much
more next time. The next couple of tracks reveal some 90s Grunge influences
(I'd give anything), lightweight 70s Pop (A sunny day) and also a
few tunes, which sadly makes me want to rush to push the skip button (the Disco
ish I love to love you too and the R&B ish Why), but
thankfully the midtempo AOR rocker Are you sure you can last? shows again
that Sarantos is able to deliver something very good as well. If he would
release a full-blown rockalbum in the style of Are you sure you can last?
and Nothing to hide, then I am sure AOR/Melodic Rockfans would be
thrilled (especially fans of Phil Vincent). I must not forget to mention
the last 3 tracks, because on A country song, Believe and Let's call
it love, he is joined by strong female guest vocalists, which also songwise
fall in a nice balladry direction, so there's more interesting material than the
2 AOR/Melodic Rocksongs I was raving about earlier on. It's hard to deny the
man's incredible enthousiasm in delivering as much music variety as possible on
1 CD, but it would be more interesting if he would investigate in delivering a
somewhat more balanced record and drop the hi-tech bleeps , vocal corrections
and disco/R&B orientated material. Check him out at: www.melogia.com
(Points: 7.3 out of 10)
STREAM
CITY 'HOAX' (PRIME COLLECTIVE/DENMARK IMPORT)
Of
course the success of Volbeat resulted in a lot of new rockbands emerging
from Denmark, because in the past the amount of bands coming from Denmark was
quite limited if you compare it to neighbour country Sweden. Anyway, Stream
City is another act playing somewhat the same style as Volbeat. The
band's first record Hoax is a nice album to listen to and besides
Volbeat similarities, the band also has a lot of influences taken
directly from Medieval Folk and even the Spanish guitar, just listen to the
album's highlights, which are the titletrack Hoax and Hail the
machine. Metalcore, Metal riffs, Progressive Rock and Folk influences with
Volbeat ish choruses are combined all the time and the only pity here is
the weaker vocalwork of singer Dion Lambrecht Finne. His guitarwork
however is rather good and thanks to a superb production, the album sounds quite
impressive, with a lot of great tunes, but there is always room for improvement
and who knows they are able to refine their sound on a future album. More at: https://www.facebook.com/streamcity
(Points:
7.7 out of 10)
CICCONE RITCHIE 'WITHIN OUR PARAMETERS' (PRIME
COLLECTIVE/DENMARK IMPORT)
Well
well well... we have all the ingredients here for a strong album while listening
to the first track Bang goes evil of the debut album Within our
parameters of the Danish band Ciccone Ritchie. The sound of the album
is huge, thanks to the mastering job of Alan Douches (Ramones,
Mastedon, Motorhead, Every Time I Die), the songs are damn catchy and
besides all the picture-perfect instrumental work of the bandmembers, it's the
singer who makes the difference, because lead vocalist Bjarke Madsbøll
has got a superb voice and when that aspect works in a band, then we are one
step in the right direction. The band is playing modern Melodic Metal, with
clean memorable choruses and instrumentally speaking a Progressive Metal ish
sound. There's not so much room for endless guitarsolo's, so the main focus is
definitely delivering catchy tunes with melodies that stick in your head and
they do that very well during the 10 included tracks, with as highlights
Sleep, Safety dwells, Dear Ancestry and 99c Redemption. Highly
recommended band to check out at: https://www.facebook.com/cicconeritchie
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
TRAGIK
'PATH OF DESTRUCTION (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
If
there’s one musician out there who keeps doing and living his own dream, without
taking a different musical path, it is multi-instrumentalist Phil Vincent
from Riverside, USA. For about 20 years now he has released new albums almost
every single year and the latest one is an album titled Path of
destruction under the bandname Tragik. The pictures of the naked lady
on the CD covers are a little bit too much I think, because that might give you
a wrong impression, but never judge music on the artwork alone. As expected, no
changes and once again nice clean 80s inspired Melodic Hardrock in the
Dokken, Ratt and Scorpions direction. Look At me Now, All The
Time In the World and especially Lake Of Tears (his longest track
ever, clocking in on 17 minutes!) are the highlights this time and anyone who is
familiar with Phil’s music will know what to expect from the man’s latest effort
Path of destruction. More at: http://www.philvincent.com
(Points: 7.6 out
of 10)
HILLARY
REYNOLDS BAND 'THE MILES BEFORE US' (POLYMATH/INDEPENDENT/USA
IMPORT)
Out
of Boston, USA comes the Hillary Reynolds Band, a band formed around
Hillary Reynolds, who plays piano and mandolin besides singing. Together
with Trevor Jarvis on cello/vocals, Connor Reese on guitars/pedal
steel/vocals, Jeff Hale on drums/percussion/ukulele and Chris
Mewhinney on electric and upright bass, they recorded a beautiful album
titled The Miles Before Us. Musically speaking this outfit combines
traditional American music styles, although they sound at times quite commercial
actually, without becoming cheesy in a Lady Antebellum direction. Throw
pieces of Folk, Country, American Pop/Rock, a dash of AOR and Bluegrass
together, then you have the sound of the Hillary Reynolds Band. Beautiful
melodic crystal clear and radio-ready songs can be heard from start to finish
and along with spot-on vocalwork by Hillary, it is a perfect album to put on and
listen to without touching the skip button. A song like Can't Let You Go
is almost a pure AOR ballad and anyone who remembers the band
Challenge or 1970s Heart, they will definitely love this act as
well, because the sound is very similar, sorta laid-back semi-acoustic melodic
aor/poprock, with a Folk/Country approach in the instrumental department. I
Surrender (feat. Forrest O'Connor) is also a clear highlight on the album
and what makes the band also such a strong act is the use of beautiful
harmonyvocals, so in the end this is a highly recommended band! More info at: www.hillaryreynoldsband.combeautiful
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
FREDDY
AND THE PHANTOMS 'TIMES OF DIVISION' (TARGET/DENMARK
IMPORT)
Shadows
Across the Country is
the second album of the Danish band Freddy and the Phantoms and as soon
as the album starts with the song Times of division, it is clear that we
are dealing with a high quality band here. They already played support to bands
like The Eagles and Rick Springfield and I would not be surprised
that Shadows Across the Country might become their breakthrough album.
The band is playing modern yet retro 1970s sounding psychedelic heavy bluesrock
which sits nicely between bands like Rival Sons, The Answer, Black
Keys, Wolfmother and White Stripes. Highlights among the 10 included
tracks are Times of Division, Borderline Blues, On the Sidewalk, No One to
Blame and the excellent Storm on the Riverside. Although bluesrock
orientated, at times Freddy and the Phantoms sound pretty heavy and I am
quite convinced that with a bit of luck this band could become huge, judging
mainly on their new album and the fact they have got a great lead singer in
their lineup (Frederick Schnoor). Highly recommended to fans of mentioned
bands and people who like classic late 1960s Power Rock (a la Cream, Peter
Green’s Fleetwood Mac and Jimi Hendrix Experience), so go check them
out asap at: http://www.freddyandthephantoms.com
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
SCHWARZ 'SCHWARZ'(POLYMATH/HUMMUS RECORDS/SWISS
IMPORT)
Formed
in 2013, the Swiss band Schwarz already releases their first album just
one year later, but while listening it sounds as if they have been together for
many years. The band is formed around two members of Monpetitponey, Romain
Siegenthaler and Antoine Kaufmann (Static Frames) and the singer
Danaé Leitenberg (Projet Virgile Crelier). Produced by Julien Fehlmann
(The Ocean, The Rambling Wheels, etc…), the same titled debut album is
filled with typical modern Dark Electro Pop/Rock (with an experimental approach)
that sounds close to acts like Daughter, London Grammar, The XX, Lykke Li,
Boy, Bat For Lashes… Although this might not sound so original at first, the
band clearly has an own identity and fans of mentioned bands, songs like
Lullaby, Echoes, Hide and May are a pleasure to listen to. Check
out more at: www.hummusrecords.bandcamp.com
(Points: 8.2
out of 10)
BLACK
DAWN 'UNTIL WE MEET' (BLUE PIE RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
Straight
from the New York underground comes Black Dawn, an exciting Metalband
with a 5-tracks counting album title Until we meet. Although the
sound/production of the album is not of a high quality, the material is quite
good and most impressive thing here is the superb singer Matt Kotten, who has
got a fantastic pure Metal screaming voice, which can be heard right from the
start during opener Upon your lips, but he is also able to sing more
introvert if you listen to the start of next track I could never be. The
music is a mix of various Metal styles, because we can hear influences from
Pantera, Alice In Chains, Skid Row and Metallica, but a song like
I could never be also reminds me a bit of Nevermore and even
Psychotic Waltz. Open the gates is the best song here, with also strong
biting guitarwork. This band has definitely potential, although at the moment
it's especially thanks to their amazing singer, who can make this band huge in
the future, but their guitarist Tom Kelly can also play some lovely
solo's, so if only the sound/production quality of their future record improves,
we can celebrate a sensational Metal release for sure. The major labels should
invest their money in this band, because they might be a small town independent
band with a little record now, I feel there is something in the air for Black
Dawn in the near future, so go check them out at: www.blackdawn.net
(Points: 8.0 out of
10)
AUDIO
NATION 'WAIT IT OUT' (INDEPENDENT/ICELAND IMPORT)
Formed
in 2012, the Icelandic band Audio Nation has a sort of own sound, which
at first sounds like a stripped melodic rockband, with a sax and a violin here
and there, but rocking enough to keep it interesting for the rockers among us.
There's a touch of Bon Jovi for sure and I must say it sounds very
impressive actually. The band has a very good lead singer (Gisli, who sings
low-pitched most of the time) as well as great guitarwork (Gulli Falk), which
combined works quite perfectly and the band's first CD Wait it out sounds
really professional and for an Icelandic band, they sound as if they are coming
out of the USA. It's a melodic laid-back style with a focus on catchy melodies
and raw vocals, which makes it sound a bit like the dark and depressive 1990s,
yet melodic enough for the melodic rockfans out there. Besides Bon Jovi,
Alice In Chains, Golden Earring and Soundgarden are also clear
influences, yet a little more polished in a Melodic Hardrockfriendly direction
(Shinedown/Three Doors Down). Songs like Human kind, My grave and
How thoughts change are very strong tunes that got all it takes to
receive radio airplay. Do not miss this highly recommended band from Reykjavic,
Iceland and go for more info to: http://www.audionation.is/
(Points: 8.4 out
of 10)
DENNIS
ADAMS 'DEMO CDR' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Very
little info on this musician from Costa Mesa, California, but his 2002 release
is now available again and despite it is already 13 years old by now, the music
is still interesting to check out if you like 80s pop-sensible AOR. 4 songs are
on this CDR and it's highlights are Tell me why, a nice 80s AOR ballad a
la Starship, with nice guitarwork, and It's time to know now, which is
the best song, as this is pure 80s midtempo Movie-AOR rocker a la Thowsen,
Robert Tepper, John Parr, Rocky 4, Larry Greene and such, so a little
hi-tech oriented, but without a doubt a remarkable strong tune with very
impressive vocalwork. Man of freedom and Dreaming are both a
little more laid-back, still 80s, but Pop inspired. Although the production
could be better and overall the sound could be a little rockier and less 80s
keyboard oriented, it definitely has it's charm, so fans of mentioned acts might
find something of interest here. Sadly the package arrived only with a blank
CDR, so no further info at this stage...
(Points: 7.7 out of
10)
CHASING
LANA 'IN A WORLD OF DISARRAY (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Out
of Melbourne, Australia comes Chasing Lana, a band with a modern
Hardrocksound in the style of Alter Bridge, Stone Sour, Shinedown. What
they do is of a very high level and their mini-album In A World Of Disarray
is definitely highly recommended to fans of mentioned bands. The band is
formed around singer/songwriter Dave Cutting and his brother Robbie
Cutting on lead guitar, with Ash Hall on drums and Matt
Simmons on bass. The catchy melodic modern rock in traditional American
style sounds really impressive and all 4 songs are a pleasure to listen to.
Perhaps not original, the band does it very well, so anyone into this modern
Hardrocksound will absolutely love to hear their latest EP. More at: www.chasinglana.com and http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/chasinglana.
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
EOIN
GLACKIN 'RAIN FINALLY CAME' (TULEEN MUSIC/IRELAND
IMPORT)
Rain
Finally Cameis
the 2nd album by Eoin Glackin, an Irish singer/songwriter who
follows the footsteps taken by Hozier and Damien Rice in the past
few years. Eoin however is taking things a little more traditional, with some
clear Irish Folk influences besides the typical singer-songwriter style of his
mentioned fellow countrymen, but he also rocks from time to time, which makes
him all together a very diverse musician. Ian Grimble (Manic Street
Preachers, The Clash, Beth Orton) produced his debut Not lost, which
was released by Sony Music in Ireland and already gave him a good start. Now it
is time for much more in the shape of Rain Finally Came. The man has got
a really strong voice, with a sorta Rock kinda vibe and an own identity, while
the music is sometimes folksy, but quite rocking too actually, which was already
mentioned and we can hear similarities to Bob Dylan and Jake Bugg
of course. Among the album’s highlights are Last night in this town (a
very strong semi rockballad) and Everyone is goin' (an uptempo
folk-rocker a la John Fogerty). His current single Pretty Girls
has received numerous BBC Local radio airplay and you can check out the video
at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8HkhG3sECY,
because Eoin might become the next big Irish musician to breakthrough in the
music business. More info at: www.eoinglackin.com
(Points: 8.3 out of
10)
MONSTER
MONSTER 'CHRISTMAS IN LIVERPOOL' (INDEPENDENT/IRELAND
IMPORT)
Monster
Monster
is a band from Dublin, Ireland, featuring two vocalists whom act as main duo
actually, namely singer/songwriters Mick Stuart (who also plays guitar)
and Riona Sally Hartman. They recorded a CD-single titled Christmas in
Liverpool, which consists of a Christmas song and 2 regular tunes. It is a
sort of dedication to Liverpool, a city which both are very much in love with
and during last summer they decided to write a Christmas tune, which was even
aired before the games Liverpool played this past Christmas, so they are now
becoming a household name in Liverpool. Definitely a good way to promote your
band! The music is quite strong modern day melodic pop/rock, with a sorta
Florence and the Machine touch, especially during the beautiful song I
am yours, which has an unusual drum rhythm and a crystal clear melodic
chorus. Actually that song is really excellent and has got hit potency written
all over, so let’s hope a radio station can pick this tune up as follow-up to
the Christmas song. Final track Assassin somehow reminds me of Caro
Emerald, so there's enough diversity in there as well. Anyway, check out all
on Monster Monster at: https://www.facebook.com/MonsterMonsterMusic
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
JUSTIN
FRANCOEUR 'MOVING THROUGH UNIVERSES' (INDEPENDENT/USA
IMPORT)
Out
of Denver, USA comes Justin Francoeur, a very talented musician who
released a great debut album titled Moving through universes. Justin has
a calm 1970s kinda progressive rock voice if you know what I mean, while the
music is sort of a mix of alternative pop, progressive pop and traditional
piano-pop, sounding clean and melodic, reminding of a cross between Gino
Vanelli, Peter Gabriel and Rufus Wainwright. Justin is a
multi-instrumentalist, although on his album also several other Denver based
musicians and even his father and sister are making guest appearances. Actually
it is a very diverse record, because there are also rocking parts included, as
well as laid-back moments and some jazz flavored material, so musically speaking
an interesting record. Highlights are Illusion's end (a beautiful song a
la Sting), The cold that is inside (a song with an own identity, sorta
Rufus Wainwright ish, with a nice clear soul touch in his voice, somehow
reminding me of Tony Hadley aka Spandau Ballet) and The show of
incredible faces (lengthy tune which covers almost every music genre,
impressive and challenging, for progressive music fans a very interesting
tune!). He is already working on a second album, so go look him up asap at: http://www.justinfrancoeur.com/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
THEM
HOWLING BONES 'THEM HOWLING BONES' (INDEPENDENT/USA
IMPORT)
Here
we have a Garage-Bluesrock outfit from Los Angeles, California with a dirty
sleazy raw sounding heavy bluesrock record that contains 4 tracks. The highlight
is definitely Left For Dead and it's good to see that straight from the
underground such bands appear on the horizon, because also Them Howling
Bones has got something that might make them big if they get that lucky
break. Go check them out at: http://themhowlingbones.com
(Points: 8.0 out
of 10)
RICHARD
HOLLEY 'BOND NEVER BROKEN' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
American
singer/songwriter Richard Holley sent me his 2nd album Bond
never broken, which he recorded together with musicians John Campos, Rob
Napoli, Paul Briscoe, Christen Marucci, and others. What we get to hear is
quite poppy singer/songwriter pop/rock with a slightly own identity and vocally
it is in a modest 70s singer/songwriter style, which sounds a bit like Jim
Croce, Cat Stevens, James Stewart, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The
songs sound quite uplifting and this can also be seen in the videos for the
songs Bond Never Broken and Hero Without a Gun. Although it sounds
like a real independent record, it is honest and true and recommended to check
out if you’re a fan of the mentioned acts. More at: www.richardholleymusic.com and http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RichardHolley
(Points: 7.5 out of 10)
WILL
WALLNER AND VIVIEN VAIN 'THE BATTLE OF CLYST HEATH' (INDEPENDENT/USA
IMPORT)
After
British guitarist Will Wallner met Croatian singer Vivien Vain met
in Los Angeles in 2010, they started to work on a project together, which
resulted in a self titled debut album in 2012. The album featured guest
musicians like Derek Sherinian, Carmine Appice, Jimmy Bain, Vinny Appice,
Tony Franklin, Brian Tichy, Rudy Sarzo and Tony Carey. A few years
later a new record is released and this time 8 songs are included on that
follow-up The battle of clyst heath, which also features a few guest
appearances, although this time drummer Giovanni Durst and former
Yngwie Malmsteen bassist Bjorn Englen fill up the rhythm section
on most of the songs. The album closes with The loner, which is a special
tribute to guitarist Gary Moore featuring Gary's former bandmates Don
Airey and Neil Murray alongside drummer Vinny Appice. Before
that we can find a nice Classic Hardrock adventure, which reminds me a lot of
Gary Moore in his 80s heydays and Brazen Abott. If we run through
the tracklisting; Blade Runner (nice instrumental, Vangelis cover),
The Wars Of The Roses (ok uptempo rocker, Gary Moore ish vocals),
Visions Of Home (strong midtempo melodic rocker, with catchy chorus,
lovin it!), Eye Of The Storm (ok uptempo rocker, vocals weaker), Black
Moon (strong midtempo melodic rocker, with a catchy chorus, reminding
somewhat of Michael Sweet somehow), You Won't Take Me Alive (ok uptempo
rocker, vocals weaker, Rainbow meets Blue Murder) and The
Battle Of Clyst Heath (Lana Lane ish epic slow tempo melodic heavy
rocker). Although not every song is a classic, this is definitely a high quality
album, which I can recommend to fans of Classic Hardrock in the Ritchie
Blackmore/John Sykes/Gary Moore guitar school, which you can check out at:
www.wallnervain.com
(Points: 8.2 out of
10)
WUNDERNAUT
AND LESS LOVE'PARADIGMS IN THE DESIGN' (LACK PRO RECORDS/USA
IMPORT)
Wondernaut
and Less Love
are actually 2 bands, which is clear when you listen to their album Paradigms
In The Design, because especially the use of a male and female singer on
various songs and the fact that 10 different musicians from several parts in the
USA are involved, that gives the band a very rich diverse sound. The best
comparison for this Oklahoma based band is probably White Stripes, with
strong female vocals (coming from various singers by the way!) and somewhat
weaker male vocals. Fleetwood Mac meets Sonic Youth is a
description which was mentioned in the band’s biography and indeed some of the
material is laid-back and beautiful in a Fleetwood Mac 1970s kinda
direction (If You (U.K. Surf)), while a tune like Lollygagging is
a great raw Garage rocker. The absolute highlight however is Mountains in the
sky (calmer pop/rock/aorish). This is an interesting project, which is very
diverse and then I have not even talked about a few songs that show electronic
and quirky poprock influences, while also a couple of songs are
singer/songwriter based. This diversity could make them bigger, so go check them
out at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/paradigmsinthedesign
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
BROTHER
GRUESOME 'MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION' (LACK PRO RECRDS/USA
IMPORT)
Brother
Gruesome
from Oklahoma City is a band formed around Todd Jackson on vocals and
guitar and Levi Watson on drums. The five song EP Mutually assured
destruction released by Lackpro Records consists of tracks from the band’s
nine song self released LP (of the same title) which will be available later
this year. The band’s sound is nice Garage Rock underground orientated, sorta
Nirvana circa Bleach style during Ex Oh Ex, but a song like
More celebrities is a little more melodic. However, obviously Brother
Gruesome is 1990s Grunge based and you can check them out at: www.brothergruesome.com
(Points: 7.3
out of 10)
NIKO
LORRAINE 'FEAST OR FAMINE' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Now
here we have an incredible singer/songwriter/guitarist from Houston, Texas. She
is called Niko Lorraine and was kind enough to sent me her album Feast
or famine. 15 songs are included and the music is a mix of heavy rock with
Jimi Hendrixish guitar riffs, bluesy rock and a sort of acoustic tingled
Tracy Chapman style singer-songwriter. Especially the song Follow my
voice is a beautiful song that sounds dangerously close to the legendary
Tracy Chapman. On the other hand, she rocks from time to mind for sure,
with the groovy rockers A brief pause and So far. If Jimi
Hendrix and Tracy Chapman would go on jammin', this could be the
result. More info at: http://www.reverbnation.com/nikolorraine7
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
GHOSTRAIN
'EULOLOGY FOR THE LIVING' (BACKYARD RECORDS/USA
IMPORT)
Formed
way back in the late 80s, the Atlanta, Georgia based band Ghostrain had
their fifteen minutes of fame already in 1989 when they recorded a demo at
John Keane's famous studios, which once saw R.E.M. recording their
music. Although Ghostrain never really made it big, they sorta made a
comeback recently and Eulogy for the living is the band's second album.
The music has a strong 1970s vibe, which can already be heard during the Classic
Rock opener Let's rock and roll, but the band sounds at their best during
the more uplifting rockers such as the awesome Suit and a tie. They
remind me a bit of Blue Oyster Cult crossed with Dire Straits, but
then with an alternative approach, so Ghostrain is definitely an
interesting band to check out. The band even touches AOR in a Southern friendly
38 Special kinda direction on the catchy rocker Push and shove,
which sounds like an anthemic rocker that will go down very well live on
stage. There's also influences of Folk, a little Country and Heartland Rock
included, so a nice traditional American Pop/Rock album, of which you can check
out more at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ghostrain
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
SUNUP
'SARATOGA SUNRISE' (SUNFLARE SONGS/USA IMPORT)
Sunup
was a contemporary folk/rock band from upstate NY and actually they released
this album back in 1995 and now 20 years later it is available again, because it
has been reissued. Saratoga Sunrise is musically speaking a very nice
relaxing Westcoast Pop/Rock and Singer-Songwriter Folkpop orientated album,
which reminds me a lot of acts like Venice, Firefall, Jackson Browne, Crosby,
Stills, Nash & Young, Dan Fogelberg... 18 songs are included on the
album and there's a lot of great material included here. The music is very
laid/back, but quite beautiful and fans of mentioned acts will absolutely love
this act. Songs like Kings and Queens and The sea in your eyes are
lovely Westcoast/Singer/Songwriter songs that sound as strong as the day they
were recorded back in the mid 1990s. It´s a pity they don´t exist anymore,
because they are a great underrated band from the past, which fits perfectly
in the tradition of mentioned bands. More at: http://www.sunflaresongs.com/sunup-reissues-1995-release-of-saratoga-sunrise/
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
MARSHALL MANUEL 'LOST AGAIN' (SUNFLARE SONGS/USA
IMPORT)
Marshall
Manuel is
a singer/songwriter/guitarist with a nice EP release that consists of melodic
pop/rock that somehow reminds me of Bernie LaBarge, if anyone actually
can remember him. If Donnie Iris would also play his songs at a less
rockier way, then it could also sound like this album, so all together this
album sounds a bit like early 80s US/Canuck Powerpop in a modern calmer
semi-acoustic direction. Besides Marshall, the other musicians on this album are
Ray Boss (drums) and Adam Ciardelli (bass) and I must admit that
the 3 songs are a pleasure to listen to. Hopefully a full album in the near
future. Go check out Marshall at: http://www.sunflaresongs.com/marshall-westlake-manuel-artist/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
AUDUBON
SAVANT 'POOCHMAN' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Out
of Illinois, USA comes multi-instrumentalist Joe Moran, who is actually
Audubon Savant. He did everything on his own on the 2nd album he released
and I must say, it does sound as if a full band recorded the album, so Joe did a
splendid job. Poochman is a diverse record, which contains a bit of
everything, yet Singer-Songwriter, Folk and Celtic Music influences are clearly
hearable here, but then with a quirky rock approach, yet acoustic driven or
semi-electric so to speak, with Joe's vocals sounding dangerously close to
David Bowie, especially in a song like Irish spring. Actually
throughout the 10 included songs, one can notice all kinds of similarities, such
as Robyn Hitchcock, Billy Bragg, REM, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and such.
Interesting bio as well, a part was hand-written by Joe himself, which is always
cool in these digital days. Go check out this quite original singer-songwriter
at: www.audubonsavant.com
(Points: 8.0 out of
10)
FRACTAL
CONTROL 'DISCONNECTION EQUALS FREEDOM' (INDEPENDENT/USA
IMPORT)
Not
so much info on this band/project from Ohio, USA, except that this is a very
nice instrumental album, which is a must-have to check out if you are into
instrumental Progressive Metal, because the guitarwork is quite phenomenal. The
project is based around multi-instrumentalist Mike Louttit, who did
everything on his own here and as already mentioned, he can surely play the
guitar at a very high level, so that makes the album worth recommending to all
the fans of high-class guitarwork. John Petrucci, Joe Satriani and all
those Progressive Metal guitarists will definitely like this a lot, so make sure
not to miss this talented musician from a small town called New Middletown in
Ohio. More at: https://soundcloud.com/fractalcontrol
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
JOHN
MAMONE 'ORDER AND CHAOS' (INDEPENDENT/CANADA IMPORT)
I
have a big box in which all the postal mail with CDs disappears and then you
sometimes find something that has been in that box for way too long and Canadian
John Mamone apparently was in that box for almost 20 months (!). Now
listening to his album Order and chaos, that seems like a huge pity,
because without a doubt, he is gifted musician. His voice is truly superb, a
true Rock/Metal shouter and the material on the album is high class Melodic
Hardrock/Metal, with amazing guitar solo's by Kelly Kerreliuk. 12 songs
are included on the album and John definitely knows how to write and sing like a
Classic Melodic Rock/Metal musician. He reminds me a bit of Ian Parry,
while the material grabs back to 1980s Melodic Metal, but also with a touch
of underground 1990s Melodic Metal (remember the bands Millenium and
Teer?). Unlived, Order and chaos, Mastermind and Magnus
tempestas are just a few examples of fantastic songs that remind me of bands
like Heir Apparent, Leatherwolf, Rail and especially Lizzy Borden,
so this is pure Classic 80s US Metal actually. John is a veteran musician from
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, who has been in the music business since 1988, so he
comes out of the classic metal era, which is clearly hearable on his highly
recommended album! You don't want to miss this gem, so for more go to: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/johnmamone5
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
KAT PACE 'SURVIVOR EP' (INDEPENDENT/USA
IMPORT)
Kat
Pace
is a New York based singer/songwriter and she was kind enough to sent me a
3-songs counting EP-CD titled Survivor. Included songs are Survivor,
Where to find me and Broken heart breaking and musically speaking we
are heading into typical modern day radiofriendly pop/rock with a dash of old
school AOR and a tiny bit of singer/songwriter class. Although it is just a
short EP, it shows that this could well become something very interesting in the
future when a full-lengthy is released to the public, so go check out the name
Kat Pace at: https://www.facebook.com/KatPaceMusic and http://katpace.com/
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
HAROLD
MIKE SIZEMORE 'THAT OLD MAN AND ME' (INDEPENDENT/USA
IMPORT)
Out
of Cincinnati, Ohio comes Harold Mike Sizemore, a strong
singer/songwriter with a superb melodic voice and a bunch of great songs on his
latest album That old man and me. He played in a band called Strange
Acquaintance at the end of the 1990s, but eventually ended up as a solo act
throughout the 2000s. The material he creates sits nicely between Jackson
Browne and a stripped American southern rock and roll band (Allman
Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd), while here and there sounding like a true
Americana record. Highlights are Hell for Certain and Dark Haired
Young Dream, but actually each song is enjoyable to listen to.
Singer/songwriter at it’s very best is what you basically get hear and
especially the lyrics are interesting, because Harold lost his father to a heart
attack on November 1, 2009 and he spent the next 5 years constructing a musical
tribute to his father, which is now available in the form of this beautiful
record That old man and me. Without a doubt, a must-have for any fan of
real and honest quality music. Check out all on him at: http://www.haroldmikesizemore.com/bio.html
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
VICTORIA
CELESTINE 'BACK HOME IN SAN ANTONE' (INDEPENDENT/USA
IMPORT)
Half
French/Half Texan singer/songwriter Victoria Celestine started very young
making music and now at the age of 18 she sounds like she is a mature woman who
could be among the big girls already with her new album Back home in San
Antone. She plays piano and guitar, while her voice has developed quite a
lot since her previous recording. The music is a mix of singer/songwriter,
pop/rock and some jazzy sounds, sorta like Kate Melua and Birdy.
It’s always hard to predict, but Victoria could become easily huge if she
has that lucky break. No matter which song you are listening too, Deep Down
Inside, Always or Not Here to Hurt You, it all sounds very
professional and of major label level, so anyone into the female sound of today,
with a strong jazzy approach, here comes what could become the next big lady.
More at: http://victoriacelestine.com
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
BC
SAM 'NIGHT CROSSING' (FLORA AND FAUNA MUSIC/USA
IMPORT)
BC
Sam
stands for Brian Cutler (vocals, guitar) and Samantha
Thoe-Schechter (vocals), a duo whom sent me their debut album Night
crossing, which was actually already released way back in 2010, but
nevertheless they deserve a review, because what we get to hear is high quality
material. Brian is a well-seasoned musician who played and recorded with
several other bands before, while Samantha is the upcoming singer. Together they
create beautiful melodic singer/songwriter poprock and sometimes, such as during
the beautiful Mississippi Mudbone and Little Did She Know, their
sound could be described as acoustically stripped aor/poprock, with excellent
female vocals. Samantha’s voice is really stunning and the two of them together
make a great duo, which sounds as good as for example Common Linnets.
Check them out at: http://www.bcandsam.com
(Points: 8.3
out of 10)
DOT LEGACY 'DOT LEGACY' (SET A LIGHT/UK
IMPORT)
Out
of France comes Dot Legacy, a band which is playing experimental
Post-Rock with some Stoner-Rock and Psychedelic Rock influences, but at times
they could also be described as Noise Rock. Nirvana, Pixies and
Smashing Pumpkins come to mind while listening to their album. Damien
Quintard/Lead Vocals – Bass, Arnaud Merckling/Guitar - Keyboard -
Back Vocals, John Defontaine/Guitar - Back Vocals and Romain
Mottier/Drums - Back Vocals are doing things quite nicely, although it is
clearly the band’s start in the music business. Nevertheless, altrockfans will
probably like this a lot. More at: http://www.dotlegacyband.com
(Points: 7.5 out of 10)
KAISAS
'DEGITALIZE' (SLEASZY RIDER RECORDS/FRANCE IMPORT)
Greek
guitarist and bassist Babis Kaisas formed the band Kaisas a few
years ago, released a debut album in 2011 titled Unify and he was smart
enough to use a English native well-seasoned singer to join him and on that
first album this was ex-TNT / SHY vocalist Tony Mills, while on
the new album Degitalize he was able to get Heavens Edge singer
Mark Evans on board. The music of Kaisas is 1980s influenced big
American Melodic Rock. Besides 11 originals, also a cover of Cuttin'
Crew's classic (I Just) Died In Your Arms is featured, but we could
have lived without that tune, because nothing beats the original. Anyway, the
result is a nice record that musically speaking touches the classic melodic
hardrocksound of Heaven’s Edge, Dokken, Valentine and Firehouse.
The production could have been a bit better and the songs are not as sensational
as the aforementioned classic melodic hardrockbands, but songs like Rockin’
In the Digital World, Poisoned Heart, Wounded and Alone and The
Highlander are nevertheless nice to play and sing-a-long as if Hair Metal
never died. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.kaisas.sitefree.gr
(Points:
7.7 out of 10)
PETER
GALPERIN 'A DISPOSABLE LIFE' (JETTY RECORDS/USA
IMPORT)
The
American singer/songwriter Peter Galperin was raised by his Russian
classical violinist and Canadian cellist mother, while growing up in the Grunge
capital of the world, Seattle. Besides being a singer/songwriter in his own
right, Peter is also a multi-instrumentalist (guitar, violin, piano, mandolin,
bass) and he worked with producer/saxophonist Robert Aaron (who has
worked with David Bowie, Talking Heads, Laurie Anderson, Wayne
Kramer (MC5)) during his time in New York where he lives and works since the
early 1980s. Since the mid 90s he started to mix Afro/Latin rhythms with rock
melodies, while lyrically injects a dose of dry humor. He already released 3 CDs
so far and A disposable life is one of the albums on which you can hear
the diversity of music styles, which consists of 80s UK New Wave ish (such as
during the hit potential tune There's No Future (Simple Minds
meets David Bowie), singer/songwriter with exotic rhythms (Paul
Simon meets Leonard Cohen) and even some progressive pop/rock.
There’s something for everyone here and therefore recommended to check out this
talented musician at: http://www.petergalperin.com
and http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/petergalperin2
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
VESPERS
NINE 'TRUE STORY' (INDEPENDENT/GLASS ONYON PR/USA
IMPORT)
Wow!!!!!!!!!!!
From out of nowhere comes the new sensational band Vespers Nine,
featuring an amazing vocalist called John F. Simon. Combined with a
superstrong band backing him up (including a female bassist who can also sing
very well) and a dozen of excellent tunes, I can easily say that this is the way
I want my Melodic Rock to sound like. They hail from South Florida and of course
they play the AOR/Melodic Rock in the exact same way it sounded back in the late
1980s and early 1990s, because bandnames like Biloxi, Know Illusion, Slyboyz,
Firehouse, The Storm, Roxus and such pass by while listening to their debut
album True story. So you might not call this band very original, but if it is
done at such a high level as on this album, we can easily conclude that
Vespers Nine is a highly recommended band to any AOR/Melodic Rockfan out
there. If the production could improve on a future album, then we might call
them one of the finest discoveries in ages. They also remind me a bit of the mid
90s AOR/Melodic Rocksound of bands like Teer, CITA, Talon, etc. Songs
like Mystery, Forever yours, Waiting for you and the superb cover of the
Mr. Mister classic Broken wings are a wet dream for the fans of
ultra-melodic catchy hookladen AOR in the style of all the mentioned bands. You
absolutely do not want to miss out this gem! Check them out at: http://vespersnine.com
(Points: 8.8 out of
10)
LUNDEN REIGN 'AMERICAN STRANGER' (INDEPENDENT/GLASS ONYON
PR/USA IMPORT)
Only
2 years ago the band Lunden Reign was formed by Nikki Lunden (Lead
Singer, Bass, Keyboards, Composer) & Lora G Espinoza-Lunden
(Composer, Guitarist, Keyboards) and already now they release their sensational
full-length debut album American stranger. The band is completed by
Matthew Denis on bass, Steve Ornest on guitar and Morgan
Young on drums and the 5 of them are situated in Los Angeles, but they
recorded their first album at Abbey Road Studios in London and Capital Records
in Hollywood. The album was mastered by Grammy winning Evren Goknar and
the artwork was done by the legendary Ioannis. Influences come from
Steely Dan, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Manic Street Preachers, Muse, Into
The Presence, Sheryl Crow, Jimmy Page, George Harrison, U2, Nirvana, Joan Jett,
Neil Young, Heart, Stevie Nicks and such. 10 songs are included and songs
like Love In Free Fall, The Savage Line, When love lies and It’s about
time (pure AOR actually!) are very impressive melodic rocktunes with
a sorta progressive rock approach, like Rush meets Heart meets
Lana Lane. The band describe themselves as a big beat progressive
rockband, but I would rather see them as a melodic rockband with progressive
rock influences and a soul touch. Without a doubt, we are dealing here with
something very interesting and a band to watch out for. More at: http://lundenreign.com/ and https://youtube.com/LundenReign/ and https://facebook.com/LundenReign/
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
MIRIAM
JONES 'BETWEEN GREEN AND GONE' (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN)
Singer/songwriter
Miriam Jones was born in Vancouver, Canada, but ended up recording her
latest album Between green and gone in Oxford, UK. Together with Simon
Edwards (Fairground Attraction, Billy Bragg, David Gray) as
producer/mixer/bassist and playing several other instruments, Miriam recorded a
lovely record, which musically speaking is typical American orientated pop/rock
with an Americana approach instrumentally speaking, while vocally she has a deep
soul/blues vibrato in her voice. Highlights on the album are Unknown (a
beautiful song, calmer poprock with even a slight westcoast/aor touch), the
bluesy pop/rocker Don't be hard on me, which has an Americana beat in it,
and Float (a midtempo radio-ready poprocker, which is quite close to Ilse
De Lange and Bonnie Raitt). All together not really original, but who cares if
it is done so well by Miriam, with her mixture of 1970s singer-songwriter folk
meets catchy pop/rock melodies and a bluesy voice, backed up by an Americana
beat, so it’s all included to make Between green and gone a recommended
piece! More at http://www.miriamjones.com
(Points: 8.4
out of 10)
NAAMA
KATES 'SOULED' (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN)
Souled
is the 3rd album of singer/songwriter Naama Kates from Los Angeles.
She recorded it together with producer/engineer/multi-instrumentalist Cyrus
Melchor, guitarist GE Stinson, drummers Rich West, Jason
Pipkin and Alfred DiMayo, cellist Joseph Harvey, horn player
Danny Levin and recording engineer Scott Fraser. The material
sounds quite modern and electronic, in a same way we have seen from acts like
Daughter, Florence and the Machine and Haim for example, although
Naama is a little more experimental and sometimes even reminds me musically of
Neneh Cherry. It is clear that Naama does not want to be categorized and
that is perhaps the best way to describe her music that takes a bit of
everything, Electro, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Folk, etc. Something which in the past was
done in the 1980s by acts like Luba, Dalbello and Sixiou and the
Banshees, but Naama really has her own way of doing this. Her voice is
really great and I feel that live she might be a very interesting artist to
check out. In the meantime, take a look at her site: www.naamakates.com
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
DALI'S
WATCH 'BREAKFAST SERIAL'(RAVENHURST RECORDS/USA
IMPORT)
Out
of Maryland, USA comes Dali’s Watch, a band playing a mixture of
alternative, progressive and experimental rock/hardrock. They are a three
piece band, formed in 2012 and consisting of Mic Wynne - vocals/guitars/keys;
Michael Galway - bass guitars; and Gary Venable – drums. Breakfast serial
is their debut record, which is a very interesting album that contains
influences of Rush, Queens Of The Stone Age and Porcupine Tree.
Especially during the instrumental passages (such as during Pandemic),
they remind quite a lot of Porcupine Tree. Highlights are definitely
Without a Whisper (great prog/stoner rock) and Breakfast Serial
(close to Rush), but from start to finish, this band shows it’s
professional skills and there’s not a single weak moment to be found here, so
without a doubt, they are a highly recommended band. The album closes by the way
with a nice cover of Duran Duran's Ordinary World. All together,
do not miss this band and for more info go to: http://www.daliswatch.com
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
LAYNE SMITH 'STAND STRONG' (INDEPENDENT/USA
IMPORT)
Nashville
recording
singer/songwriter Layne Smith is a very talented musician, who is showing
a great classic mix of all the American traditional music, which means combining
elements of Country, Bluegrass, Gospel, Jazz/Blues and Americana, with pop
melodies and most importantly, excellent vocalwork. She wrote all of the songs
by herself and I wonder how long it will take before artists like (Sara)
Layne Smith get more attention than the overrated and completely
uninteresting Taylor Swift (wannabees). She has a superstrong voice and
delivers material that takes us right back to the 1970s when country offered so
many interesting cross-over acts, whom also combined the country with
singer-songwriter pop melodies, so then you have to think about legendary
artists like Lynn Anderson, Reba McIntire, Juice Newton, Louise Tucker,
etc. If we have a look at the best songs among the 10 included, the best ones
are the jazzy bluesy americana tune Jordan River, the country-aorish
God Went With Him, the pure country 70s styled Sara's Field and
the uptempo country tune Take It Back. Another lady to keep our eyes wide
open for, more at: http://saralaynesmith.webs.com/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
THE
DOVES 'DAY ONE' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
The
Doves
from Macon, Georgia is a husband and wife duo W. Wade and Trena
Stooksberry, whom deliver a nice underground ish sounding album titled
Day one. There’s a mixture of styles going on here, because for example
it starts with a singer/songwriter piece titled Day, followed by an
alternative rocksong (Angeline) and then we are surprised by a sorta 80s
new wave tune titled Some More Than Others. And so it goes all throughout
the album, 80s altrock, new wave, a little grunge and some singer-songwriter, as
if Nick
Cave, Iggy Pop, REM, Talking Heads
and Nirvana
are thrown together on 1 record, so it is recommended to fans of alternative
music for sure. Check more at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Doves/178429435549516
and https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/thedoves22
(Points:
7.2 out of 10)
ROGER
GOMEZ 'BEHIND CLOUD NINE' (INDEPENDENT/AUSTRALIA
IMPORT)
Out
of Perth, Australia comes singer/songwriter Roger Gomez, who was kind enough to
sent me his first album Behind cloud nine. Musically speaking we are
heading into pure early 1980s catchy AOR/Poprock in the style of Rick
Springfield, Rick Cua, Jimmy Harnen, Bernie LaBarge, Michael Zee, Martin Briley,
Eddie Schwartz, Bryan Adams, etc. It's done very well, with uptempo rockers,
such as the great opener Mondays guide, which happens to be the best song
on the album, and also room for semi/midtempo rockers and here and there a
ballad (Right place right time). Not as good as for example Jamie
Alimorad, but in the same style, so if you're starting to become interested
in checking this out, then go to: https://soundcloud.com/rogergomez
and https://www.facebook.com/roger.gomez.503
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
CONSIDER
THE SOURCE 'WORLD WAR TRIO (PART 1)' (INDEPENDENT/USA
IMPORT)
Consider
The Source
is a trio playing high quality instrumental progressive rock and their latest EP
is titled World War Trio (Part 1) – Put Another Rock In That Bag. It is
quite experimental what we get to hear and comparisons to Ozric Tentacles
and Porcupine Tree are very clear, but the bandmembers each do really
amazing things which make them quite original and therefore it is actually very
hard to compare this act to any other band out there. They were formed in 2004,
consisting of Gabriel Marin (fretless double-neck guitar), John
Ferrara (bass) en Jeff Mann (drums, percussion) and already toured
with acts like King Crimson Projekt, Kris Myers (Umphrey’s McGee),
Panzerballet, Freak Kitchen and much more. Every time you play this album
you will discover something new, so check it out for yourself at: http://considerthesourcemusic.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/CTSmusic and http://considerthesourcemusic.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
ROLL
IT OVER 'DAWNING ON THE RED STREETS' (INDEPENDENT/USA
IMPORT)
The
American band Roll It Over has got that typical high quality American
sound, which made bands like Alter Bridge, Live, Foo Fighters and
Shinedown so big the past 10-15 years, combining elements of all
traditional American rock/hardrock styles. 1970s classic rock guitar riffs,
1980s melodic rock melodies, a dark post-grunge 1990s down-tuned guitarsound and
a modern rock production, because that is basically what a lot of new American
bands are doing these days and Roll It Over is no exception to that rule,
as they are doing this at a very high level. The production of their EP
Dawning on the red streets is also of a major label level, so fans of
mentioned bands can easily check out this band. Despite it might not all sound
very original, it is done really good and especially Bullet In Your Soul
is a fantastic semi melodic rockballad. Will
Sims is
the band’s lead singer and he has got a terrific pure Rock voice (just listen to
Highway one), which makes Roll It Over even more interesting.
Without a doubt, this is a band to look out for in the future, more at: www.rollitover.com
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
LAWSON
GARRETT 'WHOLE EARTH' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Singer/Songwriter
Lawson Garrett comes out of California and has been in the music business
for quite a few decades now, playing in the 1980s in the legendary Glamrockband
Taz and several other bands. Now he is solo delivering albums, with
whole earth being the latest one. Clearly rooted in 1960s
singer-songwriter style with a gritty rock approach, Lawson sounds like a
mixture between Randy Newman and Neil Young. 14 songs are included
and the highlights are Hide and Seek, Those Days, That's Alright and
Shining Eyes. More info at: http://www.lawsongarrett.com
and e-mail him at: contact@lawsongarrett.com
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
ABANDONED
STARS 'FRAGMENTS' (OUERGH RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
Formed
in Edinburg, Scotland in July 2010, the band Abandoned Stars released
their debut EP Opening act in 2011, which we also reviewed back then and
now they unleash their first full-length album entitled Fragments.
Musically speaking they are playing a mixture of progressive metal, heavy metal,
progrock and melodic hardrock, which they are doing very well, with vocally a
singer who can sing both raw and clean, while the material reminds me of a
mixture between Threshold, Angra and Pretty Maids. This is high
quality stuff for sure and together with an impressive production and lovely
guitarwork, this new album might bring them more fame and fortune in the
prog/power metal world. Highlights are Neverwhere, Betrayed by blood
(faster, almost pure power metal) and Lost, although the finest song is
Too close to you (progrock ballad with a lovely guitarsolo). Definitely a
recommended album to fans of mentioned bands. More at: www.abandonedstars.co.uk
(Points: 8.0
out of 10)
JOHNNY
FONTANE AND THE RIVALS 'LEMME TELL YA!' (WANTED MEN RECORDINGS/ITALY
IMPORT)
4
Sicilian halfbrothers whom are active in Switzerland, that is basically what
Johnny Fontane & the Rivals is all about. Their debut album Lemme
tell ya! was mixed by Grammy Award winner Adam Hawkins from L.A.
(known for his work with Gary Clark, Keith Urban, Pink,etc.) and what we
get to hear is high quality bluesrock. The fact that none-other than guitarist
Vinnie Moore (UFO, Alice Cooper) makes a guest appearance is creating
something of an advantage for this new band, but nevertheless they did not make
a lasting impression somehow after listening to the complete album. It all
starts quite sensational actually, with the excellent bluesy hardrocker Black
Cadillac, which contains superb guitarwork and reminds me a lot of Joe
Bonamassa, However, the following songs are more in the category of nicely
done, but nowhere on the other 11 tracks they reach the high level of that
opening cut. Still, it all sounds pretty damn good and fans of quality bluesy
rock with biting guitarwork, they can easily check out this lot, although I do
feel that they can deliver a stronger album in the future. For a debut however,
this is a nice start, so go for more info to: www.johnnyfontane.com and www.johnnyfontane/facebook.com
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
ROBERT
JON AND THE WRECK 'GLORY BOUND' (TEENAGE HEAD MUSIC/USA
IMPORT)
Here
we have an absolute sensational band from Southern California. They are called
Robert Jon & the Wreck and their line-up consist of Robert Jon
Burrison (Vocals/Guitar), Kristopher Butcher (Vocals/Guitar),
Andrew Espantman (Drums), Steve Maggiora (Vocals/Keys) and Nick
Phakpiseth (Bass). They started in February 2013 and already 6 months later
they released their debut ep Rhythm of the Road, which was produced by
Warren Huart (The Fray, Aerosmith), engineered by Philip Allen
(Adele), and mastered by Robert Vosgien (Smashing Pumpkins, No Doubt)
at Swing House Studios in Hollywood. And now they are releasing their first
full-length album titled Glory bound, which was once again produced by
Warren Huart (The Fray, Aerosmith), but this time at the legendary
Sunset Sound Studios (Led Zeppelin, Prince, The Doors) in Hollywood. What
we get to hear is a sensational tight all-American Rocksound, which fits nicely
between bands like Rival Sons, The Answer, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Crowes,
Blackberry Smoke and Blackstone Cherry, so there’s a typical mix of
Classic Rock, Southern Rock and Hardrock, with a slight bluesy guitar riff touch
and some amazing vocalwork. All together this sounds like the next big thing.
Led Zeppelin, Kingdom Come and Blue Murder are 3 more bands that
come in mind while listening to this lovely debut record and it is without any
doubt that this is a record that will end up pretty high in the end-of-the-year
lists of 2015 when it comes down to best Classic Rockalbums of this very year.
From start to finish, this is the way we want to hear our rock, perfectly
balanced in both the instrumental and vocal departments, so anyone with rock
heart should check out this band a.s.a.p., because they might definitely become
the next big thing, judging on this sensational first record Glory bound.
More at: http://www.robertjonandthewreck.com/#!about/c1ypj
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
MEDUSA'S
CHILD 'DAMNATIO MEMORIAE' (BLACK BOARD RECORDS/PURE STEEL
RECORDS)
Originally
released way back in 2009, German label Pure Steel Records re-released
the 3rd album Damnatio memoriae. Musically speaking this is pure classic
80s Teutonic Metal like only the Germans are able to produce, but in this case
it's a Swiss band. Think of a mixture between Veto, Gravestone, No Trouble, Accept, Priest
and Axxis, then you're very
close. Highlight is the midtempo fist in the air shouter Destiny which has Axxis written all over the place. If
you're a fan of classic 80s Metal, then you definitely have to check out this
band at: www.medusaschild.com
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
ERNEST
TROOST 'O LOVE' (TRAVELIN SHOES RECORDS/HEMIFRAN)
Here
we have another interesting singer/songwriter who is creating new songs in the
style of old spirits. Think of a mixture between Townes Van Zandt, Steve
Earle and Bob Dylan and you’re quite close. Ernest Troost is
the name and he combines elements of Americana, Folk, Blues and Rock on his
latest album O Love. Highlights among the 13 included tracks are the
calmer singer/songwriter pieces The Last to Leave and Bitter
Wind, the uptempo folky rockers Weary Traveler and O Love (a
la Jake Bugg) and the bluesy Storm Comin'. Not really original you
might say, but done very well and featuring great vocals by Ernest. Check more
at: http://ernesttroost.com
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
CHINA SKY '2' (ESCAPE
MUSIC)
27
years ago... there was a band called China Sky, a typical 80s AOR/Melodic
Rockband which was destined to become the next big thing, but despite all its
efforts and the support of a major label and a production team which featured
Grammy winning Bee Gees producer Karl Richardson,
composer Frank Wildhorn and a young Bob Marlette, who later went
on working with Black Sabbath, Marilyn Manson, Seether, Shinedown, and
millions more, sadly a few weeks after the release of their same titled debut
album, the band was no more. We had to wait 27 years before they would return
with something new, which has now happened in the shape of ‘2’, which is
released through Escape Music. Although the band’s debut featured some amazing
Power AOR Ballads, the AOR Cult status it had all those years was a bit too much
praise, because that album was just another typical strong product of the 80s
AOR era, nothing more, nothing less. Journey meets Survivor, but
then with a slight Southern Rock touch due to the fact the band came from
Southern Rock capital Jacksonville in Florida. Anyway, so what about this new
album. Well, it is actually sounding way better than the polished thin sounding
overrated debut, because it rocks much more. Songs like You're not alone, I
believe in you (SUPERB!!! a la The Sign, Joe Lynn
Turner meets Red Dawn), Enemy and I'm a survivor are
perfect pieces of uptempo AOR with the classic 80s spirit, featuring strong
vocalwork (Ron Perry), biting guitarsolo's (Steve Wheeler),
beautiful melodies, catchy hooks and all together just pure AOR the way it
should sound. Although The richest man in the world is a nice AOR ballad,
but as mentioned earlier on, in that category the debut was stronger, but
nevertheless, China Sky surprised me here with a very good and highly
recommended album. Recommended to fans of early 80s AOR/Melodic Rock in
the Roxus, Signal, Shadow King, Alias and such. More at: https://www.facebook.com/chinaskymusic and http://www.chinaskyrocks.com
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
IMPERA 'EMPIRE OF SIN' (ESCAPE
MUSIC)
Drummer J.K. Impera returns with the
3rd album as Impera, the Swedish all-star band/project he
formed a few years ago. Once again we can enjoy some great typical 80s
influenced melodic hardrock (a la Valentine, Heaven’s Edge, Dokken,
Talisman…), perfectly provided by 4 established musicians, whom together
played with a lot of well-known acts all over the world,
because Impera consists of J.K. Impera – drums (Bruce Kulick,
Graham Bonnet, Vinnie Vincent…), Tommy Denander – guitar (Toto,
Paul Stanley, Michael Jackson, Alice Cooper…), Matti Alfonzetti –
vocals (Jagged Edge, Skintrade, Scott Gorham), Mats Vassfjord –
bass (Vinnie Vincent, John Corabi). Songs like End Of The World, Never
Enough, Thunder in your heart and Light In The Sky are just a few
examples of the perfectly balanced melodic hardrocksound of Impera.
There’s also thanks to the band’s legendary Swedish singer a strong typical
1980s Scandi melodic hardrock vibe that reminds a bit of Pretty
Maids mixed with Treat. Fans of mentioned bands will be eager to
check out this new Impera release!
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
BRANT CROUCHER 'BLANCO COUNTRY LIGHTS' (WHITE
CAT/HEMIFRAN)
Out of Houston, Texas comes singer/songwriter Brant
Croucher and his debut album Black country lights is a sensational
record in the world of singer/songwriter music. There’s elements of folk,
country and Americana to be heard, but the key factor is the fact that Brant is
a very strong vocalist. He sings at a low pitched level, with a country ish tone
in his voice and after playing the album a few times, it becomes clear that he
could easily become huge and reach the status of similar sounding
singer/songwriters like Hozier, John Mayer, David Gray… Opener When
You Come to Me is a great example of the wonderful smooth journey Brant is
taking us into, which in this case is a folksy Americana direction. However,
there’s more, such as Doing well and Theodora (both uptempo westcoast-country
ish tunes with a shuffle and The Eagles kinda harmonies), Drink (Drink
Drink) (a calm song, pure 70s singer/songwriter a la Jim Croce, James
Taylor) and the uptempo more rocking piecesTime I Walk Away, Still the
One, 84 Boxes (Kenny Chesney ish) and Joie de Vivre. He does
also remind me a lot of John Fullbright, so who knows we might be looking
at another American hero in the singer/songwriter world. Do not miss this
talented singer/songwriter! More at: http://www.brantcroucher.com
(Points: 8.6 out of 10)
CHRISTINE ALBERT 'EVERYTHING'S BEUTIFUL NOW'(MOONHOUSE
RECORDS/HEMIFRAN)
Together with her husband, multi-instrumentalist Chris
Gage, singer/songwriter Christine Albert from Austin, Texas releases a great
album that musically speaking will please the fans of Emmylou Harris, Mary
Chapin Carpenter and Rosanne Cash. This is typical 1970s
influenced calm singer-songwriter material that focuses on strong melodies and
excellent clean vocalwork, making it sound very melodic and besides the
wonderful cover of the Jackson Browne classic For A Dancer, the
album has many highlights, although the finest is probably Flowers of the
moon. Despite the fact that there are so many similar singer/songwriters out
there, Christine shows that she is able to do it at a high level and should be
heard by more people without any doubts! More at: http://www.christinealbert.com
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
CARRIE CLARK AND THE LONESOME LOSERS 'BETWEEN THE BED
SHEETS AND TURPENTINE' (RED BUG RECORDS/HEMIFRAN)
Already active for quite some time, but no
breakthrough yet, which is strange, because Seattle based
singer-songwriter Carrie Clark released her 4th album Between The
Bedsheets & Turpentine and this album has got a lot of potential to make
it in this world. The music is very diverse and contains elements of Folk, Jazz,
Country, Rockabilly, Rock, Pop, Americana, Blues and everything in between.
Carrie looks and sounds like the next big femme fatale and therefore it is
remarkable she hasn’t made it big yet. The new album offers a lot of great
diverse material and if Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Nina Simone, Imelda
May, Caro Emerald and Pat Benatar would make a record together, it
could end up sounding like this! If we have a quick run halfway the album, a
song like What have we done is a great uptempo rocker, whileThe Night
Before is a jazzy Caro Emerald type of tune, with a lot of hit
potential. Then follows a nice calm piano piece titled Fade Away. Up next
is the folk riddle with a shuffle, The Stranger, which has got all it
takes to become a huge hit due to its catchy pop melodies. However, Carrie then
turns the style once again and comes up with 2 great pure melodic rockballads
that both feature a guitarsolo (It Burns and Down at my knees), so
I guess you can say that this is a very diverse record and quite interesting.
Check out more at: www.carrieclark.com
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
MARK RIPP 'QUIET AGAIN'
(INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN)
Out of Toronto, Canada comes singer/songwriter Mark
Ripp, who already released a lot of albums during the past 25 years and now
we can welcome his latest release entitled Quiet again. Musically
speaking pure singer/songwriter Americana in the style of legends like Bruce
Springsteen, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, John Hiatt, Van Morrison, Tom Cochrane, Nick
Lowe, etc. Basically not really original, but done quite well, especially
during an uptempo piece like Walkin round. His previous records (solo and
with his band Bel-Vistas) were more Rock/Powerpop orientated, so perhaps
recommended to check out, because on this new solo-album it all sounds a bit
calmer, but Folk and Americana are nevertheless mixed quite nicely here and fans
of mentioned artists will definitely like this Canadian musician, whom you can
check out at: http://www.markripp.com
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
RIDERS OF THE UNIVERSE 'AMEN ROAD VINYL'
(INDEPENDENT)
Now here we have a very interesting new Dutch band,
which features a musician named Bob Crebas on bass, who happens to be a
very wealthy man (among the richest in The Netherlands), as he was the founder
of www.marktplaats.nl,
which is a very successful internet company sold to Ebay for 225 million Euro
some time ago. Anyway, as music is one of his passions, together with local
friends from his area (noordoostpolder) he formed the band Riders Of The
Universe, with whom he recorded a really great album titled Amen
road. The album has been released on vinyl and they were kind enough to sent
me the vinyl pressing and after some research it seems that all members
of Riders Of The Universe are fans of vinyl, so they pressed the album in
all kinds of formats. They hit the right note here, because I am a die-hard
vinyl collector as well, so receiving a vinyl record for review is for me an
incredible motivation to do the review. Besides Bob, the other musicians in the
band areRonald Louwsma – Guitar/Vocals, Arjan Hoekstra –
Guitar/Euphonium/Flugelhorn/Bass/Vocals, Gerard Keijsers –
Drums/Percussion/Vocals, Hans Crébas – Vocals,Martien Keijsers –
Vocals and Robert Wardenier – Hammond/Wurlitzer/Roland V-Synth/Minimoog
Voyager/Roland RD-700/Openlabs Neko/Reil Organ. Musically speaking they are
deeply heading into the 1970s classic rock direction and remind me a lot
of Uriah Heep, yet with also some space for folk/americana, blues,
westcoast and a lot of progressive rock moments. Pink Floyd, King
Crimson and Hawkwind also must have been huge influences on the
band’s sound, as we get to hear a lot of prog and psychedelic elements in their
material! It is clear that there was enough money to support this whole project,
because it rarely happens that an independent record sounds so massive and
perfect and is pressed on so many different vinyl formats, but I guess they are
lucky to have Bob Crebas on board here. The album starts and finishes
with instrumental progressive rock that leads us into a space adventure
like Pink Floyd meets Ayreon. In between we have a selection of
strong diverse rockers most of the time, of which the highlights are the
somewhat more proggy based tunes Lost Los Angeles, Wondering
Man and All That Is, although it is clear that the band changes it’s
style quite often throughout the record, because classic rock, blues and
progrock are the styles which can be heard most of the time, but even indie and
alternative rock kinda moves are also hearable. Concluded, this is an album you
need to play more frequently to discover something new everytime you listen.
Highly recommended therefore! More at: http://www.ridersoftheuniverse.com/
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
DELUSION
SQUARED 'THE FINAL DELUSION’ (UK IMPORT)
Out of France comes Delusion Squared, a
progressive rockband featuring lead vocalist/guitarist Lorraine Young,
guitarist/keyboardplayer/drummer Steven Francis and
bassist/keyboardist Emmanuel de Saint Meen. The final delusion is
their 3rd CD, which also marks the final chapter in a trilogy they
started on their 2 previous albums, Delusion Squared in 2010 and Delusion
Squared II in 2012. It closes (taken from the band’s website) the sci-fi story
in which a young girl, who was born in a post nuclear techno society, revolts
against her condition (and the AI supremacy) and decides to give birth to a
natural child. Due to copyright laws which extend to modified genes, she is
found guilty of "gene piracy" and abandoned on the polluted outside. There she
meets survivors, and becomes a spiritual guide to them, eventually starting a
new religion. It could be the script of a sci-fi blockbuster movie! Musically
speaking we are heading into a progressive rock adventure, which is perhaps
better identified as typical British Neo-Progressive Rock in classic British
tradition, with sometimes references to a Tracy Hitchings. Instrumental
it is quite proggy, a little Porcupine Treeish, but vocally and the
melodies in the songs, they do reflect a more melodic rock/classic rock driven
experience that even recalls a bit Mostly Autumn. However, there’s also a
touch of 80s UK New Wave to be heard, due to the use of heavy synths and keys.
Songs like Diaspora, Patient Zero, Last Day of Sun and Oblivion for My
Sin are quite a pleasure to listen to and although Lorraine has a voice,
which you need to identify yourself with, because it grows on you, all
together Delusion Squared once again delivers a fine record. More info
at: http://delusionsquared.com
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
ALL THAT REMAINS 'THE ORDER OF THINGS' (RAZOR AND
TIE/PIMP)
The band All That Remains from Springfield,
Massachusetts, USA is quite big, selling over 1 million records worldwide in
their 15 years of existence and with this new album The Order Of
Things, they will probably continue their popularity. What people should
know is that they are not a Metalcore band, but are in fact a Melodic Metal ish
band with elements from all rock and metal genres, which makes them sound quite
interesting. In the past, during their early recordings, they had a lot more
screams and growls and didn’t shy away from death metal either, but with every
new release they have become more melodic
(like Ignite meets Shinedown) and I have to admit that this new
record is a very sensational album. Vocalist Phil Labonte has got a superstrong
voice and is singing more clean than he is screaming like many metalcore bands
are doing, so therefore All That Remains should really be seen as a
melodic metal(core) band. Phil used to be in Shadows Fall and in the
beginning All That Remains was just a side-project, but now in 2015 it is
really a full-time band, selling a lot of records and even scoring at the US
Billboard Charts. Highlights on the new album are This Probably Won't End
Well, Divide, For You, A Reason for Me to Fight and Victory Lap,
which are all awesome tunes, with big crunchy guitar riffs and superb catchy
melodies, sounding a bit like en edgier Shinedown, yet with a little more
screaming, although not that much really. A song like No Knock is closer
to metalcore, but overall it is melodic metal what we get to hear and then the
best way to describe them is a mix between Vollbeat, Ignite,
Shinedown and Trivium, but on the other hand, All That
Remains has been active as long as those bands, so they should be compared
to themselves, because they have developed this style in the past 15 years and
perhaps now they sound at their best on this new album.
(Points: 8.8 out of 10)
BERNARD ALLISON GROUP 'IN THE MIX' (JAZZHOUSE
RECORDS)
Originally from Chicago, but currently based in Paris,
guitarist Bernard Allison is the son of Luther Allison, a legendary
Chicago blues musician. He played and collaborated with his father until his
death in 1997, but meanwhile also recorded solo albums and in fact, In the
mix is already his 17th album. Musically he has always hold on to
his bluesrock roots, mainly due to his family roots, because it was his father
who introduced him to legendary artists like Muddy Waters, Johnny Winter,
Stevie Ray Vaughan, Hound Dog Taylor and Albert King. All
together he was already at a very young age familiar with the bluesrocksound and
now at the age of 50 years, he has already achieved a lot and now releases his
latest album on the German label Jazzhouse Records. Jazz is nowadays not
entirely based around Jazz music only, because Blues is usually attached to this
genre and therefore Bernard’s album is not out of place on this label, which has
released a lot of Bluesrock albums. The music is likewise pure blues, in the old
fashioned way, so not like Joe Bonamassa or Philip Sayce, but more
in the tradition of old blues artists like the earlier mentioned acts.John
Lee Hooker, BB King and even a little Jimi Hendrix can also be heard
throughout the album and without a doubt, Bernard is a highly recommended artist
to any bluesfan out there. Check out more at: http://www.bernardallison.com
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
LOUIS JUCKER 'THE BLACK LAKE' (INDEPENDENT/USA
IMPORT)
The Black Lake EP is the new release of Swiss
musician Louis Jucker, who recorded the album in
California. “The 4-tracks lo-fi recordings were initially made to be the
soundtrack of an exhibition Louis
Jucker put with
plastic artist Giona Bierens de
Haan in Switzerland.
Together they elaborated slow moving wooden machines, animated by the songs.
They also re-built the "Black Lake" they found in Canada - a thick, impenetrable
surface, dark as death, cold as deep waters and scary as a night alone in the
woods - in the middle of the gallery.” (taken from the band’s website). Hummus
Records now releases the album, which consists of a remaster of the original
tapes, which was done by Swiss producer Morgan Hug (Lune Palmer, Organ Mug, etc.). The music is quite
experimental, with noise and hi-fi electronic music, but here and there, such as
the titlesong, it also reminds a little bit of REM. However, most of the time, this
indeed feels like a soundtrack to a cold place, so they definitely created the
perfect score for something like the exhibition Louis and Giona. More info
at: https://hummusrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-black-lake
(Points: 7.6 out of
10)
CHUCK STRONG 'IT'S ABOUT TIME' (30
YEAR RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
Stand up drummer/singer Chuck
Strong comes out of Santa Clarita, California and together with the SRBQ,
the "Strong Rhythm and Blues Quartet", they return with a new album
titled It’s about time, their first in 30 years time (!). So it has been
a while, which is also clear when reading the labelname and upon seeing the
pictures in the CD booklet from 1985. The 9 included short songs barely make
the 30 minutes of playing time, but the result is a nice typical bluesrock
adventure, which will please the fans of BB King, Muddy Waters, Stevie
Ray Vaughan and John Lee Hooker, especially while listening to songs
like Mary Anne, Lucky Man, Working Man, Lord Have Mercy and Big
Girl. The big difference with a lot of other blues acts is of course that
the band leader and vocalist is actually the drummer of the band, but musically
speaking it is your typical bluessound and that is what the fans of this genre
are always a sucker for. More at: http://srbqrocks.com
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
SOUL
CHATTER 'STUMBLIN' (INDEPENDENT/USA
IMPORT)
Soul
Chatter is an on-going music project originally from Cleveland, Ohio (now
settled in Chicago), which started way back in the early 1980s and despite they
were close to sign a record deal throughout the past decades, they have always
stayed independent and now after all these years a new album is available.
Partly due to the musical climates in the USA, the lack of venues in their area
who didn’t support local bands playing original music and therefore exposure was
limited and of course due to the fact that each of the band members went on
doing ‘real’ work for a living to pay mortgages and raise families, the
band/project was not able to keep producing records or perform regularly.
Nevertheless, the core of the band/project is still very much alive, consisting
of Brian Stepien (Singer/songwriter), Dale Schmitt (keyboard
player, piano, wurlitzer, organ, horns, strings, bass, etc.) and
guitarist Jim Monica. Together with a bunch of local musicians, they
recorded an EP titled Stumblin’ filled with original material, which
musically is an interesting mixture of melodic pop/rock, rootsy rock, folk and
indie rock. Van Morrison and Bruce Hornsby are 2 clear influences,
but among the 5 included tracks we can hear that this band is actually offering
something of an own identity, with as highlight Sanctuary (a great
relaxing westcoast-bluesy aor ish song a la The Automatix), Stumblin'
(uptempo heartland rocker a laMichael Stanley and Bruce
Springsteen) and State of leaving (folksy rootsrocker). Definitely
something to keep your eyes open for in the near future, so make sure to check
their site at: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/SoulChatter and http://soulchattermusic.com and
e-mail at: bstepien@hotmail.com
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
SHANNIE
‘BLAME IT ON THE MOON’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN)
Irish folk
melodies and a Spanish guitar in an indie pop format, is that workable, well, in
the case of Shannie definitely, because their latest release Blame it on the
moonis a very strong album that could easily become a huge hit record,
because it is kinda original. Shannie is a male/female vocal duo from Texas
featuring Shan Kowert &Annie Acton and although they are
compared to a band like Civil Wars, they definitely have something original due
to that Spanish guitar sound/flamenco influence from Shan. Annie however has a
rock background and that combination works very well. They started in 2005
and Blame It On the Moon is already their 3rd album together
as a duo. I have to admit that Annie has got the strongest voice of both,
especially during a catchy melodic tune such as Carry on. Besides 13
great original tunes that work their way from folky poprock to singer-songwriter
ish indie pop with a Spanish touch everywhere you go and find it’s highlights in
the shape of Blame It On the Moon, Spinning Wheel and The Girl,
the band also did a nice cover of a Dream Academy tune from the 80s
titled Life in a Northern Town. Make sure to check out this Texan duo
asap at: http://www.shannieband.com
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
THE NEW MADRIDS ‘THROUGH THE HEART OF TOWN’
(INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN)
Out of Scotland comes a great new band called The
New Madrids, formed around vocalist/guitarist Ian Hutchison (formerly
with The Revivals), guitarist/mandolin playerDonny McElligott,
lap/pedal steel and keyboardplayer Owen Nicholson, bassist Callum
Keith and drummer Maurice McPherson. Their debut Through the heart
of town is an interesting mixture of bluesy rock, traditional American rock,
southern rock and Americana with a country soul touch, so a diverse melting pot
in pure American style. This is one of those albums you need to listen to a few
times before making up a good judgment, but the result will always be
positive. Thunder or The black Crowes in a lighter mood might also
be a good description or perhaps Little Feat is also a band that comes up
while listening to the bluesy soulful rock of The New Madrids, because
the bluesy Paul Rodgers ish vocals in a song like Wrapped up are
spot on and the band rocks from time to time, although there’s also moments for
a calmer balladry such as during Shake, Hey Christine, Long Is The
Way and Alaska (a duet with Texan country singer Brennen
Leigh). Without a doubt, a band with something to offer, so check out this
Scottish band at: http://thenewmadrids.com/
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
BRESNAN BLUES BAND 'PARTY IN MY BACKSEAT'
(INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT/HEMIFRAN)
Multi-instrumentalist Dan Bresnan has been in
the music business for 40 years now and his latest album is titled Party in
my backseat. 50s bluesy Rock and Roll with a jazzy touch and a sax is making
his sound complete, which does remind a bit of Mark Knopfler/Dire
Straits, but then again during the lovely calmer dark ballads like Darker
shade of grey and Dark heart rider, it all sounds quite different
again (even like Doors/Pink Floyd laid-back kinda tunes). 9 songs are
included in total and the praised diversity is making this a highly recommended
album to check out at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/thebresnanbluesband
and http://thebresnanbluesband.com/
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
DEBORAH HENRIKSSON 'TRACES' (DHP
RECORDS/HEMIFRAN)
Born in New Jersey, but love made her move to Sweden
and from there she started her music career, which resulted in her 3rd CD now
with this Traces, a very impressive album that contains melodic folk
pop/rock with a strong Irish/Celtic touch. Meav is a clear comparison,
but also Enya/Clannad, Loreena McKennitt and such come to mind while
listening to her beautiful songs. She has the voice of an angel and songs like
Fly, Traces and especially Evening star. More info at: http://www.deborahhenriksson.com
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
AARON NEWMAN AND THE OK CARAVAN 'AARON NEWMAN AND THE
OK CARAVAN' (INDEPENDENT/USA
IMPORT/HEMIFRAN)
Aaron
Newman
is coming out of Oklahoma City, USA and he is making his solo-debut with the
album The OK Caravan, a sensational rootsrock album that sounds quite
amazing. Take a bit of Bruce Springsteen, add a little Eagles and a
melodic folk-pop sound of bands like CCR, Wallflowers, Sons Of Bill and
such, so basically what we have here is typical melodic driven traditional
American music with superstrong vocalwork and excellent melodies during songs
like the excellent 1892, the rocking The battle of washita river, Only
in America and I'm on the moon, but actually the whole album could
easily give this band a major break. What they are doing is fantastic and for
fans of especially Bruce Springsteen and even Calexio, do not miss
this superb debut album from Aaron! More at: www.theokcaravan.com
(Points: 8.8 out of 10) 
JEFF LARSON 'CLOSE
CIRCLE' (NCOMPASS MUSIC/HEMIFRAN)
Californian
singer/songwriter Jeff Larson has released solo albums since 2008 and
Close circle is his latest one, the 5th album so far and
without a doubt, this is a truly wonderful album that captures the classic 1970s
Californian westcoast-AOR-singer/songwriter style quite perfectly. The late
70s/early 80s westcoast-AOR sound reminds me of America, Crosby Stills Nash
& Young, Jackson Browne, Venice, Airplay, John O'Banion, etc. etc. This
album sounds like a Westcoast dream and could become one of the greatest
releases in this genre of the past 10 years! Jeff has a terrific clean voice,
singing the way it was supposed to sound back in the Los Angeles music scene of
the 1970s. The album starts rather calm, with Rescue, but then follows
that lovely 1970s Californian uptempo Westcoast style during songs like
Following the Echoes and Every Hour On the Hour and later on
How long running, all featuring beautiful melodies and harmonyvocals with
that typical summer breeze feeling. Also a special mention for Rain soaked
cloud, which is smooth and just awesomely beautiful. You cannot possibly go
wrong with this album, because it is a perfect example of picture-perfect music
and it does have huge hit potential. The comparison to America is not
that strange if you know that Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell of
America appear as guest musicians on this album, so all
America fans should check this out a.s.a.p. It also shows how many
unknown artists are out there who needs to get a lot more attention. Jeff
Larson is his name and you can check him out at: http://www.jefflarson-music.com/main.html
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
D.
EDWARD 'LOVE IS' (10TH AND CLAY RECORDS/HEMIFRAN)
D.
Edward
from California has played in the local funkband Con Funk Shun ever since
the 1970s, with regional success, but since 2011 he also started a solo career,
which now results in a 2nd album titled Love is. The mixture
of R&B, classic soul, neo-soul and melodic pop/rock/singer-songwriter on
this album sounds quite good and reminds me of a mix between Seal and
John Mayer. I’ll bet if he had started his career 20 years ago, he would
have already made a big household name worldwide, but it’s never too late of
course and with a bit of luck he gets his break soon, based on this great new
album. This is definitely quality stuff and songs like the smooth melodic ballad
Hold on (even a bit Steve Perry ish here!), Mesmerized, Pretty Eyes
and Mighty Love are highly recommended songs to anyone who wants to
hear high quality music that mixes the best of soul, pop and singer/songwriter
and above all, features superb vocalwork. Check out more at: http://www.dedwardmusic.com/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
ESTHER
ROSE PARKES 'THE OTHER COUNTRY'
(INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN)
Esther
Rose Parkes is a singer/songwriter from the English Island Jersey. While
listening to her debut album The other country it is clear that she is
influenced by Sandy Denny, Jon Mitchell and that sort of calm acoustic
folk singer/songwriter style. She is doing this quite well and the fact that the
album was recorded in 5 days, together with Swedish musicians in Stockholm,
brought together by producer/blues musician Brian Kramer. I have to say
that you cannot hear that clearly in the recordings itself, because it all
sounds quite modest and calm, which could be a benefit if it wasn’t Esther’s
voice which is not that strong I am afraid. Nevertheless, fans of Gillian
Welch, Joni Mitchell, Sandy Denny and such might be interested in checking
this out at: http://www.estherroseparkes.com/
(Points:
7.7 out of 10)
THE
GRAND UNDOING 'WHITE SPACE FLAVORS AND PARTIES ON TV' (SECRET CANDY
RECORDS/HEMIFRAN)
The Grand Undoing is a project from the American
multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter Seth Goodman from Quincy, which
is close to Boston, Massachusetts. He is creating a sort of alternative pop/rock
singer songwriter style that sounds like a cross between Steve Earle,
R.E.M. and Jello Biafra, so a touch of alternative punkrock and a
rather unique way of singing, which is sometimes getting on your nerve, because
just like Nick Cave, you don’t expect someone to sing a certain part in a
song that way, but that might be the beauty of this genre. So at first sight you
might find yourself wondering why you are listening, but it grows on you and
especially fans of mentioned acts will find something of interest here at: http://thegrandundoing.com
(Points: 7.2 out of 10)
MICHAEL
WARD WITH DOGS AND FISHES 'WEEKENDS ON THE WINE DARK'
(INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN)
Michael Ward is all-rounder, because he is a singer/songwriter,
multi-instrumentalist, producer and studio owner (Hyde Street Studios), living
and working in the San Francisco Bay area since 1974. He fronted a large number
of bands and worked with members of touring bands such as Frank Zappa,
Ambrosia, Etta James, George Clinton, Bruce Hornsby and Steve Miller.
His latest solo album is titled Weekends on the wine dark, which he
recorded together with west coast musicians Prairie Prince - Drums,
Percussion (founder member of Journey, also played with the Tubes,
Chris Isaak, George Harrison, etc.), Paul Robinson- Guitar,
Vocals, Jeff Cleland-Bass, Chris Von Sneidern- Guitar Vocals and
Fernando de Sanjines 13- Drums, World Precussion. Together they play a
mix of melodic soulful singer/songwriter, R&B and world music, reminding me
of a cross between Bruce Hornsby and Peter Gabriel. The raw
excellent vocals are actually very close to Peter Gabriel, while the
songs contain very catchy melodies. I can also hear similarities to JJ Cale,
Steve Earle, Steely Dan, Raul Midon and Sting by the way, so I guess
you will now more or less understand how Michael’s music sounds like, although
the best way is to check it out for yourself of course. Highlights are One
Bright Night, Engine Eddie and Taking My Time, but also the Van
Morrison ish vocals during Bad Boy Rules (which also has very strong
melodies) and The Pearl Gone By (almost psychedelic prog ish a la Pink
Floyd) are worth mentioning. More at: www.michaelwardmusic.com
(Points: 8.5 out of
10)
MACHINA 'HELLBOUND HEART'
(INDEPENDENT/FINLAND IMPORT)
Although the
melodic metal of the Finnish band Machina is very cliché tingled, fans of
1980s melodic metal with a typical modern day touch due to the use of keyboards
and slight progmetal influences, this band is interesting to check out.
Especially the midtempo The lost aeon and the uptempo Sign of the
world are pretty catchy. The vocals are a bit weaker, but nevertheless fans
of melodic metal that sounds like a cross between Nostradameus meets Royal Hunt
meets Pretty Maids meets Axxis, for them this is a recommended band to check out
at: www.machina.fi
(Points: 7.5 out of 10)
KELLY'S LOT 'DON'T GIVE MY
BLUES AWAY' (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN)
Out of
Hollywood comes singer songwriter Kelly Zirbes, who together with guitarist
Perry Robertson releases albums under the moniker Kelly’s Lot. They released
their debut test drive back in 1995 and are now already releasing their
9th album, which is titled Don’t give my blues away. The music is
jazzy/soul/blues influenced rock, with very strong raw vocals (a pure rock
voice) and all together it does sound like a mix between Janis Joplin, Diana
Krall and Caro Emerald, if that makes any sense. Take it from me, we have a
great female fronted blues-rock affair going on here, with as highlights on
their latest record the songs Hush Up, Why Don’t We and Woman’s Love. Make sure
to check them out at: www.kellyslot.com
(Points: 8.2 out of
10)
THE AFTER HOURS
PROJECT 'THE AFTER HOURS PROJECT (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Now here we have a very impressive new act called The
After House Project, which is a project formed around quite a lot musicians,
including the fantastic female lead singer Ronnie Brockett, who has got a
typical 80s AOR voice, sounding spot-on on each of the 6 tracks of this EP-CD.
Musically speaking some singer/songwriter, 70s westcoast/AOR/MOR and pure
AOR/Melodic light rock is melted together in a rather catchy sound, which is
most of the time a pleasure to listen to, especially during songs like Whisky
wind", "Disqualified" and "Simple things". Check it out for yourself at:
http://www.afterhoursproject.com
(Points: 8.3 out of
10)
ANTHONY TULLO 'SWITCHING TRACKS' (INDEPENDENT/USA
IMPORT)
We definitely have the
latest sensation from the north american continent here, because Canadian
cowboy Anthony Tullo delivers a fantastic album that sounds as
radio-ready as you want it to be, without sounding too slick, over-produced or
polished like those US cowboys. Anthony has a long history before releasing this
new album Switching tracks, because the man might look like just another
major label produced country-rocker from the US of A, but it is a completely
different and much more interesting story than the somewhat standard
tough-boy-image looks he gives us on the CD booklet pictures. In fact, Anthony
is a incredible talented human being, who does a lot besides singing and owes it
completely to himself that he now releases such a strong new record that might
hit big time in the Americas. This is his 2nd album so far, but the first to
reach me and after a few spins me and my girlfriend are probably his first 2
fans in The Netherlands! Anthony was born and raised in Oakville, Ontario,
Canada and has been working as an actor for quite a while besides winning (gold)
medals in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu!!!
However, music is a passion he also has
and he just released Switching tracks across Canada with legendary
publicist Linda Dawe, who's released singles like Try from Blue
Rodeo, Rita McNeil and Roch Voisin from Montreal, Canada who's
first single hit the top ten in Canada back in the 1980s. Of course you can hear
similarities to let’s say Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Alan
Jackson, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Mitch Malloy and that sort of
country-aor-rock crossover male artists, but Anthony does it really great and
grabs you with his catchy tunes, such as the superb uptempo rocker Relentless
that cries out to become a huge radio hit worldwide. First single however is the
opening cut Back That Truck Up, which is a typical modern day country
rocker with a big fat groovy guitar riff, even touching something Aerosmith
might have done in the past, a guarantee for a hit in America only! In that same
style are songs like Oil and Snap shots, but those 3 last
mentioned tracks are not the highlights on the album. The finest songs are the
uptempo rockers Relentless, Ten Seconds to Sundown, Borderline and One
Day and the smooth ballads Other Side of Letting Go, In the
Headlights and Sinner in My Soul, which all together will even whet
the appetite of the AOR fans, because this smells dangerously close to the likes
of Van Stephenson, Nelson, Bryan Adams, Mitch Malloy, Venice and such.
Grab this record asap if you are keen on catchy crossover country-aor-rock,
because it doesn’t get any better than this!
Although it will be very
hard for Anthony to get the attention in Europe, where this kind of rock is not
really appreciated and America is much more friendly to his music, nobody can
deny that this is high quality stuff what we have here. For me personally a true
winner on our hands! More info at: www.anthonytullo.com or
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/anthonytullo and
e-mail him at: anthony.tullo@gmail.com
(Points: 8.8 out of 10)
ACHILLES WHEEL ‘STONES TO
SAND’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN)
Out of North Carolina, USA
comes Achilles Wheel, a typical American sounding band formed in 2011.
With influences from all the traditional American music genres, blues, rock,
westcoast, singer songwriter, soul, bluegrass, folk, Americana and such, the
band delivers a nice diverse sound . They made their debut a few years ago with
the album XIII Hours, which they recorded in only 13 hours and now we
have the follow-up Stones to sand. The strongest point here is that for
everyone there’s something to enjoy here, because you have calmer balladry,
rockier tunes, groovy material, blues orientated slow takers and some westcoast
as well, so you bet you have yourself a great diverse band in Achillles
Wheel. Although not as westcoast sounding as for example Jackson Browne,
Poco, Venice, Dakota and that kind of acts,Achilles Wheel should
nevertheless be mentioned along those acts, yet with a bit more focus on other
genres as well, so a little more Americana than westcoast and therefore more
comparable to Calexico, yet then less bombastic. This is honest good
clean American rootsy rock and roll, which you need to check out at:www.achilleshweel.com and http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/achilleswheel2
(Points: 8.2 out of
10)
GIULIA MILLANTA ‘THE
FUNAMBULIST’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN)
Giulia
Millanta was born and raised in Florence, but moved to Austin where she has
built up a music career. Her latest album the funambulist was recorded with her
band – husband/guitarist David Pulkingham, drummer Michael
Longoria and Glenn Fukunaga on bass. Giulia is a talented musician,
because she plays guitar, ukulele and sings in four languages—Italian, English,
French and Spanish! Martha Wainwright is sometimes a good comparison,
although there’s also a sorta tango touch in her material, while the French
songs have a chanson approach. Highlights are the English sung songs Lost In
Space, Carry The Cross and She Floated Away that have a strong
1970s singer/songwriter vibe. Although it all sounds quite good and diverse,
Giulia is not sounding that strong vocally, but perhaps on a future record she
improves on that aspect, because she already proves that she can sing in various
languages at a high level and is able to write strong songs. Recommended however
is to focus on the English language songs in the future, because that is showing
her best side. More at: www.giuliamillanta.com andwww.reverbnation.com/giuliamillantaHometownAustinRecord and www.giuliamillanta.comImpressum
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
KELLEY HUNT ‘THE BEAUTIFUL
BONES’ (88 RECORDS/HEMIFRAN)
Kelley Hunt is not
yet a familiar household name, but in her homestate of Kansas she has already
accomplished quite a lot. She is an American blues pianist, singer/songwriter
who started in the 1990s in the music business, releasing her debut in 1995 and
peaking in 2004 with her album New Shade of Blue, which reached number 9
in the Billboard Top Blues Albums charts. She was inducted into the Kansas Music
Hall of Fame and recently released her 6th album The beautiful bones.
When you listen to Kelley’s CD you can hear a voice, which you absolutely do not
want to miss, because it is a voice with a soul and sounding a zillion times
more interesting than the thin standard voices which are currently dominating
the airwaves. Adele might sound like the biggest female voice on earth
right now, Kelley can also sing like a Goddess and reminds me (also musically)
of Billie Holiday, Ann Peebles, Dinah Washington, Aretha Franklin, Wanda
Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald and evenTina Turner. This is soulful blues
with a deep Gospel touch and it sounds honest and true like it was recorded way
back in the 1950s or that era. No matter which song you’re listening to, Let
it rain, Simplify, I’ve got a good feeling or Miracle, it all sounds
stunning and should appeal to any musicfan out there. Please do check out Kelley
asap at: http://www.kelleyhunt.com/
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
JESSE BREWSTER ‘MARCH OF
TRACKS’ (PRAIRIE
RECORDS/HEMIFRAN)
Singer/songwriter Jesse
Brewster comes out of San Francisco and he releases a very impressive new
album in the shape of March of tracks. It’s not just another typical
singer-songwriter ish album, because it also contains clear influences from
classic rock, altrock, folk and country. Jesse has got a fantastic voice and he
recorded his new album in 12 months, focusing on 1 song every month, just
like Gabriel Rios did. The material is quite catchy and pop melodies can
be heard all throughout the record, which makes it a possible breakthrough album
for Jesse. Highlights are definitely Left to Lose, World Closing
In and Innocent Sinners. At times it reminds me a bit of Jack
Johnson, but secretly there are also similarities to Tom
Petty and Keith Urban. Besides being a great guitarplayer and
vocalist, he is also able to write a fantastic tune, so that is what is
making Jesse Brewster a hugely talented musician, who you urgently need
to check out at: http://www.jessebrewster.com and www.kgmusicpress.com
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
CRIMSON SUN 'NEW MEXICO'
(INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Not much info on this band from
New Mexico, USA, but Crimson Sun was a band active in the 1970s and 1980s
and recently released a new album with old material, re-recorded. Formed
around Lionel De Leon (singer/songwriter/guitarist/keyboardist), the
band’s music is a mix of typical American genres, which especially on the CD
they sent me can be heard quite well, as we go from Americana to
country-westcoast to almost American melodic southern rock with an AOR touch.
There is however a strong 1970s sorta semi-acoustic folk tingled approach to
most of the songs, so Crimson Sun doesn’t rock all the way, but when they
rock, then it sounds like a classic early 80s US Melodic Rock/AOR band, such as
during the album’s best tunes Mother and Young girl that both are
close to AOR friendly rock of the 38 Special/Axe kind. But as mentioned
before, Crimson Sun likes to go for the smooth 70s American style and
remind of Poco, Firefall and CSNY more than a few times on their
album, with Lonely Woman being a beautiful laid back piece and the band
surprises during the pure blues song Close Your Eyes. All together a
diverse record, which you can check out for yourself at: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/CrimsonSun
(Points:
7.9 out of 10)
THE BITTER ROOTS ‘NOISE
VIRBATIONS AND FUMES’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Formed in
2008, the Seattle based band The Bitter Roots already released their
4th album titled Noise Vibrations and Fumes. Musically
speaking they are heading into alternative rock with a melodic rock touch and
some classic early 80s powerpop as well, kinda like The Posies. I would
describe their sound as college rock in a 80s/early 90s kinda direction. The
band records their material analog, which means it sounds more honest and
natural than using click track and auto tune. The band is formed around Jeff
Stetson - Vocals, Guitar and Keys and Ben Koostra - Drums and Keys,
with Greg Thomsen on bass and vocals as well. If we have a look at the
songs, highlights are Fast and slow and Diary queen, both nice
uptempo The Jamish powerpoptracks, Butterfly baby, which
has a sort of Seattle influence (read Jane's Addiction), while a lot of
the other songs are midtempo college rockers a la REM/Sons Of Bill. This
is definitely high quality stuff and feels like a real honest band, which could
easily work its way up to higher places, although there is a lot of competition
out there. Make sure to check out this band at: http://bitterrootsmusic.com/home.html and
e-mail at: Contact jeff@bitterrootsmusic.com
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
MIKE MCGUIRE 'SOUTHERN
ATTRACTION' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Mike
McGuire is a Kentucky, USA based singer/songwriter with an album out
entitled Southern attraction. Musically a mix of Americana, Folk and
Singer/Songwriter can be heard here and it fits nicely between JJ Cale, Tom
Waits, Warren Zevon and Bob Dylan, with this deep low pitched voice
by Mike. Musically speaking there’s also a touch of light bluesrock to be heard
and besides original tunes by Mike, we can also find a cover of the
song Twilight, a 1975 single written by Robbie
Robertson for The Band. Songs like Tennessee Tom, Stay in Your
Lane, Crazy Lone Star Blues and Thunder Over Clarksville are the
typical American Folk singer/songwriter kinda tunes in which you can find
passion and honesty. Check more for yourself at: http://mikemcguireky.com
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
THE FAWN 'BRANCHES'
(INDEPENDENT/SWISS IMPORT)
Not much info on this Swiss
band/project, but they do sound very experimental, starting their
album Branches with a Noisy sound that cannot be compared to any other
band, while the following track goes for a more rocking approach. This is
underground music the way it should sound and no more words are necessary, as it
is best to hear for yourself at: http://thefawn.ch and http://soundcloud.com/thefawn and http://hummusrecords.bandcamp.com
(Points:
7.3 out of 10)
MAX FRED 'MAXWELL'
(INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Max Fred is a
singer/songwriter from Kansas City, Missouri and he has just released his debut
album Maxwell. In his childhood he was exposed to Bob Dylan, Willie
Nelson, Marvin Gaye, JJ Cale and the Band, which gave him the
necessary ingredients for creating a somewhat similar traditional
singer/songwriter style. He is clearly moving in that acoustic tingled singer
songwriter direction and all together he sounds quite strong actually, combining
elements of Bluegrass, Country, Folk and Americana. Although there is a lot of
competition in this genre and the likes of Hoozier, Ben Howard, Mumford and
Sons, Ed Sheeran, Damien Rice and such are just a couple of new names from
the past 5-10 years whom made it big, so who knows we have another winner here
in the near future. More info at:http://www.maxfredmusic.com/
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
JOEY STUCKEY 'DEMO CDR'
(INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Well well well… here we have a
sensational singer/songwriter from Macon, Georgia, USA, who has released albums
for 20 years now and he was kind enough to sent me a CDR filled with some of his
recordings. The most beautiful thing here is that Joey is not just another
singer/songwriter, because he lost his sight and sense of smell as an infant as
the result of a brain tumor, which makes it even more impressive that he has
become such a gifted musician. He is able to play the guitar like a Guitar God
and also sing really beautiful in a sorta soul kinda way. Raul
Midon and Jeff Healey are probably good comparisons as those
guitarists/vocalists are also blind musicians, although Joey is much more rock
orientated in the guitar department and more soul orientated in the vocal
department, reminding me a lot of Joe Bonamassa actually, both the guitar
playing and the fantastic soulful vocals. He and his band the Joey Stuckey
Band opened for acts such as Bad Company, Ted Nugent, B-52’s, James
Brown and many more, while Joey himself worked as a producer, composer,
sound engineer, musician for members of acts like Lynyrd Skynyrd, R.E.M.,
Allman Brothers Band and Grateful Dead. Anyway, solo he has been hard
at work for quite a lot of years and let’s hope he will get his break someday
soon, because he definitely deserves it. Make sure to check out this fantastic
musician at: www.joeystuckey.com
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
TALON 'FOURPLAY' (ESCAPE
MUSIC)
American melodic rockers Talon return with a strong
new album titled Fourplay, which is a typical 1980s orientated American
Melodic Hardrock product that will please all fans of Heaven’s Edge, Dokken,
Loud’n’Clear, Fifth Angel, Shy, Firehouse, Valentine, etc. etc. Lead singer
on the new Talon album is Michael O’Mara, who was out of the band for a
while, but returned for this new release. I can remember vaguely previous
albums, but I am quite convinced it sounded more or less the same, so no changes
here. Most remarkable guest appearance is that of guitarist Tim Pierce (Bon
Jovi, Rick Springfield, Ozzy, Santana, Elton John, etc. etc.) on a couple of
tracks. Although the included material is far from original, it is done at a
very high level, with such great classic 80s American Melodic Hardrock sounding
pieces such as Sin City Sister, Set Me Free, Tonight and I Don't Wanna
Cry. Fans of mentioned bands can purchase this album without any
hesitation!
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
HASSE
FROBERG ‘HFMC’ (GLASSVILLE RECORDS)
During the glorious hair metal days of the 1980s, in
Sweden there was in pre-Europe days not much happening in that style,
because there was a music scene before and a music business after The final
countdown in Sweden. After Europe hit big time, hair metal bands
popped up from each part of the country. At one point it seemed like every
musician was playing in a Europe-look-a-like band, but we must not forget
that Spellbound was a really great hair metal band in Sweden whom were
already active before Joey and his hair mates scored massive. In
fact, Spellbound was probably the first hair metal to emerge from Sweden,
because Europe was a real heavy metalband before 1986. Spellbound recorded 2
albums, Breaking The Spell in December 1984 and Rocking
Reckless in December 1985, both featuring quite fantastic melodic hardrock,
but as it did not turn out to become a huge success, each of the members went
their own way. Lead singer/guitarist Hasse Froberg joined prog
legends The Flower Kings and in 2008 he got together with a couple of
old Spellbound members and started recording new material, which so far
resulted in 2 full-length albums. Now they have released their
3rd album together titled HFMC on Glassville Records.
Musically speaking this album is quite sensational, featuring very high quality
strong vocals of Hasse and musicianship of an incredible high level. There’s a
distinctive 1970s approach here, mixing classic rock, progressive rock and
American pomprock, blending this with beautiful melodies is making this a true
winner actually. The album’s highlights are In the warmth of the
evening (excellent, feels like a melodic neo-prog classic in the typical
style of Spock's Beard, Enchant, Kino, It Bites, Pallas,
etc), Pages and Someone else's fault (Pomprock ish, long proggy
influences as well, some Kansas similarities), Something worth dying
for (less prog, very melodic hard rocking track Yngwie
Malmsteenish even!) and Everything can change (AORish, late 70sn
style Pomprock, a bit Aviary actually, with a jazzy part included as well). I am
quite surprised how good this sounds and although Flower Kings and prog
addicts will find some stuff sound too melodic or too much going into a non-prog
direction, the fans of classic pomprock and melodic hardrock (I even heard some
Angel comparisons!) will be pleased to check out this new release of Hasse. More
at: www.hfmcband.com/
(Points: 8.6 out of 10)
CARL FRANKLIN 'BEEN A WHILE'
(INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN)
Together with his brother Jay Franklin, Carl
Franklin released 2 albums under the bandname Franklin Brothers. Both
are very professional and highly skilled musicians, but also producers/engineers
and in general speaking computer/technical minded people, whom recorded already
in 1999 a full album with the help of only a PC. Nowadays that is the normal way
to go when recording something new, but 16 years ago it was sorta new to record
it that way. Anyway, Carl went solo and released the album Been a
while some time ago and despite all the computer and electronic technology,
the album of Carl still sounds as if it is was recorded during a couple of
breezy Californian summer nights somewhere in the late 1970s. Special guest on
this album is John Scofield, so you can bet yourself that this is a high
quality album. Musically speaking it breathes the 1970s and then in
particular Steely Dan comes to mind when listening to the songs on the
album. In fact, Carl also sounds like Donald Fagan vocally, so fans of
that band will definitely have to check out this release. Thankfully it is not a
copycat album, because Carl gives it an own twist and the soulful westcoast
pop/rock with funky rhythms offers truly wonderful melodies from start to
finish. Chain reaction is an example of the pure Steely Dan bliss going
on here, with beautiful close harmonyvocals and a light bluesy guitar tone under
a groovy bass/drum rhythm. Out of your way is a lovely late 70s
westcoast-AOR tingled tune that fits nicely
between Toto and Venice. I think you’ll get the picture by now how
this more or less sounds like and any fan of laid-back westcoast-aor/pop with a
jazzy undertone needs to check out this album a.s.a.p. at: http://carlfranklin.com/
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
BRAD COLERICK 'TUCSON' (BACK 9
RECORDS/HEMIFRAN)
Out of California comes singer/songwriter Brad
Colerick, who releases his 5th album with this Tucson.
Musically speaking this is your typical singer-songwriter meets westcoast
adventure in traditional Californian style, so think of a mix between James
Taylor, Poco and Steely Dan, yet also with some folk and country
influences as well, so perhaps here and there an Americana approach could be a
good description as well. Highlights are Place of
you (beautiful), This is what I do and Hands of time. Although
the album sounds quite calm and is far away removed from any rock related
styles, this is nevertheless a high quality release and definitely very much
recommended, which is especially sounding so strong due to the superb clean
vocals of Brad himself. Do check him out at: http://www.bradcolerick.com/ and http://www.wineandsong.com/
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
REED TURNER 'GHOSTS IN THE ATTIC'
(INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN)
Reed Turner could well become the next big
singer/songwriter in the world, right next to the likes of Hozier, Ben Howard, Mumford and Sons, Ed Sheeran, Damien
Rice and such,
because that is where Reed
Turner could easily
be standing in a short period of time if he is lucky enough of course. He has
the looks, the sounds and the vocals to reach a huge audience, but this is
primarily judging on his latest album Ghosts in the attic. Reed is from Austin, Texas and
on the album we can welcome as guest musicians, fiddler-singerPhoebe Hunt and pedal steel
legend Kim Deschamps. Musically speaking it is a mix
of folkrock, singer/songwriter and a little stompin’ bluesrock or so to speak
the “modern mature male dominated folksy pop/rock singer songwriter sound” that
combines the best of Hozier, The Black
keys, Ryan Adams, Damien Rice, Dotan (for the Dutchies out there!)
andJack White. If we have a quick run through
the tracklist, the album’s highlights are the uptempo rockier Ghost in the Attic (very strong), the midtempo
stompin Killed That Girl ('Cause She Was
Killin' Me) (Black
Keys meets Jack White), Long Gone (Fleet Foxes meets Jack White), the beautiful singer songwriter
pop/rock ballad Locking
Doors and The fire(with its rock undertone). The
result is a highly recommended album that contains really beautiful vocals and
lovely songs in a somewhat familiar modern day singer/songwriter style that
reminds clearly of the earlier mentioned acts, so check out Reed asap at: http://www.reedturner.com/
(Points: 8.5 out of
10)
ROB MCHALE 'FIELDS' (WOODEN DOOR
RECORDS/HEMIFRAN)
Out of Troutman, North Carolina comes singer
songwriter Rob McHale, who creates relaxing laid-back singer/songwriter
material that sounds quite good, although it is especially the excellent crystal
clear voice of Rob (mostly low pitched) which makes him standout between the
thousands of similar artists in this immense popular genre nowadays. One of the
highlights on the 2nd album of Rob is the titlesong Fields.
Nice to mention here is that most of the songs are based on the American Civil
War (1861-1865), while several guest musicians make the sound a bit more
diverse, as for example Irons And Chains is a blues song, The
Castlebar Races has Irish folk influences and Mother’s Love is a
beautiful ballad. Without a doubt, Rob is yet another interesting singer
songwriter to check out. More at: www.robmchale.com
(Points: 8.1 out of
10)
WIZARD
FARM MUSIC 'WIZARD FARM MUSIC' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Wizard Farm
Music is a rather
obscure, but interesting pop/rock band from Hartford, CT, USA, consisting of Matt Clapis (Vocals, Guitar,
Synths, etc), Craig Watts (Bass) and Justin Claps (Drums). They were formed
in 2010 and have had their ups and downs the past 5 years, but with this release
they seem to show they are professional enough to become bigger. They were kind
enough to sent me their record, which is self titled and musically speaking is
featuring quite catchy uptempo alternative melodic rock in the style of Sons Of Bill, but rockier and with a
1990s influenced College Rock touch a la The Posies, Teenage Fanclub and some powerpop ish
material as well. The best songs can be found in the shape of Open Mic , Can We Let Go?, Upstroke Rubber
Soul (very catchy chorus), Radiobear
(underground early 1980s sound like The Jam, The Cure) and Now That The Feelings Gone (even
AOR/Melodic rock orientated). This is a highly recommended act, with strong
vocals and definitely a potential act to keep your eyes open for. More at: www.wizardfarmmusic.com and https://wizardfarm.bandcamp.com/releases
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
TONY
FAZIO 'HOME' (FETAL RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
Fetal
Records
is a Baltimore based record label, which started in 1980 and published various
punk/hardcore related bands throughout the years. Now we have a singer
songwriter called Tony Fazio
releasing a very diverse solo-album on the label. He is currently performing
with many different bands, including Electrofied Blues Band and Charlie Sayles and the Blues Disciples,
but on this solo record he does musically speaking a bit of everything. He is
helped by various singers, which make it all sound even more diverse. There’s a
bunch of bluesy pop/rock with deep low pitched vocals (2,3,7,8,9) (featuring
great guitarwork), calmer singer songwriter piece with strong clean vocals a la
Venice (4) , a big surprising sorta
1960s swinging r&b motown style tune with doo-woop vocals and trumpets in a
Supremes style (5) and uptempo 1970s
classic US hard rock a la Starz/Montrose/Talas or something in
that style (6, 10), which are both really awesome tunes! In the end, this is a
very diverse record you don’t hear every day!!! This is what you call
underground ish, also due to the low budget production, but that makes it so
interesting and especially in Europe Tony could do well with his non-commercial
and diverse sound. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.fetalrecords.com/tony-fazio-story
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
RICH
RESTAINO 'LONELY IN A CROWD' (MADHOUSE RECORDS/USA
IMPORT)
Out of Austin,
Texas comes singer songwriter Rich
Restaino, who delivers songs with a sense of humor. Done in a typical 1970s
kinda way, the Americana kinda Folkpop sounds like you are actually walking into
an Irish pub somewhere in the USA. There is cabaret style to be heard in Bury Our Heads, folklore with a strong
country and Irish pub vibe in especially They Don't Give a Damn (They're in Love)
and Neil Diamond kinda tunes (Shuffle the Deck and If Life Is a Test). Although it might
get a bit by-the-numbers and monotone after a while, people into
singer/songwriter with a humoristic undertone (Harry Nilsson/Nick Lowe also come to
mind here), they might want to check out Rich at: http://www.richrestaino.com/
(Points: 7.3
out of 10)
GEORGIA
SOUND 'LOVE CAN CHANGE' (INDEPENDENT/CANADA IMPORT)
Georgia
Sound is a Canadian
folk/pop duo based in Calgary and they have delivered a really good high quality
album titled Love can change.
Although not very original and sometimes reminding a lot of our own Common Linnets and Nelson, it is done quite perfectly and
therefore a pleasure to listen to from start to finish. The dup is Ryan Roy on vocals and guitar and Shannon Magee on vocals and piano. The
female vocals sound a bit thin, but the male vocals are very strong and sound
like a raspy Bryan Adams. The two met
at a chance open mic in 2011 and it worked out so well that now a full-length CD
is released and as already mentioned, it sounds very professional and major
label ish. It captures the typical modern catchy melodic pop/rocksound with
singer songwriter vibe and although it is not as sensational as you want it to
be, there’s definitely a lot to enjoy here, such as Trouble and Love Can Change (almost pure AOR actually), Comfortable (westcoast touch) and End of an Era (the absolute finest track
here, a catchy uptempo melodic poprocker). Check out this upcoming duo from
Calgary for yourself at: http://www.georgiasound.ca/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
PIQUED
JACKS 'CLIMB LIKE IVY DOES' (INDEPENDENT/USA-ITALY
IMPORT)
Piqued
Jacks is actually
an Italian band, but they are currently based in Austin, Texas and their latest
record is titled Climb like Ivy does,
which happens to be a very sensational release. The band is formed around E-King
- lead vocals, piano, synthesizer, organ, glockenspiel, Penguinsane - guitar,
backing vocals, littleladle - bass, backing vocals and ThEd0g - drums,
percussions, backing vocals. Musically speaking it is a mixture of diverse
styles, which becomes clear when listening to the included 8 songs. If we have a
quick run through the tracklisting, the best song are Reign Of Clouds (a strong uptempo
rocker, modern alt melodic rock with a catchy chorus), Moooody (even a bit Inxs meets Gothic
rock a la The Mission, with Hardrock
guitar), Only A Bridge (light proggy
Rush style) and Gift Handed Down For Generations (very
strong uptempo prog/melodic heavy rocker]. Vocally it is also impressive, with
high pitched vocals, coming across like Rush meets Threshold’s Damian Wilson, but musically more
adventurous and going into sometimes an Alternative and even Gothic Rock
direction. We could do without the screaming in Romantic Soldier though, but this is a
high quality release for sure, with a huge production and all together,
definitely a highly recommended to all of you to check out asap at: www.piquedjacks.com
(Points: 8.4
out of 10)
JACE POWLAK ‘PERSPECTIVE’ (MARBLE SKY MUSIC/HEAD FIRST ENTERTAINMENT/USA IMPORT)
Out of Florida, USA comes Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jace Pawlak, who just released his third solo album Perspective. Jace is heavily influenced by 80s AOR/Melodic Rock, which could already be heard on his previous solo-albums (see past review of Jace’s debut Stolen season in 2005) and also due to the fact he wrote a lot of songs for other acts, especially for Kivel Records’ signed bands like Tango Down and Farrcry. Anyway, on his new album Perspective, he spreads his horizons and adds a lot of other influences as well, now sounding like a mixture of AOR, pop/rock, westcoast and jazz flavored fusion, sorta like Toto, but not reaching that high level I am afraid. This has nothing to do with the man’s voice, handling of the instruments, writing good songs or anything like that, because the problem is that he seems to use autotune to make voice corrections and that just sounds quite annoying after a while. A real pity, because the man can definitely sing very well, such as can be heard in the great bluesy rocker We Don't Know Anything, one of the few songs that sounds like there is no voice correction done. The album features besides Jace Pawlak on vocals, keyboards, drums, acoustic guitar and bass, his father Dennis Pawlak on guitars & bass and his brother Trevor Pawlak on guitar. As already mentioned, real pure AOR can only be heard during a couple tunes, such as the strong midtempo high class AOR tune Cry, which sounds a bit like Journey/The Storm and the uptempo AOR rocker Renegade Heart (a la Kane Roberts and Final Frontier). It is quite a difference with that debut record from 10 years ago, when he delivered a high class AOR record without autotune or voice correction. Nevertheless, the new album is still a nice record, also musically speaking, because the 3 earlier mentioned tracks are quite strong and it is nice to see him delivering nice jazzy rockers (Don't Talk to Me, The Same Mistake and Jodi's Just Running) and smooth ballads (What If We Were Wrong, The Unknown and Little Star) as well, besides a radio-ready melodic semi-acoustic pop/rock tune (While We're Here). Nevertheless, he isn’t a Billy Joel, Bryan Adams or Richard Marx yet and I truly hope that a future record will see him without the use of technical and autotune kinda corrections to his voice, because I am convinced this musician is live on stage doing things much better than in the production environment. He has a great voice, but the production spoils it a bit, which really isn’t necessary at all. We want to hear errors and a change in the voice while singing the melodies, because that’s what is making a singer/songwriter interesting and not a perfect sounding production/album. Still I am positive, because Jace is a well-gifted musician and talented singer, who you need to check out at: www.jacemusic.com and https://www.facebook.com/jacepawlakmusic
(Points: 7.7 out of 10)
EIVOR ‘BRIDGES’ (SONIC RENDEZVOUS)
Originally born on the Faroe Islands in 1983, Eivør is an extremely talented vocalist, instrumentalist and songwriter with a voice that is just breathtaking. She spent time in Iceland and was even named Icelandic Female Singer of the Year in 2003. She performs a mixture of traditional songs and her own compositions, sung in Faroese, Icelandic and recently, she started to sing in English. Eivør is at the moment living in Denmark and her new album Bridges contains lovely high quality spiritual music that is situated around her beautiful voice. Comparisons are not that easy to make, because Clannad meets Sinead O’Connor meets Kate Bush, combined with a modern pop/rock bombastic keyboard based production could be a good description, but Eivør really has an own style, which is likewise due to her wonderful amazing voice. The highlights are 2 and 6, but any song here is a pleasure to listen to. Do not miss this upcoming talented musician. Go to: www.eivor.com
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘CHICAS VOLUME 2: SPANISH FEMALE SINGERS 1963-1978’ (SONIC RENDEZVOUS)
Covering a period of 15 years, of which the majority concerns rare 1960s songs, this compilation record is a must-have for the die-hard collectors out there. It concerns here the second volume of Munster Records's Chicas series, which contains a nice collection of ye-ye, rock and roll, twist, beat, gipsy rock, soul and cinematic grooves from Spanish female singers (and those who moved to Spain). Many of the 28 tracks are reissued for the first time, including very hard-to-find records and especially the CD booklet and extensive notes are a nice joy to read and look at while listening to these rare songs by acts like Marina, Sola, Elia Fleta, La Llave 3, Paloma San Basilio, Rocio Durcal, Ana Kiro and more. There’s a lot of covers of legendary English tunes to be heard, but then sung in Spanish and especially the cover of The Grass Roots’ I’d Wait A Million Years sounds extremely catchy. Sometimes it gets a bit awkward, but overall, this mixture of pop/rock, rockabilly, doo=woop, soul and even salsa is quite interesting, just because it is very rare. Hear it for yourself at:
https://soundcloud.com/munster/sets/chicas-vol-2-spanish-female
(Points: 7.8 out of 10)
THE LATE CALL 'GOLDEN' (TAPETE RECORDS/SONIC RENDEZVOUS)
Golden is the 4th album of The Late Call, which is in fact Stockholm-based, English-singing German musician Johannes Mayer, who together with Patric Thorman (bass, Hammond organ), Henrik Roger (piano, Mellotron) and Lars Plogschties (drums, percussion) recorded this album in Bremen, Germany in October 2014. Musically speaking this is high quality singer/songwriter indie folkrock with a modern style like we know it from bands like Calexico and War On Drugs, yet with a typical 1970s singer/songwriter approach as well, because you can also trace influences from John Martyn, Kris Kristofferson, Townes van Zandt, Steve Earle, etc. etc.. Highlights are the lovely Ghost world and The pack, but any song will do for fans of folkrock, because that is what this album is all about. You just put it on and dream away to the wide open fields where the sun and wind make you feel even more longing for the long summer days. I feel that this record could be Johannes’ breakthrough, if he has the luck that mass media will jump on it. If not, then check it out for yourself, because you don’t want to miss this masterpiece of singer/songwriter folkrock at: http://www.thelatecall.com
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
JAY JACOBSON 'THE RIDE' (MOVING SOUND MUSIC/USA IMPORT)
The Beatles meets the Pet Shop Boys in an orchestral pop explosion with hints of trip-hop and dance... that is the description of Jay Jacobson’s music, although I would rather say it is a sorta 80s pop/rock style with a big orchestral instrumental back-up, making it sound bombastic and melodic. Jay is a singer songwriter from Philadelphia and already released 5 full-length albums and besides his music adventure, he is also a successful actor. The ride is his latest music CD, which is filled with 11 songs that musically speaking are clearly presenting the already mentioned 80s pop/rock sound, which sounds quite enthusiastic and almost every song has a positive vibe. Songs like I Need a Change, I Lived, In the Blue and Ghosting are the strongest, but if you like one tune you will instantly fall in love with all the tunes. It reminds me a bit of Howard Jones, but check it out for yourself at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jayjacobson6 and http://www.jayjacobson.com/jayjacobsonbio.html
(Points: 7.6 out of 10)
HION MARTELL 'RIFFS IN A BOX' (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN)
Formed back in 1992, the Swedish band Hion Martell has
been on the scene for many years now, with a lot of releases. Through
the years they developed their style from basic rock with a bluesy
touch to a diverse rockband with a lot of soul, country, blues and
heavy rock arrangements. Actually, the band’s original influences of Lynyrd Skynyrd, JJ Cale and Rolling Stones can be heard very clearly now and songs like No More Hard Times, Turn It Down and Working On It are very strong examples of the classic rocksound this band has now optimized on their latest album Riffs in a box. More at: http://www.hionmartell.com/
(Points: 7.8 out of 10)
NELSON WRIGHT 'ORPHANS AND RELICS' (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN)
Seattle based singer songwriter Nelson Wright is influenced by Everly Brothers and Roy Orbison and despite you can also hear such influences, the similarities to a Bob Dylan and Neil Young are also quite obvious, while also Willie Nelson comes to mind here and there, especially during the calm acoustic pieces. The man is also not shy to rock out a few times and all together his latest record Orphans and relics is a nice somewhat raw sounding singer songwriter album that contains all the traditional American music influences (country blues, rockabilly, folk, etc.). Hear for yourself at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/nelsonwright2 and http://www.nelsonwright.com/
(Points: 7.8 out of 10)
WEST OF EDEN 'SONGS FROM TWISTING RIVER' (WEST OF MUSIC/HEMIFRAN)
West of Eden is a band from Gothenburg, Sweden, formed back in 1995 and playing folk/celtic rock that sounds as it was created in Ireland. The main core of the band is lead vocalist/accordIon player Jenny Schaub and her brother Martin Schaub, who also plays guitar and keyboards. The other members of the band are Lars Broman (Fiddle), Martin Holmlund (Bass), Ola Karlevo (Drums & Percussion) and Pär Öjerot (Guitars, Mandolin). For over 20 years they have been active and Songs from twisting river is their 7th album so far and musically speaking you really must think of the Chieftains and Riverdance, so typical Irish (and also British) folk music is what we get to hear and despite West Of Eden is hailing from Sweden, it definitely sounds dangerously close to a traditional Irish/British Folk band. Kate Rusby, a well-known British Folk musician, she is making a guest appearance and in the end, this album is highly recommended to fans of the British/Irish folk genre, so make sure to look up this band at: http://www.westofeden.com
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
STEVE HILL 'SOLO RECORDINGS' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT/HEMIFRAN)
Canadian guitarist/vocalist Steve Hill has played with Ray Charles, B.B. King, ZZ Top and Jeff Beck and while listening to his album Solo recordings, it is clear that we are dealing with a sensational musician, who can easily make it as big as Joe Bonamassa or Gary Clark Jr., because that is where you need to place his music, right between those 2 popular guitarists. Songs like I Want You To Love Me, Go On and Never is Such A Long Time sound very sensational, but basically this album grabs you right from the start until the very end, so there is not a single weak moment to be found here. Steve is not exactly a newbie, because he started at 16 years old as a guitarist and already 4 years later he performed over 200 times a year and in 1997 he released his debut album. Nowadays Steve is a so-called ‘One Man Band’, playing guitar, singing, playing drums and harmonica. He has already released 10 albums and in Canada and in the blues rock world he is a well-known musician, but he actually deserves so much more, because he is such a gifted musician with a fantastic voice and lovely guitarplaying. He can easily become a major musician worldwide, known to everyone, something which should already have happened actually, but instead the media is promoting countless second rate acts as latest sensation. Do yourself a favor and discover Steve Hill at: http://stevehillmusic.com
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
JACK DAY 'THE FIRST TEN' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT/HEMIFRAN)
The First ten is the debut album of London based singer songwriter Jack Day. Although the album has been out for a while and he did not had his breakthrough, the Brian O’Shaugnessy (Primal Scream and Beth Orton) produced album sounds very impressive and could have already meant his big break if he had been lucky enough to perform at Jools Holland or if he had received airplay via BBC radio. Sadly not and now in 2015 we are wondering ourselves what will happen when he releases a new album, because Jack Day could have been as big as Jake Bugg. Anyway, the raw vocals and mostly acoustic-driven folk are making him sound like a cross between Bob Dylan and Tom Waits. Shadows In The Sun is one of the highlights, but for fans of mentioned artists everything here sounds great, so go check out Jack at: www.jackday.net
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
SLOWMAN 'HAPPY BOY' (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN)
Although Swedish singer/songwriter/guitarist Svante “Slowman” Törngren is already close to 60 years of age, he still sounds very strong and impresses on his 3rd CD Happy boy. Slowman already was in major label signed bands in Sweden during the 1980s and 1990s, but since his solo adventure started he focused on what he is best at, making beautiful singer/songwriter music with a diversity in styles that range from rock to folk to blues to heartland rock. Although opener Time is basically a great pure classic rock kinda tune that sounds very 1970s like BTO meets The Who, the rest of the album is more laid-back and closer to the heartland pop/rock of Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Michael Stanley, with as highlights Little Berlin, Every Heart Is Crying and Drowning Stones. The Calexico ish folk rockballad Nothing To Pretend is also nice to mentioned here, while the titletrack Happy Boy is a calm piece, but perhaps the most beautiful song on the album. So despite the fact that Slowman is already twice the age of all the young singer songwriters out there nowadays, he can easily compete with his latest album Happy boy. Go check it at: http://www.slowman.se
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
KINESIS 4 'SATYAGRAHA' (OSH RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
Out of Southampton, UK comes the band Kinesis 4, whom deliver a nice diverse record that sounds like a mixture of 70s classic rock and 80s melodic rock, with prog, blues and even indie influences thrown in to shape an own identity. 9 tracks are included on the band's self produced debut album Satyagraha and as mentioned it all sounds extremely diverse. The album starts with Come With Me, which is a calm singer songwriter kinda piece, but when following track All I Need introduces hardrocking guitar riffs, there is no looking back and the band rocks on until the end of the CD.
The vocals could be stronger and the production makes it also sound like a 1983 record, but this does have its charm as well. I got a CDR, so I do not know whether the CD and Vinyl record may sound better, so let's now focus on the music for now, because that definitely gives you a cool-listening-adventure throughout the 1970s and 1980s rockgenres, because for example The Word Is Out is 70s classic rock at best and reminding of Blue Oyster Cult. In fact, B.O.C. might be the best comparison for Kinesis 4, doing things just a little different than the rest, which is making them likewise a recommended band to check out.
City Girl is a more uptempo 1980s kinda hardrock piece, a rather catchy tune actually in a classic 1983 style a la Rage (UK), Dokken and Vyper (Prepared to strike), while Whiskey Lips is almost pure early 1970s Glamrock a la T Rex. Going into pure melodic rock bliss is the next track Jingophile. The final 3 songs is bringing the band in a more progressive and experimental pop/rock direction (Get It Together, Feel Alright and The Enlightened), which needs to be heard a few more times to discover their whereabouts in those tunes.
Concluded, this album offers something for everyone and is worth listening to over and over again I feel. I do want to add that I only heard a CDR copy and would love to hear how this sounds like on a vinyl record and the band is working on that physical product release. Clearly an independent band, but that makes them interesting to check out at:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kinesis4 and http://www.kinesis4.com
(Points: 7.8 out of 10)
DANNY JAMES ETC. ‘PEAR’ (BURGER RECORDS/SONIC RENDEZVOUS)
Out of San Francisco comes Danny James Etc, a strong 1970s inspired psychedelic rockact that is formed around Danny James (Vocals, Bass, Keys), along with Michael Louis (guitar, bass, keys, drums), General Luau (rhythm guitar), Valentino (drums) and Joel Robinow (guitar). Pear is the band’s 2nd record, which musically is a high quality indie release that captures some of the best of 1970s psychedelic and melodic pop/rock, but also feels like an indie rock record sometimes. It reminds me a bit of Temples and Artful Dodger actually, but more diverse, because a song like Dear Heart is almost pure sympho/prog, while Lucke(y) is a great rocking piece and during a few songs, the high-pitched harmonyvocals make the band sound a bit like the Beach Boys. Lydia is a really strong hit potential kinda tune and if you ask me, there are a lot of great songs that could become radio winners. The combination of a light rocksound, psychedelica vibes and smooth sweet melodies, due to the high pitched vocal harmonies, this is making Danny James Etc. an interesting band to check out at: https://soundcloud.com/dannyjamesetcetera andhttps://dannyjames.bandcamp.com/album/pear
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
TORPUS AND THE ART DIRECTORS ‘THE DAWN CHORUS’ (GRAND HOTEL VAN CLEEF RECORDS/SONIC RENDEZVOUS)
The Dawn Chorus is the 2nd album of the German band and it could become their big breakthrough album, because despite it all might not sound really original, this is the kind of music that is currently made for the masses. Mix up War On Drugs, Calexico, Fleet Foxes and Mumford And Sons, with a big bombastic sound and sing-a-long choruses, then you have a big summer festival band. Thankfully, the band also offers more modest material that could be identified as singer/songwriter pieces and even a touch of 70s pop/rock can be heard. Highlights are the big anthemic first 2 cuts, In Hushed Tones (very melodic) and Dawn Song (70s rock influences, Templesstyle), Two Hearts, Water (midtempo), From Holding Your Hands (beautiful harmonyvocals) and Sleeping On The Backburner (War On Drugs style, sounding very close!). Do not miss this band, because you never know if they become the best new band of 2015! More at: www.torpus.de
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
THE PORTER DRAW ‘THE PORTER DRAW’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN)
The Porter Draw is the title of the 3rd album of the Albaquerque, New Mexico, USA based band The Porter Draw. Musically speaking a very interesting band, combining the classic traditional American music genres (bluegrass, Americana, southern rock and alternative country tangled rock’n’roll) and actually they are sounding very sensational. It’s a pity that I have not heard of them before, because this new album is without a doubt a true winner! The band was formed in 2007, already released 2 albums before this new one. Their line-up consists of Russell (vocals, guitar), Ben (vocals, banjo), Josh (vocals, guitars, mandolin, harmonica) and Joey (drums). Sounding like a cross between Lynyrd Skynyrd, J.D. McPherson, Mumford And Sons and especially The Jayhawks, this is a band to check out a.s.a.p. There’s some rawness in here, but also the typical American softer melodic approach can be heard, so it definitely feels like you are somewhere in the landscape of the USA while listening to this excellent record. Although some songs sound like covers or somehow quite familiar to your ears, like the superb classic southern rocker One more nightand the Irish traditional tingled sing-a-long folk uptempo piece County lines, these are almost all originals of the band, except for the lovely Bruce Springsteen cover I'm On Fire. The alternative country melodic rocker This town reminds me a bit of Sons Of Bill and the old R.E.M., so there’s a lot to explore here for the fan of all American music. Check it out for yourself asap at: http://theporterdraw.com
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
CLOSE TALKER ‘FLUX’ (NEVADO RECORDS/DGR MUSIC)
The Canadian band Close Talker was a band that became finalist in a national TV organized talent search for best new band in 2013. Me personally, I am a sucker for those kind of contest that are held worldwide, also on local and/or regional level. This was something that was very popular during the 1980s, especially in the USA, where hundreds of local radio stations released compilation records, selecting the best bands and the winner went on recording an album with a (major) label. Good to see that in Canada even national TV is doing similar things and despite Close Talker did not win apparently, they released a full record titled Timbers and now follow it up with Flux. This album is filled with typical modern day pop/rock with catchy sing-a-long choruses, so basically not really original, but nevertheless very nice to listen to. There’s a sorta 80s The Cure touch and all together like every Canadian band it sounds very European. The Electronic Indie folkpop of Close Talker is made for the masses and songs like Heads, Blurring Days and For The Sun are radio-ready if you ask me. Just play it loud and on repeated mode and you have crowd pleasers for the upcoming festival season. The band also has room for more modest tunes, so it is not all bombastic and big sounding, which is a nice contrast. Canadians always deliver high class material and it is such a shame so few breakthrough outside their home country, because also Close Talker has got all the ingredients to become the next big band. Check them out for yourself at: www.closetalker.ca
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
EAST CAMERON FOLKCORE ‘KINGDOM OF FEAR’ (GRAND HOTEL VAN CLEEF/SONIC RENDEZVOUS)
This is a really awkward strange band, because East Cameron Folkcore is featuring 11 bandmembers and is playing a sorta vague folk style with weird hardcore ish vocals. Although it works sometimes and is an interesting combination, such as during The joke and 969 and even The greater fool, which is a ballad actually. It also sounds a bit messy, but believe me, it is not bad at all. However, it really is something you need to check out for yourself and perhaps live on stage it all might have a much greater impact than on record. More at: www.eastcameronfolkcore.com and https://eastcameronfolkcore.bandcamp.com
(Points: 6.6 out of 10)
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