HELLO, HICKS. HOW ARE THINGS GOING OVER IN STOCKHOLM? Everything’s great here in Stockholm. Just got back from a well needed vacation in Greece with the family. So now the batteries are charged to the max and I’m ready to go back to work.
Stacy Burk makes a tremendous splash with his latest track, Mix a Little. This timeless country effort works perfectly alongside the works of Jason Aldean and Dierks Bentley while staying honest to the nineties traditions of Alan Jackson and Travis Tritt. Mix a Little succeeds because of the front-forward vocals of Burk and epic arrangements on the track – each guitar line, punchy drum beat, and the sounds created by…
Crying on the Dancefloor, Parralox’s latest single is a track that touches upon a wide array of dance styles, ensuring that the track resounds loudly for anyone that has dug 1990s, 2002, or current dance music in the past. The vocals utilized in the track absolutely soar over the composition, while the arrangements keep the energy high. The dubstep-esque drops that demarcate the mid-point of the track provide a further…
Pin Me Up is a track that is built off of the work of mid-nineties Mariah Carey and It’s Not Right-era Whitney Houston and more contemporary influences (Carly Rae Jepsen). The track’s slower tempo is dreamy and represents a good love song. The slight hints of electronic music that are interspersed through the track firmly moor it to the cutting edge of music, while strong production values make it a…
Lifeline is a track that skillfully blends R&B with EDM, creating a track that shines no matter in which context listeners enjoy it. The production is immaculate, keeping the energy high while enrobing Elle’s vocals in a very current and contemporary format. The tempo ebbs and flows as Elle captures a very common set of feelings for anyone that has found love, with the track gradually gaining speed as…
Amanda Lamb has a new effort that straddles the line between pop and country, with her vocals fitting into a Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift, and Katy Perry type of groove. Unlike a great many pop tracks, there is a substantial focus on the instrumental arrangements during We Were Here. The guitars are emotive and thoughtful (and are reminiscent of The Eagles), while there is a chugging bass line and an…
Dennis Lehane is no stranger to Hollywood, having seen his books Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone and Shutter Island all make their way from the bookshelf to movie screen. The Drop is different only in the time it has taken for it to hit theaters, coming out as a book and a movie at the same time.
Nicholas Cage and Danny Glover star in this film, which surrounds Paul Maguire’s (Cage) struggle to locate his daughter, and the violence that has to occur before he can realize this goal. Forced to resume a life that he thought was dead, Paul is forced to jump through dangerous and deadly hurdles to get back one of the individuals mooring him to a normal life.
Karim Baggili’s latest effort, Kali City, features Le Trio Joubran. The first few efforts of the album (Down Town, Ella & Jad, Dawn at Sea, Big Fish, and Silent Stories) provide listeners with a stellar introduction to Baggali’s unparalleled approach to world music. Arabic Circus is a stellar effort in terms of how taut the instrumentation is, while there is a fun and playful sound that is cultivated by the…
It’s sometimes easy to forget just how controversial the genre of punk rock was years ago. Long before every mall in America flogged Ramones and Clash t-shirts and before 6-year old kids were sporting mohawks on the school bus, the Sex Pistols scandalized a conservative England and eventually the U.S., by going on a live TV Show and cursing at stuffy host Bill Grundy, essentially ending his career and launching…
