The ease in which Fiery Blue moves across different genres is absolutely amazing; it takes just a few seconds for the act to shift gears and link together country, rock, and even pop music into a cohesive and coherent approach. Our Secret is a title that will give something to everyone, no matter what types of music one fancies themselves to appreciate. Our Secret is one of those special titles…
Go-Getter is the first track on Rock & Roll Freedom Show, and it immediately provides listeners with an intimate look into Gonzales’ life and influences. While Gonzales’ overall style on this introductory track will fit perfectly in with pop and rock radio, I feel that there is a much more complex and nuanced sound that is cultivated on this album. The music that is on Rock & Roll Freedom Show…
The different members of Lithium Seven all bring their own blend of influences and styles to the table, and it is thus not surprising that there is a unique, eclectic style that is created in each of this EP’s five tracks. The album starts out with the eponymous track, which ties a bit of rock to a much more emotive feel. “Last Light” is something that gradually grows and increases…
Most the time that we have reviewed a children’s-focused album, the resulting music was at a level below that of similar releases. Where there has been the rare children’s title that has been able to hang with other similar-genre releases, Jeanie B’s newest album Sugar Buzz easily pops to the top of the heap. Each of the tracks on Sugar Buzz do more than delight with catchy hooks and fun…
You know what’s great about a musician like Tom Waits? Aside from being a great songwriter, he has made a musical career out of simply doing his own thing, not content to change his vocals or music style to fit into whatever happens t be the prevailing trend (this is a guy who was signed by David Geffen alongside 70’s country rockers like The Eagles and Jackson Browne, and said…
This is Wolf’s debut recording, but listeners will not be able to tell that with the caliber of tracks that are present. The album begins with 427 Mass Ave, a track that immediately introduces all to where Wolf is from and where ey wishes to take you with the rest of the album. Natural Beauties immediately follows up 427 Mass Ave, and showcases the storytelling skill of Wolf more than…
Clotilde is the first track on Minor World, and it immediately solidifies City of Ships space in with some of the darkest and most intense metal bands currently creating music. The act is able to create some tremendously emotional tracks on the album, all while moderating them with intense guitars and fulfilling drum work. The band is able to blend together equal parts indie rock, metal, and even alternative into…
It is always interesting to hear a band take on a different sound than what individuals may associate with them. Sometimes, it fails (Lil Wayne), but I can say that Not So Loud is a certifiable hit for The Bottle Rockets. Where there was a more punk and rock sound that would issue forth on previous recordings, the acoustic side of this recording ensures that fans of folk-punk and even…
Egypt Central has been around for a minute on the national rock scene, but I believe it is with White Rabbit that they will become the best known. This is because the album is chock-full of solid singles, while the band does a great job in linking together the disparate bits and pieces of their style. “White Rabbit” begins with “Ghost Town”, a track that will immediately capture the minds…
Roll The Bones is one of those Rush albums that was largely forgot. I remember the title being fairly strong, as my father purchased it when it originally came out (1991). Audio Fidelity has picked up the title and is attempting to restore some of the glory that it rightfully deserves. By remastering the original tapes to a current level and placing it onto a 24K gold CD, Audio Fidelity…
The eclectic way in which Cheryl Alexander starts out her Resilience Redefined is a great way to involve a larger subset of listeners than would normally be keyed in to her music. With the opening strains of “My Innocence”, one can hear a tremendous array of different influences that range from pop to female singer-songwriters like Janis Joplin to rock and metal and even to bluegrass and country at the…
Steve Cropper may just be the one musician that has slipped under everyone’s radar. As an integral part of acts like Booker T. &The M.G.’s, eir guitar works is soulful, intelligent, and always looks to change up the norm. “Dedicated” is a great selection of tracks from eir life, and brings individuals deeper into the mind of Cropper. While a large number of these cuts are modified versions of Booker…
Country music has been continually changing and evolving over the course of the last few years. What was fairly constant and static up until the mid-nineties began to change at a rapid clip during the last decade. Eric Church is looking to provide another path in which country can go with eir latest album, “Chief”. “Creepin’” is the first track on “Chief”, and it immediately provides listeners with a bold…
The emotional opening of the Needles EP will immediately catch the minds and hearts of anyone listening in. This is not only due to Zweng’s vocals but the arrangements that are present here. There are a multitude of different layers that work to highlight the vocals, and give listeners simultaneously a high replay value for the disc’s three tracks. Zweng moves through alternative, pop-rock, and alt-country all in the space…
“Wrecking Ball” does not give listeners a single second to prepare themselves; Voice of Addiction does not care, and their sing-along style (which is reminiscent of Street Dogs, Pennywise and Rancid) will grasp a listener by their shirt and never give up. With sizzling guitars, splashing drums, and a compelling set of vocals, the first strains of Reduce, Reuse, Resist are good ones. “Constant Pollution” has Matt Freeman-esque bass lines…
“Illustrated Girl” is the first track on the five-track “Beneath The Trees” EP, and it immediately kicks things into high gear. Back Pocket Memory is one of those rare bands that bring their own unique sound to the fore, rather than introducing themselves through the inclusion of their favorite bands and other influences. What results with the band’s sound at this early stage of the disc is something that has…
I find it tremendously interesting when an act that is not from the United States is able to come forth and create music that speaks so well to the American context. Crystal begins with “The Moment My World Stood Still”, a metal-laced song that links shredding guitars and equally-fitting drums in with an atmospheric meets gothic set of vocals. The track’s six-minute runtime gives Chantry proper time to introduce themselves…
“Just Another Day” is the first track on Meet The Christopher Brothers, and it provides listeners with inoffensive rock that is catchy, fun, and possessing of just enough of an edge to keep things interesting. Perhaps most interesting with “Just Another Day” is the rapid back and forth that the vocals take towards the end; rather than riding the melodies to their logical conclusion, the Christopher Brothers continue to add…
“Scene Through The Mist” is the perfect opening to The Veil of Whispers; the gravity of the female vocals that are present here will immediately cause listeners to take notice. Listeners will continue to focus in with the beginning of “L’Invitation au Mystere”. The track takes an interesting tack in that it blends together electronic and organic; there is an interplay, a context that is continued through the bulk of…
The ethereal opening to “Earthsong and Stardance” transcends the current period and touches upon mystic societies, traditional monk chants, and even more aboriginal approaches to music. What unites the disparate elements on both parts of the initial suite is the skill used in creating a seamless musical effort. While the two parts of “The Unfolding of the Worlds” represent the longest tracks on Earthsong and Stardance by far, Gandalf keeps…