Ex Reverie – The Door Into Summer / 2008 Language of Stone / 9 Tracks / http://www.exreverie.com / Gillian Chadwick is one of the key forces behind Ex Reverie. Chadwick was originally in Woodwose, and makes strides here to craft a fully unique sound. This means that tracks like “Clouds or Smoke†have a dissonant sound present, even as the different elements of the band create a harmony that weaves…
Mia Doi Todd – Gia / 2008 City Zen / 10 Tracks / http://www.miadoitodd.com / Mia Doi Todd has just passed eir first decade in the music industry. This is because eir first album, “the ewe and the eyeâ€, was first released in 1997. Todd has been prolific in the years that have followed. 1999 saw “come out of your mineâ€, 2001 saw “zerooneâ€, 2002 saw “The Golden Stateâ€; individuals…
George Strait – Troubadour / 2008 MCA Nashville / 12 Tracks / http://www.georgestrait.com / George Strait has been around a hell of a long time. Ey has 38 hit albums, starting off with 1981’s “Strait Countryâ€, moving to 1990’s “Livin’ It Upâ€, 2000’s self-titled release, and 2008’s “Troubadourâ€. “I Saw God Today†is one of many hits on this album, which contains duets with both Dean Dillon (known for “I’m…
Drew Hastings – Irked & Miffed / 2008 Image Entertainment / 14 Tracks / http://www.image-entertainment.com / Drew Hastings has been on a number of major-level comedy outlets. This means that ey has been present on both Comedy Central and the Bob and Tom Show, even if “the man†thinks ey is not popular enough for a Wikipedia site. The skits that are present from “Irked & Miffed†are those that…
Weezer – Pork and Beans / 2008 Geffen / 1 Track / http://www.weezer.com / Weezer have came back from the precipice of mediocrity with “Pork and Beansâ€. This track really calls forth some of Weezer’s earliest (and best) tracks; hints of “My Name is Jonas†and “Suzanne†are present in this song. The slinky guitar line that is prominent during the track works well with Rivers Cuomo’s vocals, while there…
Busta Rhymes (Feat. Linkin Park) – We Made It / 2008 Aftermath / 3 Tracks / http://www.bustarhymes.com / http://www.aftermath-entertainment.com / Linkin Park has worked with rappers before. Individuals would do to look back to the mash-up album that they had with “Numb/Encoreâ€. Busta Rhymes is gradually gaining back some of the momentum that ey had a few years back, especially when one hears eir hot flow on Missy Eliot’s Chin…
Neil Diamond – Home Before Dark / 2008 Sony / 12 Tracks / http://www.neildiamond.com / It’s amazing when the amount of albums that you have sold, if limited to the United States, would provide a copy of a Neil Diamond album to one in every three citizens. This fact is almost as amazing as the fact that Diamond has been recording for nearly fifty years; 1960 saw the release of…
Tristan Prettyman – Hello…x / 2008 Virgin / 12 Tracks / http://www.tristanprettyman.com / Tristan Prettyman is still a pretty new force to popular music. Eir first album, “t w e n t y t h r e e†rocketed up the Heatseekers chart before ultimately peaking at #24. If individuals did not have the chance to pick up eir first album, they may also be familiar with Prettyman’s work on…
Gladys Hardy – I Love Jesus But I Drink A Little / 2008 WEA / 25 Tracks / http://www.gladyshardy.com / Individuals may not immediately know who Gladys Hardy is, but if they have seen the Ellen Degeneres show in the last few months, chances are good that they heard a call from Hardy. If you don’t watch the Ellen show (I know I don’t), Gladys Hardy also calls in to…
The Brian Jonestown Massacre – My Bloody Underground / 2008 A Records / 14 Tracks / http://www.brianjonestownmassacre.com / Before receiving “My Bloody Undergroundâ€, I had heard a lot about The Brian Jonestown Massacre but I had not had the chance to familiarize myself with their sound. The act has been around since the early 1990s, and their first album, Methodrone, set the band onto a run that (as of this…
Your Vegas – A Town And Two Cities / 2008 Universal Republic / 10 Tracks / http://www.yourvegasmusic.com / Your Vegas came to their current lineup with Mark Heaton in 2004, and released two singles – a self-titled song and “Flybuzzâ€. While the band had broke it big in their home country of England, they did not attract the attention of the American music market until 2006, when Universal Republic signed…
Tommy Emmanuel – Center Stage / 2008 Favored Nations / 24 Tracks / http://www.tommyemmanuel.com / Tommy is from Australia. Furthermore, ey is a two-time Grammy nominee. “Center Stage†is a live album, and was recorded at the Sierra Nevada Brewery (Chico, CA). While individuals may not be familiar with the solo recordings of an Emmanuel, ey cut eir teeth in the John Farnham band. If one can remember back to…
Hilary McRae – Through These Walls / 2008 Concord / 12 Tracks / http://www.hilarymcrae.com / “Through These Walls†starts off with “Every Day (When Will You Be Mine)â€, a track that has a timeless nature to it. That means that the brass that backs up the vocals and the rest of the normal instrumentation (drums) provides hints of the seventies, while McRae’s vocals on this track are very current and…
Tift Merritt – Another Country / 2008 Fantasy / 11 Tracks / http://www.tiftmerritt.com / Tift Merritt is rapidly closing in on eir second decade in the country music business. 1999 saw the first EP release for Merritt, which featured two original songs and five re-tooled versions of eir favorite country tracks. After three releases beyond this first one, Merritt has settled in quite nicely to a mature style. “Another Country 
Water Fai – Girls In The White Dream / 2007 White Shoe / 8 Tracks / http://www.waterfai.fem.jp / http://www.whiteshoerecords.com / I always wondered why it was so hard to get CDs from Japan. It seemed that the prices were exorbitant or the quantity not to be had. The reason why I am musing about this is because Water Fai is from Japan (specifically, from Osaka) and they start out their…
Kingen – Ride With Me / 2007 Black Cat / 11 Tracks / http://www.fargfabiken.se / http://www.blackcatsongs.com / Kingen plays a very classy style of rock that will undoubtedly remind individuals of the early days of rock and roll. “Mary-Ann” could easily have been a hit in 1958 as it will undoubtedly be in 2008. The best thing about Kingen’s style on “Ride With Me” has to be the fact that…
Putumayo Presents – African Party / 2008 Putumayo / 10 Tracks / http://www.putumayo.com / First, I still love the fact that Putumayo comes out with these compilations, covering a number of different genres and geographies with each subsequent releases. However, I have a little bit of a problem when it comes to the name “African Party†for this album.  Africa is a huge and diverse continent, and a number of…
Asia – Phoenix / 2008 Frontiers / 12 Tracks / http://www.originalasia.com / Asia’s music is still some of the most played on classic rock radio, but that is not because the act has been particularly active in the last few years. Rather, “Phoenix†marks the first reunion for all of the original members of the band, and the first album released by this iteration of Asia since 1983’s “Alphaâ€. This…
The New Tragedies – Souvenirs / 2008 Self / 5 Tracks / http://www.thenewtragedies.com / One of the former writers for NeuFutur reviewed the last New Tragedies albums, so I will have to apologize in advance for being ignorant about the band. “Souvenirs†starts out with “New & Improvedâ€, a slow track that gradually opens to an atmospheric, breath-y type of track that matches well the back cover: two individuals, lounging…
Senior Discount – S/T / 2008 Self / 5 Tracks / http://www.seniordiscountmusic.com / I guess I forgot to review Senior Discount’s last CD when they sent it over. My apologies. Anyways, the style of music that Senior Discount play is a fast-forward, quick brand of punk music that does not let individuals have a moment to rest. “Ataxia†is a track that will get the pits started and will hammer…