Nick Motil – Everything’s Alright / 2008 Self / 5 Tracks / http://www.nickmotil.com / Nick Motil is rapidly becoming a household name. After selling over 5,000 copies of his previous releases and playing shows with acts as varied as Jason Mraz and Duncan Shiek, it just seems to only be a matter of time before Motil is topping whatever chart a major label is positioning him. “Everything’s Alright†is Motil’s…
Richard Frankz – The Traveler / 2008 Self / 14 Tracks / http://www.richardfrankz.com / “Just Being Me†is the first track on “The Travelerâ€, and the song is the perfect introduction to a singer that blends a contemporary sound with a late eighties / early nineties type of country music. Frankz goes into a slower, more sorrowful sound for the disc’s second (and title) track. The narrative style of Frankz…
Trueheart – The Road / 2007 Self / 12 Tracks / http://www.trueheartexas.com / “The Road†starts out with “Still Timeâ€, an adult contemporary track that plays on pop, rock, hair rock, and eighties music to make something that pretty much everyone can find something that they can appreciate and love. What is perhaps the strongest element to this first track is the ability of Trueheart to change musical directions at…
Brandie Frampton – What U See / 2007 D&LF Records / 9 Tracks / http://www.brandieframpton.com / “Ain’t That Life†is the first track on “What U See†by Brandie Frampton, and one can immediately hear a modern, compelling brand of country music present in the track. “I Want You 2†shows the fury and intensity of Frampton’s vocals. In much the same way as a Carrie Underwood, the sizzling fury…
Janelia – I’m An African / 2008 JaneliaSoul / http://www.janeliasoul.com / http://www.myspace.com/janeliasoul / We rarely get African or African-centric albums for review at NeuFutur, so it really is an honor to receive Janelia’s “I’m An Africanâ€. Set to be released on July 3rd, 2008, “I’m An African†is sang in both English and Yoruba, representing the two sides to Janelia. This split identity speaks to the fact that Janelia was…
Douye – Journey / 2008 Self / 11 Tracks / http://www.douyetheartist.com / “Fly Away†is a very chill track, drawing on the early nineties style of R&B put forth by early Mariah Carey and TLC, while couching the vocals in a style that is influenced by the smooth jazz movement. What results is a track that is catchy, sultry, and smart all at the same time. “On For You†keeps…
Carly Simon has been around in some form or another in the music industry since 1971. That’s thirty-seven years, if anyone was counting. “This Kind of Love†is the first album that Simon has released featuring all new tracks in the span of eight years. Hear Music, the official label of Starbucks, has taken that bold step forward and is releasing this album despite the fact that Simon could be…
The Pussycat Dolls – When I Grow Up / 2008 Interscope / 2 Tracks / http://www.pcdmusic.com / http://www.interscope.com / “When I Grow Up†is the new single by The Pussycat Dolls. The track will undoubtedly be the big hit of the summer, but why? The track is a high-energy romp that blends equal parts Gwen Stefani (“Wind Me Up), later Britney Spears, and throws in some newer styles – the…
Broken Poets – Everything In Nature / 2008 Wordvendor / 11 Tracks / http://www.brokenpoets.com / “Once Before” is the track that makes the Broken Poets for me. Whether it is the confident vocals or the intricate arrangements which these vocals rest, “Once Before” is a track that will remain with me long after “Everything in Nature” ends. The rock of the Broken Poets play on a number of genres and…
NEVERDIE – No Rock uN Rolled / 2008 Club NEVERDIE / 14 Tracks / http://www.realityport.com NEVERDIE start their “No Rock uN Rolled” with a fun, funky and bluesy brand of rock music that was created by Jon Jacobs. Individuals may know Jacobs as the owner of Club Neverdie, the most-visited venue for entertainment in the MMORPG Entropia University. “No Rock uN Rolled” was produced by Paul Inder, son of Lemmy…
Vinehouse – Young Regret / 2008 Self / 12 Tracks / http://www.vinehousemusic.com / This three-piece starts out their “Young Regret” with “Killer on the Road”, a track that skillfully blends together a doo-wop sound with a contemporary approach to rock. The vocals are the pinnacle on what is already a solid step forward; where the vocals provide listeners with a hooky set of melodies, they also are more intricate than…
The Game had a hell of a 2007, dropping virtually off of the face of the earth after “Doctor’s Advocate†dropped. While “It’s Okay†and “Let’s Ride†both made it into the top 20 of the Billboard rap charts, neither track got far into the top 50 of the U.S. Hot 100. It took a track – “Wouldn’t Get Far†– with Kanye West – for The Game’s fortunes to…
“Don’t Sleep†is the first track on this self-titled EP, and it immediately assaults individuals with a funky set of instrumentation that flows smoothly into rap. Perhaps the most interesting part of this EP is that there are no samples of any kind, a fact that is made all the more amazing considering the amount of acts and bands that build their success off of singles. Where the hook no…
Zen Green Tea Liqueur (20%, Imported by Suntory International, Distributed by Skyy) Zen Green Tea Liqueur is an even better of the concoction that I made back in my fraternity days, when I mixed Iced Tea with cheap whiskey. However, there are some key differences between Zen Green Tea Liqueur and that Frankenstein’s creation, in that it literally tastes like Green Tea, while still having a decent enough alcoholic content…
Toby Keith – 35 Biggest Hits / 2008 Universal / 35 Tracks / http://www.tobykeith.com / http://www.ilovethatsong.com / As one may be able to glean from the title of this collection, “35 Biggest Hits†marks country’s own Toby Keith’s biggest contributions to the field of country music, be it past, present, or current. This means that there is 1993’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboyâ€, 2002’s “Courtesty of the Red, White, and…
Good Riddance – Remain in Memory – The Final Show / 2008 Fat Wreck / 31 Tracks / http://www.fatwreck.com / I had no idea that Good Riddance had been around since 1990. Of course, their stint on Fat Wreck began with 1994’s “Decoy†and “Remain in Memory†marks their last album (2006’s “My Republic†was their last studio album). “Remain in Memory†is a live recording of Good Riddance’s…
OST: The Strangers / 2008 Lakeshore / 19 Tracks / http://www.thestrangers.net / http://www.lakeshore-records.com / There have been commercials for The Strangers practically on every station, at every time, of the day. The film itself is about events that occurred in 1981, where a couple were attacked and psychologically tortured by three individuals in their home. It is thus important to find a composer for the movie’s score that will accurately…
Taylor Eigsti – Let It Come To You / 2008 Concord / 11 Tracks / http://www.tayjazz.com / http://www.concordmusicgroup.com / “Let It Come To You†is the second release for Concord that Taylor Eigsti has created. For those individuals that are not too terribly familiar with Eigsti, ey is an American jazz pianist who has been linked to the post-bop style, including a very eclectic set of influences that touch about…
Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust Deluxe Edition / 2008 Sony / 25 Tracks / http://www.midnightoil.com / http://www.sonybmg.com / I remember back in the mid to late nineties, when I heard “Beds are Burning†for the first time. It was not a good time for a kid to like Midnight Oil, as virtually none of the people I went to school with had any clue who the hell the band…
Make A Rising – Infinite Ellipse and Head with Open Fontanel  / 2008 High Two / 10 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/makearising / Make A Rising is an odd band. A track like “All One or None†is a track that has little more to it than a plinking piano and a falsetto vocal that imbues the track with a decidedly fifties flair. While the instrumentation does not have any easy referent,…