Single Review: Rob Georg “When I Make It Home For Christmas”

Singer-songwriter Rob Georg is currently making a lot of noise down in Nashville. While there haven’t been many foreign-born artists that have chosen to follow in New Zealand-Australian singer, songwriter Keith Urban’s footsteps to make a name for themselves in the Country Music scene, one such artist is German-born cowboy/singer-songwriter/guitarist Rob Georg. Down in Nashville, Rob Georg has been releasing his songs and gaining a following because of his music. Having already released several singles that have garnered him praise such as making it into the US National Radio Hits AC Charts Top Ten for the song “This Ain’t My First Rodeo,” Georg is in the middle of completing his debut album which will be released sometime in 2020. But as for right now, Rob Georg is promoting a track perfect for the 2019 Christmas Season. Rob Georg’s new Christmas single is entitled “When I Make It Home for Christmas”. For this Christmas-themed track, Georg is joined by two other individuals: Corey Lee Barker (NACMAI songwriter of the year 2012) and Kristin K. Smith (writer, producer and vocal coach). Together, the three individuals created the track called “When I Make It Home for Christmas”. The song is not your usual Christmas fare as the lyrical content is not about Jingle Bells, Mistletoe, Sleigh Rides… This song is about so much more. This track is about spending time with your family for the holidays. More specifically, this song finds the main focal point of the track longing for the Holidays as he makes his way home from overseas, where he has been stationed as part of the military. The soldier in the song sings of the things he plans on doing once he makes it home to the one he loves, including covering her in kisses. Combining their efforts, Rob Georg, Corey Lee Barker and Kristin K. Smith have created a track that follows the more traditional Country feel to the music. Meaning that this track would fit in more with songs from Classic Country artists from the fifties, sixties and seventies rather than the artists currently creating Modern Country music with its Country/Rock blend. The track features a gentle pace as well as a soft musical approach with a strong Country feel to it. The mandolin and acoustic guitar at the beginning of the track set the pace as the rest of the instrumentation create that Classic Country feel. The piano and soft electric guitar on the track help to add depth to the track. “When I Make It Home for Christmas” from singer-songwriter/guitarist Rob Georg contains enough traditional Country feel that it could easily feel right at home among Bing Crosby’s “Jingle Bells,” “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” from Frank Sinatra, even “Tender Tennessee Christmas” from Amy Grant.

For more information, check out Rob Georg’s PR firm of Whiplash PR & Management by clicking on the logo for the company.

Find “When I Make It Home for Christmas” from Rob Georg HERE.

Single Review: Matt Zaddy “Busy”

Canadian singer-songwriter Matt Zaddy is an artist that creates his music blending together Blues, Soul, and some light Rock and Roll. With that musical blend, he also calls upon several of today’s hottest artists for inspiration. Artists like John Mayer, Neil Young, Jason Mraz, Passenger, Ed Sheeran, and plenty of others help shape the music of Zaddy. With these and other influences, Zaddy’s music is just as fresh and inviting as anything currently found on the radio. Within the last few years, Matt Zaddy has been focusing on refining his style and sound, a style he refers to as “Canadiana”. During the time he has been performing, Zaddy has released a single here or there as well as the 2015 five-track EP called Perfect Moments. Since the time of that release, Zaddy has been writing new music and will shortly be releasing his first album.  That album is entitled Be. To help promote the new album, Matt Zaddy is releasing a new single ahead of the album. That single is called “Busy”. For the single of “Busy”, the song was created by Matt Zaddy with the help of four other musicians. Along with Matt Zaddy on vocals and guitar, the rest of the band consists of: Heather Christine on vocals, Jeremy Tozer on vocals and bass, Joash Paul on drums and percussion, and Thomas Francis on keys. Together, the band takes Zaddy’s various musical influences, blends them together and creates a track that draws largely upon the Blues style of Johnny Lang while also adding some influence of someone like the afore-mentioned John Mayer. “Busy” features a strong, powerful guitar base perfect for the Blues while also containing some light Rock and Roll flavor. It’s a perfect Mayer/Lang mashup. Zaddy’s guitar on the track is, of course, the focal point of the music. However, the keys from Thomas Francis add a definite Soul influence to the song and maybe a little Jazz feel, as well. Altogether, the Soul, Blues, Jazz and Rock and Roll influences combine to create a track that feels as if it could be included on any of several radio formats such as Smooth Jazz, Hot A/C and/or Top 40.

For more information, check out Matt Zaddy’s PR firm of Whiplash PR & Management by clicking on the logo for the company.

The entire Be album from Matt Zaddy is due to be in only a matter of days. However, the single of “Busy” is currently available. You can find the “Busy” single HERE.

Single Review: White Owl Red “Working Class Heroes”

Based outside of San Francisco, singer/songwriter Josef McManus creates a style of music that uses plenty of Folk influence to flavor his songs. Of course, with San Francisco’s history with that music, it comes as no surprise that McManus would end up picking up that influence in his writing. And because of that, some of the songs that McManus creates are rather deeply steeped in political meaning. To bring his music to life, Josef McManus performs and records under the moniker of White Owl Red. Having already created quite a bit of noise with the success of his previous albums, especially 2019’s Existential Frontiers which is still making noise in the music industry, McManus is currently working on the follow-up to that release. And to give his audience (both new and established alike) a taste of the upcoming album, McManus (as White Owl Red) has released the track “Working Class Heroes” as a way to promote the new release. With “Working Class Heroes,” a title that refers to the title of John Lennon’s song called “Working Class Hero,” McManus’ political side comes through loud and strong. And although “Working Class Heroes” from White Owl Red finds Josef McManus creating a song around the idea of the men and women who help keep America strong and moving, the song is more about the facts of the situation and not so much about preaching. While there have been plenty of positive moments in the history of the American worker, there have been moments that proved to be challenges to those workers. The lyrics of “Working Class Heroes” speak of the pride and determination of those men and women trying to work around those challenges to try and make a living for themselves. The music to the track itself blends together Folk music and some Rock and Roll influence to create a track that contains a driving feel to the music while still being laidback. What results is a track that brings to mind a combination of Bob Dylan-like lyrics with music inspired by the likes of John Mellencamp or Bruce Springsteen, an artist himself who has written songs with rather strong messages within their lyrics. “Working Class Heroes” keeps the momentum of White Owl Red’s last release Existential Frontiers going and gives the listener just a glimpse of what it to come. Stay tuned for more Josef McManus and his band called White Owl Red in the near future.

For more information, check out White Owl Red’s PR firm, Whiplash/ Whizkid Management by clicking on the logo.

Check out the song of “Working Class Heroes” from White Owl Red.

You can also find the “Working Class Heroes” single from White Owl Red on spotify.

Single Review: Sam Levin “Dairy Queen Queen”

Sam Levin is a New York City-based singer-songwriter. And what separates him from most of the music industry is his age: Levin is barely old enough to drive. And while he is rather young, that hasn’t stopped him from already making a name for himself as a singer and musician. The singer/guitarist started young as a guitarist and then began writing his own music when he was only ten years old. Now, Sam Levin has used his limited time in the music industry and has put it to good use. To this point, Levin has released three albums: 2017’s Frame of Mind, 2018’s I Am, and the most recent album, 2019’s A General Air of Regret. And although A General Air of Regret was only released half a year ago, Sam Levin has wasted no time as he continues to write and release new music. The most recent single from Sam Levin was released this month in early September. The new single from Sam Levin being “Dairy Queen Queen”. “Dairy Queen Queen” from Sam Levin begins with the sound of the guitar. It is right from the very beginning of the track that the listener gets to experience the talents of this musician as the guitar playing on the track is reminiscent of a studio musician many times older than Levin at this point in his life. The blending of the guitars at the beginning of the track creates a style of Folk music that brings to mind the style of the now-defunct Contemporary Instrumental band Wind Machine as the track from Levin blends together Jazz and Folk in a manner that is reminiscent of that talented band.  The Jazz/Folk blend performed on the guitar by Sam Levin is mixed with the other instrumentation from Levin to complete the musical feel of the track. With lyrics about admiring a woman from afar but not approaching her, the song “Dairy Queen Queen”  finds multi-instrumentalist Levin creating music that sounds as good as anything that easily could have been made by studio musicians. Although Sam Levin just released a full album of music called A General Air of Regret earlier this year, “Dairy Queen Queen” would be the perfect starting point for the next album from the singer-songwriter.

Check out the new single from Sam Levin being “Dairy Queen Queen”.

For more information, check out Sam Levin’s PR firm, Whiplash Management by clicking on the logo below:

Single Review: C. Wired “Baby Prime Became Baby Blue”

Chuck Whyard is a singer-songwriter is currently creating his own music. And to do so, he is using the stage name of C. Wired. For the most part, C. Wired’s music features Progressive Rock and/or Album Oriented Rock, straight-out Rock and Roll influences while he also incorporates musical styles such as Jazz, Blues, and Country. Under that name of C. Wired, the singer-songwriter has already released one album of original music. The first release from C. Wired is entitled Angel Circuit Engaged. Now, the singer-songwriter returns. This time, he has created a single track of original music. That new song from C. Wired is entitled “Baby Prime Became Baby Blue”. And to bring this new track to life, Chuck Whyard once again called upon Angel Circuit Engaged producer Addison Smith to help bring out the best of the song. Having already created songs that switched between many different genres of music, this new track of “Baby Prime Became Baby Blue” is a track with a rather laidback and low-key approach. The first fifty seconds of music on the track focuses on the pairing up of the acoustic guitar and the keyboards; the guitar containing a definite folk feel while the keyboards contain an ambient quality to them. The result is a Folk/New Age musical combination. Soon enough, Chuck Whyard himself adds his vocals to the song. His vocals continue the same low-key feel as the music of the song. The lyrics of the song “Baby Prime Became Baby Blue” also contain a somber feel as they describe a woman who lives in her own personal view of reality. But it’s all a lie as she believed everything she had been told. The new track from C. Wired ultimately comes across as a storyline set to music. With the track “Baby Prime Became Baby Blue,” C. Wired gives the listener just a taste of his music and proves that he could be the next singing storyteller, in much the same vein as songs from the likes of artists such as Tom Waits, Marty Robbins or even C. W. McCall.   

For more information, check out C. Wired’s PR firm, Whiplash Management by clicking on the logo below:

Single Review: Reina Mora “Screaming for the Sun”

A singer-songwriter who goes by the name of Reina Mora has been creating her own music for quite a while now, but that is after having spent time performing other people’s songs. Having branched out to create her own songs, Reina Mora is currently in the middle creating an entire album of original material. The singer-songwriter has already released the singles “If I Am a Stranger” (a cover of the song originally released by Bryan Adams) and the original tracks entitled “Passenger” and “Trouble“. But now, Mora is releasing a special track that has a very special meaning behind it. Much like the song “1-800-273-8255” from Logic, the new track from Reina Mora entitled “Screaming for the Sun” deals with the subjects of Suicide, Attempted Suicide and everything that happens afterward, subjects that happen to be all too close to me because of family and personal history. “Screaming for the Sun” is a track that features lyrics about trying to deal with the pain and suffering that goes along with depression, a main symptom of those looking for a way out. And then, there are the thoughts that circle inside causing a person to withdraw as they simply want to be alone. Some don’t ask for help, and that leads to thoughts of taking their own life. The lyrics of this song speak of living for the days when the sun is out, as being in the bright light of the orb helps some to feel less hopeless. To go along with the very real and emotionally draining lyrics, the track contains a light and easy feel to the R&B approach of the music. That light and easy approach to the music adds to the emotional feel of the overall track. Much like the song “1-800-273-8255” from Logic, “Screaming for the Sun” from Reina Mora touches on Suicide Awareness, a subject many would rather not talk about. But without talking, prevention may not be possible. While “1-800-273-8255” from Logic deals with the more extreme “I Don’t Want to Be Alive” theme, “Screaming for the Sun” is more about looking for a glimmer of hope in the darkness, even if it’s just a little glimmer.

To help spread the word about National Suicide Prevention Month (September) and to spread the word that there is help out there, the track “Screaming for the Sun” from Reina Mora is currently available for purchase with proceeds going to the organization called You Matter, a place where youth can turn to in order to talk about many things like Depression, Worries, Fears, and many other things along with Suicidal Thoughts. For more information on You Matter, check out their website. Also check out the site for the Suicide Prevention Lifeline. And as always, you can simply call 1-800-273-8255 if and when the need arises.    

Single Review: Microcosms “Forget Us”

Sometimes you learn an instrument and then create a band. Sometimes you spend years playing one instrument only to find inspiration in another instrument. That was the situation with songwriter and founder of the band Microcosms Andrew Tschiltsch who spent time playing drums for years before the desire to play guitar hit him. And once the guitar was in his hand, the desire to create his own songs hit. Tschiltsch spent a few years recording and experimenting with the way his music sounded before bringing Bryan Emer (bass) and Jered Pipenbrink (drums) into the fold. Together, Tschiltsch, Emer and Pipenbrink create the Chicago-based band called Microcosms. The band’s first release, Know My Body, came out a few years ago in 2017. And in 2018, the band released their latest EP called Fairytale. While the Fairytale album from Microcosms was released back in 2018, the band continues to record. The band just recently added one new song to their available music. The newest track from Microcosms is entitled “Forget Us”. The track features a light, bouncy, fun feel to the music. At least, that’s the way the initial thirty seconds of the track feels. After those first thirty seconds, the track slows down and the music takes a slightly darker turn. That darker feel to the music, while not as cheery as the first part of the track, goes well with the lyrical content of the song. The lyrics deal with how the world around you shapes your attitude and how it’s somewhat difficult to stay upbeat when the rest of the world is a lot less positive. Although the lyrics of the track does contain some darkness, the music is probably the best thing to focus on. The music alternates between musical directions as part of the track is dark and some of the track is fun and bouncy. The five tracks that make up the Fairytale album from Microcosms and the band’s newest single of “Forget Us” contain the same musical approach as well as a rather similar style. They also have the same overall production quality. Although the new single and the EP are separate entities, the tracks feel as if they belong together. While they do not create one release, the listener is given indication of the direction the band is most likely heading in.

Take a listen to “Forget Us” and then head over to the Bandcamp profile from Microcosms and check out their remaining music.  
You can also find the single from the band on spotify.

For more information, check out Microcosms’ PR Firm, Whiplash Marketing & Whizkid Management. Click on the logo below to visit their site. 

To check out my review of the band’s EP entitled Fairytale, click HERE.

Single Review: Too Much Saturn “Blame Game”

Too Much Saturn is a Chicago-based quartet that has been around since they formed from the ashes of several other bands in that musical scene. The band consists of: Chris Cerasoli on Vocals and Keyboards, Mark Hoffmann on Guitars and Vocals, Guy Sheldon on Bass and Vocals, Ron Linneman on Guitars and vocals, and Dave Franco on Drums and Percussion.  Taking their name from a song from the British musician Francis Dunnery, they are currently creating what they refer to as “Modern Power Pop with an Indie Edge” as they draw inspiration from the likes of David Bowie, Del Amitri, Flaming Lips, Fountains of Wayne, Guster, Tommy Keene, King Crimson, as well as many others.  That type of musical influence gives the music from the band a style that feels very commercial in nature, which means that it is also rather radio-friendly. The band put out one eight-song album entitled Moving Forward Sideways back in 2013. Since then, their output has slowed to a single here and there as the band has been creating a name for themselves in their hometown and beyond as they create live shows based around their originals and plenty of cover tunes. The band’s most current single is entitled “Blame Game”. The first thing you noticed about the track is the bouncy feel to the music. That bouncy feel comes from the “pop” tendencies of the song and the pounding drums from Dave Franco. The second thing you notice is the clear quality to the vocals from singer and keyboardist Chris Cerasoli. Add in a straight-out Rock and Roll quality to the music that comes from the strong guitars from Mark Hoffmann and Ron Linneman and the song “Blame Game” feels as if it has an almost timeless feel to it.  In fact, Cerasoli’s vocals and the overall feel to the music of the track bring to mind some of the songs that had been found back in the eighties but it could also fit in with any radio format from the last the several decades. Given the fun, light and bouncy approach to the track, and the “Hey, Hey, Hey” refrain that will get the listener singing along, it’s easy to find yourself wanting more from this band. Hopefully, a new multi-track release is in the future for this talented group of musicians.

To check out the track “Blame Game” from Too Much Saturn, click HERE.


For more information, check out Too Much Saturn’s PR Firm, Whiplash Marketing & Whizkid Management. Click HERE to visit their site.

Single Review: Mark Ambuter “Love is Everywhere (Extended Single)”

Mark Ambuter is a singer-songwriter from the city of Crestline, California. Ambuter had been a part of bands earlier in his life. And during that time, he was creating music that was drawing from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Badfinger, George Harrison, along with many others. Eventually, certain reasons made it difficult for Ambuter to continue and he left the music industry for a while. Now, however, he has returned to rekindle his love for making music. The result was the result of the 2016 album entitled A Scratch of Grace. Along with that album came other singles. One such single is the track “Love is Everywhere”. Like many of the folk and folk-rock songs that were released back in the sixties and early seventies, “Love is Everywhere” was created by Mark Ambuter as his statement against the current political climate in the United States. And because this new track falls into that type of situation, it should come as no surprise that Ambuter has created a new song that draws from the climate and artistic expressions that were around back in the sixties and early seventies. Meaning, of course, that “Love is Everywhere” by Mark Ambuter not only contains a great deal of Rock and Roll influence, but the song is heavily laden with certain psychedelic influences, as well. But since this track was produced by English producer Stuart Epps who had worked with several British artists like Elton John, George Harrison, Led Zeppelin, The Firm and others. The heavy psychedelic influence on “Love is Everywhere” begins right from the beginning as the track starts with the sound of the sitar and percussion which helps to transport the listener back in time to the sixties. The beginning seconds of the track feel like a Hare Krishna song before the track takes on a more modern feel to the music. The rest of the track takes on a pop-rock feel that reminds the listener of modern English rock and roll tracks from the like of Coldplay or even like the American band Imagine Dragons. To go along with the music, the lyrical content of the track is delivered as one entire group of singers helps to back up Ambuter as he sings of the love that’s in the air as people fight the current political climate that is creating the unfriendly feeling in the country. While there is an undeniable retro feel to the track, there is also enough of a modern feel to the track that you could imagine the track getting a lot of plays on Adult Contemporary radio formats if given the chance.  

“Love is Everywhere” by Mark Ambuter is already a rather long track at over four minutes in length. But Ambuter decided to extend the track by creating the “Extended Single” version of the song. By giving the track the extra fifty seconds or so, the song ends up with more of a jamband feel to the song. You can hear the track by click on the link below.

Single Review: Reina Mora “If I Were a Stranger”

It was back in late 2007 that alt-country singer-songwriter Ryan Adams released his album entitled Follow the Lights. On that album, Adams created a song called “If I Were a Stranger,” a track that came rather late in the seven-track release. The tracks contained on that album had a sound that fell directly in the middle of the alt-country genre with “If I Were a Stranger” being equal parts Country and Rock and Roll. Now, more than a decade later, Puerto Rico native Leeane Melendez (here on out to be referred to by her stage name of Reina Mora) has released her version of the track as a follow-up to her last single of “Trouble”. For her version of the track, Reina Mora has stripped the track down to a bare minimum as the track contains the sound of an acoustic guitar, bass and cajon, all played live in the studio. “If I Were a Stranger” features the sound of the acoustic guitar and the cajon helping to form the basis for the track with the addition of the cello as the instrument helps to add texture and some bottom to the body of the song. The track feels as much like the acoustic version of “If I Were a Stranger” from Adams’ one performance on David Letterman he where performed solo as it does like one of Reina Mora’s own tracks, which proves she wanted to stay close to the original material but also wanted to add her touch to the song. The track blends together the two styles of both Reina Mora and Ryan Adams as the song contains both a strong Folk approach and a strong Pop feel to the music. The five-minute playtime on the track shows that Reina Mora and the musicians backing her up on the track simply allowed the track to play out in its own way. Like the single of “Trouble” before it, “If I Were a Stranger” shows off only one side of the talent from Reina Mora. With this and the previous single, the upcoming album release from the singer-songwriter is shaping up to be a rather strong album.    

To hear Reina Mora’s version of the song “If I Were a Stranger,” click HERE.