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.

CD Review: Jesh Yancey & The High Hopes “Maybe It’s The Drugs”

Jesh Yancey is a singer-songwriter who makes his home in Denver, Colorado. Yancey spent the early years of his adult life in the Navy and the former military man is now spending his time in the music industry as a musician and songwriter. As that musician and songwriter, Jesh Yancey already has one album under his belt and is now creating more music with his band. Upright bassist Lizz Hough, drummer Ryan Van Dyke and harmonica player Jef Funk join the singer-songwriter to create the band known as Jesh Yancey and The High Hopes, a moniker that lends itself rather well to some of the songs that are currently being performed by the band and which are now available on the band’s second and current release entitled Maybe It’s the Drugs an EP which contains some Country vibes, some Folk vibes, some Rock and Roll vibes, and even some Cajun influence. The songwriter and his band refer to this style as PsycheDeltaFolk.

Maybe It’s the Drugs begins with the song “When in Rome”. The listener gets an immediate glimpse at just what the band means by PsycheDeltaFolk. The band’s music on the track blends together a stronger Country vibe with some Folk influence and some Cajun influence by way of the accordion. The slow-paced, easy feel to the track creates a song that brings to mind some of the Country music of the seventies while mixing in some influence from a musician like Doug Kershaw who has been known for his Cajun-influenced music. The lyrics to the track deal find Yancey explaining that his actions were a result of simply trying to fit in, even if it wasn’t the best idea.

After the Cajun-flavored “When in Rome,” the feel of the music changes dramatically. With the song “Ridin’ High,” the band abandons the Cajun feel of the music for a much stronger Blues approach. The main Blues influence on the track of “Ridin’ High” is matched up with some Folk-Rock to help fill out the track’s sound. This gives the song a nice easy groove that allows the song to flow along smoothly. On the track, Jesh Yancey and The High Hopes create a track that features a jamband feel: each of the members of the group take turns giving small solos on their various instruments and that helps to show off the talents of each musicians in the group.

The feel of the music changes once again on the very next song entitled “In a Pinch”. While the first song of the release called “When In Rome” contained a Country/Folk/Cajun blend, “In a Pinch” contains a much simpler musical approach as the track contains a straight Country music sound. The track reminds the listener of what Country music used to feel like in the late seventies and/or early eighties, before the Rock and Roll influence seemed to overtake the heart of the music. For those looking for a song with a classic Country music feel, “In a Pinch” is the track for you.

Jesh Yancey and The High Hopes continue their new EP with the song “My Little Soul and Me”. And like with the tracks that came before it, this song changes the feel of the EP yet again. With this track, Yancey and the rest of the group create a track that seems to draw a large amount of inspiration from singer-songwriter and Rock Hall Member Tom Waits. Like with much of Tom Waits’ material, “My Little Soul and Me” contains a lyrical approach where the lyrics create a story. The story unfolding is a man explaining that he has given away his soul. Lyrics like “I Gave It to a Black Haired Girl, Her Name Was Destiny. Said It Wasn’t Worth Too Much So She Gave It Back to Me” truly bring to mind the writing style of Waits. While the song contains some of the darkest lyrics on the release, “My Little Soul and Me” is one of the strongest moments on the EP.

Maybe It’s the Drugs from Jesh Yancey and The High Hopes comes to a close with the title track of the release. While the entire EP features the four musicians of Yancey, Hough, Van Dyke and Funk, “Maybe It’s the Drugs” truly brings out the ensemble feel to the band. The track not only features all of the members, but all of the members join in on the vocals of this track. The lyrics of the track deal with the political state of the country at the present time. While it is a rather political track, many will likely agree with the sentiment shared within the lyrics.   

Although only five tracks, Maybe It’s the Drugs from Jesh Yancey and The High Hopes shows a band that has plenty of musical ability and talent. Each track has a different sound, a different feel. Because of this, the release flies by, leaving the listener wanting for more. 

Maybe It’s the Drugs from Jesh Yancey and The High Hopes will be available shortly. When the release is live, you can find it here. Until the entire EP is available, you can check out the first single off of the release, “When In Rome”.

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

CD Review: Quiles and Cloud “Seminole Star”

Folk duo of Maria Quiles and Rory Cloud are two singer/songwriters that create a folk music sound in the songs they create.Those songs are rather simplistic in nature as they draw upon only the guitars and vocals from Quiles and Cloud. That simplistic writing approach is more than apparent on the duo’s 2012 release entitled Long Time Coming.

Having already released Long Time Coming, Maria Quiles and Rory Cloud (now known simply as Quiles and Cloud) went about adding other musical components to their music to expand their sound. To bring their current musical vision to life, the duo called upon upright bassist Oscar Westesson, vocalist/pianist Julian Muller and Irene Sazer on violin. While the duo’s current sound is richer and fuller, it still has a simplistic approach and still makes use of their folk background. That expanded sound is found on the recently released 2014 Quiles and Cloud album called Seminole Star.

To help bring Seminole Star to life, the participating musicians gathered in the OTR Studios. That “live” feeling is definitely present as you listen to the release.

Seminole Star from Quiles and Cloud begins with the track “All My Trouble Gone”. No place on the album is it more apparent that this release is a “live in the studio” release than on this track as the beginning of the track starts with a beat being established only to be quickly replaced by a faster beat once Maria Quiles begins to sing the lyrics to the song. While that beginning seems a tad awkward, the track soon becomes one of the strongest tracks on the release as the guitars; bass and violin all combine to create a track that is unmistakably folk-like. One of the fun elements of the track is violinist Irene Sazer’s use of her violin to create bird sounds to go along with the lyrics of being able to fly. While the track has a relatively slow tempo that tempo increases about halfway in and the resulting faster pace of the song gives the track a nice amount of energy and it is that fast pace that brings the song to its end.

The quick pace established during “All My Trouble Gone” helps to lead into the next track of “Fool to Run”. Like the song before, “Fool to Run” has a strong pace to it. Like the song before it, “Fool to Run” has a strong pace to it. The track features both Maria Quiles and Rory Cloud on vocals. While Maria handles the majority of the lyrics, Rory joins her on the refrains and the two create a duet-like feel to the lyrics. While “All My Troubles Gone” contained music from Maria, Rory, bassist Oscar Westesson and violin Irene Sazer, it was in an ensemble setting. With “Fool to Run,” the musicians get a little opportunity to show off as both Westesson and Sazer help to create some very strong moments on the track.

If any one song on Seminole Star could be released as a single, it would easily be “Pass”. The song features music that feels as much like the Blues as it does like Folk. The lyrics to the song incorporate such as “baby, it’s cold outside” and “stop and stay a while”. The vocals delivered by Maria Quiles bring to mind artists such as Shawn Colvin and Paula Cole. The track feels very commercial and ready-made for the radio.

On Seminole Star’s title track, Quiles and Cloud revert backto a simple folk approach to their music. The music on the track is createdmainly by the guitars from the two. In fact, while the song does containbassist Oscar Westesson and violinist Irene Sazer, the two are part of the songto more or less just add a little texture to the track. As you listen to MariaQuiles sing the lyrics, the melody in the part of the main body of the song hasa hauntingly-familiar sound to it (Neil Young’s “Ohio,” anyone?).

One of the prettiest moments on the Seminole Star release belongs to the song “Empty Handed”. The trio of Maria Quiles, Rory Cloud and bassist Oscar Westesson create a track with an easy feel to the music. One of the elements that give the track such a beautiful sound is Westesson’s bowing technique on the standup bass. That bowing technique adds both beauty and depth to the feeling of the song.

With Quiles and Cloud having released Seminole Star only mere days before the end of 2014, the album helped the year come to an end on a very strong note. But since many fans of the duo will actually discover the release in 2015, it can also be said that it will help start the year off with a bang.

Check out the full-band version of “Pass,” a track off of Seminole Star from Quiles and Cloud.

Also check out the duo’s YouTubeChannel for downloads of all of the tracks on the release.

(Post script: What you are reading is a re-post of a review that had originally been published back in 2015. Because of a few problems (which started with a simple trying to redo the album cover which had somehow disappeared from the review), the review needed to be redone. 
Since the original publication of this review, the project of Quiles & Cloud disbanded. But they left behind three good albums that are still worth checking out.) 

CD Review: Brother Chunky “Down Low”

Brother Chunky is the stage name of Utah-based singer-songwriter Michael Barclay. The moniker started because of a band that Barclay and some friends formed earlier in his youth. The band, simply titled “Chunky,” created music that blended together “Funk, Punk and Junk”. Barclay carried that musical blend on after that band was finished, with a slight variation to it. And now as a solo act, Barclay uses the name as part of his own.

As a solo artist, Brother Chunky carries on the musical tradition started with his original band.  For the group, Michael Barclay is joined by an entire group of musicians who bring to life the music of Brother Chunky.  The resulting “Funk, Punk and Junk” style created by the band can be found on the two albums of music released under the Brother Chunky moniker- 2013’s And Stuff and 2018’s Down Low. The rest of the musicians for the Down Low album are: Guitar- Chris Henderson, Drums/Bass/Percussion- Adam Holdaway, Bass- Kyle McCann, Harmonica- Brad Wheeler, and Drums- Zac Bryant with Morgan Whitney on Backing Vocals.

Down Low from Brother Chunky begins with the track “Chunky Blues”. The lead-off track blends together a good amount of the Blues with a generous amount of Rock and Roll. The result is a rather Bluesy track with plenty of backbone. While it does contain that rock and Roll influence, the track’s musical approach puts to use a musical approach that is reminiscent of classic Blues songs.

Michael Barclay and the rest of the band slow things down on the album’s title track. “Down Low” has a solid Blues approach. The music of the track brings to mind the harder Blues feel of someone like Stevie Ray Vaughan who adds plenty of energy to the classic Blues sound. “Down Low” is easily one of the hardest rockin’ tracks on the album.

The next track on the album is the one and only track on the release not written by Michael Barclay. The track “Deep Ellum Blues” is one of the tracks that were made famous by Jerry Garcia and the rest of The Grateful Dead. With this track, Brother Chunky stays rather close to the original feel of the track. But with the fact that Brother Chunky’s sound contains a lot of Funk influence to it, so too, does his version of the song. The Brother Chunky version of the song takes the feel of the track and bumps it up a notch.

On the track “Little Man,” Michael Barclay and the band create a track that takes the album in yet another direction. “Little Man” features lyrics about a man with something to prove. The Blues-Rock that fills this track brings to mind the sound and feel of ZZ Top. The driving feel of the music helps to create one of the strongest tracks on the album. The high energy feel to the music seems to go well with the lyrics about proving yourself.

With the track “Get on Down the Road,” the band once again creates a song with a very strong groove to it. The Bluesy feel to the music, mixed with a driving feel to pace forms a track that feels just right for those long drives on the highway when speed is your friend. The track also contains some of the most powerful playing from Barclay. The song features a rather strong guitar solo near the end of the track. “Get on Down the Road” is a track off of Down Low from Brother Chunky that will get your blood pumping.

The new album from Brother Chunky comes to a close with the track “Resignation Letter”. The song features a slightly lighter approach on the Rock side of the musical blend. As the song travels at a steady pace, Michael Barclay makes it clear that he’s had enough. The song about bringing a certain type of relationship to a close seems just right to end the album with.

Down Low, the new album from Brother Chunky contains ten tracks of music that focus mainly on a musical blend that contains a large amount of Blues flavor mixed with other styles. Throughout the album, Michael Barclay and the rest of the band create music that never gets tiring.

For a taste of the music from Brother Chunky, check out the title track from the album Down Low. 

CD Review: Trout Fishing in America “The Strangest Times”

It seems that there are mainly three types of people:  Those who have never heard of Trout Fishing in America in any matter; those who know that as a title of a book written by Richard Brautigan; and those who know that as the name of a two-man folk-based band of Ezra Idlet and Keith Grimwood who took their band’s moniker from that book. There are those who know both the book and the band; however, it seems that that group of people is a rather small exception to the rule.

And for those who know the band, you usually come to know them through two different directions:  through their children-based music where the duo creates music like the song “The Window” that is generally for younger audiences and their parents OR a song like “A Proper Cup of Coffee” for their more mature (but NOT adult-rated) music for the adult set.

Together, with both musical mindsets, the duo of singer/guitarist Ezra Idlet and singer/bassist Keith Grimwood has amassed an impressive library of music. And whether you are for the Adult set or for the Children/Parent set, the duo has a large amount of albums to choose from. And that library of music from the duo has just recently grown by one as the duo has just released a new album for the Adult portion of their fanbase. The new album from Trout Fishing in America is entitled The Strangest Times.

The Strangest Times from Trout Fishing in America begins with the album’s title track. “The Strangest Times” is a track that features Ezra Idlet and Keith Grimwood creating a track that falls into a Folk category with a slight Rock and Roll edge to it. The easy pace to the music helps add to the Folk influence in the track. The guitar solo in the track helps to add to the Rock and Roll influence. The lyrics find guitarist Ezra Idlet lamenting his hard life but also being glad when his lady shows up to help him through all of the problems. “The Strangest Times” is a semi-sweet song with a hint of hope to it.

Trout Fishing in America’s newest album continues with the track “In the Morning”. The feel of the music changes on this track. The song features a slightly easier feel to the music as the duo of Ezra Idlet and Keith Grimwood create the track with more of a Folk influence with a little Blues feel thrown in. This time, bassist Keith Grimwood handles the vocals on the track. The Folk/Blues combination in the music along with Grimwood handling the vocals combine to create a track that is reminiscent of something from Canadian troubadour Gordon Lightfoot. The overall gentle feel of the track creates a song that will easily satisfy fans of Folk music.

With the next track, the duo creates one of the most commercial tracks of the album. “A Place to Fall” finds Ezra Idlet once again handling the vocals to a track that features a definite Folk-Rock style. The track’s musical delivery as well as lyrical direction brings to mind a timeless Folk-Rock style that would be right at home on radio today but could easily have found a place on the airwaves back in the sixties/early seventies. “A Place to Fall” is one track on The Strangest Times that demands repeated playing.

Speaking of a commercial appeal, the album of The Strangest Times continues with the song “When the Fog Rolls In”. The song hits the listener with a style that will immediately catch the ear of the listener. The track features a definite Folk-Rock approach that adds to that appeal. This is one track from Trout Fishing in America that will make you wish the act was much more than just a duo Ezra Idlet and Keith Grimwood. As the track proceeds, the listener can all but imagine the track being completed with a drumbeat and maybe a rhythm guitar to add some depth to the track. As it exists, “When the Fog Rolls In” is easily one of the standout tracks on the newest album from the duo.

The Strangest Times continues with two of the more “adult” tracks on the release. With the track “Where’s Your Mama,” Keith Grimwood finds himself in the predicament of finding someone who is just his type but NOT in his age range. And the song “Someone Your Age,” he handles the vocals on a song about growing old. The two tracks seem to have several things in common, which is probably why they ended up being grouped together on the release. The two tracks deal with age issues while being on opposite sides of the coin. They also have a certain amount of humor as they deal with the subjects they contain. With the subject matters of the tracks being what they are, “Where’s Your Mama” and “Someone Your Age” are two of the more “realistic” songs on this new Trout Fishing in America album.

Staying in much the same vein as the previous two tracks, the song “Where Did Everybody Go” contains a grown-up quality to the lyrics as Ezra Idlet sings a song about falling out of the in crowd as everyone around him disappears. While this song may be relevant to the older crowd, it has mass appeal as everyone can relate.

The mood of the album changes with the track “Quiet Alleys”. For most of the album, bassist Keith Grimwood plays his instrument by plucking the strings. But with this track, he changes directions and bows the instrument. The bowing motion of the bass creates a completely different sound to the music than any previous track on the release. The orchestral quality of the Grimwood’s bass mixed with Idlet’s guitar combine to create one of the more solid Folk-like combinations of the entire release. Add to that the gentle vocals from Ezra Idlet and “Quiet Alleys” is one of the strongest moments of folk music on the release.

The Strangest Times from Trout Fishing in America is a solid effort from the duo of Ezra Idlet and Keith Grimwood. The album contains many moments of both serious and more lighthearted moments. And in the case of the song “When the Fog Rolls In,” the duo seems to have hit gold with yet another song that with end up being as much a staple in the duo’s set as songs like “The Window” or “A Proper Cup of Coffee” but on a slightly more serious side.  This album will easily make any fan of Trout Fishing in America. Plus, for those who have yet to discover the magic of the duo, this album is a great place to start your relationship with the music of the duo.

To hear just a hint of the music from Trout Fishing in America, check out the song “When the Fog Rolls In“.

Check out this live version of the title track, “The Strangest Times”.

 

CD Review: The Good Morning Nags S/T

Six-piece NYC based ensemble The Good Morning Nags is currently in the middle of making a name for themselves. The band consists of founding members Tim Hassler (fiddle, vocals), Ben Quinn (mandolin, guitar, harmonium, vocals), Titus Tompkins (percussion, mandolin, vocals) and Britt Reagan (guitar, dulcimer, vocals) as well as Mark Spitznagel (banjo, vocals) and Pete O’Neill (bass, vocals). As a group, the band comes together to create music that bridges the gap between the sound of classic Bluegrass music and more recent music that falls into the category of Americana because of the blending of styles to create a new sound and feel to the music. The Americana style from The Good Morning Nags blends Bluegrass, Folk and some Country together to create a sound that will find its place among fans of early forms of music. Throw in a little Old Timey influence to the music and you have a recipe for musical success.

Having originally formed back in 2010, The Good Morning Nags spent some of their time busking in the subways in New York. Since that time, hundreds of performances were logged before the band even recorded their first EP. But now, the band is celebrating the release of their new self-titled EP. The new self-titled EP from The Good Morning Nags begins with the track “Sugar Baby”. The track features a strong Folk/Bluegrass blend with a slight hint of something more to it. The blend suggests that this version of the track is not quite what lovers of Folk or Bluegrass may come to expect. That firmly puts the track into the Americana genre. The vocals on the track find the vocalists blending their voices in harmony just like you’d find on many Bluegrass tracks. Blending everything together into one song, The Good Morning Nags have a strong track that leads off their self-titled release.

With the next track on their self-titled release, the band does what most Bluegrass bands do: They take a shot at performing a well-known tune to make it their own, just like they did with “Sugar Baby”. It is with the standard tune “Blackberry Bush” that the band truly shows off their roots. While the standard is usually a spotlight tune for the fiddle, The Good Morning Nags have created a version that revolves around the fiddle from Tim Hassler while still incorporating the entire band in on the tune. The ensemble feel of the track creates a completely different take on the tune while still allowing the original tune to shine through.

“Love Like No Other,” an original track on the release, ventures slightly away from the Bluegrass style of the group and takes on the styling of the Country Rock band of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. In fact, the tune recalls the early days of that band when they were creating music with a rather Old Timey feel to it. Specifically, “Love Like No Other” feels as if it would fit right alongside tracks from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s self-titled debut where several of the tracks were arrangements of older songs. While there is a definite Old Timey feel to “Love Like No Other,” that sound is perfect for lovers of the style.

The Good Morning Nags return to a standard mindset on the next track. “Cripple Creek” finds the band in full Bluegrass mode as they perform the tune. The version of the song that the band chose dates back over one hundred years to 1905. The track features the mandolin of Ben Quinn as the focal point in the song and the band creates a version of the song that lives up to that old standard while adding a nice energetic delivery to the music. “Cripple Creek” as performed by The Good Morning Nags finds the band in fine form as they bring a rather old tune into the modern era.

The Good Morning Nags bring their new self-titled album to a close with a track that could easily be described as the band’s theme song. “Good Morning Girl” finds the band creating a track that takes the genre of Bluegrass and turns it on its head. The resulting track contains the feel of Bluegrass but with a very modern take on it. The music has a bit of an edge to it while the lyrics have a slightly wry feel to them while being upbeat at the same time. The lyrics find the singer (a Good Morning Nag) singing an ode to his girlfriend (a Good Morning Girl). And then, when he has his say, the girl in question sings her response. The duet-style track is basically a love song being sung by two much worn people looking for their perfect matches. While it has a rather modern feel to the lyrics and music, underneath it all, the track has a timeless appeal to it.

The new self-titled release from The Good Morning Nags is a release that has a lot going for it: There are the elements of classic Bluegrass, classic Folk music and fresh arrangements of classic Bluegrass tunes all mixed together. While the album may be a tad unusual for those looking for a straight-out classic Bluegrass release, those with an open mind and an appreciation for Bluegrass music, Folk music and even Country music will much to enjoy on this album.

To check out the music of The Good Morning Nags, check out the band’s tune called “Love Like No Other”.

To purchase a copy of the new self-titled EP from The Good Morning Nags, click HERE.  

For more information, check out the band’s PR firm, WHIPLASH PR.

CD Review: The Söur Bruthers S/T

Growing up together helps to add a certain amount of familiarity to the way members in a band relate to each other. One band that is truly creating music with a definite “family” feel to their music is the band called The Söur Bruthers. And even though the members of the band grew up around each other, they all went their separate ways when joining up with previous musical projects. But those previous projects are what have helped to shape the music of The Söur Bruthers.

Chicago-based band The Söur Bruthers consist of band members: Tim Dlaregztif – Guitar/Vocals, Mike Argyrakis – Guitar Vocals, Bill Lloyd – Bass/Vocals and Tony Alunni – Drums/Drums. Each member of the group (or Bruther) drops their own last name when performing in the band and uses Sour as the band identity. Together, Tim, Mike, Bill and Tony Sour blend their various musical influences to create a sound in their band that can only be described as Americana because of the Retro-Pop, Blues, Hard Rock and Country vibes that flow through the songs of the group. What the band calls “SOURLICIOUS ROCK WITH A COUNTRY TWANG!” flows through the band’s debut self-titled EP.

“Sinkin’ Down” is the first track on the self-titled release from The Söur Bruthers. With this track, the band begins their EP with one of the hardest-hitting tracks. The Rock and Roll track contains a slight Country twang in the music. Moreover, the music of the band seems to recall the style of Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band. While the music is closer to Rock and Roll, the lyrics recall Country music a little more. The energy contained within the playing of the band on “Sinkin’ Down” made the choice for leading off the EP with the song a good one as the track hits and hits hard, giving the listener a good indication of what is to come.

In the short time that The Söur Bruthers have been a band, the group has already seen some positive reactions to the music. The band’s song “Better Days” was entered in the 2017 18^th Annual Great American Song Contest where it won the contest. “Better Days” contains a musical mix that actually closer to Southern Rock in the vein of a band like Molly Hatchet than it is to actual Country music. Because of the strong guitar-based foundation to the song, the track would belong more on an Album-Oriented Rock radio format rather than on a Country music format. The driving nature of the track’s music helps to create one of the more powerful moments on the release.

The six-song self-titled EP from The Söur Bruthers continues with the track “3A.M.” With this track, the band creates a sound that brings to mind another group, The Beat Farmers, as both bands have very similar blends of styles in their music, as well as the same sort of lyrical content in their words. The Country-Rock music in the song creates a track that would easily fit on any modern-day Country music format. “3A.M.” is easily one of the best tracks that make up the EP. The only thing is that the track should be a lot longer, as it currently doesn’t even hit the 3-minute mark.

The Söur Bruthers pick up the pace of the music on the next track of “Wash Me”. With this track, the band increases the energy level of their playing while stripping their sound of anything Country music-related. The resulting track finds the band creating a song that is straight-out Rock and Roll. Actually, the track would be easily categorized as being “Hard Rock”. That Hard Rock approach comes courtesy of powerful guitars that push the energy level of the song up a notch or two when compared to the band’s more Country-flavored tracks. “Wash Me” is one of the more energetic tracks on the band’s self-titled EP.

The self-titled EP from The Söur Bruthers comes to a close with the track “Release Me”. With the very first notes from the guitar and the piano on the track, it’s rather clear the track has an extremely commercial feel to the music. The track is mostly Rock and Roll with just a hint of Country to it. The song once again brings to mind acts like Bob Seger or other artists from the eighties as the song would easily fit in with the more rockin’ acts from the era. As the final track of the EP, “Release Me” hits hard from the first note and takes the release home on a very strong note.

With their new self-titled EP, Chicago’s The Söur Bruthers have created a release that makes good use of every musical influence that exists within the quartet. When the band wants to create a Country-flavored track, the result is a track that sounds very authentic and would be welcome on any Country radio format. And when the band goes in a more Rock and Roll direction, they create tracks that will satisfy any fan of the Rock and Roll genre. As you listen to the self-titled EP from this band of friends, it becomes very clear that long-time friends make the best bandmates as The Söur Bruthers are a very tight musical ensemble.

For a taste of the music from The Söur Bruthers, check out the band’s track “Better Days,” the song that helped the band win the 18^th Annual Great American Song Contest.

For more information, check out the band’s PR firm, Whiplash PR.

CD Review: Caroline Ferrante “Sky”

 Washington DC-based singer-songwriter Caroline Ferrante spent part of her youth learning how to sing opera. But after a few Open Mic Nights, that musical direction was changed for the singer as she started to drift over to more commercial styles of music. Soon, she was developing her own style and she started writing her own music. And today, Christine Ferrante has amassed a musical library of her own songs that have been collected on three CDs of original music. The latest release from Ferrante was released earlier this year. The 2017 five-song EP from Christine Ferrante is entitled Sky.

Sky from Caroline Ferrante begins with the track “Feels Like a Holiday”. The track begins with a whistle and a ukulele. Soon, the voice of Ferrante fills up the track, soon to be joined with a full chorus of background singers. The track’s music soon becomes full and complete as the track takes on a Pop-Rock direction. The track takes on an eighties feel to the music. In fact, the music and the call-and-response chorus on the track combine to create a track that would easily be right at home being played right after Tears for Fears.

The new EP from Ferrante continues with the track “Better Angels”. The pace slows down on this track as Ferrante adds a generous amount of Blues influence to the music of this track. While the track contains that Blues direction, the track also seems to contain a strong Rock and Roll feel. The two musical genres blend together on the track in order to form a song that emphasize the pain in the words as Caroline Ferrante sings about several things in her life that have left behind some pain and emotional scarring. The music for “Better Angels” is a blend of both the acoustic guitar that makes up the majority of the musical direction and the electric guitar that adds a strong backbone to the song. Together, the two instruments create a track that is rather light and bouncy but still contains a powerful delivery.

Caroline Ferrante’s new release continues with the track “Great Big Beautiful World”. A song about seeing the world with her family, the track has a strong, upbeat and bouncy feel to the Rock and Roll that shapes the music. The music is kept light and simple to add to the Pop direction of the track. The lyrics are rather easy to sing along to. Altogether, “Great Big Beautiful World” is one of the tracks on Sky that will be running through your head long after the five-song release has come to an end.

While several of the tracks on the Sky release from Caroline Ferrante have a rather personal connection in the lyrics, perhaps the most personal of these tracks is “Symphony”. With this track, Ferrante sings of the emotions to she feels when she thinks about her. The track begins with a moderately-paced tempo created with the help of a piano that acts as the focal point of the music. Along with the piano, the track also contains an electric guitar, bass and drums that help to enhance the music while still allowing the piano to shine. The gentle pace of the track as well as the easy playing of the instrumentation help to add to the emotional feeling within the lyrics.

Along with being a singer-songwriter, Caroline Ferrante is also an outspoken advocate for Women’s rights. Having formed the Songwriters Against Sexual Assault group, Ferrante sings and performs to help raise awareness. Ferrante’s Sky release comes to an end with the track “Brighter Day,” a song she wrote as part of that group. Along with lyrics about standing up for yourself and making your voice heard, the track contains a musical direction that allows for the words to be heard while still being strong enough to entertain.

The five-song release of Sky from Caroline Ferrante is a short, yet strong EP that contains many different musical directions. With the changing of the styles from one track to the next, the listener gets to experience many sides to Ferrante’s personality in a short amount of time. Plus, the relatively short playtime guarantees you’ll want even more once the release is over.

To hear the music of Caroline Ferrante, check out her song “Great Big Beautiful World“.

Check out the Sky release from Caroline Ferrante on her Reverbnation profile.

For more information, check out Caroline Ferrante’s PR Firm, Whiplash PR.

 

CD Review: Stephen Covell “Longing for the Hills”

For the last dozen years or so, Stephen Covell has been creating music. The Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter has been creating music that is deeply influenced by Folk-Rock. The Folk-Rock style goes well with the writer’s storyteller side of his personality. Because of that, the songs that Covell writes seem very close to stories set to music.

Some of the songs that Stephen Covell includes on his releases have a slight reference to the military in them. That is because Stephen Covell spends part of his time as a musician performing his own material and at other times, Covell is one of the active members of an organization called Operation: Encore, A Veteran Music Project. Operation: Encore is very close to Covell’s heart as the organization helps to support current or ex-military members who are looking for something to do outside of the military world that so many are part of.

As a part of the military, Stephen Covell was a U.S. Army combat medic. As a musician, some of Covell’s songs are very deeply steeped in the civilian mindset; the mindset of enjoying time while back on American soil.

As part of Operation: Encore, Stephen Covell has written several songs that have made their way onto the two current releases that help to promote the music of the artists that are part of the organization. In fact, one of Covell’s tracks ended up becoming the title track of the group’s newest release called Monuments. And along with “Monuments,” one other track from those two compilations is now included in Covell’s newest CD, a five-song EP called Longing for the Hills.

Longing for the Hills by Stephen Covell begins with the track “Ruled by You”. A Rock and Roll track that features an easy, Folk-like pace to the music, “Ruled By You” is a track that finds Covell creating a song that comes across as a love song. The easy pace to the music and the emotional feel of the lyrics helps create a track that feels ready-made for the radio. In fact, “Ruled by You” has enough of a Folk feel to the music that the song seems to have a slight twang to it, making it perfect for “crossover” potential for both Country and Pop-rock radio formats.

The new EP from Stephen Covell continues with the song “We Guards Stood Our Watch”. One of the more personal tracks on the release, “We Guards Stood Our Watch” finds Covell asking why others get to enjoy themselves when those on duty choose to keep watch? The music to the track features a much softer feel to the music. In fact, the almost orchestral feel to the music adds both a slight gentleness to the track and an emotional tug at the heart, as well.

Stephen Covell includes the first of the two Operation: Encore compilation tracks next. Having been included on the organization’s first release, the track “Sand Hills to Sandals” is the perfect track, lyrically, to follow “We Guards Stood Our Watch”. Like the track before it, “Sand Hills to Sandals” deals with military life. However, with this track, Covell focuses on the more upbeat and positive side of life as he sings about being home from overseas and being able to enjoy the things he could not enjoy while on duty; things like going to the beach. While the track does offer a happier side to life than “We Guards Stood Our Watch,” Covell also mentions more sober things like dedicating a toast to those who never made it home. The music to “Sand Hills to Sandals” is once again rather laidback in its nature. The folk music seems to have the best choice for accompanying the semi-sweet lyrics to the track. While “Sand Hills to Sandals” is one of the more laidback tracks on Longing for the Hills, it’s also one of the strongest tracks on the release.

Following the first of the Operation: Encore compilation tracks on Stephen Covell’s new release is the second one entitled “Monuments”. This is the track that was chosen as the title track for the 2017 release from the organization. “Monuments” from Stephen Covell is the hardest rocking track on the singer-songwriter’s new album. Like the other tracks on the five-song release, “Monuments” contains a strong folk influence to the music by way of things like the addition of the mandolin. However, this track finds Covell and the other musicians who helped create the EP adding a lot of Rock and Roll feel to the music. The track comes across as something that may have recorded by The Eagles. The Pop-Rock style of the music on the track makes the song one of the most commercial moments on the release. “Monuments” could easily be the single off of the release. Stephen Covell changes directions completely for the final track on the five-song EP.

The final track of Monuments, “Winter of My Soul,” is an Eric Clapton-inspired track that features a slow-paced Blues-flavored approach. The track includes some very Bluesy guitar playing that would make Clapton proud. While “Winter of My Soul” comes out of nowhere when compared to the rest of the release, the track proves that Stephen Covell has a wide array of influences to draw from. And those helped Covell to create a very strong release from the first note to the last.

His impressive background notwithstanding, Stephen Covell’s new five-song release, Longing for the Hills, is a testimony to the talent that is sometimes hidden within the most unlikely people. And with the five tracks on the new release being different from one song to the next, that talent really shines in this release. Having already released several other albums thus far, this five-song EP would be a great place to discover the talented singer-songwriter named Stephen Covell.

To hear the music of Stephen Covell, check out the song “Monuments“. For more reading about Operation Encore, check out the review for the first album, the second release of Monuments, the review for Rachel Harvey Hill, the review for Andrew Wiscombe and the review of Steve D. Wilson. 

CD Review: The Jason Gisser Band “The River”

Upstate New York-based rockers the Jason Gisser Band are a group that formed in 2015.The four-piece band consists of: Jason Gisser (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Tom “The Suit” Forst (lead guitar), Big Thurrsty (drums) and Andrew Fennell (bass).  Together, the Jason Gisser Band released a full-length album of Soul-influenced music entitled In The Garden of Crows.

Having already received positive feedback from that debut album, the band has gone back into the studio to work on their follow-up album. But in the meantime, two tracks (“The River” and “Monster”) have started creating good feedback for the band. So much so, that the Jason Gisser Band has taken those two tracks and created a standalone EP featuring only those two tracks. The two-song release featuring those two tracks has been released by the band in order to give the upcoming full-length album called Monster some strong exposure.

The two-song EP from the Jason Gisser Band called The River begins with the title track. “The River” begins with a rather slow pace to the music. The song features a strong Soul flavor to the music and that flavor helps to form the direction that the band takes with the track. The easy feel to the music comes courtesy of the acoustic guitar from Gisser and the laidback performance from Tom Forst on the electric guitar. The acoustic guitar leads the way in the music while the electric guitar adds just a little texture as well as a little energy to the track. The soulful feel of the track is added to by the background singers who add a little hint of Gospel Choir feel to the track. “The River” is a quiet track that still has plenty of energy in its laidback delivery.

The second of two songs on the new EP called The River from the Jason Gisser Band is called “Monster”. Of the two tracks, “Monster” is by far the heavier of the two. The track begins with an easy moment as the band creates a quiet moment with a subtle hint of a monster in the background. As the music starts to build, the band adds more and more energy to the track. Eventually, the track contains a strong Soul feel to the music and eventually, the four musicians blend their instruments together to create a Soul-based jam. The track of “Monster” throws the idea of something harsh and frightening together with rather soothing music to create a track that has already become a favorite among fans of the Jason Gisser Band.

The new EP called The River from the Jason Gisser Band only contains two tracks. However, the two tracks that are included show off just a little of the band’s musical versatility. Going from a rather laidback song to one that contains a bit more of a groove gives you two sides of the same band gives you a hint at what else the band cane do. The two-song EP also gives you a hint at what else the band cane do. Check out The River from the Jason Gisser Band and stay tuned to see just what else the band has planned for the upcoming release that will be titled Monster.

For more information, check out the Jason Gisser Band’s promo for their upcoming release. The promo features the title track from the album Monster.