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: Daniel Coloprisco “Winter’s Song”

Sometimes an untapped potential needs time to mature. That was the situation with singer-songwriter Daniel Coloprisco who started writing songs in his early years and then turned to more pressing things like making a living. But after spending time in the Information Technology field for years, Coloprisco decided that it was time to see about returning to the music field where many songs he had composed were just waiting for the right time to be unleashed. So now, he is turning to his music and is beginning to allow the world to hear what was never available. Until now, that is.

Just recently, Daniel Coloprisco released a two-song EP entitled Winter Song. That new EP from the songwriter consists of two very different songs with very different musical approaches.

The new two-song EP from Daniel Coloprisco begins with the title track of the release. The track “Winter Song” finds Coloprisco creating a song that feels very much like a song that would have come from New Age artist Jim Brickman. The song has the same Classical/Jazz approach that Brickman features in his music. The song also features the vocal styling of singer Jes Hudak, a singer whose own music can be found under the moniker of Ponymane. She can also be found adding her voice to the musical project known as Neon Void. On this track, Jes Hudak’s vocals come clear and strong, which give the song a generous amount of additional beauty. This goes along with the beauty that was already there in Daniel Coloprisco’s piano playing. The two musicians combine to create a track that would fit alongside songs from the likes of Barbra Streisand, Harry Connick, Jr or anyone else that falls into the “pop” category of music. “Winter Song” would also easily find a place on any Smooth Jazz radio format, although the track has a slightly limited lifespan given the subject matter of winter.    

Daniel Coloprisco’s two-song EP of Winter Song also includes the track “A Touch of Feeling”. With this track, it is strictly just Coloprisco and his piano. And much like with the title track, the music on “A Touch of Feeling” finds Daniel Coloprisco creating a song that contains a certain amount of both Jazz and Classical feeling to the music. As a matter of fact, the feeling of the music, mixed with the simplistic and rather slow tempo with which Coloprisco chose to compose and perform the track creates a track that should easily remind the listener of something that would be playing through a music box. While the listener may not be familiar with Coloprisco and/or his music, the familiar feeling of listening to a music box does seem to add a bit of magic to the track.

The two-song EP of Winter Song from Daniel Coloprisco is short but sweet. The EP gives the listener just a taste of what may be coming in the near future. And if what is in store from Coloprisco is a sweet as the two tracks found on the Winter Song EP, it will be worth the wait. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait as long as the next time for new music from the songwriter.  

Click HERE to hear Daniel Coloprisco’s two-song EP of Winter Song

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

CD Review: Hello, Dollface “Warrior of Light”

When you combine a multi-talented musician that has a very soulful voice of an R&B diva with other musicians who help to bring her musical vision to life, you end up with a band that blends jazz, R&B and even a little Indie Rock together. The result is a musical outfit by the name of Hello, Dollface. The ensemble consists of singer/guitarist/keyboard player and songwriter Ashley Edwards, bassist/keyboard player Jesse Ogle and keyboard player Easton Stuard. Together with drummer James A. Morrow, the band of Hello, Dollface created the 2016 release entitled Warrior of Light.

Warrior of Light from Hello, Dollface begins with “Movin’ Me”. The slow-tempoed track features a blend of Jazz and R&B. Along with the slow tempo, the song comes across as relatively relaxed as the band plays the music of the song with simplicity. The result is a track that allows the vocals from Ashley Edwards to shine. The style and feel of the music takes the listener back to the seventies where a lot of the music back then had a much lighter and more relaxed feel to it. And while there is a slightly dated feel to the music in the song, “Movin’ Me” would easily fit any modern-day Smooth Jazz radio format.

The 2016 release from Hello, Dollface continues with one of the definite standout tracks. The song “Intuition” hits you with a sound that immediately catches your attention. The song’s music combines a very strong R&B feel with a little Indie Rock style thrown in. Along with the vocals from Ashley Edwards, the track has a style that seems to have been influences, if only a little bit, by the Indie Rock band Zero 7. “Intuition” is one song on the release that will stay with you long after the album has come to an end.

Hello, Dollface’s new release continues with the album’s title track. “Warrior of Light’s” Smooth Jazz approach comes courtesy of the guitar, bass and drums from Ashley Edwards, Jesse Ogle and James A. Morrow. Together, the trio creates a track that has a solid classic jazz feel. The inclusion of the organ on the track helps to add some texture, but it is the guitar, bass and drums that truly bring the majority of the song to life. Edwards’ vocals also give “Warrior of Light” a very infectious sound while the vocal arrangement creates one of the most unique moments on the release.

On the song of “Test Crash,” Hello, Dollface takes their sound in a much different direction than any of the songs that had preceded it on the album. On the songs that led off the Warrior of Light album, the band focused on a style that incorporated a lot of Jazz and R&B influence. But with the track “Test Crash,” the ensemble fully embraces the Indie rock side of their personality. And even though “Test Crash” is still rather laidback, the Indie Rock influence incorporated into the song helps to create a totally different vibe than when compared to the previous songs.

Staying in the mindset of creating a track with a different feel to it, Hello, Dollface changes the feel of their release once again on “Face It”. Together, Edwards, Ogle, Stuard and Morrow create a song that brings out the Soul influence in the band’s sound. In fact, “Face It” is easily the most soulful track on the release. The quartet even incorporates some Reggae influence to add even more texture to the song’s music. The whole thing is brought together with the addition of guitarist Tim McLaughlin who adds a very strong solo to the track. “Face It” is another track on the release that stands out.

Just like “Intuition” from earlier in the album, the song “Carry Me” is another song that comes across as being very infectious. The song’s sound once again brings out the band’s Soul influence. But unlike the track “Face It” that contained mostly that Soul influence, “Carry Me” is equal parts Soul and R&B. The track contains a radio-friendly sound that will immediately jump out at the listener and beg to be heard. “Carry Me” is easily one of the best moments on the Warrior of Light release from Hello, Dollface.

The 2016 release of Warrior of Light from Hello, Dollface comes to a close with “In Your Light”. The song begins with keyboards that create a light Jazz feel. The rest of the instruments join in a little later to help fill out the sound of the track. And while the song is mostly Jazz-based, the music does contain a light influence from Indie Rock to give “In Your Light” a unique feel when compared to the rest of the album. The bass part from Jesse Ogle and the piano create a catchy musical phrasing within the piece that gets repeated, adding yet another infectious quality to part of the track. “In Your Light” brings the release to a close on a rather gentle tone, but the song still catches your ear as it fades the release out.

Throughout the ten tracks that make up the 2016 release from Hello, Dollface entitled Warrior of Light, the listener encounters songs that incorporate many different styles of music that help to create the laidback feel of the band’s sound. Warrior of Light is a strong release with plenty of musical moments that will please the type of listener who looks for strong songwriting and musicianship in the type of music that they add to their musical library. Each track on the release comes with its own style, but the ten tracks all combine to create one album of music that has a certain familiarity from beginning to end.

For more on the band, check out Hello, Dollface’s video to the track “Intuition“. 

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

CD Review: A is for Atom “Song for You”

 A is for Atom is a New York-based Alternative Rock outfit formed by New York transplant Mike Cykoski when he decided that he had had enough playing behind other people. Once Cykoski decided to go in his own direction as far as music was concerned, he started creating songs that featured an Alternative Rock sound with a lot of orchestral feeling to it. To help promote his music, Mike Cykoski released two EPs worth of music. The latest of those releases is called Song for You.
The new release from A is for Atom begins with the track “Load up on Guns”. The track has a fun, light feel to the music as it contains a rather unusual mix of both acoustic guitars that help to build the main body of the song and electronic keyboards that add a slightly spacey feel to the track. In fact, the keyboards come in near the middle of the song and the resulting keyboard solo feels like something that might have come from a New Wave song from the 1980s. The song then changes directions near the end of the track when an electric guitar comes in and adds a little depth to the music. While the song’s title might sound like some kind of statement, the track is just a fun listening experience that happens to be very catchy.
Song for You from A is for Atom continues with the title track of the release. While “Load up on Guns” has a fun, easy feel to it, “Song for You” changes the emotional feel of the EP. As the song title was inspired by something Cykoski’s ex-girlfriend once said to him, the lyrics of this song play on the statement “you never wrote a song for me”. The track features a slow-paced, yet steady feel to it while the music itself falls somewhere between pop-rock and smooth jazz in a style that might remind some of music from a band like Steely Dan. If Elton John’s “Your Song” is the ultimate statement on love, maybe “Song for You” by A is for Atom can be seen as its antithesis.
While the first two tracks of Song for You from A is for Atom contain a style that could easily fit into today’s musical formats, Mike Cykoski takes the song “Bombs Away” in a completely different direction. The keyboard-driven track brings to mind many of the songs from the New Wave era of music. The track brings the listener back to a time when musicians were not only unafraid to try something new with their music; they wanted to push music as far as they could. The resulting track of “Bombs Away” from A is for Atom is one of those tracks that may feel a bit dated because of the use of drum loops and the particular keyboard sound produced on the track, but it can also feel just as fresh because it really doesn’t make you think of anyone else in the music industry today.
Mike Cykoski describes A is for Atom as a “melodic driven alt band”. Nowhere is that more evident than on the track “The White Dress”. In a track that may instrumentally bring to mind “The Fool on the Hill” by The Beatles, the piano-driven track builds as many different elements come together in such a manner that the track feels almost orchestrated. The track also features fine vocals that create a nice harmony to the lyrics of the song. Once the horns appear, the listener experiences a beauty in the song’s music that rarely appears in today’s music industry.
Song for You from A is for Atom comes to an end with the track “India”. The track is a strong pop-rock track that features a very strong keyboard-driven feel. While the song has a relatively timeless feel, the keyboard solo at the end of the track once again brings the music back to a more New Wave feel.
The new release from A is for Atom called Song for You is a pop-rock fan’s dream as Mike Cykoski creates music that can be very appealing to people who like a lot of different styles of rock and roll. The five songs contained within the release are a nice mix of sounds and there’s not a bad track on the release.
Reviewer: Matheson Kamin
Rating: **** (four stars)

CD Review: Abby Burke “Finally! The Album”

Abby Burke is a very talented Nashville-based singer who has spent many years perfecting her craft. After a long time in the music business, Burke has proven herself as the singer she has become known as. It is this singer that finally decided to go forward and create a release that incorporates many different genres of music into one solid album. On her 2004 debut CD entitled Finally! The Album, Abby Burke showcases her ability to perform any style.

Of course, Finally! The Album is not just about Abby Burke. The release also features a group of musicians known as The Manly Band. The Manly Band consists of guitarists Darin Favorite and Roddy Smith, bassists Roy Vogt and Tim Smith, keyboard player Jeff Lisenby, sax player Glenn Burke, harmonica player Charlie McCoy, percussionists Justin Meeks and Steve Weckerly and background singer Jen Farley. Together, Abby Burke and the Manly Band make up a musical ensemble that is capable of taking just the right blend of genres and creating an album that not only changes constantly from track to track because of the various genres at work on the album, it also allows Abby the chance to show off her talent to sing any style.

Finally! The Album from Abby Burke and the Manly Band contains a balnd of musical standards like George Gershwin’s “Summertime” as well as other well-known tunes. The majority of the release, however, is made up of composition written by some of Nashville’s best songwriters. Two members of the Manly Band have even contributed to the songs on the album, as the song “I Will” was composed by Roddy and Tim Smith.

The album begins with the song “Mine Child,” a tune written by Rachel Owen. The song begins with the guitar playing of Darin Favorite as he lays down some very smokin’ notes to start off the song. When Abby begins singing, her voice is partially bluesy and partially soulful. The song is a very strong way to begin this strong release.

The ensemble immediately changes directions with the feel of their music on the next track. “I Love You for a Day” is a slow-paced tune with a jazzy approach to the music. The lyrics about a forbidden desire add a touch of sadness to the song. The soulful playing by Glenn Burke on the saxophone is what really brings home that jazzy feel.

Another track on Finally! The Album that features sadness to the lyrics is the song “Time”. The focus on this track is most definitely on Abby Burke and her beautiful voice. On this track, you can really feel the emotion in Burke’s voice as she laments about how long she has lived with a broken heart and the fact that the pain has never gone away. This is one of the strongest tracks on the album despite the light feel of the music.

While all but one song on the album was written by someone outside of the group, each song that is included on the release was arranged by someone in the group, if not the whole band itself. It is the arrangement that is the main focus on the Gershwin standard “Summertime,” the song that came out of Gershwin’s opera, Porgy and Bess.

On Finally! The Album, the Gershwin classic “Summertime” was arranged by bassist Tim Smith. The first part of the track features a passage that features only Smith and Abby in a “duet” as they perform a very blues-flavored minute or so of music before the musical landscape changes drastically and the song takes on a “smooth jazz” feel. The unique arrangement of this standard makes it perhaps the most unique and best song on the entire release.

The song with perhaps the most Top 40 radio potential to it is the song “I Can’t Stand the Rain”. The strong bass and drum bottom to the song, mixed with powerful playing of Glenn Burke on the saxophones, together with the rest of the band all combine with Abby Burke’s strong vocals to create a song with mass appeal and make it the track that the listener will probably gravitate towards the most because of the energy produced by the musicians.

Another “standard” that appears on Finally! The Album is the Bill Withers tune “Ain’t No Sunshine”. This is the one track that truly feels like an ensemble arrangement, as several of the musicians in the band take turns with solos. And Abby’s delivery on this track feels as heartfelt as anything else on the release; maybe more. The arrangement by the band on this track gives the song a fresh approach, setting it apart from the original version that was written back in 1935.

The twelve tracks that make up Finally! The Album from Abby Burke and the Manly Band are quite different from one track to the next, giving the album a fresh approach throughout the nearly fifty minutes of music. Together, Abby Burke and the Manly Band have produced one of the best albums I’ve heard in a long time. Give the band a listen- you won’t be disappointed!

This is a review that I created to showcase Abby Burke and her band. I originally wrote an article to promote this wonderful release back in 2005. The original version of this article was very short and looked nothing like this. This version of the review is much better at conveying the idea I wanted to get across over five years ago.