Gena Perala - Exactly Nowhere

Gena Perala – Exactly Nowhere
2013, Gena Perala

Gena Perala is a modern renaissance woman.  Raised on the carnival circuit, she developed a keen insight into the human condition, and the artful storytelling style of a life-long performer.  Perala broke into music by way of her award winning poetry.  She has published three books to date and released two albums of original music.  Her debut album, This Ain’t Pretty, won Perala rave reviews. Her follow-up, Exactly Nowhere, finds Perala taking things to the next level.

Perala opens with “Living Proof”, bringing elements of classic 1960’s girl pop.  There’s a rock-a-bye feel to this tune, and while Perala is a bit verbose, the vocals are exceedingly easy on the ear.  “Fine” is an interesting take on a relationship where her partner makes her feel good about herself while spiraling downward himself.  There’s a sort of helpless fatalism here that’s palpable, and the song is gorgeous in its sadness.  “Hip Hop Cartoons” is rife irony.  The seeming anthem of living life on one’s own terms has a distinctive slacker element that’s more about simple existence than living or learning. 

“La Fin” is a dark waltz that is sung primarily in French with English interjections.  Perala is in her element here with a compelling mix of raw animus and madness.  It’s a moment that will haunt you into listening again and again.  “Exactly Nowhere” is theatrical in approach, sung seemingly in post-relationship shock.  Perala’s composition is masterful, right down to the string accents.  The lyrical caricature is as artful as the music, and in case you didn’t know it already, Perala is showing off some serious songwriting chops here.  “Superstar Nova” finds Perala in a more straight-forward pop approach, completed with elemental synth and a dance beat.  This is too busy as a relationship song and a bit too self-focused.  “Fat World” is a catchy garage/punk number that may be stuck in your noggin for days for its musical proclivities and for Perala’s enthralling voice.

"Hoopla" finds Perala lampooning women who fulfill themselves by digging for gold and living off the success if others. The campy atmosphere of the song, which alternates between reverb soaked simplicity and alt-rock excess, is reminiscent of Meryn Cadell. "On Second Thought" is a memorable piece of musical theater that tracks the internal ups and downs of a fickle minded suitor. Her writing is brilliant, incisive and funny yet somehow utterly mortal. The transitions from navel gazing pastiche to manic hope are perfectly conceived and executed.  "My Match" focuses on a repeat hookup offender who laments not finding permanence. It's a humorous and sad caricature that will likely remind you of someone.

"Life Is Hard" is a gorgeous, string-laced monologue from a character who is her own worst enemy. This worldview is dark and full of pessimism and yet utterly familiar from someone you know. Perala's light touch makes this more accessible and believable. "Tell It To The Stars" is an upbeat dialectic on seeking external guidance from the stars. Perala is eminently likeable here as she speaks from the heart in an upbeat, country flavored arrangement that will have you tapping your toes.

"See Myself" is a gently rolling piano ballad that's deftly orchestrated to build the emotive strength of the song while keeping Perala's superb vocals front and center. There's something of a secular sermon feel to this at times, with a distinctly inward focus built of insecurity as the concomitant strength it breeds. "Every Man" starts out in Perala's signature confessional style, but struggles to escape its own weight. She recovers nicely, closing with the brief, yet hopeful "Neverland".

Gena Perala’s musical and lyrical brilliance shines through on Exactly Nowhere.  There’s a theme of disaffection based on a mistrust of human intentions that runs through the album, but Perala also has a sense of humor.  In essence, Exactly Nowhere is something of a catalog of musical defense mechanisms that lead to the album’s title.  Perala deconstructs, perhaps, her own defenses with humor and grace and a fantastic sense of musical theater.  She takes tremendous risks and even when things don’t quite work out they’re certainly interesting.  Exactly Nowhere finds Gena Perala distinctly somewhere wonderful.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at www.genaperala.com.  

Jon Pousette-Dart - Anti-Gravity

Jon Pousette-Dart - Anti-Gravity
2011, Little Big Deal Music

The Pousette-Dart Band was one of the seminal soft-rock bands of the 1970s, transforming the folk tendencies of the 1960's into a palatable form of rock n roll.  Jon Pousette-Dart spent much of the 1970's as one of the big names in popular music, touring with acts such as Yes, Peter Frampton and James Taylor.  The 1980's saw Pousette-Dart making a comfortable living doing session work and writing jingles, but the limelight beckoned again in the 1990's.  By 2002, Pousette-Dart was on his own; crafting his incredibly catchy melodies into a roots-influenced brand of folk/rock that seems the logical outgrowth of his earlier work.  Pousette-Dark continues creating little bits of musical magic on his latest album, Anti-Gravity.

Pousette-Dart opens with the refined Americana-rock of "Anti-Gravity", an upbeat love song built on catchy hook and strong chorus.  The song manages to capture emotion in musical amber, preserving it to bloom again for the listener's benefit.  "Me And The Rain" is based in a resigned melancholy and sort of optimistic fatalism that begs salvation from the mundane.  The song is beautifully crafted, with the vocal harmonies adding great atmosphere.  Pousette-Dart shows a definite talent for lyrical turns, with lines such as "Calling all dreamers to live in the light / I'm making my peace with the night."  On "Better Everyday", Pousette-Dart offers up a sing-along chorus in a tune about making your way one step at a time. 

"Great Wide Open" ruminates on mortality and the opportunities that remain, delving into a brand of beautiful fatalism speckled with hope.  "Words" is pure fun, a catchy number that's perhaps a bit outside of fans' expectations but no less welcome for the fact.  "Who I Am" is a stunning duet with Jaime Kyle about the tragedy of Alzheimer's.  Sweet and heartfelt, the song details the small victories of knowing and being known.  If you've been there with a loved one this song will hit home hard.  "Heaven Is Here" is crafted from the best pure melody on the album, and looks for Heaven here on earth.  It's a great folk/rock number that's catchy and upbeat.  Anti-Gravity bows with "How Could I Walk Away", a song of love and devotion that avoids saccharine or cliché turns.  The song is nothing less than brilliant in both its composition and its sense of heart.

Jon Pousette-Dart continues to break new ground with "Anti-Gravity", which may be his best collective work to date.  Working with collaborators such as Jim Chapdelaine, Gary Nicholson, and Angelo and Jaime Kyle, Pousette-Dart continues to craft searching songs of love and redemption in a comfortable musical style that moves you and sinks into you at the same time.  "Anti-Gravity" is an honest and mature effort from artist who has paid his dues and can now simply sit back and write and play from his muse.  It's an effort worth becoming familiar with.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Jon Pousette-Dart at www.pousette-dart.com.  Anti-Gravity is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available via iTunes.

Bruce Cockburn – Small Source Of Comfort

Bruce Cockburn – Small Source Of Comfort
2011, True North Records

Bruce Cockburn has based his life on deep experience.  Over the years, Cockburn has travelled to the world’s trouble points, to see the truths of human existence for himself.  Cockburn has documented these experiences on thirty albums over the years, with a sense of subtlety and musicality that is rare in rock n roll.  An Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame, Bruce Cockburn’s music has been covered by such artists are Barenaked Ladies, Anne Murray, Ani DiFranco, Dan Fogelberg, Judy Collins and Jimmy Buffett.  On March 8, 2011, Cockburn releases his 31^st album, Small Source Of Comfort.

Small Source Of Comfort opens with “Iris Of The World”, commenting on the tendency of humanity to grab onto meaningless things while overlooking things that matter.  Semi-autographical, the song finds Cockburn perhaps sharing his own role in the human play; recognizing the beauty of a moment and sharing it with others.  This is classic Cockburn, finding the subtle depths of an experience and exposing them in a complex, highly rhythmic and oddly beautiful arrangement.  “Call Me Rose” is a tongue in cheek story song about Richard Nixon reincarnated as a single mother of two kids living in the projects.  It’s something of a Great Reversal concept (“the last will be first and the first will be last”) born of Judeo-Christian theology, but is very amusing and is written from a very human perspective.  In Cockburn’s musical daydream Nixon sees himself for who he was and is a better person for it, even if he continues to long for the old days.  Cockburn sticks to a fairly straight-forward folk-rock arrangement this time around in order to let the story shine through.

“Bohemian 3-Step” is a pretty instrumental that plays like a slow waltz, relying on cross-rhythms, or a variant, to create an intriguing sense of rhythm.  The piece has great energy, and is beautifully crafted.  “Radiance” is a musical meditation on beauty, both in lyrics and music.  Cockburn impresses with unusually beautiful guitar work, capturing an abject loneliness in both his instrument and voice as he looks on from afar.  The cello is a nice touch, completing the tragic displacement of the vocal line in dark and dulcet tones.  This is a musical ‘wow’ moment; a song that’s both heart-breaking and uplifting in its beauty.  “Five Fifty-One” is an edgy story song that plays on the edges of folk, rock and blues.   The story here is a bit disjointed, a calculated effect given the state of mind of the story teller.  The cops show up at his house in the wee hours of the morning and we’re never entirely certain why, but the overall impression is of someone who is dancing on the edge of madness.  Cockburn creates a highly rhythmic arrangement that leaves ample room for acoustic guitar-driven sidebars that will make the most of the would-be guitarists out there wish they could play like that.

“Lois On The Autobahn” is an energetic instrumental that plays off Cockburn’s guitar against a dancing dervish of a violin, capturing a sound not dissimilar from that of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli.  “Boundless” is a spiritual exploration in song; exploring the similarities between the boundlessness of space and of belief.  Cockburn creates an ethereal feel at the opening with a multitude of bells, but moves quickly into an urgent vocal line over (for Cockburn) a relatively simple arrangement.  The imagery used here has many levels; delivered in poetic prose that is laced deep with references both cultural and theological.  Wit takes over on “Called Me Back”, a humorous take on a call that never comes, and the resulting anxiety over what might have happened to a close friend.  It’s an entertaining turn; a well-placed moment of levity that both highlights Cockburn’s depth as a songwriter and works in much the same fashion as a comic song placed in the middle of a big Broadway musical. 

“Comets Of Kandahar” is a dark instrumental that again pairs Cockburn’s guitar with violin; this time the result is dark with a disturbed energy.  The composition itself is amazing, and was inspired by Cockburn’s trip to Afghanistan to play for Canadian troops in theater.  “Each One Lost”, inspired by the same trip, is a somber tribute to those who have given their lives.  The song is full of heartbreak and plays like a lonely hymn, punctuated by a lonely accordion.  “Parnassus And The Fog” finds Cockburn’s guitar once again paired with violin in a lilting instrumental ballad that plays like a love song.  “Ancestors” is a gorgeous, haunting instrumental full of staccato guitar against a dreamlike background of musical ether.  The affect of the piece is subtle and compelling, as Cockburn builds a story into the rhythm of the song.  Small Source Of Comfort closes with “Gifts”, a quiet celebration of the moments in life that illuminate an emotion, person or place and define meaning for us.    It’s a gorgeous, quiet arrangement that whispers quietly to you about the truth of what’s important in the world.

Bruce Cockburn is a rare gem in the world of singers and songwriters.  His depth and subtlety as both a musician and lyricist puts him in rarefied air.  Small Source Of Comfort is an album that, if not at peace with the world around it, has certainly found the peace that comes with understanding hard truths.  A decade or two ago Cockburn would have railed at government and political machines in a mad frenzy, driving the intricate beauty of his music into exile under the constant barrage of verbal artillery aimed at the injustices of the world.  Small Source Of Comfort takes deadly aim at the same sort of social inconsistencies, but with a subtle grace and veracity that cuts far deeper that some of his past efforts.  Where a younger Bruce Cockburn would have imbued his message with the power of righteous indignation, the songwriter now allows the simple power of truth to blend with the intricate beauty of his musical creations to reach beyond the defenses of even the most politically hardened psyche.  Small Source Of Comfort stands amongst Cockburn’s finest works, and is a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Bruce Cockburn at www.brucecockburn.com or www.myspace.com/officialbrucecockburn.  Small Source Of Comfort drops in the US on March 8, 2011.  You can order the CD or Digital album through Amazon.com.  The album is also available digitally from iTunes.

Review: David Wilcox - Open Hand

David Wilcox - Open Hand
2009, What Are Records?

David Wilcox has been crafting introspective Pop songs with a mild spiritual leaning the release of his 1989 debut album, How Did You Find Me Here on A&M Records. Twenty years and fourteen additional albums later, Wilcox hasn't change, still writing in a voice that is true to his life and true to himself. Wilcox released his fifteenth album, Open Hand, in April of 2009. Open Hand was recorded live on analog equipment at Ferndale, California's Sonic Temple in just seven days, lending an air of spontaneity and life to the album that complements Wilcox' style.

Open Hand kicks off with the optimistic Dream Again, a song that recalls better times and encourages people to have the strength to dream of good times again. Dream Again gives a mellow accounting of the decline of US culture and lifestyle from the perspective of the common man, and implies that by dreaming and building new frontiers we can return to a time of greatness. It's an amazing song with real social value. Red Eye is an upbeat, mellow Pop tune about expectations that don't match reality, and the hopeless state sometimes causes us to want to revise history rather than face facts. The song is beautifully crafted and Wilcox's voice is velvet gold. Open Hand is a highly personal song written for a friend with a terminal illness; it's about the fact that sometime we're most alive when confronting death face to face.

In Winter At The Shore, Wilcox creates imagery so powerful you feel as if you could step right into the story. The arrangement is slow and deliberate, allowing Wilcox to take a recitative-like approach. The song is plaintive and beautiful. Modern World reflects the dissatisfaction of the Boomer generation as they grow old in a world that isn't everything they might have hoped in their childhood. The song is well written and smart; it calls out an entire generation for their self-centric attitudes; essentially pointing out that all of the problems we face today originate in the Baby Boom generation. On Vow Of Silence, Wilcox speaks of a love so mature and full it may be hard to imagine for some. This is another bit of amazing songwriting; likely mix tape material for the lovelorn. Beyond Belief delves into Wilcox' religious beliefs somewhat, but serves more as a general reminder to "practice what we preach", and takes to task people in general for arguing over whose faith is better or more. You might say it's something of an ecumenical secular hymn in religious terms. Wilcox closes with River Run Dry, a quiet missive on making the most of the time you have on earth. The song is powerful in its quietude and grace, and perhaps the best overall song on the disc.

David Wilcox writes with a maturity and balance that is rare. Sounding at times a bit like Bruce Cockburn, Wilcox fills a void in the singer/songwriter appetite with insightful and highly melodic songs. Open Hand underscores the meaning of life and living in simple, day-to-day terms. Wilcox is a songwriter at the top of his game. Just sit back and enjoy!

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about David Wilcox at http://www.davidwilcox.com/ or www.myspace.com/davidwilcoxsite. You can purchase Open Hand through Amazon.com as either a CD or download. Downloads are also available through iTunes.

Review: Jenn Grant - Echoes

Jenn Grant - Echoes
2009, Six Shooter Records

If you don’t know who Jenn Grant is, you might want to make the calendar for today as the day you first encountered her. Besides being Wildy's World's Artist of the Month for September, 2009, the Prince Edward Island, Canada native has made a name for herself with highly personal songs that flow from the heart like warmth from the sun. Grant has earned several East Coast Music Award nominations, and opening slots for such Canadian artists as Martin Tielli (Rheostatics), Hawksley Workman, Hayden, Great Lake Swimmers and The Weakerthans. Grant releases her third CD, Echoes, in the United States on September 29, 2009. Echoes, continues in the same, heart-on-her-sleeve vein under the guiding hand of Producer/pianist Jonathan Goldsmith (Bruce Cockburn). Echoes may be a challenging listen, and is certainly a bit off the beaten path, but is worth the time you’ll put into it.

Echoes opens with the rambling, pensive Heartbreaker, which rises out of the depths of melancholy sounding like the Yin to Feist's Yang. This impression is fed by both Grant's shadowy alto voice and a quirky, Feist-like nature drawn in burgundy and charcoal. Where Are You Now is a beautiful song of longing and loss with an almost classical feel to it; the accompanying string arrangement lends a depth and weight to balance Grant's lyric vocal line, creating a moment of musical beauty that is deeply tangible. Blue Mountains has a vaguely dream-like feel to it; a love song built as much on the ideal of running off together as in stand still. It's an unusual and beautiful testament to emotion that's part Be Good Tanyas and part Feist. Parachutes is a wonderful conglomeration of Emo art song and girl-group glitz (although only briefly). The song is dark and light and thoroughly ambivalent on love, life and anything else that's important. It's a statement from the heart in all of its mixed beauty and darkness in song.

I Was Your Woman has a strong link stylistically to Fiona Apple; a look at what was and the process of getting over the loss. Grant's voice is full of dark sorrow here, wrapped up in that gorgeous alto with a metal edge running through the center. This song could be something of a show-stopper, but it's also imbued with that sort of temporary madness that comes with heartbreak. You'll think that Jenn Grant took a sabbatical with The Be Good Tanyas filling in on (I've Got) The Two Of You. Gorgeous vocal harmonies and an Appalachian feel inform this Chamber/Folk/Rock tune. The chorus is a bit repetitive, but it works here in a song deeper in emotion than thought. Sailing By Silverships sounds like the culmination of sonic development of the female songwriter in the past twenty years wrapped into one shining moment. Fans will hear elements of Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Fiona Apple and even Sinead O'Connor in this fantastical song juxtaposing the pain of loss with the search for understanding and purpose. The rhythmic and layered crescendo and then fade at the song is as powerful as a musical moment gets without words to accent meaning.

Fireflies takes on a distant country feel, accented by the presence of violin and hints of pedal steel guitar; wandering the magical corridor of catching lightning in a bottle and the fear of doing so. The arrangement here is beautiful in a vaguely haunting way, demanding the listener's attention with variegation and texture that usually resides far from anything in the popular realm. Hawaii continues the process of recovery, finding magic and the loss of words to describe it. Grant's voice is right on the raw edge of emotion here, deep within an arrangement that's full of gorgeous quirk. The cover of Neil Young's Only Love Can Break Your Heart might seem a bit cliché at first, but Grant's performance makes it anything but cliché. It doesn't quite measure up to the Waltons' cover from the 1990's (perhaps not even Young's original does), but it's likely the second best cover of the song I've heard. Grant closes out Echoes with Everybody Loves You, a song of mourning of what's been lost and of hope for what's to come. There's a core of emotional strength here that's so apparent it will practically bowl over the listener. A brief epilogue, a half minute of I'll See You Again features Grant on piano sounding as if the recording were pulled from an old vinyl copy.

Echoes is an album full of heartbreak and hope. It is an acknowledgement of what Grant learned halfway through writing the album; Echoes is a breakup album born of a tumultuous relationship Grant was in at its beginning. In this case life imitated art, as it was the songwriting process that helped Grant to see where her heart was going. Consequently Echoes is a highly personal album full of the shadows and dark closets of Grant's heart as well as the patches of light. Pathos and power mix to inform the human spirit in the process of loss across the thirteen songs presented here. There are moments of beauty in both light and shadow, as Grant reveals her heart in a much more intimate fashion than you might expect. Echoes is brilliant in so many dimensions because it features Jenn Grant eschewing any sense of popular acceptance in favor of straightforward, honest writing. The song craft is highly involved and entrancing, and Grant's voice mixes elements of beauty and with starkly unique qualities to create a listening experience you simply can't pull yourself away from. I like an album to challenge me as a listener; Echoes does. And it's well worth the challenge. Echoes is a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc. Don't miss it.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Jenn Grant at http://www.jenngrant.com/ or www.myspace.com/jenngrant1. Echoes drops in the US on September 29, 2009. If you can't wait until then you can purchase a copy of Echoes at Maple Music, or you can download the album through iTunes.

Review: Robbie Greig – Songman In India

Robbie Greig – Songman In India
2009, Robbie Greig

Melbourne, Australia’s Robbie Greig is an old-school troubadour, using music to illuminate tales about people, places and the truths of life. He is also a highly decorated performer, with awards from the Australia Council, The Australian Songwriters Association and 3RRR. For his ninth studio album, Songman In India, Greig digs into the story of a tragic fire that occurred in Varkala Beach, Kerala, South India. Greig tells the tales of some of the survivors, and the hardships they faced from their environment and even their elected officials. Greig calls on some of the finest names in World Music in Melbourne, including Howard Cairns, Dene Ford, Michael Jordan, Sandro Donatim, Rodney Waterman, Kavisha Mazzella and Raju Sharma. All of this is intermixed with live sounds from Varkala Beach.

Songman In India opens with A Varkala Tale, which sets place and time for the listener. You are introduced to Varkala in terms of the fire that stole homes and businesses from many of the residents there; a woman from Maine who helped organize the relief efforts and the general perspective of Greig. The song has a soothing, story-teller quality to it that is accentuated by an other-worldly recorder solo and a recording of a flute solo done at the live benefit on the beach that the song references. Mangu introduces one of the individuals who lost his home and business in the fire and details the problems he encountered from local politicos in trying to rebuild. The suggestion of heavy corruption hangs in the air here, although Greig never quite comes out and makes the accusation. One gets the impression that people’s homes and lives may have been burned to make room for commercial development.

Diddy-wah is the best song on the disc; Greig tells about making new friends and breaking down barriers, all revolving around what I presume to be an old Bo Diddley song. At Varkala Beach sounds like a 1930’s Jazz tune, complete with Barre chords and a vocal style that would sound appropriate coming out of a vintage tube radio. Reckless is a musical parable based loosely on the “grass is always greener” premise. A society is forced from their home, which they like, and find paradise. After a time they are forced back to their homeland, but it’s never the same. The song is all about being happy with what you have, and how human nature never quite allows that to be. The song is very well written, with a very subtle Reggae flavor. Venu’s Theme/Meeting On The Beach documents the problems with trying to make important decisions in the middle of a tropical paradise; where serious thought drifts with the sunshine and breeze.

Songman In India finds Greig pondering Indian cultures in contrast to those of the Indigenous Peoples of Australia. The song could easily reference First Nations from all over the world, but the focus here is on the events Greig lived through in Kerala and how the people of that Utopian land touched him. Greig closes out with Song For The Muse, an instrumental good by to Varkala that seems to capture the gentle nature of the ocean breeze.

Robbie Greig tells a sincere if sometimes disconnected tale of a tragedy in Varkala and the trials and tribulations that followed for the people of that land. Songman In India is pure troubadour material; using truth, humor and allegory to inform and enlighten, and perhaps even leave you thinking about the big world around you when it’s done. Greig’s manner is very easy-going on the disc; he refers to his passionate ideas in song here but I never quite got that in the emotional content of the songs presented on Songman In India. Greig seems to prefer an almost Bruce Cockburn-like dispassionate representation of events, people and places that runs counter to the words he sings. Songman In India is a good listen, but the heart that went into the writing doesn’t always come across in the performance.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Robbie Greig at www.myspace.com/robbiegreig. I could find no online outlets for Songman In India. I recommend you contact Robbie Greig through his MySpace page if you’d like to purchase one.

Review: Kevin Carlson - Museum

Kevin Carlson - Museum
2008, Kevin Carlson

Kevin Carlson is an Atlanta, Georgia based performer whose roots run deep in the singer/songwriter tradition. Folks like Dan Fogelberg, Joni Mitchell and Kenny Loggins heavily influenced Carlson, who has been playing and writing songs primarily on a 12-string acoustic guitar since the 1970s. Carlson has seen some real success in the last year, with five songs licensed for use on MTV, Oxygen and E! in October of 2008. All five songs are available on Carlson's debut CD, Museum. Carlson has also seen his songs chart on internet charts such as UBL.com, where he was the #1 pop artist for 8 weeks in early 2009. Writing primarily from his own life experiences, Carlson touches on love, loss and the generalities of life on Museum.

Bethany's Wood leads off the album, a remembrance of a place Carlson played as a child which was itself a remembrance. It's an ode to simpler times and mourns what is often lost with progress. The song is a gorgeous and wonderfully written soliloquy motivated by a sentimentality that is real. With the bar set so high, Carlson delivers in fine style with Miracle. Carlson is an adept story-teller in song, here delving into the lost relationship between a father and daughter as the father sits on death's doorstep. Healing isn't always physical, and the miracles given to us aren't always the ones we ask for. Miracles is a breathtaking demonstration of both facts. Carlson lightens the mood with Hold My Hand, a sweet love song about how the little things can lift us the most. This is probably one of the best and least cliché love songs I've heard in some time. It could be taken as a simple request or a proposal; either way, expect Hold My Hand to be a mix-tape and wedding staple.

Carlson gets in a cute song about his pet pooch called Little Dang Dog. It's a love song that any pet owner will understand. Museum is about being in love for all the wrong reasons and the effects it can have on a person. The story is well told and ends on an empty note, much like the relationship it memorializes. Other Way Around is about the struggle a musician or business person who travels faces between the love of the road and the love of family ("because my heart is where my home is, it's not the other way around"). Other Way Around is a tremendous piece of song craft. Remains Of Yesterday and December Days both seem to focus on the need to look forward. Remains is a general song, whereas December Days is much more personal and deals with the death of a loved one. December Days has the potential to be a real tear-jerker, particularly if the story therein touches upon a story from your own life. Museum closes out with AnnMarie, a touching ode to imperfection and love. AnnMarie displays perhaps better than any song I've heard how sometimes it is the imperfections in the ones we love that bring out best in us.

Kevin Carlson has this ability to write deeply emotional and personal songs without slip-sliding into the Valley of Cliché or sounding like a false balladeer. Carlson shows a talent for turns of phrase and for memorializing people, events and places in song so well that each song breathes with their life's blood. His melodies and arrangements are ultimately pleasing, wrapping each story in a web of song that's irresistible. Carlson is a rare talent, and Museum is a gift. It's rare for a songwriter to have mastered melody, arrangement and lyrics as completely as Carlson has. Names that come to mind are Jason Plumb, Neil Young, Dan Fogelberg and Bruce Cockburn. Museum is a must have CD, a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc. Make sure you spend some time with Kevin Carlson soon.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Kevin Carlson at http://www.kevincarlsonmusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/kevincarlsonmusic. You can purchase a copy of Museum at www.cdbaby.com/cd/kevincarlson or download a copy through iTunes.

Review; Big Bob Young - Hard Way To Make A Dollar

Big Bob Young - Hard Way To Make A Dollar
2009, A Man Around The House Records

Big Bob Young is a blue collar songwriter who never became a professional musician until the age of 27. Now 53 with his children grown, Young is making time for his first love, music. On his way to today Young has been an airman, a soldier, a farrier, a student, a clown, a telegram singer, a father and husband, a jazzman and a country band leader, and the tough-nosed songwriter with the well-worn voice has a lot to say. Young's backing band includes Michael Webb (Gary Allan) on anything with keys, Rick Lonow (Poco) on drums, Carlton Moody (Burrito Deluxe) on acoustic guitar/mandolin and Colin Linden (Bruce Cockburn) on guitar, slide and Dobro. 2009 sees the release of Big Bob Young's debut album, Hard Way To Make A Dollar.

Hard Way To Make A Dollar is a working man’s album; there’s no pretense or glitz, just no-nonsense story telling and a delicious blend of Country, Blues and Rock N Roll. With a sound more akin to Austin, Texas than Tullahoma, Tennessee, it’s easy to see that Big Bob Young’s style could have broad appeal. Hard Way To Make A Dollar opens with Ship Of Fools, a smooth Blues/Country mix featuring strong guitar play and a highly memorable melody. Best Of A Bad Situation is built on a blend of Country, Blues and early Rock N Roll sounds that would feel right at home in any old-school honky-tonk. Somewhere Tonight is one of those songs that will resonate with a lot of people. It’s about the power of faith or prayer. Young tells a moral in song without making it an issue of one particular religion; yet displays how faith-in-action has the power to change lives.

Hard Way To Make A Dollar is a great honky-tonk style tune about a waitress working hard to make ends meet. The song has a gritty realism without losing the heart of the protagonist and is touching while asking no sympathy. Mississippi Nights is a classic could love/tragedy song that regrets the one who got away. Young even gets in a bit of Swamp Country on Green County Stomp. Perhaps the most intriguing tune on the CD is I Call It Love, which ends up sounding like classic Van Morrison. I Call It Love is profound and sweet without becoming syrupy or cliché; A ballad not so much about a person or particular instance but the many faces of love. The most entertaining song on the disc is Can I Take You Home; a bit of New Orleans seeps into this witty and intelligent come-on song. The album closes out with Stand Up, a gospel tune straight out of the old south.

Throughout Hard Way To Make A Dollar, Big Bob Young is a gruff-but-friendly story teller with an easy approach and an insightful eye. The songs presented here are rooted firmly in country music, but make free use of Rock, Blues and even Gospel as each song warrants. As a story-teller, Young is on a par with Springsteen. Musically, the selection here is dynamic enough to keep even the most jaded listener interested. Hard Way To Make A Dollar is a must-hear CD, a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc. Make sure you take a little time to check out Big Bob Young.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Big Bob Young at http://www.bigbobyoung.com/. You can purchase a copy of Hard Way To Make A Dollar at CDBaby.

The Wildy's World Top-40 Of 2008: #13-19

Ah yes, the dreaded end-of-year lists have begun. Not being able to resist the call of annoying pop-culture end of year lists, we here at Wildy's World thought we'd tear our hair our trying to present you with the top 40 albums we've reviewed in 2008. The albums had to be released in 2007 or 2008 in order to be considered, and a total of 537 albums were in the mix. This means the forty albums we'll present over the next 10 days comprise the top 7.5% of submissions in 2008!Each listing will give a very brief statement about the album, and the artist name/title will serve as a hyperlink to the original Wildy's World review, where you can also find links to the artists' website and links to purchase their CDs.

And the tensions builds as today we are covering #'s 13-19. #1 is on the horizon...


#19 Gena Perala - This Ain't Pretty

Gena Perala combines the lyrical oomph of a Bruce Coburn or Springsteen with the post-Ani DiFranco sense of pop/folk/punk songwriting style. This Ain't Pretty is gritty and tough and distinctly beautiful (without being pretty).

#18 Mindwalk BLVD - Paint The Seconds

A progressive rock power trio whose oldest member is a green 16 goes on to nearly win a spot opening for Yes on their 40th Anniversary Tour. If the tour hadn't been cancelled due to Jon Anderson's health problems you'd already be hearing these kids everywhere. As it is it's just a matter of time.

#17 The Break And Repair Method - Milk The Bee

Matchbox 20's Paul Doucette comes out from behind the drum kit on this sparkling solo-debut. With the help of folks like Nina Gordon, Moon Unit Zappa and Matt Beck, Doucette has crafted one of the stickiest sets of melodies of the year.

#16 Beware Fashionable Women - Beware Fashionable Women

Barenaked Ladies style kitsch. Beach Boys Harmonies. Dick Dale style guitar and an edginess reminiscent of The Clash. This is the gloriously improbable package offered up by Beware Fashionable Women. One of the most pleasant surprises of 2008.

#15 Alyssa Graham - Echo

An artist who could have been a star in any era, Graham shows a love and respect for the history of jazz while adding a modern sensibility and appeal. Echo is the sort of album that gets the ear of musicians, many of whom may line up to work with Graham on future projects.

#14 Dare Dukes - Prettiest Transmitter Of All

Dukes is a musical story-teller, nay, a troubadour who finds the most unusual angles. Pulling the humor from life rather than poking fun, Dukes can make you laugh about a story while feeling the underlying angst all in the same song. A songwriter's songwriter.

#13 Reid MacLean - Bright Fading Star
MacLean is a sublime story teller with a near-perfect pop sense. His ability to connect to the listener is insane, and the list of contributors for this album will show you how much respect he already has in the music world.