Nikhil Korula - Solo Sessions

Nikhil Korula – Solo Sessions
2013, Nikhil Korula

Nikhil Korula is a classically trained vocalist and songwriter who spent several years immersed in the west coast jazz scene.  This exposure helped Korula to network with the current members of his Nikhil Korula band.  With several Triple-A singles and relentless touring, the Nikhil Korula band have built an international following.  Gigs with artists such as John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R., Tim Reynolds, Les Claypool (Primus) and Colin Hay (Men At Work) have served to build the band’s fan base as well as influencing the band’s sound.  Now Korula steps out on his own with The Solo Sessions, a five song EP that shows off his dulcet voice and his unusually smooth songwriting style.

Korula opens with “Spark”, a poppy and positive number with influences from Dave Matthews and Earth, Wind and Fire.  Korula gets in the listener’s head here with a rhythmic arrangement that you’ll be singing for days, as well as an upbeat message that leaves the listener with a positive feel.  “He Said, She Said” sounds like it could be a Dave Matthews Band outtake.  The mellow feel is thematic, right down to the occasional sax trills, and Korula even seems to channel Matthews vocally here.  It’s a well-written tune that might be a bit too sound-alike for some, but it’s very much worth a listen.  Korula ends up sounding a bit like Darius Rucker on “Broken Roads” with a sound that falls somewhere between his early work with Hootie and the Blowfish and his country material.  “Broken Roads” is a contemplatively melancholy tune, and Korula brings out the best in his voice.  “Silent Tears” keeps the same aesthetic in another moment melancholy piquant.  Strings in the arrangement offer lovely shading, and the chorus has a sing-song quality that you will carry with you.  Korula says goodnight with “Fade Away”, a mid-tempo rocker with a message about not giving up.  This is a nice choice for a closing tune after the melancholy of the two proceeding songs, and leaves listeners with an optimistic feel that will bring them back.

Nikhil Korula is undoubtedly a talented vocalist with a supple voice that allows him to take on several sounds across an album or EP.  This can be both beneficial and detrimental with music fans, but even if you find the sound derivative you have to acknowledge he’s good at what he does.  The material on Solo Sessions is first class, and Korula fills up each song with an ultimately capable voice and a boat load of charisma.  This is an EP you will find yourself returning to again and again.  And Nikhil Korula is one lucky break from being a household name for many years to come.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at www.NKband.com.

Jacob and the Good People - I Am Jacob

Jacob and the Good People - I Am Jacob
2012, Jacob and the Good People

Atlanta, Georgia (by way of Ohio) rockers Jacob And The Good People have a sound that’s influences by acts such as Dave Matthews Band, Rusted Root, Zac Brown Band, O.A.R., and Lil Wayne, to name a few.  Their infectious post-alternative pop and soul blend gets into your boots and makes them wiggle.  Some of that is the chemistry of the band and some of it is the pure persona that is Jacob Blazer.  On the band’s debut EP, I Am Jacob, Jacob and the Good People incite all of the influences above but sound mostly like they have been playing in some special sauce.

I Am Jacob opens with the light reggae-fueled folk/pop of "Crazy", a love song with a distinctive island swing. Jacob Blazer is charismatic and warm as a front man, and sells this song primarily on personal charm. "Moving" is a low energy cut of musical philosophy that has no questions and fewer answers. "Simple" is a soulful love song in the classic Philly style, with Blazer overcoming minor vocal flaws with pure charm.  "Allstar" finds Jacob playing in the same lazy/hazy soul territory as G. Love. It's an entertaining number that mixes singing and spoken word while dropping culture and fashion references from earlier days. The EP closes with "Goodbye", a tuneful kiss off from a man who is choosing a life on the road over a woman he may love, but who cannot accept him being away.

Jacob and the Good People come quickly full circle in the relationship cycle on I Am Jacob. The slow and easy feel to the songs combines with Jacob Blazer's personal charisma to create an affable listening experience. His voice isn't going to win him awards, but like other great performers before him, Blazer sells each song with such finesse you may not even notice.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at www.jacobandthegoodpeople.com. 

Matt And The City Limits - Crash

Matt And The City Limits – Crash
2011, Island/Def Jam Records

Matt Berman has been making an impression in gigs over the past couple of years, both for his voice and his jazz-infused saxophone style.  Together with his band, Matt And The City Limits, Berman caught the ear of Island/Def Jam Records.  The rest is a story out of the old days of major label dominance.  The upshot was the release of Matt And The City Limits debut album, Crash.  Dropped digitally last fall, the album saw a full CD release in February of 2012. 

The comparisons to folks such as John Mayer, Dave Matthews, Jason Mraz and Rob Thomas are going to be made.  Berman has obviously been influenced by the sounds of some of these acts, but also brings a sense of jazz construction to his songwriting that is not typical for adult alternative rock music.   At the same time, Berman’s sense of melody and presentation is a bit bland.  In spite of some out of the box musical ideas, Crash never really impresses.

That Girl, the first track on Crash, is highly representative of the aura of the album: commercially viable but a bit too much like too many other things on the radio these days.  “Crash” is a middle of the road ballad with a 1970’s lo-fi feel.  The mix is a bit off, the saxophone over-emphasized to the detriment of other instrumentation.  “Keep Love” is a step up; very catchy and with some real pop sensibility, but there’s a vaguely disheveled feel to the mix.  “Beauty Is That Blind Eyes Can See” puts Berman’s strengths and weaknesses in focus.  From a songwriting perspective, this song is very young and not well developed.  By the same token, Berman shows a talent for delivering songs with a sincerity that can’t be feigned.  This will become more significant as he grows into his songwriting skills over time.
”Change” and “On The Other Side” are relatively bland, filling the space leading up to the closing track, “Bring It On Home To Me”.  This instrumental take on the Sam Cooke classic blends jazz and rock in a near-perfect mix that sounds like segue way music from G.E. Smith’s Saturday Night Live days.  The mix here is a bit off, once again, but the overall effect is a good one.

Matt And The City Limits show real musical potential on Crash.  A young songwriter, Matt Berman nevertheless gets points for raw talent and sincerity.  Crash is a solid start, and it will be curious to see what Berman has up his sleeve the next time around.
Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Matt And The City Limits at www.mattandthecitylimits.com.    You can purchase Crash from the e-tailers below, or through the Wildy’s World Amazon.com store. 

     Amazon MP3             iTunes

Please note that the Amazon.com prices listed above are as of the posting date, and may have changed. Wildy's World is not responsible for price changes instituted by Amazon.com.

Madi Diaz - Far From The Things That We Know [EP]

Madi Diaz - Far From Things That We Know [EP]
2011, Tiny Ogre

Madi Diaz is a face in the crowd in Nashville; one of the minions of new era singer/songwriters infiltrating Music Way.  But once you here evocative sound and her penchant for contrast a songwriter, Diaz will quickly become unforgettable.  On September 20, 2011, Diaz releases a three-song EP, Far From The Things That We Know, is a preview for a full-length album due out in early 2012.  Produced by John Alagia (John Mayer, The Dave Matthews Band), Far From The Things That We Know will place Madi Diaz firmly on the map, and build significant anticipation for the full-length release to come.

Far From Things That We Know opens with "Let's Go", a middle of the road pop number you'd expect to hear at Lilith Fair.  Diaz pumps up a simple arrangement with a full sound, and her voice is a pleasure to the ears, but the song doesn't make much of an impression either way.  "Johnny" hits the mark; an urgent entreaty in song, harking back to the era of Saturday night drag racing on the edge of town.  Diaz crafts a nice, fluid melody here to take the edge of a lover's premonition, and sounds like a blend of Emm Gryner and Sara Bareilles.  Diaz closes with "Heavy Heart", an intriguing piece of melancholy folk/pop with a sweet melody.  Diaz' pretty, reserved sound is memorable.  She doesn't blow listeners away, but draws you in with a sense of quiet that is intriguing.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Madi Diaz at www.madidiaz.com or www.myspace.com/madidiaz.  Far From The Things That We Know is scheduled to drop September 20, 2011.  Keep checking Diaz’ website(s) for details.

The Grownup Noise - This Time With Feeling

The Grownup Noise - This Time With Feeling
2011, The Grownup Noise

The Grownup Noise has been a work in progress for several years now.  Percolating their Indie Power Folk sound in the musical cauldron of Boston, the band made a distinctive impression with their self-titled debut album in 2007.  Four years and five coast-to-coast tours later, The Grownup Noise continues to evolve their eclectic brand of avant-garde folk and pop, offering up a plethora of sounds and styles on their sophomore album, This Time With Feeling.  The four Berklee College of music grads who make up The Grownup Noise, Paul Hansen (vox/guitar/keys); Adam Sankowski (bass/keys/vox); Katie Franich (cello/keys/vox) and Aine Fujioka (drums/vox) continue to surprise with outlooks and arrangements that are atypical yet surprisingly gratifying.

This Time With Feeling opens with "The Strawmen", a socio-political commentary on a rudderless society with clueless or worse individuals in charge.  Delivered in a conversational melodic style reminiscent of Kevin Hearn (Barenaked Ladies); the stark chorus and streaming verses are a nice touch to open with.  "Anthem For Second Place" is mildly catchy but too mono-thematic to really maintain the listener's attention.  There's a lack of dynamics here that is disappointing.  "Flower" suffers from the same malady, although the instrumentation could be magical with a bit more range involved.  The lack of dynamic change gives this one a droning sound it doesn't deserve to bear.

"Carnival" documents the intriguing tug and weave of relationships, needs and preconceptions.  The Grownup Noise hit the ground running with a memorable melody that grows into an even better chorus.  While a bit obscure stylistically, the song weaves a straight ahead story-telling style into an enigmatic arrangement that will have you hitting repeat.  "Six Foot Solemn Oath" delivers a power-folk sound that's full and layered under a constant lyrical barrage.  Franich offers superb depth with her backing vocal here.  The band achieves a quasi-new wave feel on "The Artist Type", juxtaposing a sense of manic excess with an understated style that works better than you might expect.  The fact that the melody is virulently catchy helps the process along.

"So It Goes" offers some of the most impressive instrumentation on the album, giving a glimpse of the depth of musical talent in the band.  "Just So You Know" builds a solid hook into a great chorus that will set up shop in your noggin and stay awhile.  The Grownup Noise build a pretty shell of instrumentation that's peppy, while the lyrics convey a hopelessness that is simultaneously in conflict with and complementary to the arrangement.  "Attention" documents the fleeting nature of time and the freedom of youth.  It's a great, atypical number and is among the best work The Grownup Noise has done to date.  On "Gone Is A Four Letter Word", the band takes listeners through eight minutes of musical reflections on a relationship lost and hanging on to whatever scraps may present themselves.  Written in two distinctive song parts, the song just hangs on too long.  This Time With Feeling closes with the anti-climactic and mundane "Somehow We Escaped".  The song bookends the album well from a content perspective, but together with "Gone Is A Four Letter Word" forms a clumsy closing duo that seem inconsistent with the vibe The Grownup Noise has spent nearly forty-five minutes building.

This Time With Feeling represents a number of interesting choices by The Grownup Noise.  It appears to be an album about decline, whether in the wider world or in a particular relationship.  It's interesting because there are clear signs that the band has taken significant steps forward since the release of The Grownup Noise in 2007.  Nevertheless, there are also signs that the band is stuck in some of their own pre-conceptions about what their sound should be.  At times it almost appears that they are fighting against their own natural musical tendencies to create an intended sound rather than to simply create.  It is a mark of each respective member's inherent musical talents that This Time With Feeling turned out as good as it did; and it is quite good.  There's just a sense of conflict and uncertainty here that could become The Grownup Noise's Achilles heel, or be the catalyst that drives them on to greater things.  Here's hoping for the latter.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5) 

Learn more about The Grownup Noise at www.thegrownupnoise.com or www.reverbnation.com/thegrownupnoise.  This Time With Feeling is available on CD from Amazon.com.  The album is available digitally via iTunes.

Flo Anito - No Dustbunnies

Flo Anito - No Dustbunnies
2008, Flo Anito

Flo Anito, a Washington, D.C.-based singer/songwriter who has garnered comparisons to Ani DiFranco, Fiona Apple and Nellie McKay, has been charming fans in the DC area and throughout New England for a couple of years now.  Her jazzy, piano-driven pop songs show off poetically prolific story-telling style with theatrical flair.  A graduate of Wesleyan University, Anito is classically trained in piano, voice and cello, and has a background in musical theater as well.  All of these facts offer hints of what is to come when first sit down to listen to Flo Anito's latest album, No Dustbunnies.  Anito worked with Chris Keup (O.A.R., Erin McKeown); Stewart Meyers (Lifehouse) and Brian Jones (Dave Matthews Band, Mandy Moore) to bring No Dustbunnies to life.

Anito opens with "Man Of The Year", a simplistic piano-driven arrange with a lace of strings added for atmosphere.  The song explores the angst of a new or prospective relationship; of wanting in but being afraid of getting hurt.  It's an intriguing start, and shows off a voice that's both gritty and pure; a sweet alto with a bit of tough-girl rasp.  "Uh Oh!" is catchy, stripped-down rock n roll that wouldn't be surprising in the background of a prime-time drama.  Anito's theatrical background comes out to stay for a while, starting with "Work!".  The song explores the complete thought process about a failing relationship, in a wordy yet well-flowing presentation that sounds like a modern Broadway/rock soliloquy.    If "Work!" is the internal conversation, the "Change My Life" is the external one that follows.  The melody is memorable, and the chorus in particular could get lodged in your head for days. 

"Mean" continues in the same vein, a catchy rocker with blues in its ancestry that explores the petty offenses and responses that dot a dysfunctional relationship.  This one is delivered in two acts: the first an early wakeup call that she didn't appreciate; the second her scheming for revenge.  Revenge and pathos make for an entertaining and tuneful trip into the dark reaches of the relationship psyche.  Country, blues and gospel blend on "No Good", a musical revelation that the relationship needs to go.  Anito gives you the entire rundown in lyrics that give you everything you could want to know while somehow avoiding the trap of too much information.  The chorus will stick with you, and you'll still feel the Broadway vibe that's run throughout much of the album to this point.

Things on No Dustbunnies have gone so well to this point that the coming slowdown is both expected and disappointing.  "dRuNKen LetTeR" is morose and self-serving, as it should be, but really dampens the entire mood that Anito has set to this point, and sounds very much out of place.  "Afghanagain" and "Valentine's Day Blues" are solid story songs, but lack the pizzazz and energy of what's come before, while "What You Don't Know Can Hurt You" serves as a placid transition to the close.  Anito sails off into the sunset with the jaunty, tongue-in-cheek Leave It To Beaver pop of "No Dustbunnies", funneling the frustrations of an old-time housewife into the cleanest home in town.  Rather than playing the song dipped in irony, Anito gives listeners the story in an authentic, time-stamped voice, which in its way is more ironic than the sarcasm often passed off as irony in pop culture.

The key to great pop music is simplicity.  Flo Anito appears to have learned this lesson well, constructing simple-yet-catchy pop tunes that are literate and fun.  Half of No Dustbunnies mines the culture of relationships for dysfunction and real emotion, presenting it all in a storytelling style that is equally at-home in the theater as it is on a pop record.  Anito manages this all in engaging fashion, wrapping you up in the web of strong narrative and infectious melodies that simply won't leave you alone.  The other half of the album is less winsome; functional in nature but lacking the pizzazz and charm that Anito is capable of.  All in all it's a worthwhile effort, but there are certainly some weeds in the flowerbed.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Flo Anito at www.floanito.com or www.myspace.com/floanito.  No Dustbunnies is available on CD from Amazon.com. Downloads are available from iTunes.

Life Size Ghost - Where We Started

Life Size Ghost - Where We Started
2010, Life Size Ghost

Mount Pleasant, Michigan is the home of Life Size Ghost, an eclectic six-piece band boasting the impressive Talitha Snowden on vocals (and keys). Unlike many such bands, Life Size Ghost doesn't exist simply to back Snowden. This collective is highly talented and original, with Erik Ryden (lead guitar); Curtis Hendershott (guitar); Dan Pavlovich (bass); Brian Thomas (drums) and Reese Gall (vibraphone) rounding out the roster. Unusual instrumentation and a distinctive sound bear fruit on Life Size Ghost's sophomore album Where We Started.

Life Size Ghost opens with "Old Design", a wonderfully dark jam rock excursion that shows both the power and finesse of Life Size Ghost while highlighting the impressive voice of Snowden. "Fight Or Flight" is a bit maudlin but follows an interesting compositional path touching on a blend of modern rock and classic/progressive rock. "Where We Started" features a strong performance from Snowden but feels stuck in its own musical inertia. The plodding course of the melody line weighs heavily on the song. "Every Other Word" is a slow, dynamic rocker that features outstanding work on the vibes and another strong vocal outing from Talitha Snowden. Life Size Ghost is hitting on all cylinders here in the sort of big rock anthem that has real radio potential. "Anytime, Anywhere" puts on some muscle in a dark, energetic rocker; a needful invitation that devolves into a generic reggae rhythm for the guitar solo before returning to form. "Well Aware" finds Life Size Ghost surfing mellow waters in an almost ambient rock opening before kicking in the big guitar sound that rears its head from time to time, but has a hard time escaping its own weight. Where We Started closes with "Count Me Out", a melancholy kiss off song that's more about personal escape and redemption than getting away.

When We Started has its dynamic moments. Life Size Ghost manages to construct some highly original and complex arrangements, but there are other moments when the process seems so burdensome you'll wonder how they got through it. Talitha Snowden has an original voice and uses it well, although she does appear to be stuck at one dynamic level throughout this album. Erik Ryden is a talent on guitar, and the band as a whole is very competent, to say the least. Where We Started isn't a negative experience, but you're likely to be left with the impression of Life Size Ghost as a band who is playing it safe. All of the components are here; it's just a matter of the right inspiration.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Life Size Ghost at http://www.lifesizeghost.com/ or www.myspace.com/lifesizeghost.  Where We Started is available as both CD and Download from CDBaby.com. 
.

Sokoband - Sokoband (featuring Dave Matthews, Tim Reynolds, LeRoi Moore and Steve Kimock)

Sokoband - Sokoband
2010, Breezeway Records

Sokoband (formerly Soko) is a Charlottesville, Virginia based Jazz duo that formed in 1990. Comprised of Michael Sokolowski (piano) and Houston Ross (bass), Sokoband has worked with a number of top name performers over the years. In 1996, Sokoband released their debut album, In November Sunlight. The album featured guest appearances from Dave Matthews, LeRoi Moore and Tim Reynolds, and sold very well for an instrumental jazz album because of their presence. Sokoband wasn't happy with the album as presented however, and undertook remaking it over the past two years. The result is Sokoband, which includes all eight tracks from In November Sunlight as well as two new tunes. Matthews, Reynolds and Moore came back for this new project. Additional guests include Steve Kimock (guitar), Mike Colley (guitar), David Cast (sax), John Zias (guitar) and David Darling (cello).

Opening with the frenetic synth of "Coast To Coast", Sokoband creates a danceable pop offering steeped in Herbie Hancock style jazz/pop. It's an enjoyable tune that allows the musicians to explore their own riffs and inspirations while sticking closely to the main theme. "Jiriki" has a Latin jazz feel, with acoustic and electric guitars trading riffs in against the tasteful waterfall backdrop created by the piano and percussion. "In November Sunlight" sounds like film score music, with Sokolowski developing a pervasive and memorable theme on piano. As other instruments come in they somewhat obscure the theme, but it resurfaces from time to time out of the depths to remind us all that it’s there.

Sokoband launches into a ten-minute plus progressive jazz/rock Odyssey in the form of "Energy Changed", playing with dark subtexts and distortion around a guitar-led theme that's as unsettled as it is iconic. It's not Pink Floyd, but could have spun from a Gilmour-inspired haze. "And Yet Your Smile", one of the new tracks this time around, plays like a 1970's easy listening jazz tune, with saxophone out front. While it's a decent listen, it is driven by a very different writing style than the older material. Where the older songs have a fresh edgy feel a decade and a half after they were written, "And Yet Your Smile" sounds tired. "Half Sleep" is a repetitive expedition, holding space for the closing number, "Nightfall". "Nightfall" is the other new track on Sokoband; a moody variegated composition that dwells in ambience while it slowly progresses through an almost free-form melody.

Jazz fusion fans will love Sokoband. Hard-core Dave Matthews Band fans will snap it up (especially if they don't have 1996's In November Sunlight), but this is hardly a mainstream album. Sokoband is inventive and original at times, formulaic and derivative at others. The newer material, while relevant, just doesn't fit well with the original 8 songs. The original material gets new life here, mostly successfully. Sokoband is complex and highly musical when on their game.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Sokoband at http://www.sokoband.com/ or www.myspace.com/sokoband. Sokoband is available as either a CD or Download from Amazon.com.

Review: Julie Kinscheck - Grace With Jazz On Top

Julie Kinscheck – Grace With Jazz On Top
2008, Kip Media

Boston’s own Julie Kinscheck had dedicated her life to changing the world through music. Whether performing on her own, with a Cappella group Faith In Action or PTB, Kinscheck sings about her Faith and belief in God. In 2008 Kinscheck finally took a huge leap of faith and released her debut solo album, Grace With Jazz On Top. Mixing jazz with folk and pop styles, Kinscheck has created a refreshing and vibrant album.

Grace With Jazz On Top opens with Secure Heart, a great little tune that walks the pathway between 1960’s Rock and Country. Secure Heart has the pop sensibility to catch on with listeners. Grace is written in a Rock/Jazz hybrid periodically reminiscent of The Dave Matthews Band. Coffee Song is the highlight of the album; a jazz tune that wants to stray into rockabilly. Coffee becomes the metaphor for romance in a wonderful act of innuendo that’s family friendly. Get In The Water takes us to Dixieland in a pop arrangement. Kinscheck even gets in some mean scat singing in one of the peppier offerings on the album. Other highlights include The Andrews Sisters inspired He Called, Precious, and the martial country tribute to the resilience of Faith: American Memory.

Grace With Jazz On Top is a memorable collection of pop/jazz hybrids full of Spirit. Fans of Christian Pop music will dig Julie Kinscheck.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Julie Kinscheck at http://www.julieksings.com/. You can purchase a copy of Grace With Jazz On Top at www.cdbaby.com/cd/kinscheck.

Review: The Hip Abduction - Move (EP)

The Hip Abduction – Move
2008, The Hip Abduction

Florida’s The Hip Abduction draws on the life experience of band members who have lived in the Caribbean, Micronesia, Ecuador, India, New York City, Washington DC and various other points on the East Coast of the United States. Jazz, Funk, Reggae, and Rock mix wonderfully well on The Hip Abduction’s new EP, Move.

Move opens with Sacred Life, a delicious mix of Funk, Rock and Reggae that will get caught in your head semi-permanently. Your feet will tap in spite of themselves and insist you get up and move. Your Upside Down is also very danceable and catchy, infusing elements of jazz into the aforementioned musical ménage. The Hip Abduction slow things down a tad for a mellow mix of Reggae and Jazz that is memorable. Moonshine is a funky bit of Island/Latin Jazz that is irresistible. The Hip Abduction closes the set with Gringo, another impossibly catchy rock hybrid you just can’t stand still for.

The Hip Abduction has an ability to create incredibly catchy, danceable songs you won’t be embarrassed to tell people you listen to. If you took the musical approach of the Dave Matthews Band, added some funk and real jazz and a Latin rhythm, you’ll have an idea of what you’re going to hear. The Hip Abduction is even better than you’d imagine. Move is a tremendous introduction to a band too viral and catchy to go away.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Hip Abduction at www.myspace.com/thehipabduction or http://www.thehipabduction.com/. No word on availability of the CD yet, although there is a non-working link to purchase the CD on The Hip Abduction’s home page.

Review: Ben Johnson - Make It Bloom

Ben Johnson - Make It Bloom
2007, Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson's involvement and training in music runs the gamut from opera to jazz to world music to rock n roll. One of his previous bands, a salsa act named Mambo Jumbo opened for the Dave Matthews Band during the 2002 Olympics. His musical experiences and exposure lead to Make It Bloom, a diverse and wide ranging album full of sounds you may not always hear on one album, but which work amazingly well together for all of that. Johnson plays bass and sings on the album, but also recorded all acoustic guitar and piano parts in the studio. He's joined by Anthony Phan on Rhodes Piano, trumpet and vocals, and Randy Herbert on drums.

Johnson gets off very much on the right foot with New Sonata. This is an amazing pop song that is so catchy it might invoke a quarantine. Imagine if Ben Folds wrote happy pop songs and you get the general idea ("Boom shadda shadda boom boom shadda / I found paradise within your personna / Boom shadda shadda boom boom shadda / You're the kind of inspiration for my new sonata"). Pulling a prompt 180, Johnson launches into the maudlin love song Untame. It's a hard change of pace, as its difficult to rectify the Johnson we hear on New Sonata with the one we hear on Untame, but both songs work in their own right. Way Back East is a melancholic pop tune with bright/dark ambivalence that makes it an intriguing listen.

Up With The Flow has a quirky feel to it that is charming. The rhythmic acoustic guitar arrangement underneath keeps this one moving until the chorus kicks in with muted pop grandeur. One of my personal favorites here is Life, Easier. Johnson unleashes the funk on a limited basis here, with a guitar riff opening that's as nasty as they come. This one is something of a guitar anthem on the chorus, with minimal instrumentation on the verses. Internal Bleeding heads back into Ben Folds territory, sounding like an outtake from Rheinhold Messner. Other highlights here include O Town, Equilibrium and Way Back East.

Ben Johnson brings a fun and quirky sense to his music, highlighted by a real flair for the essence of pop music. Lyrically he presents some awkward moments at times, but these are almost more notable as marks of his musical character than flaws in writing. The song New Sonata is something special. In New Sonata Johnson has created one of those pop moments that either spark long and successful careers or memorialize bands as one hit wonders. It all depends on what follows of course, but New Sonata is an IT song. The sort that, released to pop radio in late spring/early summer with the right push could dominate the airwaves all summer long. If Johnson has anything else up his sleeve along that line he'll be with us for a long, long time. Even without New Sonata, Make It Bloom is a worthy effort.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Ben Johnson at www.myspace.com/benjohnson1975. You can pick up a copy of Make It Bloom at www.cdbaby.com/cd/bjohnsonmusic.

Review: Bailey - Burden The Hand

Bailey - Burden The Hand

2008, Baileymusic

Ohio native Chris Bailey has released six albums since 1999, both individually and with his band Moonlight Graham. Weaned on 1970's singer/songwriter types such as Jim Croce, Cat Stevens, Van Morrison, Paul McCartney and John Lee Hooker, Bailey writes in a bluesy folk style that would have fit in with the folks above while retaining a modern edge. Bailey's latest release, Burden In The Hand is intensely personal and forthright, using a broad range of instruments and sounds to tell a series of 7 stories to highly entertaining and complex musical arrangements.

Bailey opens with Sunny Road, a blues flavored folk rocker that would do Van Morrison proud. The arrangement is bare through most of the song but builds to a delicious crescendo as the chorus concludes. Bailey delves deeper into the Blues on Burden The Hand. Bailey's voice is incredibly soulful here with just the right mix of gruffness. The song builds from barebones to a big jam surrounding the tasty guitar riff that drives the song. This is my personal favorite song on the disc. River sticks with the blues sound and brings out a vocal quality that you hear before now but becomes extremely plain on River. Bailey sounds very, very similar to Dave Matthews. The main difference is that whatever Matthews is vocally, Bailey is more so. Bailey has just a bit more gruffness to his voice, and vocally has a more compelling sound than Matthews (based on tone, power, etc.). DMB fans will find themselves doing double takes when they first hear Bailey.

On Top Of The World is more in the singer-songwriter style Bailey grew up with. The song is a bit of genius writing. Bailey sounds like no one but himself here, and the performance is excellent. Between The Tracks sounds like Bob Dylan meets Billy Joel stylistically. It's pleasant singer-songwriter stuff but perhaps doesn't stand out quite the way some of the other material here does. The EP closes out with In Your Hands and Flowers, two musical short stories that are pleasant closure to a strong introduction.

Chris Bailey offers a memorable performance on Burden The Hand, proving that the singer/songwriter genre is alive and well. Highly introspective and reserved, Bailey offers up 7 vignettes in song that are entertaining and gratifying listens. The market for Burden The Hand probably veers strongly toward older music fans, but Bailey will find adherents across all age groups. There's nothing glitzy here, just good old fashioned music.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Bailey at www.myspace.com/baileyandthe. You can purchase a copy of Burden The Hand at www.cdbaby.com/cd/chrisbailey.

Review: Triptaka - Second War

Triptaka - Second War
2007, Triptaka

Triptaka is from Seattle but has it's roots in Ontario, Canada. Graeme Cornies, Dave Kelly and James Chapple have spent significant time writing music for corporate America, but find their greatest challenge and satisfaction creating their own brand of industrial alternative rock music as Triptaka. Their debut album, Second War, is a theme album about humanity fighting to keep it's better instincts intact. The theme runs through both humanist and religious philosophies, with descriptions as stark as "spiritual war" or as benign as "selling out". Triptaka certainly doesn't sell out on Second War, a surprisingly supple (for Industrial music) album full of a positive message bigger than itself.

Triptaka sounds like an odd conjugation of the Dave Matthews Band and Nine Inch Nails. Lead vocalist Graeme Cornies sounds quite a bit like Dave Matthews on the opening track, Suspended, but there's a definite harder edge that runs throughout Second War. The title track is in the style of early Metallica, whereas Tamed takes a much more pop/dance flavor into the heavy drum and bass mix. Mother is a more organic, acoustic based sound that is pleasant to the ears but retains a lot of the repressed energy that runs throughout the album. The Source heads for more ambient musical currents, sounding more like the bizarre dream born of a meditation gone haywire. Falling Down returns to the heavy metal pretense with a song that rocks harder than most of the hard edge bands on the market these days. Second War closes with Don't You Think It's Time You Let Go?; a melancholy ambient number that has licensing written all over it.

Triptaka takes risks on Second War. Some work and some don't. What comes across more than anything is the courage to create in any direction that takes Triptaka's fantasy, regardless of the market at hand. This is why I think in the long run Triptaka will succeed in the music business. The courage and ability to create for and from one's own muse in the face of commercial pressures marks the sort of character and lasting confidence that tends to carry a mediocre band to success, and a good band like Triptaka to maybe be a great one. Only time will tell, but Second War is a good start.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Triptaka at http://www.triptaka.com/ or www.myspace.com/triptaka. You can purchase a copy of Second War at www.cdbaby.com/cd/triptaka.