The Alternate Routes - Lately

The Alternate Routes - Lately

2010, Soundwave

The Alternate Routes return on October 12th with their latest album, Lately.  Going for a more vibrant and raw sound than on past albums, The Alternate Routes have managed to create a collection of songs that plays more like a concert than an album.  Produced by Teddy Morgan at The Barrio East in Nashville, Lately captures the energy that Tim Warren (vox/acoustic guitar) and Eric Donnelly (lead guitar) have brought to The Alternative Routes since the band's birth in 2004.

Lately opens with the noisy, guitar-driven mood-setter "Intro", a brief warm up that rolls into the ethereal "Carry Me Home".  The song is an airy rock tune full of longing with a nice melodic arc in the chorus; a promising start.  "Rocking Chair" sets things straight in an upbeat rock song about wanting to be an answer to romantic problems rather than just a rebound man or Mr. Right Now.  The Alternate Routes walk the melodic and sonic byways between The Gin Blossoms and Del Amitri on this one.  "Stay" is mildly influenced by the Beatles; a prospective love song with a great melody and nicely layered instrumentation and vocals.  "Still Can't Get Enough" is opaque about specifics but is full of tempered yet voracious enthusiasm that occurs where doing something you love and having the wisdom to enjoy it intersect.

"Kiss Me" is catchy but repetitive and will wear on listeners after a bit.  "Lollapalooza" is dreamy, bluesy folk; an interesting musical sidebar that's very low-key and serene.  "Two Of A Kind" is a song of perspective, written about life experiences and how they help us to see the world for what it really is.  "Is It True" is a great example of pop/Americana songwriting.  The Alternate Routes explore what happens when love falls apart in a tune that seems ripe for both adult contemporary and country formats.  It's a great closer and the song that seems most likely to break for the band.

The Alternate Routes set an easy-going pace on Lately, offering up low-key, out of the ordinary pop songs with country, folk and Americana spirit.  Lately is not an album that will bowl you over, but hours of solid listening await those who give it a try.

 Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

 Learn more about The Alternate Routes at www.thealternateroutes.com or www.myspace.com/alternateroutes.  Lately is available through The Alternate Routes' website and Amazon.com on CD.  Keep checking the band's website for digital availability.

Rooney - Eureka

Rooney - Eureka
2010, California Dreamin’ Records/ILG

After a decade working under a major label contract, rockers Rooney step out on June 8, 2010 with their first independent album, Eureka. As if slipping from chains to freedom, Eureka is a buoyant and expressive album that explores real world emotions but does so amidst some of the most ebullient pop/rock songwriting of Rooney’s career.

Eureka opens with "Holdin' On", a song of hopeful regret that bemoans the past but looks forward with the expectation that things will get better. Robert Schwartzman perhaps draws on his own experiences dealing with a major label here, delivering his soliloquy in a great, upbeat pop arrangement. "I Can't Get Enough" is a radio-ready pop tune with a great, memorable chorus. This is a song that could take over the radio airwaves for the summer season. It's a bit light on meaning but has that all important unforgettable pop hook and blends rock and dance music nearly perfectly. "Only Friend" is a great bit of 1970's rock n roll with a tune that will get stuck in your brain; it's a pleasant change of pace.

Rooney gets existential on "Into The Blue" before launching into the pure radio pop/rock of "All Or Nothing". All of this is just a buildup for "The Hunch", which may be the best song Rooney has written/performed to date. There are hints of The Beatles and Del Amitri in this song's lineage, but the sound is so fresh and peppy it seems like a sure-fire hit. "I Don't Wanna Lose You" continues in much the same vein; an incredibly catchy pop/rock tune with roots in the 1960's but fresh as can be. Rooney stays firmly rooted in catchy pop, this time with a melancholy twist on "Go On", another song that wants to jump off the album into your ears and straight to your brain, where it could reside for days on end.

"You're What I'm Looking For" is a classic, upbeat love song blending rock and Americana around a catchy melody. It's a bit more laid back than much of the album, but works very well for the band. "Not In My House" is an intriguing song full of anger. It could be a breakup song, or it could be an ethnocentric soliloquy. Either way it's a brilliant tune. Schwartzman sounds a bit like late 1980's Billy Joel here. Eureka closes with "Don't Look At Me"; an ambitious pop tune that explores the effect that being out of work can have on someone. It's an apropos song for troubled times, putting into words and music the frustration of the nearly 18% of the American population (and larger proportions in other countries) who are unemployed or underemployed.

Rooney mixes good time rock n roll with deft political and social messages throughout Eureka. Of course, some of the songs are just for fun too. Rooney plays in the same melodic playground as The Beatles, with distinctive pop sensibilities woven into arrangements that run the gamut from 1960's to 1980's pop/rock with the occasional touch of Americana thrown in. Eureka is perhaps Rooney's most accessible album to date. In another era this would be a monster album that just kept on giving hit singles, perhaps on a par with Hootie & The Blowfish's Cracked Rear View. Don't be surprised if several songs from Eureka break into the wide open and dominate the radio waves this summer. This is what rock n roll is all about.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Rooney at http://www.rooney-band.com/ or www.myspace.com/rooney. Eureka drops on June 8, 2010. You can pre-order the CD or Vinyl from Amazon. Digital pre-orders are available from iTunes in both Standard and Deluxe versions.

Review: Jason Harrod - Bright As You Are

Jason Harrod - Bright As You Are
2007, Jason Harrod

Jason Harrod is familiar to many as one half of folk/pop duo Harrod And Funck, but has drawn rave reviews since setting out solo. Harrod's latest CD, Bright As You mixes Americana, Southern Rock and Blues across ten impressive tracks. Assisted by a top notch backing band featuring Phil Madeira (Mavis Staples, Al Green, Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller), Harrod has created what has to be an early favorite for consideration on year-end Americana/Rock lists.

Bright As You Are opens with The Sun Is Up, a great bit of upbeat Americana. Harrod reminds me of a cross between Francis Dunnery and Del Amitri here, on what may be the best and most obvious potential single on the album. Kickin' Mule breaks out in a Southern Rock/Blues hybrid that is instantly memorable. Messed Up Everywhere Blues is a strong concert tune, with Harrod sounding a bit like Peter Gabriel on vocals. Night Fall On Me is a fun listen and For Your Time is a great straight-up folk song with both heart and mind in the composition. My favorite track on the disc is My Mad Girlfriend. This rocker with real pop sensibility has universal appeal and is destined to become a fan favorite.

Jason Harrod has some great things going for him. His songs are catchy and memorable, his voice is a pleasure to listen to, and he appears to have a touch for writing that is accessible and likable. Bright As You Are is highly recommended as a great listen; Jason Harrod is one of those artists you'll find yourself gravitating toward and looking for that next release. Excellent.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Jason Harrod at www.myspace.com/jasonharrodmusic or http://www.jasonharrod.com/, where you can purchase a copy of Bright As You Are.

Review: David Martinez - David Martinez

David Martinez – David Martinez
2008, David Martinez

Corpus Christi, Texas-based David Martinez has developed something of a following over the past few years. Significant touring of the U.S. Northwest and West Coast have helped Martinez build a critical buzz as well as develop some very helpful contacts. In 2008, Martinez released his second CD, entitled David Martinez. Produced by Leroy Miller (guitarist - Smash Mouth, Hog), David Martinez is 10 songs of acoustic based folk/rock. Nine songs are all Martinez, and Leroy Miller helped revamp one of the tunes, but it quickly becomes clear why Martinez has generated so much attention.

David Martinez has ups and downs on his self-titled debut. He seems to get a little lost on some of the mid-tempo songs (The Otherside, Waiting), but has a real ear for upbeat folk/pop music. Can’t Find You is incredibly catchy with something of a Del Amitri vibe. What You Need is a great party song. It’s the sort of song that if it hits at the right point in spring it will stay on the radio all summer long. Walk On Air is another good one; an upbeat love song with some funk in its genes and some pretty excellent guitar work. Visions is something of a surprise, falling more into the AOR/Rock category. Great harmonies and a big chorus make this a very memorable tune.

Martinez does well with songs like the opening track, Heal, which sounds like it has Hootie and the Blowfish in its ancestry. Sweet Sister walks the line; a schmaltzy ballad that’s a bit overdone and cliché but has an honest quality that’s endearing in spite of all that. There are a few songs here where Martinez just sounds lost, like perhaps he had a great lyric or chorus or hook that he built a song around but never found the passion for the whole of the song that he did for its genesis. Nevertheless, six songs out of ten are very much worth hearing. The rest aren’t bad, but won’t stick with you either (that’s not a bad ratio).

David Martinez sounds young, and has a fair amount of talent. His voice is just a bit left of center and memorable. He won’t blow you away with his vocals but he is pleasant to listen to. Martinez seems to find moments of true musical inspiration at times on David Martinez, generally in the more upbeat folk/rock tunes. Fans of Pat McGee band, Hootie and the Blowfish, Del Amitri and the like will definitely dig David Martinez. All others should at least hear a song or two that catch their interest.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about David Martinez at www.myspace.com/davidmartinez. You can learn more about Producer Leroy Miller at www.myspace.com/leroymusic. You can purchase a copy of David Martinez at www.cdbaby.com/cd/davidmartinez2.