Sheri Miller - Winning Hand

Sheri Miller - Winning Hand
2011, Sheri Miller

Sheri Miller made an impact quickly.  Her 2008 debut album, Mantra, spawned an underground hit in "Right Here, Right Now", and earned her recognition as one of Music Connection's 'Hot 100 Unsigned Artists'.  An invitation to join a group called The Delilahs resulted in a major label contract and opportunities to write songs with the likes of J.D. Souther, Jill Sobule, Shawn Mullins and Al Anderson (NRBQ).  Unfortunately the band fell apart, and Miller found herself on her own again.  She did the only thing a songwriter could do; she kept writing and performing.  The result is Miller's sophomore EP, Winning Hand, featuring a top-notch band with members who have played with the likes of Paul Simon, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, David Bowie and Suzanne Vega.  Winning Hand was produced by Kevin Killern (U2, Peter Gabriel), and represents significant growth on the excellent start Miller got off to with Mantra. 

Winning Hand sets sails with an Americana/pop love song in the form of "Spoons".  It's a brilliant low-key pop tune featuring gorgeous harmonies and a memorable chorus.  This could be a bonafide hit for Miller, and will likely be a winner in the licensing world as well.  "Winning Hand" is a languorous Americana ballad about taking the chance to fall in love.  Miller's melody is winsome, but the overall effect is a touch bland.  "Satellite" has an acoustic southern rock feel that's appealing.  A quiet anthem screaming to have big guitar sound pumped in, the song remains an enjoyable listen even in this stripped down form.  "Everybody Feels This Way Sometimes" seems a bit out of place here.  It's a decent enough tune, but doesn't have the same energy or sense of personality as the other tracks presented here.  Winning Hand winds up with "Hungry For The Truth", a dark rocker about figuring out the meaning of life, no matter the cost.  The song is quietly impressive, sneaking up on you and growing in estimation with each successive listen.  It's probably the most impressive piece of songwriting Sheri Miller has unveiled thus far; showing a much more complex and intricate side to her songwriting psyche than one might expect.

Sheri Miller continues to impress, showing more levels and layers to her lyrics and composition than on the formidable Mantra EP.  The best way to describe Sheri Miller is to say she's a star in waiting.  In the days of major label dominance, Sheri Miller would already have a major record deal, and would be in demand as both a songwriter and performer.  Life is both easier and harder in the post-label era, but Miller's progression as a songwriter in the last three years speaks of wonderful things to come down the road.  Winning Hand has its rough spots, but when Miller is on her game there are few better.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Sheri Miller at www.sherimiller.com or www.myspace.com/sherimiller. 

Paper Thick Walls - A Thousand Novels

Paper Thick Walls - A Thousand Novels
2011, Paper Thick Walls

Paper Thick Walls had a busy year in 2010.  The quintet of Eric Michaels (vocals/guitar/motif); Kate Schell (vocals/piano/trumpet); Roger Sherman (upright bass); Andrew Sabo (drums) and Jacques René (fiddle/mandolin/guitar) graced the stage at SXSW, NXNE and CMJ Music Marathon.  In the process they came to the attention of sound engineer Mike Hagler (Wilco, Neko Case) with a sound that's been compared to Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire.  Hagler took the boards to help Paper Thick Walls create their debut album, "A Thousand Novels", out May 3, 2011.  Mixing intricate orchestral folk/pop arrangements with articulate tales born of fancy, Paper Thick Walls cut an intriguing musical path.

A Thousand Novels hits the ground with the lush folk/pop blend of "Old Weathered Dock".  The song is a collection of visual mementos set to a catchy and quirky orchestrated arrangement.  Between Kate Schell's exceedingly pleasant vocal lead, Eric Michaels' Peter Gabriel-esque secondary vocal and the airy, orchestrated arrangement, "Old Weathered Deck" is a breath of fresh air.  "Sighs Of Relief" is a painted poem set to music about meeting someone new and falling in love, diverting into the healing power of love as an aside.  It's a pretty, piano-based tune fleshed out into full, layered orchestration.  Schell and Michaels duet on "Orange Tree", an optimistic song sung on the run from the law.  This memorable tale matches an occasionally bitter circumstance against a sweet and dreamy arrangement that reflects the unreality of the situation.  Don't be surprised if you fall in love with the chorus on first listen.

"Nyquil" is quasi-psychedelic folk, extolling the beauty of one to a host of heavenly bodies.  The song has an odd-yet-charming quality wrapped up in its abstract exploration of consequence.  "A Thousand Novels" is a love story of two people torn apart by war.  This is not your typical song of love overcoming any circumstance unless you're into the metaphysical outcome.  The focus here is how love will be memorialized, and is touching if a bit out of the ordinary.  "Desolate Place" explores the transformation of a relationship's aftermath into rebuilding.   The musical arrangement parallels the story in loneliness and loss with an intriguing theatrical feel in spite of the almost ethereal melancholy that pervades the song. 

"Portrait" is a duet about love and beauty in the abstract, as it exists in our minds but oft times not in our realities.  The media here are paintings, words and memories, but the connection evades in a gorgeous arrangement born of guitar, percussion and bass.  "Overgrown" is a catchy acoustic rocker that finds Eric Michaels out in front.  It's a solid love song that's a bit wordy for its own good, but overcomes this with a pragmatic and catchy arrangement that grabs your attention.  Paper Thick Walls say goodnight with "Infinite", a number that vacillates between introspective, depressive verses and a jaunty chorus.  The mix is jarring, but works well as varying motifs on the theme of falling apart.

Like Belle And Sebastien before them, Paper Thick Walls have found a sound that is both articulate in composition and lyrically melodic.  The converse is so obvious it need not be stated.  A Thousand Walls sucks listeners in the way a great book envelopes your mind.  Musically, lyrically and dramatically, Paper Thick Walls challenge listeners to listen actively and participate on an intellectual and emotional level.  A Thousand Walls will keep you coming back for more.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Paper Thick Walls at www.paperthickwalls.com or www.myspace.com/paperthickwalls.  A Thousand Novels is due out May 3, 2011 and is available for digital pre-order from Amazon.com.  Expect wider availability to follow in both digital and traditional formats.

Ari Hest - Sunset Over Hope Street

Ari Hest - Sunset Over Hope Street
2011, Mercer Street/Downtown Records

Ari Hest had it all:  A record deal with Columbia Records; tours; airplay and national recognition.  But something wasn’t right.  Hest walked away from the major so he could have more control over his music.  It started with a project to write 52 songs in 52 weeks, opening Hest up to deeper creativity that he couldn’t access under the yoke of corporate masters.  2011 sees Hest return with what may be his best work to date, Sunset Over Hope Street.

Sunset Over Hope Street opens with "Until Next Time", which plays like a dreamy outcast from an off-Broadway musical.  Hest explores the heart-breaking vacillations of a flighty love who slips away like dreams upon waking.  Piano providers a spark as a counter to Hest's plaintive baritone, and could easily be written to an artist's muse.  "How Would I Know" is a love song that begs the age-old question of whether his love is 'the one'.  He doesn't know, but is carrying on as if she is.  "A Way Back Home" is a subtle rock tune vaguely reminiscent of Peter Gabriel.

Hest engages in interesting social commentary in "Business Of America", taking on the socio-economic system in the United States that places the desire for more over the needs of the many.  There's a pervasive melancholy that runs through this beautifully-written and poignant tune.  "One Track Mind" is a gorgeous, but sad song about a couple at loggerheads.  He wants her to change while she acknowledges the co-existence of a desire to change and her seeming inability.  This is the tragedy of a true love between two people simply can't co-exist.  "If I Knew You'd Say Yes" is an edgy, electric guitar-driven tune where love and desire run up against deep insecurity.  The narrator is frozen in place, caught between what he wants and what he fears.

"Sunset Over Hope Street" is a poetic diagnostic of a relationship that's falling apart.  Hest uses gorgeous imagery to explain the facts in academic terms, while palpable heartbreak simmers just beneath.  "Down The Mountain" is refined musically but obtuse lyrically.  An enjoyable listen yet a head scratcher.  "Give It Time" is a pretty little request to not let the small stuff get in the way of a relationship.  This one is well-written and well thought-out, an understated gem.  "Swan Song" sounds like something Sting might have come out with in the early 1990's.  Beautiful yet dark, with a vague Spanish guitar style beneath haunting vocal harmonies.  It's absolutely beautiful.  Hest closes things out with "A Good Look Around", a song about being in over his head but finding the motivation to make it all work out.  It's another gorgeous bit of songwriting that will make you happy you stuck around for the final track.

Ari Hest impresses with Sunset Over Hope Street, showing off an unusual blend of qualities that put the listener instantly at ease.  Hest is a story-teller with the bent of a mystic poet, drawing out each tale impressive imagery and melodicism.  Hest's understated air sometimes comes across as a literati distance, but more often reflects the other-worldly bearing of someone who walks on both sides of the moment.   Sunset Over Hope Street will keep you coming back for more.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Ari Hest at www.arihest.com or www.myspace.com/arihest.  Sunset Over Hope Street is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available via iTunes.

Review: Justyna Kelley - Over The Moon

Justyna Kelley - Over The Moon
2010, Iconique Music Group

Justyna Kelley grew up in Nashville, in a household where jam sessions were as much a part of family play time as anything else. Kelley appears to have been groomed for a career in music, but it's her passion for music that makes her special. Kelley's debut album, Over The Moon, features the sort of Country/Pop/Adult Contemporary crossover appeal you'd expect from Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain or Faith Hill. Produced by David Kershenbaum (Joe Jackson, Tracy Chapman), Kevin Killen (U2, Peter Gabriel, Shawn Colvin) and Guy Eckstine (Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Jeff Lorber), Over The Moon features ten songs worth of smooth radio-friendly country/pop and rock.

Over The Moon opens with "Once In A While", a musical monologue from one who feels forgotten in a relationship. "Once In A While" is a classic modern country ballad; Kelley delivers the song with a grace and dignity that will surprise you. It's a great opening song that is likely to have mild radio success but will fit nicely into the wonderful world of licensing. "The One I Love" is a happy mid-tempo country/pop gem. This song could be a hit on either side of the Country/Pop divide, with a chorus that will get stuck in your brain and refuse to leave. Kelley has a cultured country alto voice that is appealing; just a hint of sultry attitude hidden behind a wall of sweetness that suggests "girl next door" qualities. "Pushover" finds Kelley drifting more into the realm of Rock N Roll in a kiss off song to a friend who isn't really. It's a song of strength, of standing up for yourself. Kelley's delivery is solid, but perhaps a bit short on the anger that runs through the song.

"Over The Moon" is full of the starlight and effervescence of new love. Kelley's smooth delivery can't diminish the utter joy this song conveys, and the sweet sound of her upper range perhaps makes the song even more endearing. This one could be a bonafide pop and country hit. "Shoulda Known" is the sort of generic Pop/Country that seems to do well on commercial radio but is quickly forgotten; a decent enough song but just not something that will stick with you. Kelley puts her pop shoes on for "Have You Seen Him?” combining elements of 1980's pop, rock and country for a solid tune with commercial legs. Kelley shines on the Diane Warren-penned "Life's Like That", navigating the soaring chorus with essential grace. Kelley says goodnight with "Emily", obsessing over her man's ex-girlfriend and whether she might still be on his mind. The song is an awkward closer, at best. I suspect it was included to show a different side of Justyna Kelley, but in the end it may have been more of a disservice to Kelley than anything else.

Justyna Kelley has a gorgeous voice, and reflects a poise and comfort on this recording that suggests a highly professional performer. Over The Moon suggests that no matter how pretty her voice may be, Kelley's isn't a powerful sound. This limits the range of material available to her, certainly, but not all of the material on Over The Moon was well chosen for her voice. Kelley can certainly deliver solid Pop tunes with appeal, and working in the circles she's in she's nearly guaranteed at least a modicum of success. Over The Moon has some strong moments, but never truly soars.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Justyna Kelley at http://www.justynakelley.com/ or www.myspace.com/justynakelley. No full album is availble yet, but you can download individual tracks from Justyna Kelley on Amazon.com.

Review: Stellar Vector - A Flock Of Cowards

Stellar Vector - A Flock Of Cowards
2010, Mildly Misanthropic Music

Stellar Vector has had a long and varied path to where they stand as one of the more revered Prog-Electronic bands on the Minneapolis scene. Originally a synth-pop group called {space bar}, Stellar Vector started as a duo of Charles Sadler (vox/keys) and Jonathan Ford (guitar). Over the years classic progressive rock has become more and more of their oeuvre (Gabriel-era Genesis, David Bowie), mixing with Buzzcocks-style Punk. Stellar Vector's debut album, A Flock Of Cowards, finds the band finally comfortable in a sound, but still seeking out the boundaries of where that sound might take them. A Flock Of Cowards drops on April 2, 2010.

A Flock Of Cowards opens with the guitar-driven rock of "Buffalo Jump", a reference to a hunting technique used by the First Nations of North America. The title appears to be more contextual here and ties to an awkward lyrical progression about striking out on your own. "Lacking Self Control" is repetitive and lacking subtlety, while "A Flock Of Cowards" is shows some of the tensile energy of early Police recordings. "February 14th" is a modern rock account of a Valentine's Day planned as a breakup day. The song plays more like prose than poetry; overly wordy for the format without a good flow.

"Titanic Work Effort" details the negative effects of a workaholic lifestyle in vaguely poetic terms. It's among the better compositions on the album, but may drag on a bit too long. Much of the rest of A Flock Of Cowards follows a somewhat non-descript path. The music is listenable but doesn't really stand apart from the crowd. "Closing Notes" is an exception, having a quirky, kinetic energy that demands attention. The closer, "The Not So Hidden Track", could be a knock off on They Might Be Giants' "Particle Man". It's an amusing 30-second morsel but doesn't change the trajectory of the album.

Stellar Vector shows flashes of melodicism on A Flock Of Cowards, but seems to have a hard time matching up energy to intent at times. On the whole the album is a bit flat, although there are lively moments. When the band's quirky side and dry sense of humor come out we see Stellar Vector at their best.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Stellar Vector at http://www.stellarvector.com/ or www.myspace.com/stellarvector. A Flock Of Cowards drops on April 2, 2010, but you can download it now from Amazon.com.

Review: Dick Wagner - Full Meltdown

Dick Wagner - Full Meltdown
2009, Desert Dreams Records

Dick Wagner is a quiet legend. You've heard him play guitar many times, and you've heard many of his songs over the years even if you have no idea who he is. Wagner was Alice Cooper's musical director and guitarist in Cooper's heyday, co-writing some of Cooper's biggest hits. He's played lead guitar on or written songs for folks such as Aerosmith, KISS, Peter Gabriel, Ringo Starr, Lou Reed, Meat Loaf, Hall & Oates, Tina Turner, Etta James, Air Supply and Burton Cummings; appearing on 150 albums (14 platinum, 16 gold, 5 silver). Wagner is also the recipient of several BMI songwriting awards over the years. Wagner writes for himself on his latest album, Full Meltdown, showing a much softer touch than you might have expected.

Full Meltdown opens with Still Hungry, a surprisingly reserved opener considering the subject matter of the song. The title suggests a drive that just isn't represented in the easy-listening rock arrangement. The song is decent enough, just something of a dichotomy. Blue Collar Babies is a youthful fantasy about fast cars, parties and all that comes with being wild and young. It's a tuneful song, catchy in demure fashion, but has a bit of midlife crisis feel to it. Insatiable Girl feels more like classic Rock N Roll, like something you might hear on AOR radio. Wagner captures a sweet sound on Another Twist Of The Knife, hitting stride like a 1980's glam rock act. You could almost picture Whitesnake or someone of similar ilk ripping into this tune. Wagner breaks into a cover of Stagger Lee, a classic rock take that's most similar to Lloyd Price's 1959 rendition. Wagner's guitar work here is particularly sharp, and the rendition in general sounds a bit like Elton John.

Wagner gets back to that Elton feel on These Days, a piano and voice ballad that carries the prettiest melody on the album. Wagner digresses into dreamy, melancholy rock on I Might As Well Be On Mars before revving things up a little for Steal The Thunder. The energy here is still a bit low-key but works in the guitar-revved sound. The dreamy sound returns for Darkest Hour before getting shoved gently aside by Motor City Showdown and its Elton John style theme. Wagner closes out with the dark ballad Feel It All Over, taking it up to mid-tempo in the chorus and dropping in some great guitar filler along the way.

Full Meltdown is a pleasant listen but never reaches critical mass. Dick Wagner is very capable with a guitar in his hands, and possesses a voice that deserves to be heard, but Full Meltdown feels like a project that was never fully committed to. The intensity in the vocal line often doesn't match the lyrics or the musical drive of a given tune. This is late-stage Boomer rock; keen enough on the tricks of the trade to sound relevant, but once you get beneath the surface the water isn't terribly deep. A pleasant musical snack, but not enough for a meal.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Dick Wagner at http://www.wagnermusic.com/ or http://www.desertdreamsllc.com/. You can purchase Full Meltdown as either a CD or Download from CDBaby.com.

Review: Every Boy - The Last Lala's

Every Boy - The Last Lala's
2009, Every Boy

New York City-based Every Boy has a lot of musical friends. His debut album, The Last Lala's features Ben Peeler (The Wallflowers), Tom Freund (Ben Harper), Brian LeBarton (Beck) and Adam Topal (Jack Johnson). Produced by Grammy winner John Holbrook (Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Natalie Merchant, The Isley Brothers, Fountains Of Wayne) and Freund, The Last Lala's mixes a Zen approach with an eclectic Pop sensibility in its best moments.

Every Boy opens with Life Is For Living, an interesting tune about the important things in life. Every Boy's vocal delivery is somewhere between Peter Gabriel and James Blunt here. The most enjoyable song on the disc, Im2b, is highly catchy with a Beatles-inspired sound. Im2b has real potential as a single; infectious enough to catch hold on the radio with the right break. Every Boy treads the path of relationship insecurity on Would You Still Love Me?; exploring all of the things he could do or become and asking whether his beloved would still love him. The vocal line gets lazy here, with Every Boy sliding around notes like they were theoretical concepts. Chinese Wine sounds like a Frat house rant, falling prey to its own repetition. Every Boy makes a positive turn on Keep On Keeping On, displaying strong Pop sensibility and a sing-a-long chorus. Lyrically there are some awkward moments, but the song is so catchy you won't care. Every Boy says goodnight with Unturn Every Stone, a ploddingly melodic tune that perhaps takes a bit too long to get where its going but isn't bad for all that.

Every Boy hits a couple of high moments on The Last Lala's, but spends much of the album mired in mediocre energy and an easy going approach that fails to reach out to the listener. It's clear that Every Boy has the talent to write and play great music, but too often on The Last Lala's easy choices beget easy music, resulting in songs that slip away from the mind easily once they're done. Take what you can from The Last Lala's and see what Every Boy comes up with next.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Every Boy at http://www.everyboy.net/ or www.myspace.com/everyboyrocks. You can purchase The Last Lala's as either a CD or Download from Amazon.com.

Review: David Wahler – Antiquus

David Wahler – Antiquus
2009, Darius Productions

David Wahler discovered at the age of seven that he could play piano. With no lessons and no experience at the keyboard, Wahler found that he could recreate songs from church or the radio on the piano as easy as inhaling and exhaling. Years of training and performance helped Wahler polish his craft until he found himself serving as a composer and music director for Off-Broadway productions in New York City. Returning to his home base of Chicago, Wahler continued to perform with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra and New American Theater. Wahler took a couple of professional turns, both successful, but never found the satisfaction he found in music. Wahler treats his talent as a gift and aims to share his love of music with the world around him. Wahler's debut CD, Antiquus, has roots and influences in music by Gabriel Faure, Eric Satie, Scarlatti, Stravinsky, Chopin and Rimsky-Korsakov as well as modern works by Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Kitaro and Liz Story.

Antiquus opens with the title track, an ethereal, dreamlike composition in the same vein as some of John Tesh's more popular work. A lovely piece where the theme is trade back and forth between piano and various synth sounds. Delphi takes an Eno-esque turn, delving into a vibrant, staccato electronic crown with deep currents running beneath. Kyoto Mist introduces a Japanese-influenced coat around a Windham Hill style theme. The sparse nature of this composition carries with it a singular beauty and a significant risk, as it sounds not dissimilar from the sort of music you might hear on nature CDs found in specialty stores in your local mall. From the mundane to the memorable, Wahler sinks into Apollo's Lyre with a melody for the ages; simple, noble; beautiful. Wahler reaches cinematic heights on Teresa. There's a feeling of time and place to this track that belies the simple musical narrative of the melody. The occasional voiceover aside (which frankly is more distracting than anything), this is a beautiful composition.

Hyacinthus draws on vague Native American musical sounds mixed into New Age piano and synth overlays and a virtual chorus of angels providing vocal support. The "violin" (synth) line here provides illumination, as if it were the sun itself set aloft into the sky and climbing ever higher. The melody here is gorgeous although it does get a bit too cyclical at times. Lune Mysterieuse has a fairly generic sound that is pleasant but won't stick in your mind for too long, whereas Angelis is dripping with a drama and tension that is theatrical. Over the course of six-and-a-half minutes, Angelis resolves tension with rambling, contemplative passages that work their way back and forth from tension to peace without ever resting. This ambivalence of place leads to the closing track, Ancient Dawn, which recedes ever so slowly into the distance and passes into the inaudible ether in its closing seconds.

David Wahler walks a fine line between commercial New Age and composing meaningful music that people will want to hear, not simply be lulled by. While there are definite lulling moments on Antiquus, the material offered here is a bit too good to simply be mood or background music. Some of the effect choices (particularly the one-word, ethereal voiceovers) waste some of the overall effect of the music, but on the whole Antiquus is top notch. I highly recommend you spend some time David Wahler if your interests run to New Age and/or Modern Classical music.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about David Wahler at http://www.davidwahler.com/ or www.myspace.com/davidwahler. You can purchase Antiquus as either a CD or download through CDBaby.com.

Review: HuDost - Trapeze

HuDost - Trapeze
2009, Open Sesame Music

HuDost, based in Montreal and NYC, defy not only national classifications but musical ones as well. Vocalist Moksha Sommer has travelled the globe, studying no less than 12 distinctive vocal styles from around the world. She also contributes harmonium, piano and accordion. She is joined by Jemal Wade Hines on guitar, vocals, bouzouki and bendir to form HuDost, spinning musical webs from all corners of creation. HuDost's CD, Trapeze, is driven by the love of music from all cultures and a seemingly evolutionary songwriting style. Adding to the zeitgeist of the Trapeze is the fact that Sommer was diagnosed with a brain tumor leading up to the recording of Trapeze. The album was recorded between the time of diagnosis and surgery, and reflects some of the urgent energy of someone who truly doesn't know what tomorrow may bring. All of these stands were pulled together by the masterful production skills of Malcolm Burn (Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois, Peter Gabriel).

Trapeze opens with Trespasser, an energetically mellow bit of layered musical angst that makes Radiohead sound Top-40. Sommer's vocals are a gorgeous thing to hear, and don't so much float over the song as fly down upon it like an eagle on the hunt. Royal Mountain laments the loss of a burial place for the poor in the face of progress. It's a lovely tribute that's in both English and (Canadian) French, and reminds us that the fate of those who were buried there will inevitably be our own. Royal Mountain is set in a great mellow pop arrangement that with other subject matter would likely be real radio fodder. Waiting is presented in the form of a near-Appalachian folk tune, complete with Country/Americana accents.

BreakDown BuildUp is one of the more interesting songs presented on Trapeze, mixing Western and Eastern elements around a great rock melody. Sommer truly shines here in a performance worthy of significant attention. BreakDown BuildUp is a definite highlight track. Waking is a song of thanks for new opportunities and new roads; the song is gorgeously dark with hopeful undertones. Sommer is at her best here, singing with a conviction that is unsettling. Drowned In White plays like an old madrigal choir tune, full of dark, minor-key harmonies and a church-like sense of grace. Sommer shines again on an inspired vocal line set against an instrumental background that is thrillingly complex. Trapeze closes out with something of a reprise of Trespasser.

Have patience with HuDost. It took me three or four listens to really get into Trapeze, but the effort was well worth it. Jemal Wade Hines is a masterful musician in his own right, and Moksha Summer will blow listeners away with her understated vocal grace. There are shades of early Sarah McLachlan here, but just shadows. Summer and Hines are a one-of-a-kind duo. Whatever you want to try to classify them as, HuDost is guaranteed to energize your musical synapses with music that never rests, never stops moving. In conversational terms, Trapeze is an album that never really raises its voice yet commands the room. Trapeze is a classic.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about HuDost at http://www.hudost.com/ or www.myspace.com/hudost. You can purchase a copy of Trapeze at www.cdbaby.com/hudost5.

Review: Playing For Change - Songs From Around The World

Playing For Change - Songs From Around The World
2009, Hear Music

Playing For Change is the brainchild of Grammy Award winning producer Mark Johnson. Johnson was on his way to work one day in New York City several years ago and witnessed the tangible response a group of New York City subway denizens had to two musicians on a subway platform. Johnson was reminded in that moment of the power of music to change people, events, etc. From that moment came the seeds of Playing For Change. Traveling first around 4 major cities in the US and eventually around the world, Johnson and his team spent several years filming/recording unknown musicians from the four corners of the earth. On April 28, 2009, Songs From Around The World will become available for sale, and it may just be a life-changing experience for some.

Songs From Around The World opens with Stand By Me, a classic folk take on the Ben E. King/Leiber & Stoller classic with elements of Soul, Reggae and Gospel woven in. The video for this song has been making the rounds on YouTube for months. The singers are Roger Ridley, Grandpa Elliott and Clarence Bekker, performing with a truly international band. The Playing For Change band next tackles Bob Marley’s One Love in an arrangement that sounds like Appalachian Blues gone Reggae (if there is such a thing). The vocal arrangement here is primo, and the instrumentation is as down home as it can get. Marley’s War/No More Trouble is one of the more enjoyable songs on the disc, featuring vocalists including Bono and Bob Marley, but the highlight is the cover of Peter Gabriel's Biko. Performed in an Americana arrangement, this rendition puts a fresh spin on the song while staying true to the spirit of the original. Afro Fiesta's rendition of Tracy Chapman’s Talkin' 'Bout A Revolution is inspired, and Keb Mo' is his incomparable self on Better Man. Another highlight is the Omagh Community Choir's rendition of Love Rescue Me. The album closes out with the Playing For Change band giving a standing-O performance of Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Gonna Come. The accompanying DVD features videos of several of the songs on the CD.

Playing For Change is an acknowledgement of, and a testament to the power of music to change the world. Johnson is witness and messenger to the power of music, seeing an esoteric performance in a subway bond together a hundred or so hard-nosed New Yorkers. Grammy Awards aside, this may be his legacy. The album itself is a great listen and highly recommended for roots music fans, or fans of great music, whatever the ilk. Even on the slower songs the artists on Songs From Around The World give their all; the energy and joy in this music is undeniable.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Playing For Change at http://www.playingforchange.com/. Songs From Around The World goes on sale April 28, 2009. You can pre-order your copy from Amazon.com.

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: True Nature - Feels Like Centuries

True Nature – Feels Like Centuries
2009, True Nature

True Nature is the latest musical project from New York City's own Lou Barlow. Barlow is also a prior recipient of New York University’s Composer Of The Year Award, and a bright and rising star in the Indie Rock movemnt. In April of 2009, True Nature will release their second EP, Feels Like Centuries into a market starving for something new. Barlow delivers with help from the likes of Tony Levin (John Lennon, Peter Gabriel); Aaron Comess (The Spin Doctors) and Gerry Leonard (David Bowie, Rufus Wainwright).

The five-track EP opens with Truth I Have To Steel (Simple Heart) a moderately upbeat song by someone who sees Alice’s Looking Glass for what it really is; a soul frustrated by the blindness of those around them. It also draws on the classical ideal as simplicity as a means of understanding. Barlow is succinct and artful in delivering a declaration of intent to protect the world from itself. Up next is The Color Of Daylight, a joyous, angst-filled romp about coming to terms with oneself. My Freedom Lies Beyond The Sun is a brooding, angry song about having your blinders stripped away and seeing the world as it is: a dangerous place. Barlow finds freedom in something he can’t see, whether you want to call this spirituality or faith, and in what, is left up the listener to decide. This is an incredibly powerful song.

Woman is an artful and poetic take on the concept that “behind every good man is a good woman”. The title is adapted from the John Lennon classic and recognizes the balance and strength that feminine influence can bring to the male mind. Beyond the subject matter, Barlow has created a lush and deeply organic musical composition that breathes with its own vigor and vitality. Feels Like Centuries closes with Too Close To See Who We Are, a sociological treatise on our narcissistic and short-sighted culture that sounds like a paean to love lost. Again, Barlow paints in broad, lush musical strokes a sonic picture that is lovely and distinct.

Lou Barlow has talent for writing songs that could fit easily into popular styles but with an edge that sets them apart. The songs presented on Feels Like Centuries are gorgeous constructions against which Barlow’s set his esoteric and thoughtful lyrics. In other words, he’s outdone himself here. True Nature has a hit on its hands. This one’s a no-brainer; don’t miss it!

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about True Nature at http://www.truenatureband.com/. You can purchase a copy of Feels Like Centuries at www.cdbaby.com/cd/truenature2.

Review: Genesis - 1970-1975

Genesis - 1970 - 1975
2008, Atlantic/Rhino Records

Genesis.

There are few bands in rock and roll that can create the sort of excitement Genesis can. Even 40 years after their founding, with multiple personnel changes and layoffs in between, Genesis tours and tickets evaporate into thin air. With over 150 million records sold worldwide, Genesis is one of the top thirty all time selling bands. Their material is as diverse and eccentric as you could imagine. Atlantic/Rhino has released a collection of five original studio albums under the title 1970-1975 containing 7 CDs and 6 DVDs, along with a bonus disc of unreleased material. It's a large scale re-packaging with includes remastering/remixing of the original stereo recordings on CD and then 5.1 Surround remixes on DVD. Also included is a disc of rarities not available elsewhere.

The albums involved are Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England By The Pound, and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. These albums mark the Peter Gabriel era of Genesis. Fans will argue about whether they prefer Gabriel or Phil Collins (with the occasional Ray Wilson sympathy vote), but no one denies that Gabriel was at the helm during Genesis' more experimental Progressive Rock years. Genesis was sometimes derided, particularly in Britain for musical elitism, purveying progressive art rock in the era when Punk Rock came alive. The stealing away of music from the working class was a common theme amongst critics, most of whom are long forgotten.

1970-1975 is your basic repackage. A few unreleased/live tracks are thrown in to make it worthwhile for hardcore fans, but that's your audience. The big price tag ($139.98) won't appeal to anyone else, particular in an economic environment like the one we are in now. While all of the albums here are great, start with something like The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway or Selling England By The Pound and then work your way backwards. If you're a die-hard and you have the extra cash this holiday season, then you'll be happy with 1970-1975. The set looks great and the sound is fantastic.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Genesis at http://www.genesis-music.com/. You can purchase 1970-1975 at Amazon.com or most major music retailers.

Review: Chris Huff - Death And Texas

Chris Huff - Death And Texas
2008, Help Us Find Food Records

Chris Huff speaks/plays a musical patois that is unique in popular culture. He's played/sung classical piano, jazz bass, folk and rock guitar, a cappella, opera, gospel, bluegrass... you name it; he's done it. And it's all here. Death And Texas is the ultimate "gumbo", where styles blend and fold into one another until the differentiated ingredients give up their respective identities to some new musical identify that has yet to acquire a name.

Listening to the opening track, Hey Now Now, I couldn’t get the vocal similarities between Chris Huff and Peter Gabriel out of my head. Huff could be mistaken for Gabriel on the virtue of his voice. Granted Gabriel has never been known to play Matthew Wilder style pop-reggae, but it could happen. Huff sets us straight on Oceans Never Freeze, taking us on tour of his eclectic musical mind. The song veers from big Max Webster style alt-punk to classic rock opus with some Beach Boys harmonies and New Music dissonance thrown in for good measure. Ghosts Of The Past and Lost In The Mausoleum continue the disintegration into post-modern sound. Each song starts with clear melody and slowly devolves to the point of sounds overlaying one another at random.

My personal favorite here is For The Trees, a dark and dirty blues/reggae hybrid. While For The Trees generally avoids the sonic cavalcade of sounds that become some of its countrymen, the Lo-Fi sound here is a perfect complement to the song itself. Neighborhood (Ain’t It Time) harkens back to the 1960’s as a strong period song. Then We’re Dead is fun little punker where Huff sounds vaguely like Ian Anderson on vocals. The album closes out with The Cause, which may be the most well-written song on the CD.

Chris Huff has some interesting divergences on his way to becoming a good songwriter. He has a strong sense of melody and song construction but is also enamored with musical deconstructionism a bit. Death And Texas is a fun listen; at times confounding, but ultimately worth the trip.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Chris Huff at http://www.huffmusic.com/, where you can purchase a copy of Death And Texas.

Review: Manze Dayila And The Nago Nation - Manze Dayila And The Nago Nation – Solé

Manze Dayila And The Nago Nation – Solé
2008, AS IS Entertainment
Manze Dayila was one of the Haitian refugees to enter the United States via a rickety boat at Miami Beach in the first half of this decade. Her story is as complicated as it is lucky, as many of those who entered the US in this fashion were returned to Haiti almost immediately due to repatriation agreements between the two countries. Whatever legal maneuvering may have occurred, Dayila remains in the US as a sign of the sort of social, political and artistic impact immigrants have continued to have in the United States since its inception. Her debut album, Solé, mixes West African rhythms, Haitia Vodou (Voodoo) themes, reggae spirit and western pop sensibilities into a delightful musical patois that is a thrill to the ears.

Solé opens with Kwi, an eclectic West African pop tune. For my readers the closest association I can give you is Paul Simon ala Rhythm Of The Saints. The music is wonderful intricate and tuneful, and Manze Dayila has a hauntingly beautiful voice. Simbi D’Lo offers up an electronic vision of traditional Haitian music, including some very unique rhythm work. That Feeling is full of the sort of pop/world interplay that informed and infused many of the Peter Gabriel sponsored Real World recordings. This song could work in the pop/R&B realm as is. Bennchoumy Elian offers the rhymes on this track with a sound very reminiscent of French rapper Ste. I Want To Be Free is an uplifting R&B/West African hybrid again featuring Elian with real commercial potential. Other highlights include Papa Loko, Ibo, Solé and Ikonodub.

Manze Dayila is a very talented songwriter/performer with a top notch band behind her. In Solé she has created one of the more accessible and boundary pressing World albums I’ve heard in some time. The music on Solé will appeal to fans of World music, but is western enough in flavor to appeal to popular music fans who may not normally go there. Manze Dayila will hopefully continue making albums for some time to come.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Manze Dayila at www.myspace.com/manzedayila. You can purchase a copy of Solé at www.cdbaby.com/cd/manzedayila.