Mark Lassiter - Endlessly EP

Mark Lassiter – Endlessly EP
2013, Mark Lassiter

Mark Lassiter, AKA The Singing Dentist or alternately, The Dentist to the Rock Stars, has cut two divergent career paths at the same time.  Lassiter discovered his love of making music after dental school, and has gone on to work with members of The Foo Fighters, The Wallflowers, Blind Melon and Collective Soul, among others.  As a dentist, he has done extensive work with MusiCares (The Grammy Foundation), providing dental care for musicians at times of need.  Lassiter continues to explore his muse.  His current EP, Endlessly, gives listeners a snapshot of his musical journey and his distinctive pop sensibilities. 

Lassiter opens with the radio edit of “Endlessly”, a sweet ballad of love and devotion.  Lassiter never entirely decides if this is a country or rock ballad, mixing elements of country guitar into what is essentially a Triple-A arrangement.  The melody is solid and easy to sing along with, and the chorus trips the light romantic.  The album track version of “Endlessly” is next, clocking in at nearly seven minutes in length.  Lassiter plays around a great deal with musical effects and mood-inducing sounds, but the song drags on far too long for the standard listener’s endurance.  The affectations of the full version are also quite distracting to what is otherwise a nice ballad.  “Life’s Like That” is a pragmatic rock anthem about the ever-changing avenues that life throws at us.  The song is radio-ready with a solid hook and memorable chorus.  Lassiter closes with a song of welcoming to new love: “You’re My Favorite (Ashley’s Song)”.  Lassiter delves into the burgeoning joy a new relationship can bring, unfettered by time and experience.  It’s a simple expression of musical joy that is beautiful in its sheer effervescence.

Mark Lassiter continues to turn out high quality rock and roll.  Endlessly is more of a snack than a meal, briefly following the process of loss, healing and finding new love.    Lassiter’s greatest strength is his ability to write from the heart; not varnishing the truth but presenting his observations in the first person and without artifice.  Catchy hooks and a warm and welcoming voice make this a treat for the ears. 

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at www.marklassitermusic.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: The Nadas - Almanac

The Nadas - Almanac
2009, Authentic Records

The Nadas are coming back with new material in 2009, an album entitled Almanac that might just be their best work yet. Almanac is being recorded as a year-long project with one new song available through the band’s website on the last day of each month. Coming off 2008's transitional The Ghosts Inside These Walls, The Nadas are in top form on the nine songs completed thus far for Almanac. We here at Wildy's World recently had a chance to check them out.

The Nadas open Almanac with a radio-ready hit in Bitter Love. The melody is highly memorable and the production is solid. Mike Butterworth shines on vocals. Dodged A Bullet is a glass half empty about a relationship that's going someplace. There's real pop sensibility here and the string arrangement makes the song. Wrecking Ball is catchy and perhaps even danceable. Butterworth's vocals stand out as a highlight. Call Me could be a big song for The Nadas. It's a theme for anyone who's been dumped and is looking for a second chance. You'll find yourself singing and nodding along, as the chorus has a universal feel to it that suggests the universality of the lyrics.

Last To Know is a mid-tempo number about being in a relationship with someone you simply cannot read. The tune is mildly catchy and is very well-written. Hear That Sound gives The Nadas a third song with real commercial pop; a Wallflowers-esque number that could do well both with radio and in the licensing realm. Crystal Clear is an understated-yet-powerful little Rock song. The emotional content here is high; with real tension and deep-seated anxiety wrapped in a carefully adventurous spirit. The Nadas close out with All I Want, a great piece of Rock N Roll. The melody here is memorable and the vocal harmonies are gorgeous.

The Nadas take a big step forward on Almanac, their seventh studio album. While not complete, we were able to review 9 songs of an expected 12 or so. They could stop now and have a hit album. The Nadas have come a long way in a year, and Almanac promises to be brilliant.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Nadas at http://www.thenadas.com/ or www.myspace.com/thenadas. The Nadas have several packages available for the purchase of Almanac. Check them out here!

Review: The Nadas - Ghosts Inside These Halls

The Nadas - Ghosts Inside These Halls
2008, Authentic Records

Des Moines, Iowa road warriors The Nadas have been bringing their music to the Midwest masses for fifteen years now, touring, most recently, in Meatloaf's old tour bus (which they've affectionately dubbed "Meatloaf"). A modern success story, The Nadas live in relative anonymity in spite of independently selling more than 75,000 CDs through their own label, Authentic Records. The Ghosts Inside These Walls, their sixth album, finds The Nadas striking out on their own, bringing production duties in-house (their two previous albums were produced by Todd and Toby Pipes of Deep Blue Something). The results are sort of a musical mid-life crisis for the band, trying to blend their traditional sound with a maturing maturity in song-writing focus. As crises go, Ghosts Inside These Walls turns out pretty well. But don't let that sense of maturity frighten you; this is still the same band that finished in the final four in Bon Jovi's Have A Nice Day band competition.

Ghosts Inside These Halls opens with Loser; a down-tempo track provides album with its name in the opening line. Loser sounds like a classic teenage underdog song that would fit perfectly in that sort of movie, and it's an intriguing opening. Blue Lights might be the best musical "parking" reference this side of Paradise By The Dashboard Light. While nowhere near as enigmatic as the Meatloaf song, Blue Lights is very well written and tuneful. There's more of a Wallflowers aesthetic than bombast here. Pieces On The Ground is a great piece of Pop/Americana. Strong songwriting, good hooks and poetic lyrics drive this up-tempo number.

Something's Burning is a highly pensive song about self-sabotage in relationships. It's a reminder that all we build can be torn down by passive anger and decay. The story is well-told in song and the arrangement is great! Alaska is my favorite song on the disc; an upbeat country tune about returning to where you come from or where you belong. My favorite performance, on the other hand, is Hammer Down, a big Southern Rock/Country anthem with vibrant guitar work and a real edge. The album closes out with a hidden track that sounds like the band is messing around and vamping in Spanish. The highlight of this exercise is the inclusion of a classic Steve Martin line.

There are a couple of bland moments on Ghosts Inside These Halls, but they are the exceptions rather than the rules. The Nadas present as a young band new to their found sound; at home but still getting comfortable with their surroundings. Ghosts Inside These Halls is a promising start.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Nadas at http://www.thenadas.com/ or www.myspace.com/thenadas. You can purchase Ghosts Inside These Halls as either a CD or download from Authentic Records.

Review: Jason Yates – Jason Yates

Jason Yates – Jason Yates
2009, Vapor Records
Jason Yates is one of the most respected Hammond B3 players in the business, having played with folks such as Mazzy Star (Fade Into You); Natalie Merchant (Tigerlilly Tour), the 2 PC and Macy Gray. His keyboard skills are undeniable, yet it's always interesting to see how a top-notch instrumentalist transitions to the front-man role either of a band or as a solo singer/songwriter. Yates made that jump with Angeleno, and returns on October 6, 2009 with his self-titled disc, Jason Yates.

Jason Yates opens with My Way Out, a piano-driven rocker that harkens back to an older sound; part Rod Stewart and part Elton John with a bit of Ben Folds added in for seasoning is an apt description of the sound here. You won't be able to resist the desire to pop and sway. Nobody So Far continues in a similar vein, embracing a 1970's singer/songwriter aesthetic with a melancholy (think Wallflowers) look at failed expectations. Yates has an everyman quality to his vocals that puts the listener immediately at ease, and the gentle arrangement is the perfect fit. Paper Tents finds Yates engaging in a comfortable bit of Americana with ties back into the late-1960's, early 1970's Folk/Rock scene. It's a pleasant listen.

I Run is a somnolent little tune with a melancholy air and a decent melody. Written either from the depths of depression or the bounds of sleep, I Run flows slowly like a mountain. To Chance has the same sort of classic sway to it heard on My Way Out. It's a song of regret about a relationship that didn't end up where Yates might have hoped. The arrangement is solid has an instantly likeable quality to it. Expect this to be a concert favorite. Sing For You closes out Jason Yates on a familiar sleepy note; a love song for the lovelorn and weary.

The tempo and affect on Jason Yates was a bit much for my taste in the end. As slow and relentless as a river, Yates pours out the waterlogged contents of his heart in songs that rarely vary in approach, sound or style. What's charming at two or three songs becomes wearisome well before the ninth and final song concludes the cycle. Jason Yates might be the theoretical love child of Leonard Cohen and Hope Sandoval, or perhaps he's just a guy who writes sad songs; either way he'll find fans, but you really have to be in the right frame of mind for this one.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Jason Yates at www.myspace.com/jasonyatesofficial. Jason Yates will be released on October 6, 2009; you can pre-order a copy through Amazon.com.

Review: Loomis & The Lust - Nagasha EP

Loomis & The Lust - Nagasha EP
2009, Kings Of Spain/BMI

Santa Barbara, California is home base for Loomis & The Lust, but after listening to their debut EP, Nagasha (July, 2009) I suspect they'll be spending a lot less time at home. With such diverse influences as The Kinks, The Animals, Chet Atkins, David Bowie, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Franz Ferdinand, Loomis & The Lust create an original brand of Rock N Roll with an honest affection for 1970's classic rock and a hook-laden philosophy straight out of the 1980's. Nagasha was produced by Brandon Mason (David Bowie, Secret Machines, Bono, The Edge), and features some of the catchiest, most danceable Rock N Roll of the year.

Nagasha opens with Bright Red Chords, a song that will lodge itself in your brain before you even know it's happened. The melody here has a universal feel, like something you've heard so many times you know it even as you hear it the first time. With a catchy, dance-inducing arrangement, Bright Red Chords will stick with you for a good long time. Break On Love has a classic, Blues/Rock feel and would fit right into an AOR playlist. Sweetness sounds like it could be a mix of The Wallflowers and Dave Matthews (solo), carrying a chorus that's unforgettable, while Cure For Sale slows things down a bit in a gentle rocker that entrenches in the Wallflowers sound. Cure For Sale may well be the most marketable song on the disc, likely having significant allure for the licensing world. Girl Next Door is a big, raucous blues-influenced rocker that sounds like it could be the basis for a movie. The theme here is a classic for Rock N Roll, and Loomis & The Lust show what they're really made of, using double entendre and testosterone-laden intentions for an amusing bit of musical confusion.

Loomis & The Lust take Rock N Roll back where it belongs in the five songs presented on Nagasha, blending deep classic rock roots with some of the zeitgeist of the 1980's and a modern twist. I suspect Loomis & The Lust will see a lot of commercial success in the licensing realm, although I am not sure where they fit in currently in the world of radio. From anything I have read about the band the live show is the thing. Loomis & The Lust seems to convert new fans every time they step on stage. Consequently, while I highly recommend you check out Nagasha, I would urge you to make a point of seeing Loomis & The Lust if they come to your town.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Loomis & The Lust at www.myspace.com/loomisandthelust or http://www.loomisandthelust.com/. You can purchase the Nagasha EP directly from their band via their web store, or digitally via iTunes.

Review: Little Man - Of Mind And Matter

Little Man – Of Mind And Matter
2008, Eclectone Records

Little Man combines the driving quality of British Rock with a classic melodic sensibility. They have an enigmatic vibe that is part Bob Dylan and part Ray Davies with the occasional Bowie moment. The St. Paul, Minnesota rockers came into 2008 off the high of being named the Best Rock Band in the Twin Cities for 2007. They follow that distinction with their fourth release, Of Mind And Matter, bridging the gap between classic and modern rock sounds with tuneful songs and serious Rock N Roll chops.

Tarots And Arrows sets the mood for Of Mind And Matter, with a catchy tune in an arrangement and style highly reminiscent of the Kinks at their best. This song will be playing in your head long after the CD’s been returned to its case, so be warned. Don’t Pray to Fantasy may well be the calling card of the band. Its pure 1960’s Brit Rock with a strong melody and great harmonies. This is where Little Man seems most at home. Not content to stay in one slot, Little Man hits us with Everyone On The Floor, one of the best dance songs I’ve heard in some time, and a reminder that you can dance to Rock N Roll. Beatles fans keep an ear out for Lifted Me Like A Curse. The songwriting here is inspired, and the chorus sounds like McCartney and Lennon might have written it themselves. Love Of All Time sounds like Dylan, Jacob that is. I thought I had somehow skipped to a Wallflowers song when this came on. You’ll also want to check out Seal of Secrecy. This is required Big Rock Anthem, and Little Man delivers it perfectly. Delicious hooks and great harmonies make this a winner.

Little Man identifies with the good luck charm character in classical story telling. Perhaps they’re on to something. Little Man doesn’t break any new musical ground here, but manages to breathe inspiration and life into classic sounding material. The songwriting is strong and the band plays together like a well-oiled machine. Of Mind And Matter is a definite keeper. Make sure you check it out.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Little Man at www.myspace.com/sweetlittleman, where you can purchase a copy of Of Mind And Matter.