Review: Michael Whalen - The Road Of Ghosts

Michael Whalen - The Road Of Ghosts
2009, Michael Whalen Music

Michael Whalen might be a name you’ve never heard, but you’ve heard his music. Whalen has over 500 television scores and several dozen short and feature film credits to his name. Whalen wrote the opening theme to Good Morning America, and has written for Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, As The World Turns and Inside Edition, to name a few. He won an Emmy and BMI award for his score of PBS’ America At The Crossroads miniseries, and also scored PBS’ Slavery And The Marking Of America. If you haven’t heard any of these, perhaps the commercials he’s scored for clients such as Apple, Coca-Cola, Disney and Nike have touched your consciousness. In any case, Whalen is prolific. Much of this writing is done from the shadows as far as the public is concerned, but Whalen steps out of the shadows with a solo album, The Road Of Ghosts.

The Road Of Ghosts opens with Original Sin, a prayer for forgiveness in song. The arrangement is decent, piano-driven soft-rock. Whalen sounds a bit like a cross between Elton John and Steven Curtis Chapman here. Vanilla is a love song that ends up sounding a bit too forced to really work but has some nice thematic elements in the melody. The Road Of Ghosts is about being haunted in one's dreams by regrets; it's a powerful tune that turns into a declaration to no longer be so afflicted.

Blink Of An Eye finds Whalen sounding very much like Elton John, both vocally and in piano style. All Of Me takes another stab at the love song genre and works well; there's a feeling like the song take a bit too long to get where it's going, but the sentiment is strong (and well-written) and the arrangement fits perfectly. I Am is a song about believing in yourself and making your own destiny; starting with what you think and believe. It's a strong, positive message in a mellow pop/rock arrangement that's a bit too positive and too mellow for pop radio but would do well on the Adult Contemporary circuit. The song also reminds us that sight is as much about what we're ready to see as it is about what's there. The Road Of Ghosts closes with Seasons Of Light, a positive song that just doesn't seem to have the energy of its own convictions. There's a vaguely spiritual element here blended with a love song, but it comes across as fairly cliché.

The Road Of Ghosts is a bit uneven but shows a decent songwriter and performer with middle-of-the-road adult-oriented pop potential. Fans of Delilah's show will likely enjoy Michael Whalen's material, and there's a distinct spiritual/Judeo-Christian ethic at work on the EP, but it just didn't grab hold of me as a listener.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Michael Whalen at http://www.michaelwhalen.com/ or www.myspace.com/michaeljwhalen. Michael Whalen’s website lists a July 21, 2009 release date for The Road of Ghosts, but as of publication I could find no online availability of either CD or downloads of the album. Keep checking Whalen’s website for availability.

Review: Adrina Thorpe - Halflight & Shadows

Adrina Thorpe - Halflight & Shadows
2009, Adrina Thorpe

Adrina Thorpe gained a great deal of popular attention from her debut album, Elusive, placing songs in shows from CW and Lifetime networks as well as independent films. Her song Who Will Find Me was proclaimed by DJ Armin Van Buuren to be "his favorite song of the last two years". Thorpe's follow-up CD, Halflight & Shadows, brings no sophomore slump for the performer whose songwriting walks the line between darkness and light. With an all-star band of cohorts including producer Filippo Gaetani; drummer Randy Cooke (Mick Jagger, Ringo Starr, Five For Fighting); cellist David Takahashi (Sting, Sheryl Crow, Kanye West); violinist Chris Woods (Justin Timberlake; Jessica Simpson) and drummer Fernando Sanchez (Luis Fonsi, Charlotte Martin), the classically trained Thorpe has managed to create a true aural experience for the listener. The blending of Classical, Folk and Rock styles dazzles with flashes of brilliance and magical undercurrents of melody and harmony.

Halflight & Shadows opens with Impossible Dream, a mid-tempo ethereal rocker in the style of Sarah McLachlan. Thorpe has a stunning and haunting voice, in turns, occasionally affecting the style of McLachlan or even Tori Amos while carving out a niche that is mostly her own. Impossible Dream carries with it a lost and searching sense that fits the song perfectly. Midnight is a dark and mysterious love song with an interesting mix of instrumentation. You'll hear everything from piano to orchestration to electronic sounds; a gorgeous and haunting mix. Everything Changes is about letting go of a bad relationship and places some of the thought process in song. The song is lyrically dense at times in the verse which is balance by an ethereal yet economic chorus.

Domino highlights the fact that once you know the truth your options are pretty limited. The song is gorgeous and dark and full of a barely contained anger that struggles with the narrator's good nature. This one sounds like it could be a Tori Amos outtake, with a piano style reflective of Amos' work and a vocal style that's almost dead on at times. Driving finds Thorpe in a place that is dark, vulnerable and full of need. The tune is unforgettable, halting and striving in turns with the turn of emotion that drives the narrator. The car ride is simply an encapsulation for a journey the narrator is consumed with. Coming Home is a song about running from what you need; sometimes when the prodigal child returns home facts have changed and people have moved on; A powerful and emotive track with a lush sound.

Walk is very much reflecting of Sarah McLachlan's earlier work. Dark and stormy and full of volatile emotions, Walk reflects a primitive beauty at war with need. Moment To End is probably the most beautiful vocal on the disc; the song gets caught up in the obsessive nature of the moment and repeats the title until it nearly hits a breaking point for the listener. This is either a miscalculation or an attempt to instill the sort of cognitive and emotional dissonance in the listener that the narrator feels. Kiss The Day is a highly melodic and vaguely ethereal Lilith Fair Pop-Rocker. The subject is a bit convoluted but it's sonically pleasing. Give You My Love is a sweet and open love song that holds no hidden traps or equivocations. It's a refreshingly honest and pure love song set to a haltingly beautiful melody line. Thorpe closes out the set with Seed, a six-minute piano and voice odyssey that's part epoch poem and part journal entry. Thorpe keeps listeners on the edge of their seat as she unfolds a story, spoken to another, about the prospects for love, life and happiness. The vocal is drop-dead gorgeous in a song that sounds like it could be the introduction to a stage show. This is the sort of tune that unfolds in concert to utter, unbreakable silence that explodes into a cacophony of applause at the end. It's the perfect close to the album.

Adrina Thorpe is an amazing songwriter. She's obviously been influenced by folks like Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos and even perhaps Kate Bush. You can hear these influences in her music but at the same time Thorpe has taken those influences and wrapped them up with her own personality and style to create something distinctive. Hers is a voice that would stop people on the streets of a place like New York City, and the arrangements she crafts are perfect frames and backgrounds for the stories she tells in her songs. Halflight & Shadows is brilliant; a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc. Don't miss it.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Adrina Thorpe at www.myspace.com/adrinathorpe or http://www.adrinathorpe.com/, where you can order Halflight & Shadows as either a CD or download.

Review: Aaron Allen - A Place Called Hell

Aaron Allen - A Place Called Hell
2009, Aaron Allen

Chatham, Ontario, Canada's Aaron Allen wears big shoes quietly. His second album, Aaron Allen & The Small City Saints was on CHRW's Top 100 albums list for 2008, with chart appearances in cities such as Guelph, London, Quebec, Windsor and Calgary. He writes for late night talk show J.R. Diggs' Man With A Van, and has developed a reputation for powerful and introspective songwriting. Allen's third album, A Place Called Hell is a family affair, with brother Myles on drums and wife Aimee on harmonies, piano, organ and bass. Influences such as Bob Dylan, Ryan Adams and Neil Young color Allen's songwriting, which is rich in tapestry and deep in content.

A Place Called Hell opens with No One Knows, a plodding bit of Emo/Shoegaze/Americana that is a difficult listen. A Placed Called Hell is a straight-forward bit of Americana about hitting bottom and being totally aware to the extent of attempting to come to terms with it. It's a stark and resigned song that's almost too calm. Anyone is something of a quasi-peppy pity party set to music. Backbone hits on a down and dirty blues riff for a song about carnal pleasure as an escape from the dregs. You won't be able to sit/stand still while this one is playing. Allen goes for the acoustic side on New Blues, a song that contends that things never work out and the whole thing (life) is rigged.

Moving On is a classic bit of acoustic/electric blues. The lyrics don't matter on this one, you'll just be glad you listened. Oh My Lord takes the blues on a more Rock angle, halfway between Led Zeppelin and Cream. This is by far the best tune on the disc up to this point. Run is a gorgeous piece of self-loathing. The guitar accompaniment is soothing and calm while the lyrics are the pulpy aftermath of a beaten psyche. Dark and light intermingle here for a work of beauty that's as uplifting as it is depressing. A Song For Her is a musical eulogy of sorts; A Place Called Hell was written in the wake up Allen's mother's death. Taken from that perspective the entire album is about healing; or not as the case may be. A Song For Her is full of love; written from an emotionally constricted place that anyone who's ever lost someone dear will recognize. You'll also want to check out I Woke Up Today and You And Me.

A Place Called Hell is an album that leaves me conflicted as a listener and critic. I want to like it in part because of what it represents, and in many instances I do, but there are times when the feel of album, in spite of the back story, is more about holding on to pain than healing. This may have simply reflect where Allen was emotionally in the crafting of this disc, yet without the back story (and maybe even with it), I could see some listeners drawing the conclusion that A Place Called Hell is largely self-indulgent in perpetuating suffering rather than healing. Allen is a decent songwriter, who rises above on occasion, and there are some great turns here, but the overall feel of the record is not one that is likely to draw a lot of fans outside of the Robert Smith worshippers (and yea, there are many). It's a decent, dark effort; I'll look forward to seeing where Allen goes next.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Aaron Allen at www.myspace.com/aaronallenmusic. You can stream the tracks from A Place Called Hell on Allen’s MySpace page. No word yet on a release date, but Allen’s first CD can be purchase directly through his MySpace page.

Review: The Bludlows – Americaville

The Bludlows – Americaville
2009, The Bludlows

The Bludlows rose to pre-eminence in the Boston Rock N Roll scene with their mix of Rock, Punk and even Americana. With influences including The Rolling Stones, Tool, Pavement, Nirvana, Bob Dylan and Captain Beefheart, it is safe to expect the unexpected. The Bludlows’ latest CD, Americaville, finds the band testing out all sorts of musical waters.

Americaville opens with the frenetic guitars of the title track; you'll be looking for a pit from the opening chords. The bass is the star of this song, driving the action with a vibrant and inventive bass line that varies the sound. The song is loosely political, lamenting the decline of America both internally and in the eyes of the world. ATG is Post-Punk Americana that sounds like a cross between 54-40 and the Tragically Hip. The song takes a shot at the greed of corporate executives in a veiled and mildly humorous fashion. On Layin' Down, The Bludlows hit the Tragically Hip sound-alike button once again in one of the more enjoyable tracks on the disc. Blockade is very catchy, built on a guitar riff that runs 8 bars and acts almost as a counter-melody. The Bludlows close out Americaville with Point Of Reference, a seven minute-plus musical odyssey that borders on the psychedelic Noize popular in the late-1960's.

Americaville plays like a soundtrack to a world in decline, joining together post-Punk sensibilities with sonic dissonance and the occasional big hook that binds it all together. The Bludlows come across as a sonically talented but stylistically ambivalent band that play what they want, caution be damned. Americaville is an interesting listen that suggests there are more involved and divergent tunes yet to be born in the heart of Boston. Check them out and stick around for the ride. It could be interesting.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Bludlows at their homepage or on MySpace. You can purchase Americaville as either a CD or download at CDBaby.

Review: Greg Capozzi - One More Day

Greg Capozzi - One More Day
2009, Vienna Records

Greg Capozzi returns this summer with his latest disc, One More Day. The songwriter, author and worship leader follows up 2006’s Show Me The Way and 2007’s The Mission with his most dynamic and vibrant album yet. Piano based Rock n Roll done up in classic rock robes is the order of the day on One More Day, with Capozzi challenging himself to hit new heights. The Christian message of the music is unmistakable and perhaps even more out front than in the past (if possible).

One More Day opens with The Beacon, an Elton-John-style 1970's classic rock number. The love song or testament to God is quite well done. Capozzi steps out of the CCM mold to deliver a quality song that would succeed in secular circles with different lyrics. Heart & Soul is a stab at a traditional pop ballad, but written to God. The song works but gets a bit too cliché. Wake The Dead is a sermon in song; the sort of song that will get a church on its collective feet. This worship song about spiritual warfare gets a bit too wordy at times but is otherwise very well written. I Just Wanna Go To Heaven finds Capozzi rising to new dramatic heights with an almost Freddie Mercury-style vocal (ala Who Wants To Live Forever). All of this is wrapped in lush, Classic Rock harmonies that will stick with you.

It's Not About You gets more of a Billy Joel/Elton John vibe to it; an anthemic rocker that will stick in your head. Your Grace Is Enough gets where Capozzi's been heading on One More Day; a soaring Arena Rock anthem complete with vocal triads, a big, layered guitar sound and a hook-filled chorus that will inspire you to sing along. Capozzi closes out the set with You Are My First Love, another power ballad with God as the focus. This works to some degree but just isn't as dynamic as the big rock tunes here.

One More Day is perhaps Greg Capozzi's most compelling work to date. It's clear that Capozzi pushed himself musically on this disc after solid but safe efforts on Show Me The Way and The Mission. The result is an album that is good enough to cross genres on the basis of the music, although the Christian content is so strong and in your face that it will probably always be classified as CCM. A great effort in any case.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Greg Capozzi at http://www.gregcapozziministries.com/ or www.myspace.com/gregcapozzi. You can purchase a copy of One More Day at www.cdbaby.com/gregcapozzi4.

Review: Elvis Presley - Elvis: The Ed Sullivan Show - The Classic Performances

Elvis Presley - Elvis: The Ed Sullivan Show - The Classic Performances
2009, Image Entertainment

There was a King long before Michael Jackson's publicist declared him the King Of Pop. Elvis Presley remains one of the best-selling artists of all time, and retains one of the most loyal followings this side of The Beatles. Elvis was wild, raw and sang in a style that in his time was revolutionary. In a world that had never heard of television events, Presley made his first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show on September 8, 1956, drawing a then-unprecedented 60 million viewers. Presley went on to appear on the show 2 more times, generating 15 performances and not a little controversy. For Presley's third and final appearance on the show, Presley sang ballads and a gospel tune and was filmed only from the waist up because of suggestions of indecency about his prior performances. You'll hear different versions of the story, everything from complaints about his wild hip gyrations to a coke bottle in his pants for one of the previous performances that gave an obscene impression. Either way, it was ratings gold. Image Entertainment finally does these performances justice; release all fifteen performances on DVD on Elvis: The Ed Sullivan Show - The Classic Performances.

On the DVD you get all three performances, (9/9/56; 10/28/56 and 1/6/57), each re-mastered and presented looking/sounding better when they originally aired. Songs include: Don't Be Cruel, Hound Dog, Heartbreak Hotel, Too Much, Love Me Tender, When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again and 9 other classic songs. The highlights for Elvis fans are in the bonus materials, which include a home movie of Elvis shot live on August 7, 1955. There are documents from the Graceland and Sullivan archives and a brief piece on why Ed didn't host Elvis' first performance. If you're a fan of Elvis Presley then this is a must-have compilation. If you don't really know a lot about Elvis, this is a great way to get a taste of what the man was like as a performer in his early days, as well as getting an impression of what Elvis-mania was really like. The DVD is in Black and White and runs only 47 minutes in length, but it's worth every cent.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Elvis Presley at http://www.elvis.com/. You can purchase a copy of Elvis: The Ed Sullivan Show – The Classic Performances at Amazon.com.

Review: Greg Dember - I Don't Know I Think I Fell From The Sky

Greg Dember - I Don't Know I Think I Fell From The Sky
2008, Hieronymus Records

Greg Dember is a Seattle-based singer/songwriter with a slightly different perspective on the world. This comes across in his quirky songwriting style. Dember has been a part of numerous Seattle projects over time, including Chiefly, Lavish Cat and Tim And The Time Machines. Performing solo under the name Greg Dember allows the artist to bring to take the stage on his own or with the help of a large group of musical friends as the night or venue might suggest. Dember’s album, I Don’t Know I Think I Fell From The Sky is quirky, original and a little out of step, perhaps, with current mores in music, but may carry a distinctive charm for certain discriminating music fans.

I Don't Know I Think I Fell From The Sky is a musically interesting but lyrically lackluster effort. Dember ranges from Ben Folds style Rock ballads to fully orchestrated and vaguely morose chill-fests in song. The dynamic range of the recording never varies too significantly, meaning I Don't Know I Think I Fell From The Sky has a tendency to sound a bit homogenous at times. Lyrically, Dember is out there, writing in a mix of biographical and allegorical terms that becomes so enmeshed it becomes difficult to sort the reality from dreams. The album opens with Parachute, with the narrator caught up in the euphoria of new love. The song is quite interesting although it does get a bit stuck in the chorus. Boxes approaches a stream-of-consciousness songwriting style that is very quirky. The narrator here is in love with someone who is moving; he just hopes she doesn't move too far. Transportation takes on a Ben Folds approach in a dreamy song more or less about love. Dember doesn't have the spark or chutzpah of Folds and the song gets overly flacid at times. Imaginary Friend is an odd tune. Dember seems to count Quentin Tarrantino and Uma Thurman in this category. From here things just seem to drift, with Dember occasionally finding the ground but generally floating through songs about dashed expectations, unrequited love and all sort of naval-gazing topics.

After listening to I Don't Know I Think I Fell From The Sky, I have the distinct impression it could be the soundtrack to the life of the kid in school that everyone thinks is weird. There is a social disconnection that runs through the songs that is at times charming and at times bordering on creepy. Dember captures this persona in song as if he's lived it. From that perspective the album borders on genius, although the music, in general, just isn't really compelling. It’s a decent listen, but not one that will inspire you to come back again and again.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Greg Dember at www.myspace.com/gregorydember. You can purchase I Don’t Know I Think I Fell From The Sky as a CD or download from CDBaby.