The Music Freelancer: November 2007

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Last American Buffalo- Marquis for the Debutante Review

Artist: Last American Buffalo
Title: Marquis for the Debutante
Website: http://www.lastamericanbuffalo.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/lastamericanbuffalo
Style: Rock
Lineup: Jesse Carmichael (drums), Kevin Compton (vocals,guitars) , Brian Sadler (keys), Jesse Taylor (guitars, vocals), Ashley Taylor (tambourine, BG vocals)
Musical Influences: The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Oasis, Beck, Bob Marley, Ryan Adams, Coldplay, The Doors, Elliot Smith, The Flaming Lips, Scissors for Lefty, Arcade Fire, Interpol, Neil Young, The Who, The Dandy Warhols, The Stills, Wilco, The Rolling Stones.
Rating: 7.2 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

Last American Buffalo, is like their name implies, a lost breed in a modern world. The band's press material harkens back to a time when buffalo ran free on the range and the railroads were the kings of transportation. That being said the band's music offers modern arrangements that include rolling drumbeats and fresh guitar parts.

For the most part the songs fall into the Indie rock category although the band does take a side trip on songs like, "Privateer", and ""Sunshine" that include banjo and harmonica parts in them. The songs have a 60's country folk feel to them.

The song "Ordinary Girl" also has an interesting Oriental sounding start to it. Most of the song's subjects deal with issues of love and relationships.

My favorite songs were the more rocking ones like track-1, "Breaking Up Mine" with its catchy melody and "Fon" which features nice interaction between the guitars and drums.

While the band didn't hit it out of the park with Marquis for the Debutante it's still a good solid sounding Indie rock release worth hearing.

Ellen Tipper- Flanagan's Field Review

Artist: Ellen Tipper
Title: Flanagan's Field
Website: http://www.ellentipper.com
CDBaby Site: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ellentipper
Style: Singer Songwriter/ Piano Folk
Label: Self- Released
Rating: 8.9 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

Ellen Tipper is a Maine-based artist. Her new release Flanagan's Field is a collection of eleven songs that will entertain you while also pulling at your heartstrings. Most of the songs are driven by Ellen's stellar piano playing, but the song's lyrics are what really reach out and grab you.

The songs take on some tough subjects head on like in, "Not This Time," a story about a husband who constantly degrades his wife with emotional abuse, seeing her only as an object for his sexual pleasures and the woman finally getting the courage to say enough is enough.

"Let it Be Real," deals with the issue of divorce and blindly searching for love in the aftermath of such a tough situation. "Play It Blue" offers up suggestions for living with the disappointments that can be found sometimes in long-term type relationships. The songs are written in a way to be honest but also offer up some hope and strength.

Another main theme found in Flanagan's Field is the need to slow down your life, to relax and enjoy even the simplest things in life. One example of this is found in the title track, "Flanagan's Field", the song talks about the joy that can be found in the simplest things like viewing a beautiful sunset.

One of the more interesting tracks, style wise is, "Fatima" with its African rhythms. Ellen has a connection with the country. After college and grad school in the U.S. and her studies in London, she moved to West Africa where she worked with women's cooperatives and AIDS education efforts.

When asked about her songs Ellen said, "Songs allow you to be transported, like traveling, it's the crooked path that's usually the most interesting. Distilling songs to their essence from that faucet of raw ideas is like emerging from that path, renewed, emboldened and ready for more."

With Flanagan's Field Ellen Tipper has shown that she has both the talent and heart to entertain, inform, and move people to make this world a better place. What more could you ask for from someone's music.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Jupiter One- Jupiter One Review

Artist: Jupiter One
Title: Jupiter One
Website: http://www.jupiterone.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/jupiterone
Style: Rock/ Electronica/New Wave
Label: Cordless Recording
Lineup: K. Ishibashi (lead vocals, guitar, violin), Zac Colwell (keyboard), Mocha (keyboard), Ben Wright (bass), Dave Heilman (drums)
Rating: 7.9 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

To make the cocktail that is Jupiter One- Take large amounts of Talking Heads, Styx, and the Cars styles and finish it off with a few quick splashes of funk, electronica , and new wave, along with club beats and you'll have the musical cocktail that is Jupiter One's music.

The band got their name, Jupiter One, from the failed starship in 1960's TV sci-fi show Lost in Space.

Jupiter One was formed in 2003 and started out as an instrumental group. They would play their music while kung-fu type movies would be shown behind them.

This self-titled debut from Jupiter One is filled with infectious songs that feature killer rhythmic bass parts and guitars that drive the songs as smoothly as a Ferrari driving down the German Autobahn. All of this is completed by the keyboard and synth. sounds.

The songs are rich and full with most of them lasting between 4-5 minutes. The only thing I missed on the CD was a completely instrumental track. The band came close on a few tracks with mostly instruments and only a few lyrics but with their style of music lending itself to it an instrumental song I wish that they would have just let loose for an epic 7-9 minute instrumental track.

Besides the point mentioned above I thought that the album flowed really well and the songs were well done. The music mixed a little of the old with new to make fresh, inventive songs.

Cordless Recording founder and music legend Jac Holzman personally sequenced the release. Here's what he had to say about it, "When the hairs on the back of my neck stand up with the excitement of discovery I pay close attention. And stand they did for Jupiter One's first single, "Countdown," an uncommonly fresh and gripping track," Holzman raved. "Then my silent prayer, 'I hope the album is as good.' Every time I listen to Jupiter One's debut album it is with joyous anticipation and delight in knowing that others will soon share that joy."

For any of you gamers out there you probably have heard the band's music already. Their songs can be found on several of the EA Sports releases including, Madden 2008, and FIFA 2008, along with on the video game NHL2K8.

If you're a fan of bands like, The Cars, Killers, Styx, Franz Ferdinand, Talking Heads, and Bloc Party, then you should really enjoy Jupiter One's self titled debut release.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Indie Vision Music- Hearts Bleed Passion Vol. 2 Review

Artist: Indie Vision Music
Title: Hearts Bleed Passion Vol. 2
Website: http://www.indievisiomusic.com
Style: Compilation (Pop/Punk/Rock/Hardcore)
Label: Indie Vision Music
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
By Senior Writer C.W. Ross

Hearts Bleed Passion Vol. 2 is the second in the series that feature unsigned bands. The music found on it ranges from hardcore and metal to punk, alternative and rock in style.

With its 20 tracks you're sure to find something that you'll like on this release. The price is also right at only $4.00 at Indie Vision Music's online store. I like these compilation style releases as they offer many different bands a chance to get heard and the listener a chance to hear some good bands that they might not get the chance to hear any other way.

Here's the CD's track listing:

1. Olivia "Feelings", 2. Sophia "Mocking Birds After The Picture Show", 3. Take It Back "Lights In This Town", 4. Avery Pkwy "Sleep Now" 5. Someday "The Sink Is Here Cause I Got Problems",6. Thyne Scabbard "Call of God",7. Kings to You "Strike Back",8. All But Screaming "Wide Eyed", 9. Quick and the Dead "Nothing Changes",10. Spacepilot "Without Stitch",11. Abandon Kansas "Minutes", 12. Stand The Gaff "Frankly My Dear", 13. One Star Story "Near To Far", 14. Death Is Not Welcome Here "Facing Today", 15. Newvale "Summer's Gone", 16. Fixed Til Tuesday "Heaven Knocking, Hell Rising", 17. The Distance Between "Building Bridges", 18. The Relay "Back Seat Driver Sara", 19. Ashcroft "Behind the Bruised" and 20. The Trade "White Noise."

Out of the 20 tracks I really liked 12 of them, which is a pretty good ratio. 77 minutes worth of music for a couple of bucks sounds like a real good deal to me!

The band Diamond Rio has long been one of country music's most successful groups. In their over two decades in the music business they've won numerous awards, have had nine No. 1 hits, placed 15 singles in the Top Five, been inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, and have sold more than 10 million records and received the Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award in recognition of their many charitable endeavors, including their longtime relationship as National Spokespersons for Big Brothers Big Sisters.

With all of those achievements it's hard to believe that the group has never put out a holiday release. The band says that they've always wanted to do a Christmas album and with their recent signing to the Word Record's label the time and situation was right.

The result is The Star Still Shines, a collection of Christmas classics along with the original title track, "The Star Still Shines".

When I first got this release I expected to hear Christmas songs set to a heavy country music style. While songs like, "Winter Wonderland", "Sleigh Ride", and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" have a country vibe the only 'hill music country' track is the country/ bluegrass song, "Christmas Times A Comin'." This songs a real toe taper that will quickly have you singing along. That being said a good portion of the album has more of a contemporary /pop sound to it.

The Star Still Shines though is filled with the band's signature vocal harmonies that could stand their ground against anyone in a singing contest. You'll also find those harmonies showcased in their purest form in the a capella songs, "O Come O Come Emmanuel", and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" found on The Star Still Shines.

The release's original track, "The Star Still Shines" has the potential to become a Christmas classic. When asked about the song band member Marty Roe said, "It's a great song and it has a great message to it," he continued, "It's about the Christmas story, the birth of Christ. I love the sentiment that the star is still shining. He is still here with us and that good news is still here today. I think we came out with something really, really special."

If your looking for a new album to add to your Christmas play list then Diamond Rio's, The Star Still Shines would make a nice choice. The music is done in such a way that I think it will appeal to many different family generations as you set around enjoying the holidays together.

chasetheglow- chasetheglow EP Review

Artist:chasetheglow
Title chasetheglow EP
Website: http://www.myspace.com/chasetheglow
Style: Alternative Rock
Musical Influences: Switchfoot, Paramore, Disciple, Flyleaf, Anberlin, The Rocket Summer, Bleach , Family Force 5.
Lineup: Sara Pecchia (lead vocals), Jordan Crenshaw (guitar, background vocals), Aaron Carlson (bass), Eric Steward (drums)
Rating: 8.9 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

Chasetheglow was formed recently in the spring of 2007. While the band itself is new its individual members aren't having previous music experience being in other bands.

For example, I first hear lead singer Sara Pecchia's vocals a few years back when she was in the band Identity. Back then I was amazed by her vocal talents being that she was still only a teenager, so when she recently contacted me about a new band she was involved with I couldn't wait to hear their music.

I wasn't disappointed Sara always had the vocal talent but now she also has the extra wisdom that comes from life experiences that adds that extra bit of passion to her vocals.

Sara's lead vocals blend well with the rest of the band. The rhythmic guitar playing of Jordan Crenshaw keeps the songs flowing nicely while the drum beats provided by Eric Steward punch up the songs. Aaron Carlson's bass parts jump back and forth from being in the spotlight grabbing your attention and then melding back into the song like a chameleon.

The band's music is mostly up-tempo with catchy rhythms and driving beats although they aren't afraid to also add in some tempo changes, slowing things down for a few moments before driving the song's tempo back up again.

The song lyrics are filled with spiritual messages, but not in an overt way where every other word is God or Jesus. The band's spiritual message is more subtle leaning more on life lessons and finding hope to get their message out.

This style of song writing should offer the band great opportunities to reach out to people looking for faith not in a traditional church way. The band's song lyrics should also offer up opportunities to cross over to the secular music market should they choose to do so.

This self-titled EP from chasetheglow offers up a nice taste of their music and hopefully a full -length release from the band will be coming down the road, until then this EP should keep you happy.

Pawbox- Pawbox EP Review

Artist: Pawbox
Title: Pawbox EP
Website: http://www.myspace.com/pawbox
CdBaby Site: http://cdbaby.com/cd/pawbox
Style: Rock
Label: Self-Released
Lineup: Will Moore (vocals, bass), Ryan Leyva (guitar), Jon Epcar (drums)
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

PawBox is a Los Angeles trio that puts out a big sound. Although this self-titled EP is the debut from the guys, as individuals they all have 10+ years of musical experience under their belts.

This EP kicks of with the track, "O.O.T.N.I.F." a real rocker that starts out with a driving guitar sound that builds to a crescendo with fast paced drum beats joining in on the action.

After hearing it I was ready to tighten up the belt and get ready for some really heavy rockin' music. But after that first song the band shifted gears and went in a more melodic direction with the power ballad, "Leave the Door Open," and the piano ballad, "Razor Burn."

The guys pick it back up a little with the song, "Losing Sleep", and then end it out with another melodic track, "Silent Movie."

The band's press material describes their music as being both classic while still on the cutting edge. A mixture of rock styles combining bands like, the Foo Fighters, and Queens of the Stone Age with the edge of Nine Inch Nails.

The EP was produced by Matty Green (Solare, Kid Gloves, Xonimo).

For a debut release the music was pretty tight and solid. The EP should work as a nice offering to get the band's music out there and heard.

Alex Tobin- 16 Wentworth Review

Artist: Alex Tobin
Title: 16 Wentworth
Website: http://www.alextobin.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/alextobin
Style: Singer Songwriter/Piano
Musical Influences: Billy Joel, Ben Folds, Train, Counting Crows, Ray Charles, Beatles, Bela Fleck, Bleu, Boston, Elton John, David Gray, Chicago, Coldplay, Phil Collins, Eagles, Dave Matthews Band, Death Cab for Cutie, Five for Fighting, Guster, Huey Lewis and the News, Bruce Hornsby, Journey, Led Zepplin, Matchbox twenty, John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Sting, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, U2, Bob Seger, Simon and Garfunkel, Otis Redding, The Push Stars, Nada Surf, John Williams, Alan Slivestri, Ari Hest, The Who.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

You've heard of the saying a boy and his dog? Well 16 Wentworth is a man and his piano. On it you'll find 7-tracks of very well done piano music that ranges from ballads to lively tickling of the ivory styled songs.

The songs found on 16 Wentworth are a collection of songs that were recorded by Alex between July 2002 and Sept. 2004 at Eman Music Studios in Boston. The song's subjects deal with life issues including, relationships, facing and overcoming life problems, and Alex lamenting about his hometown.

Alex's piano playing is top notch and his vocals have that friend like tone to them that makes you feel comfortable. The songs have a feel like a friend telling you about his life.

His sound has been compared to that of Billy Joel, Ben Folds, and Elton John.

If your looking for some really good piano filled singer songwriter style of music to buy then Alex Tobin's release 16 Wentworth will meet and exceed your needs. The songs offer up very nice arrangements along with a wide variety of styles that keep things fresh all topped off with heartfelt lyrics.

The Metapuffs- Dimensional Maze Review

Artist: The Metapuffs
Title: Dimensional Maze
Website: http://www.metapuffs.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/themetapuffs
Style: Alternative/Retro Rock
Label: Interplanetary Records
Band Members Tris Lucas (guitar,vocals) Candy Lane (drums, vocals) Jon Collins (bass, backing vocals)
Rating: 8.4 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

The Metapuffs got started when Tris Lucas and Candy Lane met at a local Chicago hangout. From there they performed with a couple of different bass players until they met bassist Jon Collins and the final piece of the puzzle was in place.

The band was originally known as Lost Monkey but they changed that because they didn't want to get confused with the band the Artic Monkeys due to their growing popularity.

If you're like me, and thought Metapuff sounded like it had something to do with a marshmallow, then here's the band's definition of just what it means, "Metapuff is the smallest conceivable unit of matter. It exists outside of time and space as pure potential, and makes up the things that make up the things that make up other particles we are able to observe."

The band says that they want to bring the glitz and the glam back to an art form that they say, "...has grown increasingly stale and cookie-cutter." From seeing the band's picture, listening to their music, and reading their press information I would put them in the category of Prince or David Bowie in regards to their show presence.

Their debut release Dimensional Maze features 12 original songs, although Tris Lucas did use the song, "I'd Get Arrested for You," on a solo album he put out in 2004. Tris is the main songwriter for the band. He says that he churns out on average five songs a week and has written over a thousand songs. So the band should be set for new material for many, many, years to come.

The band likes to call their style of music, 'retro-futro,' because of its mixture of both classic and futuristic styles. I could feel both of them in the songs. At times the music felt like a throwback to 60's pop/rock while other times the songs had a space adventure feel.

The vocals duties are shared with both male and female lead parts along with the mixing of them in vocal harmonies in the songs.

The band's songs deal with a wide variety of emotions. Some song lyrics are joyful while others deal with the more depressing side of life.

One of my favorite songs was, "Keep Your Hair Long," a song that had a very deep rock vibe that reminded me a lot of an early Black Sabbath's sound. I also liked the song "2025," with its White Stripes like steady rhythmic beats.

While the music found on Dimensional Maze is good I get the feeling that The Metapuffs are the kind of band you need to see live to get the full experience. And when you do they'll knock your socks off!

If you can't catch them live then getting Dimensional Maze is the next best thing.

Saint of the Day- Maker Fair EP Review

Artist: Saint of the Day
Title: Maker Fair EP
Website: http://www.myspace.com/saintoftheday
Style: Rock
Rating: 9.1 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

Formed in early 2007Saint of the Day's debut EP Maker Fair is a blend of rock with elements of the blues. The 5 songs found on this ep (1-"Little Miss My Way", 2-"Relevance", 3-"Heaven", 4-"Bartender", 5-"Humor Me") are driven by the guitar talents of band member Sergio Ortega.

The songs are for the most part up-tempo rockers laced with rich guitar solos along with steady drumbeats. Inside of the rock genre the songs range in style from rousing southern rockers to more progressive and blues flavored tracks.

The band decided to write songs about subjects that almost everyone could relate to. Issues like, relationships, forgiveness, overindulgence, and laziness are covered in the songs.

Saint of the Day has really come out of the starting gate strong with this EP. It grabs your attention from the rocking first song, "Little Miss My Way" and doesn't ever let go.

Hopefully it won't be too long before the band goes back into the studio and puts out a full-length release. Until then their Maker Fair EP should fulfill your rock needs.

Mouse About- Mouse About Review

Artist: Mouse About
Title: Mouse About
Website: http://www.mouseabout.net
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/mouseabout
Style: Alternative/Rock/Pop
Lineup: Peter O'Dowd (guitar, keyboard, vocals), John Cassibry (bass), Shane Kullberg, (drums, vocals)
Rating: 7 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

Mouse About hails from the indie music hotbed of Austin, Texas. On their MySpace page the band list under their musical influences as everyone from, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and AC/DC, to Johnny Cash, Elliot Smith, and Public Enemy. As you might imagine with such an eclectic list their music is very hard to pigeonhole into one particular style.

I could hear everything from alternative, rock, 60's pop, punk, ska and jazz in the songs. The one constant that run through the whole release though was a moody undertone. I'm not sure exactly what it's from. Maybe its the deep vocal tones or the unusual sounds found in some of the songs.

For any conspiracy theorist out there here's a mystery to ponder. There's no track 10 listed on the CD's packaging. One the CD case's label it skips listing track-10 going from track-9 straight to track-11.

At first I thought maybe this was similar to what a lot of hotels do, not having a 13th floor elevator button due to superstition. My question were quickly answered though when I checked the CD and found all of the tracks listed correctly, and it was just a printing error, or was it?

Now back to the important stuff, the music. This self-titled release from Mouse About does a really nice job of mixing styles to create their own unique sound and kept the songs sounding fresh. Being an old trumpeter I also enjoyed the trumpet work found on several of the songs provided by Steven Welch.

This band has a bit of an offbeat side that comes through in the song lyrics. On their MySpace site when answering the question what their music sounded like they gave the answer, " Like garbage, not the band ".

If you have a desire for something a little bit off of the beaten music path, with an edge of quirkiness, then Mouse About's self-titled release is for you.

David Sasscer- Quiet Mind Review

Artist: David Sasscer (and the Mojo Conga Jam)
Title: Quiet Mind
Website: http://www.davesasscer.com
Style: World/Pop/SingerSongwriter
Label: Roomful of Sky Records
Rating: 7 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

David was raised in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, a small town located on the west coast of the island. With this fact along with the press material that came along with this release mentioning that David is joined on the release by his band with the name Mojo Conga Jam I expected to hear a real Latin flavor to the music which didn't happen on most of the songs.

David's love of music started early writing songs when he was only in 5th grade. While attending college in Atlanta he shared the music bill with acts like REM and Love Tractor. He quickly notes that this was before REM gained worldwide fame.

From there he moved to New York City where he began performing with his band, the 'Mojo Conga Jam', at infamous NYC clubs such as CBGB's, The Bitter End and Under Acme. Sasscer and the Mojo Conga Jam released their first Indie CD, Teaser on Gusto Records, which was labeled by music critics as, 'eclectic pop-definitely worth a listen'.

After several years of living in Paris, writing, recording, and producing other artist along with getting a few of his own songs on French radio stations he returned to the states and co-produced a musical television show with the legendary folk-rock artist Richie Havens.

He's also been keeping busy writing and producing a soundtrack for the Emmy nominated TV show, "Keeping Kids Healthy."

David isn't one to back down when asked a question, when asked if it is possible for an Indie artist to have both commercial success and artistic integrity? He answered with the following, " You can absolutely have artistic integrity and commercial success at the same time. I believe that more often then not, the argument that they are incompatible is used to justify really poor sales and/or really bad art."

On his latest release, Quiet Mind, you'll hear a world sound that you can better understand after considering all of his world travels mentioned earlier. The two things that stuck out most in the songs were the drum and percussion parts that steered each songs direction by their beats along with the vocal tracks that have a tone to them that keeps your attention while not going over the top.

My favorite tracks were, "Almost Perfect Weekend," a horn saturated island sounding song that deals with romance. I also enjoyed the very lively song, "Dynamite" with its rocking guitar parts and "I Do, To" with its funky R&B bass line.

There are two songs that I'm not sure I really got the true meaning of, "Jon Stewart is God," I'm guessing the song is about the Jon Stewart who host the Daily Show on TV. From the song I get the feeling that either David is a 'stalker type fan' of Jon or this song is done with tongue planted firmly in cheek humor.

Also the last track, "Doxology" came like a shot out of the blue with its praise and worship lyrics to God. The song features a killer heavy drumbeat that drives it along with other percussion and guitar parts. The vocals don't start until 1:35 into the song and are filled with rich harmonies.

This is one of those releases that will grow on you more with each listen as you pick up every little nuance that it has to offer.

In a footnote the record label that this release is found on Roomful of Sky Records says that, they strive to achieve their goals in a karmic way. This includes using environmentally friendly packaging and 10% of proceeds from sales going to charity. For this particular album the charity picked was Amnesty International.

Digby- What's Not Plastic EP Review

Artist: Digby
Title: What's Not Plastic EP
Website: http://www.digbyonline.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/digby
Style: Pop/Rock
Label: Label X/Toucan Cove Entertainment
Rating: 8 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

This band has been put through the ringer of life but continues on. It all started three years ago after the band released their debut full-length release. In the middle of a tour one band member had to deal with a divorce while two other members started to question whether or not they should leave the band. The big blow came shortly afterwards when a close friend of the band was killed in a car accident.

The band continues on with a slightly different line up though with the release of their What's Not Plastic EP. In a fitting ironic twist the EP was recorded in a small studio on the second floor of a working funeral home in Louisville, Kentucky over a two-month period in the spring of 2006.

As you might imagine the band's music has a searching side to it with songs like, "New America", "Self Evaluation", "Bad Swing", "Knocking at Your Door", and "How Long".

The songs feature melodic guitar hooks that draw you in to them. If you're a fan of bands like, Weezer, The Elms, Squeeze and Superdrag then you'll enjoy the sound of Digby.

The band has also created videos to accompany each track that can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/user/Pmoeller

One final note you can download the entire EP including all of the artwork from the band's website for any size of donation or even free.

Here's what the band has to say about the free download, "Hello, friends. Just wanted to let you in on little secret. Digby has just released its most recent project, the EP "What's Not Plastic". As a special gift, we have decided to make it available on our website as a download. Not only will you get 5 new songs, but all the artwork as well. You can download it for free, or if you choose to help keep us out of the poorhouse, you can donate any amount of money that you feel the songs are worth. As the old song goes "please put a penny in the old man's hat, but if you haven't got a penny, then God bless you."

Haven't these guys been through enough already so why not show them some love and give them at least a small donation for all of their efforts put into making the What's Not Plastic EP.

II Big- Face in the Glass Review

Artist: II Big
Title: Face in the Glass
Website: http://www.riverrox.com
Style: Classic Rock
Label: Russian River Records
Lineup: Aubrey Hansen (guitar, vocals), Tom Hansen (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Ken Ingels (drums, percussion), Roger Vance (bass)
Rating: 9.2 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

If you're old enough to remember the 70's and 80's then this band's music will have a familiar tone to it and bring back some fond memories.

II Big plays what they describe as, 'brand new classic rock.' They accomplish this by fusing elements of classic rock music along with new musical twists to achieve their sound.

The band has opened for all of the top classic rock bands from, Foghat, Blue Oyster Cult, and Grand Funk Railroad, to Joe Walsh, REO Speedwagon, and the motor city madmen -Ted Nugent.

Band drummer Ken Ingels says, "Although our audience seems to be made up of people of all ages, we're most popular with those folks who grew up with the sounds of classic Eagles, Bob Seger, and ZZ Top. "

On Face in the Glass you'll find ten tracks, nine of them are originals, and the one cover track is of the Crosby, Stills & Nash classic, "Wooden Ship."

I really liked this group's guitar and keyboard driven sound that ranges from country and southern rocker to classic rock ballads. No matter what style of music their playing the band does them all equally well. Besides the song's instrumentation the vocal harmonies found on many of the songs are nothing short of stellar.

So if you're a fan of bands like, Charlie Daniels, Hank Williams Jr., 38 Special, The Marshall Tucker Band, meets Bad Company and ZZ Top then you need to get Face in the Glass and hear what good country flavored classic rock music should sound like.

Brittney Elizabeth- Breathe In Review

Artist: Brittney Elizabeth
Title: Breathe In
Website: http://www.brittneyelizabeth.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/brittneyelizabeth19
Style: Pop/Rock/SingerSongwriter
Label: Desert Sunrise Records
Rating: 8.2 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

When first looking at the 20 year old Brittney Elizabeth one might think that she's just another in the line of cute looking, but limited talent, female artist that has splashed on the music scene in the last several years. Once her vocals start cracking through your stereo speakers though you'll quickly realize that she's different and has real talent.

Her trained vocals are clear, bright and passionate. Some of that passion comes from the fact that she's singing about actual events from her life. The songs are filled with her introspective thoughts about first love and following your dreams.

Most of the songs are taken from Brittney's journals and notes that she scribbled down while dating a boy that she met in math class as a sophomore in high school. The on and off again relationship didn't last but Brittney says the two still remain best friends.

"What I Live for is love and even though it hasn't worked out for me, for us, I'm just glad I got to experience it," Brittney said. "Whether it's happy or sad it is what gives me life. I completely believe in soul mates and finding that one person. I know that I'm not alone in believing this."

Breathe In is Elizabeth's debut release and mixes her singer-songwriter side with her pop rocker edge to create an interesting flow to the release.

Her musical influences come from many different styles of music. The softer side includes artist like Lisa Loeb, Sarah MacLachlan, and Dashboard Confessional while the pop-punk rocker influence comes from bands like, The Ataris and the queen of punk Patti Smith.

You might have heard some of Brittney's music already and not even known it. Here's a list of some of the shows where her music has, or will be appearing on soon, including MTV shows- The Real World: Hollywood, The Paper, My Super Sweet 16, Engaged and Underage, The Diary Series, Trick It Out, Cribs, High School Stories, Newport Harbor and True Life. Along with Lifetime Television's American Psychic Challenge, E! Entertainment- Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Oxygen Network's Bad Girls Club.

If you're looking for some singer-songwriter music with a pop rock edge to it then the sweet vocals of Brittney Elizabeth's Breathe In is a must buy.

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