Collin Herring- Past Life Crashing Review

Artist: Collin Herring
Title: Past Life Crashing
Website: http://www.myspace.com/collinherring
Style: Roots/Alt. Rock/ Alt. Country
Rating: 8.9 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

Past Life Crashing is the third release from Collin. Since his last release, The Other Side of Kindness, in 2005 Collin's life has been like a whirlwind of turmoil. He had to go into rehab twice along with getting married and divorced.

 

In the songs found on this release Collin bares his soul for you to see. Even though the song lyrics deal with strife, trouble and painful times they also hold out the hope of pulling yourself out of your bad situations and being triumphant over them.

 

In his press material Collins says about the songs, " I was just doing what I love to do, having no other choice than to get what is inside of me out."

 

The songs are filled with Collin's signature roots alt. rock meets Texas country. The release does take a side trip on the last two tracks with more of an experimental side to those songs.

 

Past Life Crashing took over 2 and a half years and included many song rewrites and production changes. You'll also find multiple artist that helped out including, Ken Coomer (former drummer for Wilco), Kathleen Edwards, Audley Freed (Black Crowes, Cry of Love), and Andrew Duplantis (Meat Puppets). His father Ben Roi Herring who played pedal steel and keyboards along with contributing some vocals also joined Collin.

 

Collin made sure that the songs weren't overworked though. He said that, "I wanted them to sound frayed enough that people heard them and felt the way I did when I wrote them."

 

Collin Herring already has a growing reputation as both a singer songwriter and a leader in the alt. rock music world and Past Life Crashing will only help to continue that growth. This release is ripe with soul baring songs that work on so many different levels.

 

A Boy Named Earth- Seasons Review

Artist: A Boy Named Earth
Title: Seasons
Website:http://www.myspace.com/aboynamedearthnj
Style: Rock Opera
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

I've been getting the chance recently to review a lot of rather eclectic Indie music and Seasons from A Boy Named Earth is no exception.

 

Described by the group as a rock-opera it revolves around the story of a boy leaving home in search of something better in his life.

 

The story is broken up into the four weather seasons. Track 1 is "Autumn." The song's running time is just under nine minutes and sets the stage for the story with it's moody, meandering pace.

 

Like also found in the other seasons there is almost several songs in each of them, as the tempo changes like the months of the season changing.

 

Track-2 "Winter," is over 6 minutes in length and portrays the season with heavy sounding instruments. Track-3 "Spring," lasting just under 10 minutes, is where hope starts again with lines like, I finally have reason to care. Track-4 "Summer" that last just over 10 minutes wraps up the journey with its melodic tones.

 

The songs are rich in guitar and drum parts but the violin is the instrument that really takes the lead and controls the flow of the songs. The vocals weave in and out of the songs letting the instruments freely flow.

 

The release ends up with the song, "Gavotte In G-Minor" a short instrumental track that last for just 3 minutes but gives the instruments time to take a bow in the musical spotlight of Seasons.

 

I got to mention the band members to give them their due credit. Evan Acuna (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Dan Brown (violin, backing vocals), Tom "Goat" Healey (lead guitar), Steven Sandler (drums), and Kevin Rovner (bass). Job well done guys!

 

The version I reviewed had 5 tracks but in a correspondence with the band they have decided to divide the release into 12 individual tracks to make it an easier listen.

 

Either way Seasons is worth your time.

 

Technology Versus Horse- Four Against The Minotaur Review

Artist: Technology Versus Horse
Title: Four Against The Minotaur
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/technologyvshorse
Style: Experimental
Label: Dozing Lady Records
Rating: 7 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

This band hailing from Bowling Green, Kentucky started out in 2004 as an avant-garde noise rock band but since then have switched to a more experimental sound.

 

The band's current lineup includes, Matt Bitner (bass), Mike Farmer (lead vocals), Rafe Heltsley (guitar), Josh Hines (drums) and David Prater (keyboards).

 

The band members have a wide ranging list of musical influences that include artist like, The Beach Boys, The Pixies, The Cure, Talking Heads, Miles Davis, Red Hot Chili Peppers Jane's Addiction, and Concrete Blonde to name just a few.

 

If you're looking for an easy listen then Four Against The Minotaur isn't the CD for you. Listening to this release is much like stopping at a car wreck or watching a house on fire burning.

 

The music is crunchy and often harsh to the ears but somehow manages to work and excite your ears like a hot pepper that you can't help from eating, even though you know that the few seconds of pleasure are going to be quickly followed by pain.

 

From their web site and CD cover art I'm guessing that the band takes their music serious, but not themselves, and like to have some fun with what their doing.

 

Coming from that point of view Four Against The Minotaur offers up a nice off-the-beaten path style of interesting music and is worth a listen.

Tommy Strazza- Welcome to the Rest of Your Life Review

Artist: Tommy Strazza
Title: Welcome to the Rest of Your Life
Website: http://www.tommystrazza.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/tommystrazza
Style: Power Pop/ Rock
Rating: 8 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

Tommy Straza has performed both solo and with his band named The Model Citizens (Jeff Fernandes- drums/ backing vocals, Matt Jovanis- bass, Mike Stein- keys, J.P. Doherty- guitar/ backing vocals). Tommy's first solo album named Crawl was released in 1999 followed by a self-titled release in 2002.

 

When asked about his music Tommy said that, "I want to be an inspiration, a risk taker, and an envelope pusher. I want to excite people about music; the way it grabbed me as a kid."

 

Tommy's latest release Welcome to the Rest of Your Life is filled with a power pop/rock mixture style of music that deals with adulthood and relationship type issues.

 

The mostly guitar lead songs are a mixture of upbeat rockers and melodic ballad type tracks. Tommy's vocals have a touch of gruffness to them that fits well with the song subjects found on this release.

 

The song lyrics deal a lot with being tired of the cheating and lies that are found in bad relationships. The song "Goin' Solo," an acoustic ballad, probably says it best with lyrics like, "...don't let the door hit your ass on your way out, I'm going solo..."

 

My two favorite tracks, "Detour" and "Good to See You" are both guitar filled, drum pounding, up-tempo rockers.

 

Welcome to the Rest of Your Life is a good solid release that I found entertaining.

 

Avenue F- Tales From The Garage Review

Artist: Avenue F
Title: Tales From The Garage
Website: http://www.avenuef.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/avenuef
Style: Hard Rock
Rating: 8 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

Formed in 2002, and hailing from Bayonne, New Jersey is the hard rocking band, Avenue F.  The band's line up is, Jack Kemple (lead vocals), Vinnie Valdes (bass), Mike Betkowski (drums), and Mike Marino (guitars, keys, vocals).

 

On the band's MySpace page they list, Van Halen, U2, The Beatles, and Alice In Chains as their musical influences.

 

Tales From The Garage is the follow up to the band's self-titled CD that was well received by their fans. This release defines what the band is all about, straight ahead hard rocking music. The songs found on it are filled with wailing guitars and heavy pounding drum beats.

 

The lyrics from track-5, "Radio" probably say it best with lyrics like, "We're a garage band. We're never selling out. We'd rather go broke."

 

A track you might recognize is track-4; "I Got You," it's the band's cover of the 80's hit song from the group Split Enz.

 

Besides staying true to your music other subjects dealt with include stories of family and friends, along with addiction, and bad romances.

 

Tales From The Garage is the type of release that you need to play with your stereo cranked up to full volume as you rock out to it.

 

Lucien- Deal With It Review

Artist: Lucien
Title: Deal With It
Website: http://www.luciennocelli.com
Style: Guitar Rock
Label: Infinite Trend Records
Rating: 8.9 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

Known simply as Lucien he's more then a musician, he's a showman. His energetic live shows have been referred to as, 'the perfect modern glam rock concert.' Lucien is also in the touring International Beatlemania Stage Production playing the part of John Lennon. He is also an author having penned a guitar book for the advanced player "Modes In Motion," which recently has been republished marking the book's 10th anniversary.

 

What you'll find on Deal With It is a collection of guitar rock songs that pay homage to the past while remaining fresh. Here's what Lucien had to say about it, "I wanted to fulfill the need of classic rock fans who desperately want to buy new recordings of the genre they grew up with. now they can." He continues on, "What I've created is modern classic rock, classic rock for those yearning for it with a modern twist that also tremendously appeals to younger audiences."

 

On this release besides handling lead vocals Lucien also plays all of the instruments including, guitar, bass, drums, percussion, and strings. You'll find guest drummers on 4 of the tracks. Lucien is also joined by his wife Sheri who adds in some harmony and background vocals.

 

This artist picked up his first guitar, a red half sized acoustic that his parents bought him at the age of 5, from that point on he was hooked. Besides a long history playing rock music Lucien also studied jazz guitar those styles along with touches of funk and pop creates his style.

 

While Deal With It is filled with the virtuoso guitar playing of Lucien the song's lyrics refuse to take a back seat. The songs are well written and deal with life related issues in general, both in the present and past. Issues like dealing with things one day at a time, taking the time to slow down and enjoy life, loneliness, childhood memories and what good does war really accomplish to name a few.

 

If you're a fan of guitar music, 70's/80's rock, or just good music then you need to get Lucien's latest release, Deal With It.

 

Darryl Gregory- She Review

Artist: Darryl Gregory
Title: She
Website: http://www.darrylgregory.com
CDBaby: http://cdbaby.com/cd/gregorydarryl
Style: Singer Songwriter/ Swamp Rock
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

Darryl's music has taken many turns over the years. Starting out as a classically trained trombonist he spent over a decade playing in symphonies and big band jazz bands. He learned to play guitar while in a basement rock band. He's also into world music and co-founder of The Sa-Reel Project with composer Sasha Bogdanowitsch.

 

He's also composed music for film as well as incidental music for several off and off-off Broadway theatrical and dance works

 

By day Darryl is a music teacher in Stamford, CT where he instructs middle school aged children. He's also owner of Blue Cave Studios, a home project studio that caters to Indie-musicians, singer-songwriters and other non-label recording projects.

 

As I'm sure you've gathered by now Darryl has many strong roots down in the music industry.

 

Darryl's latest release She is a concept album about the many facets, both good and bad, of women.  Darryl says that, "each song is a chapter or a vignette that when put together tell an even greater story. There aren't too many concept albums coming out anymore, but I loved the challenge of doing it anyway."

 

Besides handling lead vocal duties on this release Darryl also plays the vast majority on instruments found on She including, guitars, bass, harmonica, organ piano, mandolin, and dobro to name just a few.

 

He's also added in some key components from other musicians like Rani Arbo whose lively fiddle playing fingerprints can be found through out the release.

 

Also Debbie Maloney's flute playing on track-6 "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" brings a nice, almost fanciful element, to the song.

 

You'll find Justin Hines on drum kit and congas. Last but not least are the helping vocals of Wendy Berry and Sasha Bogdanowitsch that worked as a nice accent to Darryl's deeper male vocals.

 

This release has many musical flavors found in it blending, singer/songwriter, alt. country, retro-rock, folk, and swamp rock sounds that alternate in tempo, from bar swigging hell-raisers, to melodic guitar and piano ballads.

 

Darryl's been around music for along time and his talent shines through brightly in this, his latest release, She.

Bayard Russell- Selftitled Review

Artist: Bayard Russell
Title: Selftitled
Website: http://www.bayardrussell.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/bayardrussell
CDBaby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bayardrussell
Style: Pop/Techno
Rating: 8.1 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

Russell, who's from Indiana, grew up listening to The Beatles and Ice Cube. He started playing the piano at age 4 and picked up guitar playing during his high school years.

 

He attended Dartmouth with a major in philosophy and a minor in music.  After graduation he moved to NYC to pursue his music.

 

Besides his solo work Russell is also the lead vocalist, bassist, and songwriter for the garage rock band Negative Ken.

 

Selftitled is Russell's debut solo release. On it you'll find a collection of music characterized in his press material as, 'Indie heartbroken pop.'
As that description indicates the songs found on this release deal with love and loss, with most of it centering on the heartbroken side of the love scale.

 

The music has an electro-pop style that runs throughout it ala bands like The Postal Service, which is one of the bands Russell list as his musical influences along with, Elliot Smith, John Mayer, Fountains of Wayne, Jack Johnson, and Belle and Sebastian.

 

The release has a lofi, not over worked, raw edge to it that creates a nice feel. With its wide variety of techno sounds and dance beats, intermixed with an alternative meets Indie pop sound, with a dash of playfulness and experimentation added in makes Bayard Russell's Selftitled a release worth buying.

Peech Review

Artist: Peech
Title: Peech
Website: http://www.peechmusic.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/peech
Style: Acoustic Rock
Label: Unison Music
Rating: 8.2 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

Peech is made up of Chelsea Dohemann (vocals, guitar, piano), and Megan Osborn (vocals, guitar). This is the self-titled debut release, on Unison Music, for the California duo that met in the Cal State Chico dorms during their freshman year in college.

 

With two very distinctive personalities the two didn't even think that they would like each other but that changed when they found  their common love of music.

 

Lucky for us that they had the connection to music because Peech makes music that's worth hearing. Whether soft and on the folk side or more up-tempo with a rock beat it's all good.

 

The ladies pull their musical influences from a wide array of artist from Janis Joplin, Blondie, Police, and what they say is their favorite band of all time, The Beatles.

 

Their song lyrics deal with a wide range of emotions. The ladies like to not be pigeonholed into singing about just one subject.

 

"We take a lot of pride in being able to write about a lot of different subjects. All of our songs aren't about guys or love," says Dohemann. "Before we were writing from inside looking out, but now we're outside looking in, seeing things from a bigger perspective."

 

"If people respond to it, like cry or get really angry, just have an emotion, I feel like 'awesome, we touched someone,' " says Osborn.

 

The release gets started with the song, "Driving Blind" that features a really interesting arrangement to it, involving tempo changes. From there the release intermixes melodic folk and pop/rock tracks.

 

The release ends with track-12, "Thank You" a piano ballad that if you close your eyes and listen  visions of Tori Amos will flash into your mind.

 

Peech's self-titled release offers up 46 minutes of entertaining music with song lyrics that will draw upon your emotions.

 

Nemesis3- Scream As Needed Review

Artist: Nemesis3
Title: Scream As Needed
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/nemesis3
Style: Hard Rock/ Alternative
Label: Frog and Scorpion Records
Rating: 7.8 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

Nemesis3 is, Marc Wasmund (lead vocals, guitar), Dann Singer (drums, backing vocals),  and Graig Lindgren (bass & backing vocals).

 

The guys pull on their diverse musical influences of both classic bands like Rush and Led Zeppelin to today's bands like My Chemical Romance, and Incubus.

 

Nemesis 3 has shared the stage with national acts like, P.O.D., Chevelle, Mushroomhead, and Drowning Pool.

 

Scream As Needed is the band's debut release and was released in 2004. The band is ready to enter the studio and start working on their next project. They said that,  "We have 14 new songs to choose from and believe me, they are even better than the last CD."

 

Until then though Scream As Needed will be able to give you your needed fix of hard driving rock. It's filled with hard rock/metal guitar licks hot enough to dance with the devil along with bass lines that will smack the crap out of your stereo's speakers. Add on top vocals that are both pleading and wailing in the same song.

 

The band shows that they have more then one side to their music with a more melodic flow  that can also be found on several of the songs.

 

The one thing that never changes on this release from track-to-track is the good music that it keeps pumping out of your speakers.

Woodpecker F-Hole Review

Artist: Woodpecker
Title: F- Hole
Website: http://www.woodpeckermusic.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/woodpeckermusic
Style: Punk-Americana/ Bluegrass
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

Where should I start with trying to describe the band Woodpecker? They started out in 2002 in Chicago redoing punk tunes to a bluegrass style of music. The group disbanded in 2003 and reformed again in 2005 in Brooklyn with the addition of Al Huang (mandolin, vocals), and Andy Xue (cello) with original members  Jordan Anderson (banjo, vocals), and Josh Steinbauer (guitar, vocals).

 

If you removed the lyrics from the songs and just listened to the instruments you would find that their Americana/Bluegrass style of music would bring a smile to Ricky Skaggs, or Bill Monroe with all of its banjo, mandolin, and smooth vocal harmonies.

 

The band doesn't stop there though they layer on top of the music their punk attitude lyrics that take this release in an all-new direction. The lyrics for the first 7 songs have their fair-share of curse words so that you won't be hearing them on anything but college or underground radio stations.

 

The band takes on girlfriends, pompous people, people who don't pick up after their dogs, working at a corporate job, the ups and downs of life, religion and last but not least they give rapper Eminem a bitch slap that would make Mike Tyson proud.

 

As you probably figured out by now this is not your average release. This takes probably the most traditional American form of music and stretches it's boundaries like a devilish kid playing with Silly Puddy.

 

There's no middle ground with this band your either going to love their inventive style and wear out the CD from playing it so much or hate it as much as someone making an awful screeching chalkboard sound.

 

Either way one thing that can't be denied is that this group of musicians have talent.

 

Steve Richard Review

Artist: Steve Richard
Title: Steve Richard
Website: http://www.steverichardmusic.com/
Style: Country/ Southern Rock
Rating: 7.95 out of10
By C.W. Ross

 

This is the self-titled debut album from Steve Richard. What you'll find on it is a country artist looking to push the genres boundaries with a significant southern rock musical flavor found on it.

 

When asked about the album's style Richard says,  "The album is about that exciting place where country meets rock and roll, and it's a very 'LIVE' kind of record, with songs that come across very well onstage. The idea was to do songs that tell honest stories which reflect the way I feel whether I wrote the song or not."

 

"My style of music reflects the love I have for bands like Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers, along with classic sounds of George Jones, Waylon Jennings and Buck Owens, to the Cream, Who and The Stones...you've got the picture. It's very much a rocking record, but is completely steeped in country tradition."

 

Richard has also toured the Midwest and South as both a headliner and opening act for Lynyrd Skynyrd, Dickey Betts, .38 Special and Van Zant.

 

The releases first two tracks are all out driving southern rockers, "Faster, Faster" and  "Stomp." It isn't until track-3"Everything Beautiful to Me" that the release lets the country side take the spotlight for a while.

 

Track-5 "Tried-and-True another rocker gets the blood pumping again. Quickly followed by the country bar-rock song, "We Ain't Saints."

 

Track-7 "Make it into Heaven" has a real Jimmy Buffet like tropical island music feel to it. Track-8, "I'll Never Leave You" is the releases only ballad.

 

From there it goes, track-9 pop country, track-10 southern rocker, track-11 country gospel and ends it with track-12 "Write This Song" with it's standard country sound.

 

This release hits most of the marks. The only thing that might turn some people off is the wide variety of different styles ( southern rock, traditional country, modern country, pop, gospel, and island music) found on it that does make it seem a bit schizophrenic at times.

 

Go ahead and get this release and enjoy the music, just be prepared to hit the next track button a time or two.

 

You can view a well done video for the first single, "Faster, Faster" from the album at: 

 

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=VQf_iSRiGBY

 

 

Sean Costello-We Can Get Together Review

Artist: Sean Costello
Title: We Can Get Together
Website: http://www.seancostello.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/seancostello
Style: Blues/ Roots Rock
Label: Delta Groove Music
Rating: 9 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

Sean started out playing the guitar at the age of nine. Self-taught it didn't take long before his playing got noticed when at age 14 he won the Beal's Street Blues Society's, 'New Talent Award.'

 

Sean released his debut album, Call the Cops in 1996 when he was only 16. Since then he's both released several more of his own albums along with appearing on other artist releases.

 

Sean's latest release, We Can Get Together is jammed pack with the blues along with his signature soul and touches of rock ala classic artist such as, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and Jerry Lee Lewis.

 

Here's some of what Sean has to say about his music, "I'll never play the old blues better than the people who invented it...I'm 28 years old, and I need to make my own statement." 

 

Sean tries to walk the fine line of being true to the past while still adding in some modern elements to keep the music fresh sounding.

 

This release takes you on a journey of musical tempos from upbeat hard driving tracks like, "Anytime You Want",  "Same Old Game," and "How in the Devil," to the Gospel inspired "Going Home", along with the ballad, "Have You No Shame."

 

Those of you who read my reviews regularly know that I like it when a release has that little something different and We Can Get Together didn't disappoint me. On the song, "Told Me a Lie" they use a chicken coop to provide a percussion element. I also liked the not often heard outside of a full band instrument the sousaphone.

 

If you're a fan of the blues you need to checkout Sean Costello's music. For me the sign of a good blues guitarist is if they can make the guitar almost come to life and talk to me. On We Can Get Together Sean's guitar speaks loud and clear with a soulful heart.

Andy Juhl -A Simple Life on Land- Review

Artist: Andy Juhl
Title: A Simple Life on Land
Website: http://www.andyjuhl.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/andyjuhl
CDBaby: http://cdbaby.com/cd/andyjuhl
Style: Folk/Rock
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

This is Andy's debut solo album. He's probably best known as the guitarist for the Minneapolis based experimental group the Trimmed Hedges.

 

Besides Andy -(vocals, guitar, banjo, harmonica) you'll also find John Juhl - (drums, percussion, vocals), Brian David -(bass), and Cindy Juhl- (french horn) on the album.

 

From the very first song  "And In The Morning" you can really hear the Neil Young influence to Andy's sound. On several of the songs if I would have received this CD in the mail and listened to it I would have swore I was listening to Neil Young. The folk/rock songs have that genuine story behind them along with an ever-present harmonica work that lights up the songs.

 

All of the songs aren't on the folk side though you also find a couple of them where the electric guitar is cranked up and let loose to play with glee. I also liked the 2 instrumental tracks found on A Simple Life on Land on which the instruments were let loose to showcase their musical talents.

 

The two instruments that get a mention for their fresh and intriguing additions to the CD are the banjo parts found on several of the songs along with the, rarely heard outside of orchestral music french horn, found on the song, "Let's Go Around One More Time." It added a unique element to the song that I enjoyed.

 

If you're a fan of Neil Young's music you'll love this release and even if your not I think that Andy brings enough fresh elements and quality song writing to make it worth getting.

 

Running Still Review

Artist: Running Still
Title: Running Still
Website: http://www.runningstillmusic.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/runningstillmusic
Style: Alternative/ Rock
Rating: 8.4 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

Running Still is the self-titled debut release from this Brooklyn, NY based alt. rock quartet, Asi Meskin (vocals, acoustic guitar, keys), Ben Zwerin (bass, back vocals), Chris Higginbottom (drums, back vocals) and Raed Khazen (guitars).

 

The band lists their musical influences as, Pink Floyd, Coldplay, Radiohead, The Beatles, U2, Tears for Fears, Damien Rice, Kings of Leon, David Bowie, and Paul Simon.

 

Running Still is filled with songs that have a heart. Asi Meskin's vocals reach out and either pull at your heart strings tenderly or crushes them with each new song. The lyrics are filled with anger, frustration and cynicism at the same time holding a hope out for the future.

 

If his hypnotic vocals don't grab your attention then the riveting guitar work will take control of you. The guitar work ranges from melodic acoustic to electric rockers.

 

The drum parts are like the rear driver on a ladder fire truck keeping everything going smoothly, but often going unnoticed. If there wasn't one their though like the truck that would sway wildly from side-to-side so would the music.

 

The band spent much of 2007 in the recording studio and is looking forward to playing live again. Over their short time the band has already built up a reputation as a must see live band.

 

Running Still offers up loads of good music that has a familiar sound yet with new elements added in that move their sound forward making it both fresh and unique.

 

Garry Segal- Taking Notes Review

Artist: Garry Segal
Title: Taking Notes
Website: http://www.todyeforband.com
Style: Roots Rock / Americana 
Rating: 8.25 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

After 20 years of musical success recording and touring with his rock/blues band Garry and the Moodswingers, Garry has decided to embark on a solo career.

 

Taking Notes offers up a very interesting collection of musical styles on its 7-tracks of music.

 

The release starts-off with "Two Broken People" a root's rocker with acoustic guitar, piano and organ driving its steady beats.

 

Track-2 "Wrong Dogs"- is a dobro filled swamp music song that has campy-humor lyrics.

 

Track-3 "Without Rain" breaks out the soul of country music the pedal steel.  This melodic song also features nice sweet harmony vocals from Joan Schroeder that work well against Garry's vocals with their slightly grizzled edge.

 

Track-4 "I Keep Drinkin', " takes a trip down the jazzy-blues road with its smoky sax and jazzy guitar solo. The song also features both an interesting intro and outro of whistling.

 

Track-5 "Wind Will Blow," breaks out the mandolin and banjo for a visit to bluegrass music land. 

 

Track-6 "Cartwheels" is where Garry starts to let his stellar harmonica work come out in this melodic blues song.

 

Garry's harmonica playing has earned him an endorsement deal with the world renowned Hohner Harmonica.

 

The CD finishes up with track-7 "Everything's Jake" an instrumental track where each instrument takes its turn in the song's musical spotlight.

 

I liked all 7 songs found on Taking Notes with the wide variety of styles that worked together thanks to Garry's lyrics that are filled with talk of failed dreams, humor, and hope.

Rob Saffi and the Odd Breed- Review

Artist: Rob Saffi and the Odd Breed
Title:  Rob Saffi and the Odd Breed
Website: http://www.robsaffi.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/robsaffi
Style: Rock/ Blues
Rating: 9 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

Rob Saffi and the Odd Breed is, Rob Saffi (vocals, guitars), Stu Weinberg (bass), and Darrell Long (drums). Saffi began taking the stage in Providence, RI in 2003 garnering regional success before deciding in 2005 to move to New York City.

 

Once there he started playing on street corners and subway platforms before becoming a regular on the West Village's music scene headlining at local haunts like, The Bitter End, Kenny's Castaways, and The Lions Den.

 

Rob Saffi and the Odd Breed play a blend of rock n' roll with a blues side. The 9 songs found on this the self-titled debut release from the band feature really interesting guitar parts and song arrangements.

 

The lyrics are real life and deal with hope and false hopes that some people have dreamed up in their minds. Saffi's vocals are gritty and have a earned street cred to them.

 

When asked about the album, "Starting out," Saffi says, "I knew I wanted out of my hometown, and there was more to life than I saw there, but that was about as far as I thought it out.  So I moved (to New York), picked up odd jobs, played where I could, and wrote under streetlamps, trying to find my voice and where I fit.  This album is what I wrote under those streetlamps.  This album is that voice."

 

This isn't fancy music this is dirt under your fingernails style of music that's real and hits a home run.  Do yourself a big favor and get this release soon.

Officer Roseland- Blast-Off for Kicksville Review

Artist: Officer Roseland
Title: Blast-Off for Kicksville
Website: http://officerroseland.com/
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/officerroseland
Style: Rock/ Pop Punk
Rating: 7.95 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

Officer Roseland is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania band that plays a blend of rock that has many influences including, funk, punk, jazz, soul and country.

 

The band's lineup is, Dan Daidone (vocals, bass), Brian Jones (guitar, keyboards), Harry Grannis (bass, guitar),  and John Ilisco Jr. (drums, percussion).

 

The 10-tracks found on Blast-Off for Kicksville are for the most part upbeat and filled with little nuances and arrangements that are fresh and keep you guessing in which direction their going.

 

The band pulls on a wide variety of musical styles blending them together to create a familiar yet with something a little bit different end sound.

 

The band has an offbeat sense of humor that run like a thread throughout the song's lyrics.

 

Stylistically several of the songs like "Juggler's Despair" have a definite Talking Heads feel to them. The release ends with the two songs, "Farmer Brown (No2)" and "Cookie Puss," that have a touch of a rockabilly flavor to them.

 

The band's music has been played on the TV channel's- Comedy Central, The Weather Channel, and PBS. 

 

Blast-Off for Kicksville, was released in January 2007 and the band already has plans to enter the studio in March to start work on their next release.

 

If you're in Puerto Rico the band will be playing several live shows there in February.

 

I found Officer Roseland's music to be entertaining and look forward to hearing the musical treasures that will be found in their next release.

 

Renee Zawawi- Legends Review

Artist: Renee Zawawi
Title: Legends
Website: http://www.reneezawawi.com
Style: Pop Dance
Label: Sapines Record
Rating: 7.9 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

Renee Zawawi's life is fascinating and much of it can be found in this, her debut release, Legends. While still a young child, Zawawi was abducted from her home in Philadelphia and taken overseas. "I sang to release my soul and relieve the heartache of what I was going through," Zawawi explains. "Through perseverance and determination, I was eventually reunited with my family here in the USA." Unfortunately she didn't get the chance to see her mother before she passed away.

 

Renee has girl-next-door beauty with big puppy dog eyes and a smile that can light up a room.  She competed in and won several beauty pageants including, 'Miss PA 2004.'

 

Renee's true passion though has always been her music. "I can't imagine living without music in my life," Zawawi explains. "There is no better feeling than sharing touching moments with my audience. I think there are songs on my record for everyone, and I can't wait for people to hear it!"

 

Legends offer up many different offshoots to its main theme of pop dance music. Several of the songs have a Middle Eastern flair to them along with the very Spanish sounding, "Never Knew" with its castanets.

 

The songs alternate from heavy bass pumping dance tracks like "American Girrrl" and "Flirt With Me" to more melodic ones including the final track, "On the Road." That song deals with not letting people pull you down, to live your dreams.

 

Another track worth mentioning is, "Children of the World." This song was written to raise funds to help children suffering from war, violence, and disaster. The chorus of the song was translated into 7 different languages so children listening to the song could enjoy it in their native language.

 

When asked about where the inspiration comes from for her songs Renee says, "...the songs (are) from my heart and soul, about the best and the worst experiences that I have been through-through out my life trip in general and through out traveling to various countries. Each song speaks of dances, cultures, and encounters..."

 

With its club world beats and strong lyrics you should be hearing the songs from Renee Zawawi's Legends pumping from both your local club and favorite radio station.

 

Midnight Falling- Beautiful Pearl Review

 

Artist: Midnight Falling
Title: Beautiful Pearl
Website: http://www.midnightfalling.com/
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/midnightmusiconline
Style: Progressive/ Hard Rock
Label: Midnight Music Online Publishing
Rating: 8.3 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

The band hails for Manchester, New Hampshire. At the time of recording Beautiful Pearl the band was made up of only two members, Stacey Scerbo (lead vocals) and Silvio Giarratana (all instruments and some vocals). Since then the band has added two new members, Sebastian Schmidt (drums, percussion) and Billy Mitchell (bass).

 

The new band members were added so that the sound found on Beautiful Pearl could be recreated live.

 

The first thing that struck me when I listened to Beautiful Pearl was its rich full sound. Stacey Scerbo handles all of the lead vocal duties except for on two songs, "Hard, Inflexible" a rock/blues number with a funky bass, and "I'm Dyin' Inside" where Silvio Giarratana handles them.

 

Stacey Scerbo's vocals are gritty and work well with the rock-based songs. They have a Pat Benatar meets Ann Wilson (Heart) tone to them.

 

Silvio Giarratana knows how to handle a guitar, from wailing hard rock to Texas blues riffs he makes it sing with joy with each new chord he hits.

 

The band's songs deal with life, both the good and bad parts of it. The band shows their more mellow side with the title cut rock ballad, "Beautiful Pearl".

 

For a debut release this band really has all of their cards in order and comes out of the starting gate at full speed. I'm sure that we'll be hearing a lot more from them now and well into the future.