Reality Serum- Hop In Review

Artist: Reality Serum
Title: Hop In
Website: http://www.myspace.com/realityserum

CDBaby: http://cdbaby.com/cd/realityserum2 Style: Hip-Hop/Alternative/Ambient
Label: Supple Records
Rating: 8.9 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

When I first hear about Reality Serum and their music I was going to pass on reviewing it but thanks to Rob from Supple Records I decided to give it a good listen. I want to thank Rob because after giving Hop In a listen I was sold on the inventive style of music found on it.

 

The band describes their sound as 'Trans-urban', which blends, Alternative Hip Hop and guitar driven Ambient music styles of music together.

 

Reality Serum is Camanche (words & mic.) along with Twizle (instruments & backing vocals). The list of different instruments that Twizle plays on Hop In is a long one that includes, guitar, bas, drum machine, Roland baseline, wood flute, harmonica, tambourine, and whistle.

 

Before getting together in 2004 both Camanche and Twizle had been involved in music and developed their own styles before coming together to form Reality Serum and this wonderful mixture of musical styles.

 

That mixture can be found on Hop In with tracks like, "Inside Out" and "Bring It On" featuring more of a Hip-Hop style while the tracks, "Breathless" and "My Life" have more of an Ambient lead to them. The rest of the tracks found on Hop In have more of a mixed groove to them.

 

Once my ears got adjusted to the mixture of Hip- Hop vocals and Ambient sounds I really appreciated the uniqueness of Reality Serum's sound.

 

This release has been out since March of 2007 and the band is already back in the studio working on their next release. So now is the perfect time to pick up this release. If you visit the band's MySpace site you can buy Reality Serum's, Hop In at a set your own price + $2.99 for shipping deal.

 

Do yourself a favor and open up your mind like I did to the new musical experience that can be found on Hop In.

 

Laurel- Sweet Insanity Review

Artist: Laurel
Title: Sweet Insanity
Website: http://www.laurelbuzz.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace,com/laurelmusic
CDBaby: http://cdbaby.com/cd/laurelpop
Label: Harbar Records
Style: Rock
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

Sweet Insanity is the latest release from Laurel Barineau, a sultry singer, with slightly raspy vocals that you'll be amazed by when you hear them.

 

Laurel belts out songs that range from, pop, rock, and dance to the blues with soulful vocals. I like the way she's described on her MySpace page, "Sounds Like: If Etta James, Melissa Etheridge, Bonnie Raitt, and Rod Stewart had a foursome, Laurel would be their illegitimate child."

 

The entire band lineup is, Laurel (lead vocals), Jason Barbee (lead guitar), Nick Nolden (bass guitar/vocals), Mike Cash (drums/vocals), Bull Durham (keys/vocals).

 

It all starts off with the rocking track, "Rain Down" that besides Laurel's great smoking vocals also offers some nice guitar parts including a solo at the 3:40 point in the song. This song and many of the others also have a really nice bass line running through them.

 

Track-6 "It's Not Over (When You Go)" is another nice track that features the sultry side of Laurel's vocals along with some nice saxophone all set to against an R&B lounge feel.

 

Track-9 "Back to Innocence" goes down the club sound route with its pumped up bass beats that made my stereo speakers rattle.

 

Sweet Insanity ends with "Right Outside Your Door," a melodic type ballad that features some real nice vocal harmonies.

 

Sweet Insanity features high-energy songs filled with Laurel's vocals that have a sensual playfulness to them. This is one very talented singer who can do it all from soulful blues to ripping rock lyrics.

 

Do yourself a favor and get Laurel Barineau's Sweet Insanity release.

Stealing Jane- Say Something Review

Artist: Stealing Jane
Title: Say Something EP
Website: http://www.stealingjane.com
Style: Pop/Rock/R&B
Label: BTO Records
Rating: 8.6 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

The band got started in 2000 under the name HyJinX but later reformed under their current name Stealing Jane.

 

Since then they've been building a loyal fan base playing with such artist as, Spin Doctors, Tower of Power, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and The Wailers.

 

Stealing Jane is a rare breed these days a full band complete with a horn section. The band's lineup is, Bryce Larsen (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Will Tully (drums), Matt Giordano (lead guitar), Brian Bunce (bass), Pat Iannelli (saxophone), Dave Calzone (trombone), Jesse Sears (keyboards), and Andrew Mericle (trumpet).

 

All of this instrumentation allows the band's music to have a rich and full sound.

 

The band jokes about how many different ways their music has been defined. Let me tell you it's a reviewer's nightmare trying to pigeon hole a band with so many different influences into a specific genre. So I'll let them label their own original sound, and they classify it as, 'groove rock.'

 

On this EP's 6-tracks you'll find songs that deal mostly with relationships and love set against a backdrop of guitar and horn infused music. The band's sound flourishes in its variety with R&B tracks like, "Better Things", to the Latin flavored, "More." It all ends with the final track, "This is Goodbye", a pop/rock number that lets the horn and guitar parts run free and have some fun.

 

One thing that I felt the whole way through this release that the band members are having fun and enjoy what they're doing. If you haven't been fortunate to hear Stealing Jane's music yet then their Say Something EP will give you a nice bite of their music.

Blood Red Sun- A Nation of Saviors Review

Artist: Blood Red Sun
Title: A Nation of Saviors
Website: http://www.myspace.com/bloodredsun
Style: Alternative/Rock
Lineup: Jason Nadeau (vocals, guitar), Justin La Vallee (guitar, vocals), Matthew La Fontaine (bass), Jessica Corchia (drums)
Rating: 8.9 out of 10
By C.W. Ross

 

Are you old enough to remember the days before American Idol and teen pop queens started to appear on the scene and ruin the musical landscape? Then you'll appreciate the band Blood Red Sun and their debut release A Nation of Saviors.

 

The band's music takes the social conscious of bands like The Clash an U2 and mixes it with guitar driven songs, with the goal of taking socially relevant music to the masses.

 

As band lead singer Jason Nadeau says, "Our culture says 'if you're unhappy, numb it out'. The role of the artist in society is to go to the places that most people are not willing to go and return with a map of the human experience that people can use to find a way out."

 

This band is all about standing up, learning for your self and moving the world forward in a positive direction. To that effect the songs found on A Nation of Saviors take on the dishonest media, lemmings like actions of some people believing everything they hear instead of checking it out themselves to make sure that it's true.

 

As the title suggest it's up to all of us to do our part. One of the band's tenants is, "You need to have an army to support a single word. If you don't scream, people don't hear you."

 

The band puts those messages against songs that run for the most part in the alternative rock vein although songs like, "All at Once", and "Easier" have a bit of a The Clash punk edge to them.

 

If you're tired of the normal musical pabulum then get Blood Red Sun's A Nation of Saviors and start your revolution.