Coldplay - X&Y

Capitol/EMI

The eclipse of Radiohead's "Ok Computer" has passed from the light of Coldplay, however they have utilized that light to move from the grounded pensive and pleading platitudes on Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head into a decidedly upbeat and paranoid space. The album opens at "Square One," where Chris Martin's empathetic, yet nasally vocals raise up to tell us "I am at the top/ I can't go back" and then reassures us that "it doesn't matter who you are/ if someone is listening to what you say." The big-beat entrance and epic ascent give way to a subdued strummy guitar where his most lucid lyrics of the track come through. The inquisitive, almost interrogative track "What If" is decidedly paranoid over a lover leaving a relationship. The hypothetical track meanders in the tones of Martin's falsetto harmonies and a rising guitar melody. It is not without pleasurable periods. The extro is the most intriguing portion of the track, as dissonance and discordance rages to the heights of the climax.
From discordance, "White Shadow" stomps away on the nearly dance inducing beat. The problem of disassociation is resolved with an odd metaphor: "If you ever feel like something's wrong/ Little white shadows sparkle and glisten." Surely, that will resolve it. However, "Trying to listen" may help with desolation. The track crescendos, as most on X&Y, into a softer iteration of the melody. On "White Shadows" it moves into an ostentatious series of rushing pipe organ tones. Those organ tones follow Martin's voice on to "Fix You." There, instead of setting the song in a tumultuous thunder clap, the organ leads to a elegiac feel. The song is a wake with an odd elegy. Martin states, "Lights will guide you home/ Ignite your bones/I will try to fix you." Rather than pitching down into a decelerando, like on the first three tracks, the tone and energy goes up. And to complete the ecclesiastical feel a harmony leads out of the track.
The lyrics on X&Y stay in the confessional and conversational modes, and revel in the rhyming couplet mode (...day, ...way, ...line, ...fine). The only space where Martin diverges from this method is on "Swallowed in the Sea." There he shifts to a triplet form "...Tree...See...Me" with interlocking fourth lines. This form, at first, sounds simple until the fourth line rhymes are evident; a oddly infectious meter. The hidden track is the finest cut on the album. The purity of scant piano crashes and a strumming guitar set Martin's voice in its most comfortable company.

Compilation - Drum Nation Volume Two

Magna Carta

The vision of Pete Morticelli has come to fruition once again as Drum Nation has reached its second edition. His idea was to create an album where drummers would be unfettered by commercial constraints. The manifestation of this freedom is thirteen tracks from thirteen world class drummers. The variance in styles is immense, however the level of musicianship remains focused on the upper echelon.
Dennis Chambers produces a track that lies between jazz and jam band. "One Less Worry" comes from Chamber's Niacin recording. It is an iron-fisted groove. Catch the way Dennis builds staggered, offbeat cymbal bell patterns into a spectacular solo break. Terry Bozzio probes the bass tones to find a match for his snares on the pounding "The Last Page." Clyde Stubblefield takes the listener through the looking glass on the Clinton Administration's absolutely amazing One Nation Under a Re-Groove. The Drum Nation Volume Two compilation stands not only as an introduction to thirteen world class drummers, but it also dives into several unique and interesting genres often left off the radio dial.

Mark Knopfler - One Take Radio Sessions

Warner Bros.

The fans of Dire Straits usually have a bit of adjusting to do when they first encounter the solo offerings of Mark Knopfler. Some wish for the flash and noise of the lightning licks of the former frontman and lead guitarist, a la "Sultans of Swing." But it is no longer 1983 and those stuck in the eighties are gobbled up like Slim Jims in a complusive-overeater's hands. Thankfully, Mark Knopfler has utilized his post-Dire Straits career to do what he was always had done best; play music for himself and tell stories through lyrics.
One Take Radio Sessions is ripe with the narratives for which Knopfler is known. The opener, "The Trawlerman's Song," tells the tale of a listing trawler and the men aboard in a jangling low-key blues mode. A desolation seethes from the languorous swing of "Back to Tupelo." The tone of the album picks up as Knopfler enters the ring with a great heavy weight Champ. "Song for Sonny Liston" saunters along a clean groovy chord progression. Knopfler's voice is smokey, laid back and ernest as he recounts the life of Liston from the day he was born to the the day he died. The storytelling of Knopfler is at his best on this one and "Rudiger." One Take Radio Sessions was recorded in a scant performance at the Shangri-la Studios in Malibu, California. The seaside fills Knopfler's latest with a gentle breeze of instrumentation that allows the sentiment in the lyrics to be at the center.

Riddim Eruption Volume One - Sleng Teng Progress 2K5

Ejaness/Big Tune

The digital revolution in music has given us music fans many things to be happy about. We can share music easier, we can have multiple formats, some among us may even be able to generate their own music on a personal computer, however it has some draw backs. Firstly, the Sleng Teng style of Reggae. Beats or Riddims (Jamaican dialect for rhythm) are created by sequencing computer generated beats, sampled music and sound effects. Once a riddim is created, the producer invites singers and deejays to record their vocals over the riddim. Riddims form the "backbone" of Reggae Dancehall music.
Riddims have been the most important component of popular Jamaican Music from the early 60's heyday of ska instruments to the 1970's one-drop roots reggae to the rise of the digital revolution sparked by keyboardist Noel Cavey's "Sleng Teng" riddim. This "Sleng Teng" riddim was so infectious that it spawned countless imitations. And, now, the biggest reggae superstars have revisited the original riddim on each of the seventeen tracks on Riddim Eruption. The lyrics and tones are somewhat different, but the beat remains so similar across the album that it is hard to listen to. Yet, Silver Cat's "More Weed" somehow works well.

Soil Work - Stabbing The Drama

Nuclear Blast

Attention all metal heads: are you tired of feeling like an odd ball hesher? Tired of never being able to find an intriguing show to sate your metallic needs? Well, you should move to Sweden. Yes, Sweden is the frozen nation of bitter high alcohol content beer, machine gun techno and extremely dark and melodic metal. Case in point the six maniacs of Soil Work.
Labeled "One of the 25 Most Important Bands in Metal" by Alternative Press, Soil Work returns with their eighth album, Stabbing the Drama. The title cut rides melody like a drunkard on a mechanical bull. The tune jibs, moves and cuts through a piece of epic adamantium. The choruses show that Bjorn "Speed" Strid's vocals are more than just a squelch, grind and yell. The intensity is cranked on the blast-beat maelstrom, "Blind Eye Halo." The speed alone on this track is amazing. Soil Work's combination of high soaring vocals, growls, expansive guitar landscapes and extreme energy will prove to be a delight for any metal head. Be sure to check out "Weapon Of Vanity."

Ernest Ranglin Surfin'

Telarc

Before Jamaica won its independence from British rule, Ernest Ranglin and Cluett Johnson recorded what is considered to be the first example of ska, "Shuffling Bag." Ranglin's guitar style and a sped up version of the New Orleans "Jump Beat" spawned the two-tone revolution. His fluent and versatile guitar style kept him in demand throughout the first wave of ska; a time period between 1962-1970. The vocabulary of pop music has forever changed since that first track was recorded in the only full-studio on the isle of Jamaica, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Federal Studio.
Since the inception of Ska, Ranglin has been the premiere Jamaican guitarist, performing both in ska tones and in island infused jazz. Surfin' is his fourth album in the last five years. It contains a diverse set of easy-rolling ska, reggae and jazz tunes. The guitar work of Ranglin is immediately striking on the title, and opening track, "Surfin'." "Ketch It" dances through the turned-up "Jump Beat" like it is 1965 all over again. The Nyabinghi drum comes from somewhere deep in Jamaica and pounds out the repeat-worthy "Diamond." The percussive elements and the familiar saxophone strains makes this pinnacle on Surfin'. Instrumentals rule the album with a benevolent hand. These are where the guitar and arrangements of Ranglin shine. Surfin' takes the two-tone and early ska "Jump Beats" into a completely uncharted waters, and with Ranglin at the helm it is smooth sailing.
Shelton's Single of the Week: Ernest Ranglin's "Diamond"

Bering Strait - Pages

Universal South

Behind the Iron Curtain, and extending into the outlook of former Soviet holdings, literature, music and art have a central place in even peasant existence. It is not uncommon for a youth to receive classical training in music from the time they are old enough to hold an instrument. Thankfully, capitalism and the luxuries of Stateside living negate the need for everyone to create music. Bering Strait is a collective of six, such musicians classically trained in their hometown Obninsk, Russia. In 1998, these Russian musicians left their native lands for Nashville. This intrepid search for a viable space to produce their music led to coverage in the New York Times, the Washington Post and on the CBS news program "60 Minutes."
Pages is the follow-up to Bering Strait's 2003 Grammy nominated self-titled release. The album opens in a divergence from the mostly instrumental eponymous release, with "Safe In My Lover's Arms" and "Oy, Moroz-Moroz." These two tracks cut away from their instrumentally based music to include vocals. They are both standout tracks. After a stint in the vocal bluegrass-rock-pop, Bering Strait slides into an old familiar setting, the instrumental. "From Ankara to Izmir" creates a gargantuan sound. There are guitar sweeps, piano solos and ascents and an epic turn allude to their the classical training. "Long Time Comin'" has the band grappling with a country song wrapped in strong female vocals and slow-rock. "Just Imagine" revels in the same tone as "Long Time Comin'." There is a heavy melancholy, yet optimistic tone in this the string infused country tune. "It Hurts Just A Little," the closer, tells a tale close to "I Fall To Pieces" in upbeat country rock. This admission of just a little pain is the most enjoyable ride on the eleven track train. After seven years of performing in this country, Bering Strait has kept their instruments and training up to their classical standards. The result is the enjoyable, genre-defying "Pages."

January Taxi - Keep Quiet, They Might Hear Us

Vacant Cage

The Phoenix area has a little treat for all those people who like music with punk underpinnings but is not ruled by the emopopsicle nonsense that dominates commercial radio, January Taxi. Though the band's tempo matches the commercial "Punk" mode, the band speaks to topics other than unrequited crushes, broken hearts and disassociation. Those topics do surface on Keep Quiet, They Might Hear Us, but the sentiment runs throughout the song. The tempos changes, the guitars, the odd little harmonies and the lyrics all coincide to produce a palpable emotion on "Where it Was" and "Star Light the Sun."
The opener, "The Ashtray Parade" makes use of a punk beat to transmit the futility of pulling off the mask. "The Hellos" open is with an acoustic guitar strumming under the twisting dial of the "emotional radio." The tuner finally lands on the heart of the matter as the lyrics pleads to walk on by with "I'll Happily be just wasted and weak/ in the knees/ because your hello's/ I feel them all the way down." "Jome" takes off on a spacey melody, and the echoes on the lead vocals add to the insulated yet far-out feeling. "This Impossible Dream" chops and lists on a series of hard down-strums, as the declaration "I'm still holding on to this impossible dream" is crooned out. Keep Quiet, They Might Hear Us has all the chops, cuts and sentiment to bring a little sanity to the whole punk-infused rock'n'roll genre. Their blend of thick emotions, stars, rushing guitars and odd harmonies make this eight track album worthy of a listen or three.

Billy Dean - Let Them Be Little

Curb

Billy Dean is a bit of independent music folklore. He, after six years away from the country charts and still without a record deal, burst on to the music scene with his grass roots and independently released rockin' bluegrass romp through John Denver's classic, "Thank God I'm a Country Boy." That tune allowed Dean to land a record deal with Curb Records and release his first album since 1998's Real Man.
Let Them Be Little starts off with stomach-wrenchingly sweet and romantic tunes, "This Is The Life" and "Eyes." The emotional content is high, as well as the sugar, but there is none of the saccharine plying that often plagues sweet songs. The third cut on the album is the bluegrass fusion track, which helped Dean return to recording, "Thank God I'm A Country Boy." His rendition is rollicking and rages through the John Denver classic like it was meant to be played at a high tempo. "I'm In Love With You" is another in Dean's overtly sweet and romantic tunes. "Somewhere in My Broken Heart" moves away from the happy highs of love into the realities of a broken heart. But, even in the shattered shards of a lost love, Dean sounds optimistic. This is a breath of fresh air on the album, as the sentiment losses the sickening sweetness for a plausible sentiment of resolution and acceptance. The closer "Billy the Kid," clothes Dean in forty-fives and the sun of youth. In the rocking western swing, he recounts a tale of youthful imagination, and a time when the only problem was getting home by dinner. Billy Dean's Let Them Be Little sends the listener off with the finest bit of writing Dean musters on the album. The collision of recalled scenes of youth and lost innocence creates the most realistic and moving song on the album.

The String Quartet - Tribute to Snow Patrol

Vitamin

Long after achieving success in the United Kingdom, Ireland's Snow Patrol has finally crossed The Pond and landed firmly in the Stateside scene. It is truly a wonder that it took so long. The combination of aching and warm melancholy in Gary Lightbody's voice anchors the music in its artful balance of bright anthemic rock and darker lyrical themes. ItÕs a voice aching with loves both lost and leaving, made all the more poignant and effecting when combined with biting guitars, hypnotic electric noise, captivation hooks and eclectic instrumentation.
Vitamin Records latest offering, The String Quartet Tribute to Snow Patrol is quite an accomplishment. Not just a simple tribute to a great band, this collection of Snow Patrol's songs takes the tunes to new haunting levels, all the while keeping the beautiful and rocking melodies in tact. Performed by one of today's finest quartets, these lush arrangements will leave you lit up long after the disc has finished. The record will sure to be a favorite for those who are fans of Snow Patrol.

Stutterfly - And We Are Bled Of Color

Maverick/Warners Bros.

Maverick Records has entered into the emopopsicle fray with Stutterfly. The combination of soaring guitars, sweetly crooned confessional lyrics and the occasional screech makes up most of And We are Bled of Color. The five boys of Stutterfly came together with some guitars, some drums and a microphone in Kelowna, B.C. Canada. Their little practice space was a dumping ground for the boys' frustrations, trials and feelings. Oh, the power of rock'n'roll.
Featuring Chriss Stickney's vocals, Jordan Chase's bass strings and screams, Bradyn Byron's axe and harmonies, Ryan Loerke's drum pounding and Jason Ciolli's guitar work, the band caught the eye of Maverick Records with their blend of emotions and pain. That mixture and this formula for music is extremely prevalent. However, the allusions to a war between heaven and earth on "Where Angels Fell" and the soaring nature of "Formula of Flesh" flush these Canadians from the emopopsicle toilet. Those two songs cement their talents just a step above the run of the mill emo-pain band. "Shallow Reasons" casts off the emo swing for a pounding diatribe on thin thinking and regret. The song moves straight into a pounding metal frenzy, thoroughly enjoyable.

Bow Wow - Wanted

Columbia/Sony Urban

When Shad Moss appeared on the popular "Arsenio Hall Show," he met with his break into the limelight. The then six year old Moss was a naturally gifted hip-hop child prodigy, and caught the eye of Snoop Dogg. The Dogfather took a liking to little Moss' rhymes and dubbed him Lil Bow Wow. His big break came when Snoop invited him on the "Chronic tour." Since then, Lil Bow Wow has dropped the little and gone to the much more mature Bow Wow. Since those early days as the child rapper with a vicious flow, Wow has released four albums on Sony. Wanted is the latest.
Bow Wow had this to say about the new space he is inhabiting: "I've got no regrets about Unleashed (his previous album) and was really glad I had the chance to work with other producers, but Jermaine is like family. He's like my big brother and working with him is like being home. I just put my foot down and said, 'I'm not getting back into the studio unless Jermaine Dupri is there and he does my entire record.' You just can't mess with our chemistry."
That chemistry with Jermaine becomes evident on the hard-hitting opener, "Do You." The song thrusts out boastful, yet uplifting messages about ceasing to emulate Bow Wow and just be you. It is boisterous, but Dupri's production is well rounded and bouncy. The slinky southern-fired jam, "Caviar" features Snoop Dogg's laid back flow over thirty-two lines to make you recline. Another high profile collaboration comes on "Like You." This duet features Ciara's crystalline vocals in a song about finding that one person that changes your perspective on the world. The best collaboration, "Go," comes from Bow Wow and his "Big Brother" Dupri. Though Crunk usually is repugnant, somehow, Dupri shifts the genre from annoying to soulful with the inclusion of harmonies. Bow Wow won't pull everyone into his kennel with his flows, but Wanted does feature several moving verses.

Sweet Honey in the Rock - The Women Gather: 30th Anniversary

Earthbeat

For thirty years, Sweet Honey in the Rock has delivered messages of love, liberation, struggle and social responsibility through their stirring a capella vocals and moving lyrics. Producer Toshi Reagon has captured the remarkable group's energetic, synergistic blend of vocals, and has united them into one powerful communal voice with its offering of strength, inspiration and education necessary to rise up beyond the challenges of today, to make the changes that life demands.
The beautifully naked vocals of Sweet Honey in the Rock can lull anyone with their blissful delivery and amazing choral arrangements. The epitome of which comes on the scat, choral and political diatribe, "Give the People Their Right to Vote!" This is the most informed and complete political rant ever recorded by a group of singers. The song runs through the two hundred years of exploitation Washington D.C. has undergone. That city, though inhabited by over five hundred thousand people, has no representation in the House of Representatives and essentially no access to voice their needs on a federal level. Washington D.C. coincidentally is populated heavily by African-Americans. The song calls out to challenge your Representative to clear the underrepresentation that the city has endured for the last two hundred years. "Georgia Red Clay," a scant scat and vocal beat song, ends just as it starts to become virulent and infectious. "Ballad of Sit-ins" celebrates those who fought for equal rights, the vote and to stop tyranny as they sat in dignity. This is a truly beautiful song.
Sweet Honey in the Rock is a treat! They produce something that is often left out of music collections, the choral performance. Their blend of a capella singing, scant, rhythm production and harmonies uses only the instruments that the almighty has blessed them with: their voices. The sound coheres into on seamless flow of rising harmonies, beautiful full textures and pulsing beats. This is beautiful politically focused music, which is not to be missed.

Jeanie Stanley - Baby Girl: A tribute to My Father Carter Stanley

CMH

Jeanie Stanley is the daughter of one half of the mountain bluegrass legends, The Stanley Brothers. These two Virginians, Ralph and Carter built their sound on purity, simplicity and astonishing beauty. This traditionally focused, faith infused take on bluegrass has, through their discography and the work of Ralph Stanley with the Clinch Mountain boys, influenced each successive generation of bluegrass musicians since Carter died in 1966.
In an effort to commemorate the life and music of this bluegrass legend, Carter's family, Jeanie -principally - Ralph and Ralph II have come together to produce heartfelt and stirring renditions of Carter Stanley's songs. The use of posthumous overdubbing is heavily used on Baby Girl. These recordings allow Jeanie to duet with her father on "Dream of a Miner's Child." Carter's brother Ralph (Previously featured on the Top 21) displays the sweetness in "Jesus Is Precious." The conjunction of the traditional bluegrass of the Stanley Brothers combined with the contemporary love of the music from his kin proves that music like this is timeless.

Slightly Stoopid - Closer to the Sun

Reincarnate/BMG

Ocean Beach is one of Southern California's little havens of sanity in a ever-rising tide of suburban expansion and tracted housing middle class breeding grounds. From Dog beach to closer to your home come the fusion sounds of Slightly Stoopid. The band is already coasting into their second decade of rock'n'roll at the still tender ages of 26-27 years-old. Closer to the Sun is their fifth album, and this is the most stalwart example of their signature sound, which can melt the blues with an upstrummed D chord.
As Miles Doughty, one of the group's two front men explains, "It's all about the grass roots style - you've got to tough it out, got to get your hands dirty touring and making music. We all have one hundred percent creative control of what we do, and we've worked way too hard to have other people telling us how to do it. It's working, so we don't feel we need change."
The band fuses acoustic rock, blues, hip-hop, punk and reggae to create a signature sound. Boasting dual front men, Slightly Stoopid possesses a unique dynamic. These two voices share the spotlight with an ease that can only come through years of closeness. This is never more evident than on the quick shifting and pleasing "Bandalero." "Babylon Is Falling" mixes going back to Cali with the yearning to escape this fallen world for one of unending bliss. The title track exposes the influences of Cat Stevens and the Grateful Dead on the band. This acoustic guitar led track rolls along the muted vocals of Doughty. The song is pure and sublime. "Zeplike," another acoustic guitar Led song, features a series of chords that mirror a couple of Zeppelin songs. Slightly Stoopid has come along way from their auspicious beginnings. They were first signed in 1995 to Bradley Nowell's own Skunk Records. They have lived up to the light that Bradley saw in them with Closer to the Sun.

Lee Lessack - In Good Company

LML

When love sets in. When the impending crash of that wave rears from the blue abyss of the mundane, there is only one thing to do: Listen to romantic music. Don't make the mistake of continuing to listen to your regular album collection. Pull out those dusty records from Sinatra, Bennett, the Queers, Stevie Wonder, Pink Floyd, Cake, Johnny Cash and Rose Carter, and whoever else sings about infatuation, and allow the waxing tide of love subsume you. You will thank me for this someday. However, if you are suffering from a broken heart, then stay far from love songs. They will drive you nuts. I would add one album to the litany of artists above, In Good Company. Lee Lessack takes on the first inklings of love all the way to eternity on his latest album.
In Good Company features the gentle baritone voice of veteran crooner Lessack doing what crooners do best; singing about love. And he sings all these songs in a mode most conducive to transmitting the sentiment of love and longing; the duet. He sings with everyone from Maureen McGovern to Michael Feinstein and Grammy award winner Stephen Schwartz, whose latest songwriting triumph is "Wicked," the Broadway hit. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" begins the album in the initial stages of attraction recounted. The rendition is soulful and sweet. I think Cash and Carter would be happy with this version. "Open Arms" is another wondrous track. The backbone of this album is the duet format and never is it better than on "Stay the Night." There Lessack is accompanied by Stacey Sullivan. Her voice is fragile and sublime as they ascend into a climatic harmony, and the redemptive song truly benefits from her strains. All together, there are seventeen of the cabaret world's top attractions featured on "In Good Company," which will be released by Lessack's record label, LML. He founded that company to save the slowly dying art of cabaret.

The Exies - Head For the Door

Virgin/EMI

A heavy touring schedule can lead to major growth for a band or a major failure. For the guys of the Exies both situations occurred during their tours in support of an eponymous (a music industry term for "Self-titled") 2000 release and 2003's Inertia. The first tour led them into the depths of Miami clubs, and a battle with their former drummer. But, the touring for Inertia led them to the promise land. They found that the harder sound of their live shows was far more popular with their fans. To respond to that yearning, they have upped their energy and intensity for Head For The Door. The touring forged them into a credible rock'n'roll outfit.
The Exies move into emotion, just as everyone else in the new rock'n'roll era does, but the difference is in their take on suffering. "Ugly" may induce head banging. The drop-kick motions of Scott Stevens' self-loathing lyrics rage against the self in several repudiating verses. However, I know us ugly people need a theme song too, and the Exies do a honest, unmasked version of self-revelation. The self-loathing smears over track breaks on to "What You Deserve." The song's formula for instant karma never stitches the wounds of wrongdoing, but it does ofter a song for all of us sinners to relate to: "I'm to blame and that's what really hurts/ You get what you deserve." The path to self-destruction pulls everyone in from time to time, and the Exies recognize this on "Hey You." The song's driving pulse calls out for a friend to stop a severe bend toward self-destruction. From the first note to the closing strains of "Don't Push The River," the Exies have displayed a command of their furious energy and self-deprecating lyrics.
Steve's Single of the Week: The Exies' "What You Deserve"

Bill Anderson - The Way I Feel

Varese Vintage/Varese Sarabande

"Whispering Bill" came to songwriting at the tender age of nineteen. Then, Bill was a radio deejay at the University of Georgia, and wrote his composition, "City Lights." In 1958, Ray Price recorded the tune and started Anderson on the road to becoming one of the most successful songwriters in country music history. He is also one of the most widely televised country artists in history, music videos notwithstanding. Anderson played the host to ABC's The Better Sex and TNNÕs Fandango, held a role on One Life to Live and he hosted the TNN talk show, Opry Backstage.
The Way I Feel is Anderson's follow-up to 2001's Classics. That album was a series of re-recordings of his big hits. The album was pleasant and easy to listen to, but it just was not memorable. The Way I Feel breaks into the memorable range. It features ten Bill Anderson originals, including the award winning song "Whiskey Lullaby," co-written with Jon Randall. Each track features the old man of the Nashville songwriters guild with a different young writer. This infusion of youth and contemporary flavor adds much to Anderson's style. Furthermore, The Way I Feel allows a great access to other lesser well known songwriters.

Soulfood featuring Billy McLaughlin - Guitar Meditations Volume Two

Soulfood

This is a very special release as it contains the last track that Billy recorded before he was diagnosed with an incurable neuromuscular disease that ended his recordings and performances. Dan Schwartz, Billy's protege and Emmy winning guitarist Ron Cohen join Billy and Soulfood to create music that speaks to the heart.
Soulfood gains its influences from the world's indigenous cultures and their connections to nature. This artist driven album artfully blends the organic sounds of classical piano, acoustic guitar, Native American flute, tribal chants and nature sounds with electronica, synthesizer and ambient soundscapes. The artists gain their influence and experience from a variety of cultural traditions including Africa, the Americas, India, the Middle East and Polynesia. The album's smooth, yet textured tones are perfect for meditation, yoga, reading or deep thinking.

Enation - Identity Theft

Gladstone/Hilasterion

Actors sometimes sing. Singers sometimes act. But, in the golden age of cinema most did both. For Richard Lee Jackson and Jonathan Jackson, Enation has been seven years in the making. This vision of rock'n'roll percolated from the fourteen year old minds of these two friends and fellow actors. Their first record, Identity Theft, is a twelve song jog through the spaces of disassociation, fatherlessness, search for identity and pain.
This series of tracks on the modern human condition starts with a sense of incarceration. "On Three" places a voice deep down inside some pit. There, Jonathan Jackson screams "Let Me OUT!!" The album's next four songs meander through the wasteland of interiority with a compressed series of scant versed songs. "Perfect Display," "Feel This," "Failing Into Sounds," "Reveal" and "We're Listening" house as many words as, the break to the minimalism, "The World Is Falling Apart." After the scant verbiage of tracks two through six, Enation finally breaks into song on this track. The cracks in self-concept and outlook on life become evident as Jackson, once again, screams "The whole world is laughing out loud." "Healer" follows that track with another musing on the space of existence on Christmas day. Enation's Identity Theft lags out of the gates, but by the close they have hit their stride.

Jeff Black - Tin Lily

Dualtone

The war on mediocrity rages in every street, bar and frontroom that is playing uncommon music. Jeff Black sets his artillery, and fires a salvo for the good fight against the mundane with Tin Alley. Black through his gentle, yet powerful vocals bring orally to a brand of blue-collar directness and frankness uncommon to many singer-songwriters. Unfortunately, he lacks metaphor in most songs, but there is a wealth of sentiment to offset this.
"Easy On Me" opens Tin Lily with a blues-inflected confessional. Exhaustion descends on the syllables with the breathy pulse of Black's voice, and the chorus calls out for a respite. "Nineteen" contains more regret, resolution and pain than many blues albums rolled into one. The power of his storytelling ability becomes glaringly evident as he describes a mistake that haunts the protagonist for nineteen years. From the depth of despair, "Libertine" rises with a buoyant declaration of independence and wildness. The track exudes this freedom through a wailing violin and the country rock genre-blending. Then, "Free At Last" plunges once again into the somber tone. This piano led track rides the high-hat and snare to an I-told-you-so goodbye to a small-town. By the second verse the somber tone becomes a declaration of resolution and independence. The track is great, if only a bit reminiscent of Randy Newman. Jeff Black has grown a strange flower with Tin Lily. It is odd because it is a rare gem, an outlier that combines solid musicianship with an uncanny view on details and scenes.