Author: John Apice

Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers – Jonathan Sings! This reissue is a 30-minute set that’s a little more serious than some previous Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers. But one has to take into consideration that Richman is an entertainer. He see-sawed between the quality of music based on what he was focused on […]

Isaac Hoskins – Bender Recorded in Austin by Gordy Quist (backing vocals) these 10 tracks released on Bender (December 2-Independent) by Isaac Hoskins (acoustic guitar/vocals) are steeped in a deep country tradition. Musically the retro sound is highly polished despite the typical old-school approach. Hoskins manages to transcend it & use such archetypal topics/language to […]

Dan Israel – Seriously This set starts immediately with an expressive vocal fused with fluent mainstream finesse on “Happy For Now,” with all the right ingredients. A somewhat wild guitar solo is a nice contrast to the melodic drive & it works well. I like this. There are moments when Dan Israel sounds like a […]

Tip Jar – Songs About Love & Life On the Hippie Side of Country This is the band’s sixth CD & recorded in Austin, TX & Eindhoven, Netherlands. The band is influenced heavily by a mix of 70s musical heroes. Track 2 sounds like a follow-up to Rick Nelson’s hit “Garden Party,” which it was […]

Zach Phillips – Goddaughters What if you could take the dynamics of progressive rock & marry it smoothly with Americana? You’d have an intense melodic mix of instrumental muscle. Most Americana has strength, but this is muscular in how it’s produced, performed & realized. At first, I didn’t think this would qualify as roots music. […]

Sicard Hollow – Brightest of Days This effort came a little late but it’s worth noting since they at least brave some tricky waters. The performances throughout are excellent by each featured musician. The songs themselves lyrically are somewhat Spam when they should be salami — compared to their exceptional playing. The melodies do the […]

Brian Blake – Book of Life Focusing on family history that begins in the early 20th Century & brought up to present-day Brian Blake (vocals/acoustic & electric guitar) weaves his melodic tales with a slight Lyle Lovett vocal tone. There’s fine songwriting, pleasant melodies & performances. The title track “Book of Life,” has a Lovett […]

Charlie Treat – Into the Wild Mystic Mountain At first, I thought this was going to be a hokey-pokey banjo album. But while there’s a fiery banjo here there are also the rocking propulsive vocals of Charlie Treat (vocals/rhythm guitar) that drive this machine smoking with confidence & brilliantly entertaining. Lead off song “Motor, Motor” […]