Bandits On the Run Rough Magic I must be listening to a different group from other writers because I don’t hear Fleetwood Mac or the Mamas & Papas in this pensive collection. Instead, I hear slices of The Refugees, Indigo Girls, Burning Bridgett Cleary & maybe even a tinge of The Roches. This is the […]
Grainne Duffy What Am I Supposed To Do? Well, this is different in an exciting way. Take 25% of Bonnie Tyler, another 25% of Kim Carnes, with 50% of the rocking exuberance of Melissa Etheridge & you would have the enthusiasm of the raw-voiced Irish singer Grainne Duffy (guitar), who spills her soulful, bluesy rock […]
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Rag And Bone – Strain This set gets off to a serious, melodic pop-oriented quality with “The World Is Coming Down,” with slight reminders of the late Karl Wallinger’s World Party. Rag And Bone are fine-tuned with their disparate rock voices, guitar riffs & arrangements that cut their own path. Even “The Serf,” while not […]
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Mike Richmond Without an Audience Sometimes music is so different that it takes time to settle in the morass of a listener’s brain. Sometimes the artist is so entertaining that it doesn’t matter. Former co-founder of The Love Tractor, Mike Richmond’s first solo album is basically Southern in style. Not country, not bluegrass or alt-anything. […]
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Maisy Owen – Dark On a Sunny Day This is the work of a Nashville native steeped in the melancholy artistic songwriting style of the late Nick Drake & the guitar purity of Bert Jansch, with influences from Mazzy Star & the late David Olney. Maisy delivers her songs with a strong tone & with […]
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Matt White’s Dolly Another impressive & engaging endeavor comes with a mash-up of the light & principled pop-oriented female voice of Liz Kelley, encumbered among the jazzy inflections of Matt White’s cornet. Delicious. I usually don’t meander into these confines of cheesy organ & faux-jazz chanteuse territories, but when something is done well, it really […]
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Hannah & Nathan Love & Labour This showcase is drenched in harmonies that straddle the likes of Ontario, Canada’s Kate & Anna McGarrigle & New Jersey’s Roches (“Hammond Song”) – if you can imagine. But it’s there, the loveliness & the quirkiness. Hannah Shira Naiman (vocals/harmony/banjo/fiddle) & Nathan Smith (vocals/harmony/fiddle/guitar/foot) have a luminous sound – […]
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Rachelle Garniez Born In Time While some roots listeners may find it peculiar to embrace an opening number in French, they should consider that Cajun-Zydeco tunes are also sung in French. This particular undertaking isn’t that kind of song, but it’s quite simply charming. Rendered with a chanteuse vocal touch, smooth & enchanting. “Je Cherche […]
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Tomas Rodriguez Whispered Awakening While not a vocal album, the showcase features guitar virtuoso Tomas Rodriguez, a Brooklyn-based guitarist with a fluid performance style. Some may think this would appeal only to other guitarists, but guitar-based albums have been popular in the past. While different in nature, the more Americana-oriented guitarists Leo Kottke, John Fahey, […]
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Denise La Grassa – A Crossroads Communion If you’re looking for an original singer with a distinctive brand, Chicago-born Denise La Grassa is the ticket. She has the pipes, but isn’t like any of the well-known high-octane female belters of the past. There’s a quirky, deep-throated, polished hell-bent tonality to Ms. La Grassa that stands […]
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