Candy Rose knows how to draw you in. She knows how to create a beat that moves the heart and a rhythm that frees the soul. Her album A Rollercoaster Love will grab a hold of you and take you on a ride that you will never forget.

Tracks

“Stop Talking” – With this track listeners are introduced to Candy Rose’s downright catchy deep base vibes. This is the type of electronica infused club mix that you would expect off of Madonna’s next album; incredibly well produced and Candy sounds like she’s a seasoned veteran that has been at this for years. It’s not just her voice that sells it.  It’s her attitude. Certain artist simply radiate with attitude, and Candy Rose is one of those artists.

“It’s You That I Love” – This track takes your typical candy-pop sound and infuses it with R&B. The result is a soulful twist on what could have been a cookie-cutter song. At times the chorus is a bit too repetitive, but the techno influenced highlights make up for it.

“So You Know” – A simple pop/R&B track with a deep bass mixed with an orchestral melody. It’s not quite as catchy as the other tracks on this album, but it showcases Candy’s rich melodic voice better than the others.

“Just Say You Love Me” – definitely the premier ballad of A Rollercoaster Love. It’s a song that initially doesn’t seem like much, but grows on you over time. Candy may be more in her groove with faster pop tracks, but there is no denying the power that resonates from her voice in slower tracks such as this. Her voice is simply mesmerizing.

“I Just Miss You” – Absolute whimsical pop. It’s a slow easygoing track that’s easy to get lost to. The music is impressive with its mellow yet exciting vibe, and again it’s Candy’s voice that makes this song smooth, sweet, and soulful beyond words. It should also be noted that this song (and pretty much every song off of this album) is extraordinarily well produced.  It has that well polished sound that you typically find on Grammy-winning albums.

“Patrick Stump” – This track takes on more of a pop/rock sound. It works for the most part, but the music has room to grow, as it seems outside of its comfort zone like a kitten trying to act like a tiger.

“Take Me As I Am” – Candy again explores the pop/rock genre with this track. The music is an improvement from “Patrick Stump,” but it still doesn’t come off sounding natural. It’s a pity because vocally and stylistically Candy nails it. With a few tweaks to music to give it a near Moby vibe this track could potentially storm the airwaves and climb the charts.

“Hooked On You” – This tracks title says it all. It hooks on you. Candy Rose is the queen of hooks. With this and every track off of this album she seems to hold the uncanny ability to create rifts, rhythms, and beats that hook onto you and never let go. This is a pop song that brings to meaning to catchy. It has deep rhythmic bass vibes just screaming for the clubs and pop hooks (pardon the pun) that demand that this song be elevated to single status… Now!

“You Are Everything” – It’s songs like this that Candy seems at most in her element. This track isn’t her best, but still it has a simple sublime quality that makes it work.

“Tell The World” – Acoustic elements mixed with a deep base is a risky stylistic bled, but this track pulls it off beautifully. The smooth dream-like quality of Candy’s voice pulls it together and makes it work. It’s no secret that Candy credits the king of pop Michael Jackson as one of her main influences, and while her voice doesn’t really sound like his, something stylistically about it is definitively MJ.

“Now I’m Gone” – Big surprise here, but this song is damn catchy. It’s not complicated. It simply delivers pop driven hooks with a hint of a hip-hop vibe.

The Verdict

Candy Rose is the queen of hooks. Her songs are incredibly catchy and her voice has the attitude and soul of a pop legend. Whether it’s the clubs, the airwaves, or your iPod, A Rollercoaster Love is guaranteed to take to you on a ride.

Review by Zack Daggy

Reviews, Zack Daggy A Rollercoaster Love, Candy Rose

Throughout the history of rock and roll music, trios have wielded phenomenal creative palettes, and through its small size have been able to intricately play off each other’s genius. The power of three has held amazing potential with enthralling results.  Marcus Eaton with his comrades Kevin Rogers (drums) and Garrett Sayers (bass) are following the blueprints left by Cream, Rush and The Police.  These three musicians, with Eaton’s leadership, have released ten awesome original tracks on As If You Had Wings that are an aural pleasure to imbibe in again and again.

The intricacy of Eaton’s songs is gratifying and unfortunately lacking in most mainstream rock.  Eaton’s style is an excellent mixture of maturity and excitement.  In addition to his songwriting and guitar prowess, his vocals are phenomenal.  Every lyric is clearly enunciated, yet sounds relaxed.  Every embellishment, lilt, lift and falsetto musing comes off naturally.  Case in point is heard in the way he vocally dances around the title of “Weightless.”

“Dreams of Flying” possesses a funky blues quality, like Maroon5’s debut Songs About Jane.  Eaton’s singing has that quirky bravado of Adam Levine in the verses but then smoothly transitions to a more melodic mellifluous tone in the chorus and just as easily switches back again.  His honeyed voice can sincerely sing the flamenco tinged love song “Who You Are”, and then transform to the more defiant and hurt “Over You” with ease.  It embodies a true gift and Eaton candidly and expertly utilizes his voice as an instrument throughout As If You Had Wings.

In “Dismantle the Machine,” drummer Kevin Rogers dexterously lays down a polyrhythmic drum track with inventive precision while Eaton weaves an intricate electric guitar countermelody.  He displays rapid fire strumming in the bridge all culminating in the controlled chaos of the coda.  Topping that however, is the crazy fun jam at the end of “You Can’t Close You Eyes.”  The fast eighth note accompaniment and harmony structure gives “Life in Reverse” an early U2 feel, though Eaton’s vocal delivery and the overall acoustic quality of the song is reminiscent of Shawn McDonald’s debut Simply Nothing. Rogers gets to flex his skills again with a series of rapid sextuplet rolls in the coda.

Great rock artists through the decades have taken interesting lyrics, coupled with complex arrangements, and with a dash of ingenuity make the delivery sound effortless and highly enjoyable.   Eaton has achieved this feat on As If You Had Wings and is the apex of what other indie artists should endeavor towards.  It is a highly commendable album and fantastic effort by Marcus Eaton.

Review by Kelly O’Neil

Kelly O'Neil, Reviews As If You Had Wings, Marcus Eaton

Everything’s better bilingual. True to their California roots, San Francisco quintet La Muñeca y Los Muertos incorporate not only lyrics in English and Spanish but a diverse aesthetic and musical style. The resulting album serves as an intricate collage of two of the major cultures that make up our state and country. And at the same time, La Muñeca y Los Muertos are simply good to listen to.

Their 2010 debut release invokes ska-pop favorites like No Doubt or Reel Big Fish, as well as Latin rock and pop artists such as Julieta Venegas. Top it off with a sprinkle of rockabilly and a grinning calavera and you have Estrella, or “Star” in English, a combination of cultures and musical genres that is both original and well balanced.

This debut was not hastily released. Estrella is the product of a band who has been playing together since 2004, and the album has been carefully thought out, rehearsed, and pieced together, characterized by skillful musicianship and tight, professional arrangements. Melodies are aggressive and memorable while remaining catchy and skank-able, as ska should be. Such genre-melding is perhaps the most interesting thing about this album. It is the factor that sets La Muñeca y Los Muertos significantly beyond similar contemporary acts. For example, La Muñeca y Los Muertos may vaguely resemble Girl in a Coma, a group focusing on a Latina aesthetic and rockabilly sound, and it is easy to draw countless comparisons with ska and Mexican rock bands alike, from the Specials to Mana. However, in combining genres and cultures smoothly in one album, La Muñeca y Los Muertos do what their peers fail to. In a way, La Muñeca y Los Muertos act not only as artistic but social heralds. They add something new and interesting to contemporary pop rock, and in doing so they paint a complex picture of a contemporary, multicultural California.

Most tracks are enthusiastic and upbeat, harnessing just enough aggression to avoid falling short at cheesy. Many are characterized by creative start/stop rhythmic patterns. Some of the most memorable include track two, “Star:” a great ska-rock song, catchy and fondly memorable while remaining technically formidable and musically tight. The third track, “World,” is marked by an intriguing conclusion reminiscent of Tiger Army. The fifth track, “El Salvador,” is perhaps the strongest offering on Estrella. It incorporates a Latin flavor with a dose of ska and Spanish lyrics. The track is cute, catchy, smart, and overall memorable. The seventh track, “Los Muertos,” is also interesting in its heavy incorporation of ska and bi-lingual lyrics, while the following track “Electric Car” veers more towards rockabilly.

The band’s image and personality is reminiscent of the Mexican bingo game Loteria that serves as a motif throughout their aesthetic. Familiar to some from childhood and to others from high school Spanish class, Loteria incorporates brightly colored cards decorated with caricatures: El Borracho, El Valiente, La Araña. Each is rendered in pen and ink, intricate, colorful, distinct. Among the squares on the bingo cards are La Muñeca and La Muerte: the doll, and the dead. Forceful front woman Muñeca Osorio takes on the loteria token of la muñeca. Osorio’s voice and guitar are striking, her lyrics clever and smart, and her personality as a performer riveting. Simultaneously the imagery and cultural references that she so skillfully incorporates into Estrella give the music powerful cohesion and added artistic appeal.

Estrella the album is danceable and appealing, yet La Muñeca y Los Muertos challenge expectations of a diverse fanbase, successfully carrying us to unexpected heights. A multicultural band in a multicultural state, they’re combining the best of many genres, and many worlds.

Review by Kendra Atleework

Kendra Atleework, Reviews Estrella, La Muñeca y Los Muertos

Benjamin Baker is the storyteller of your life…or so it seems. His songs are laced with passion and emotion. He shapes his lyrics into crystal clear moments of life that you’d swear were your own. With a deep soulful voice and intimate acoustic guitar playing, he delivers an honest raw feel to his music that strikes straight to the heart. His release Nights of Pain isn’t just an album; it’s the diary of your life.

The Voice

As soon as this album begins it is immediately apparent that Benjamin Baker has a very smooth reserved voice. He’s not the type of artist that will belt out a show stopping number on a Vegas stage, but he doesn’t need to. Benjamin Baker is Bob Dylan with sunburn. He’s County Crows with soul. He’s Bruce Springsteen’s long lost son that was raised by Simon and Garfunkel. In tracks like “Good Times On The Bad Side” Barker’s voice takes on an up-tempo rhythm that embraces a more country root, but throughout most of the album his voice is more in line with the smooth vibes felt in the opening track “Bourbon Reflection.” Baker’s voice was made for the more soulful side of folk. “After Midnight” is the perfect example of this. It’s the cliché song about a dad going out for “smokes” only to abandon his family, yet Baker’s voice is so raw and full of emotion that the track overcomes the cliché to strike home as true.

The Lyrics

The lyrics of Nights of Pain are ones about moments–moments of heartbreak and love, sadness and joy, loss and faith. Faith in particular plays a strong roll in Bakers lyrics. Perhaps one of his best lines is, “music moves the spirit and Jesus saves the soul” from the song “Way Too Many.” This line is poetry plain and simple. It’s the type of line that stays with you no matter your faith because of its simplistic nature matched with a deep-rooted personal meaning. It’s a line like this that demands that this artist be paid attention to. Of course not all of Baker’s songs have to do with faith. “Good Times On The Bad Side” is a song about hanging out with the good ol’ boys and the title track “Nights of Pain” is about a relationship on the rocks. Theses are songs about American dreams and broken hearts. These are songs about life.

The Music

Much like Baker’s voice, the music of Nights of Pain is very smooth and captivating. In tracks like “Frozen Tears” the addition of a harmonica adds a very strong Bob Dylan bluesy folk vibe, while still maintaining a modern edge similar in sound to Modest Mouse. Other tracks like “Saltwater Symphony” take on a more late 90’s early 00’s style. Despite these two sounds seeming quite different, they actually jell together rather well. It seems like Baker has mixed his peanut butter with his chocolate.

The Verdict

Benjamin Baker’s Night of Pain isn’t really an album; it’s an experience. It’s your life flashing before your eyes. Baker writes songs about the highs and lows that accumulate over a lifetime and presents them with enough passion and emotion that it feels like you lived them all along by his side. This isn’t just an album about music; it’s about songs and everything that can be put in to them.

Review by Zack Daggy

Reviews Benjamin Baker, Nights of Pain

Julie Geller impresses on her latest 11-track release, You’re With Me. Throughout the album, she combines her quirky and personal narratives with Psalms and Jewish prayers for a truly unique musical experience. While songs like album opener, “Insides Out” demonstrate her distinction as an artist, it is on the tracks where she sings in Hebrew that leaves the greatest impact.

Raised in Denver, Colorado, Geller has lived in Boston, San Diego and Israel. Throughout her travels and songwriting, she aims to bring love and healing to the world. As a result, her third album, which combines original folk and Jewish music, is empowering and refreshing. Whether she is singing in English or Hebrew, her passion for music is evident.

You’re With Me begins with the soulful “Insides Out.” An appropriate first track, Geller’s airy vocals and seductive musical accompaniment captivate the listener. A tale about embracing one’s awkwardness and finding courage to be oneself, Geller gets her point across with a slow rap-like singing style. Never overpowering or too preachy, “Insides Out” is refreshing and makes the listener wonder what the rest of the album will entail.

Next track, “Let It Be Love,” sounds reminiscent to a gospel choir with soft organs and piano heard in the background. Quite the transition from the rap-like first track, Geller’s diversity is evident throughout the entirety of You’re With Me. “Let It Be Love” follows suit with Geller singing Psalm 118, titled “Min Hametzar.” Strings and light percussion combined with her delicate vocals in Hebrew are a relaxed and welcomed change. It is on the tracks where she sings in Hebrew that she impresses most.  “Elokai” is another example. From the amidah, the daily silent prayer, Geller’s uplifting vocals strike a chord. The listener need not understand Hebrew to sense the power this prayer holds.

Title track, “You’re With Me” embodies delicate guitar finger picking and soft flute accompaniment. Throughout the ballad, Geller’s voice soars over the track well; never forced or overpowered. She quickly switches gears on the fun, fast-paced “Here We Go Again.” With striking clarinet interludes, and prompt pauses in the music, “Here We Go Again” is a fitting diversion from the more serious “Elokai.”

The relatable, “Driving” tells the tale of a woman who is uncertain of her path in life. A common theme throughout the album, Geller keeps the listener intrigued with vivid imagery and an edgy percussion beat. “Is this the life that I wanted to lead?” she asks in confusion.

While “Driving” ends without a concrete resolution, last track on You’re With Me, “Time to Fly” closes with more confidence. Upbeat with a piano interlude and an electric guitar fadeout, Geller sings with great emotion. “Cause I used to worry and think it all through/And struggle and ponder then one day I knew/That I know inside/I know/Like I know it is best, although it is daunting/To be who I am when it’s not who they’re wanting.”

You’re With Me is no doubt a strong release for Geller. However, if the listener is not aware of the Jewish prayers and psalms the initial reaction may be of surprise. While Geller’s strength lies within alternating between singing in Hebrew and English, it may be more suitable to compile a separate album solely with Jewish prayers as to not disrupt the flow on You’re With Me.

Review by Annie Reuter

Annie Reuter, Reviews Julie Geller, You're With Me

There is something very familiar about David Raleigh’s style of music.  This balladeer has a powerful voice that one could easily hear on Broadway, highly stylized but not a character voice, it falls nicely on the ears.  His music moves people to laugh, cry and most of all find hope in the desperate situations life has to offer.  With David’s piano and back-up keyboards alone, the sound is full and bright.  All this combined with an intentionality to spread love and hope, Beginning Again is an album that shouldn’t be missed.

The piano and keyboard are both very well played and work well together.  The teamwork of David Raleigh on vocals and piano, Nathan Leigh Jones providing additional keyboard accompaniment, perfectly compliment each other’s musical sensibility.  None of the music sounds over-produced or synthetic.  The instruments sound natural and pleasant. There isn’t much creative exploration going on here, the melodies are comforting, simple and beautiful, but rarely surprising or really new.  Singing along is fun.  Much of Beginning Again echoes 90’s R&B and soft rock, but higher quality sound.

Some songs feature light vocoding and vocal enhancement, but all appropriately and obviously without use of any auto-tuner nonsense; on Safe he sings “I’ll go over the limit, I’ll jump from the sky, drive off a cliff, run into a fire, howl at the moon, I’m gonna laugh in Death’s face.” Mellow flanger and echo give the sound a tight style when combined with impeccable keyboard and sequencing production.  The verse vocals of Safe remain raw, which is the perfect contrast.  And you have to love that talk-box at the end!  Too many artists use vocoders as crutches instead of wings.  Raleigh’s singing ability is wonderful and definitely good enough without the effects, so he has artistic license as a bona fide vocalist who is only enhanced by whatever device is elevating his voice.  There are quite a few “pop-artists” who could learn a thing or two from these tastefully done vocals…Kanye, Cyrus, silly boy/girl bands, please take note and if you can’t sing naturally, get into spoken word or get off the stage.  Singers must take back the spotlight from these mechanically voiced charlatans!  Too many great artists go unnoticed due to the force of the corporate pseudo-musicians.  David is always in tune, stylized with a range from cool calm on songs like The Only One to fierce alternative intensity with Here I Am.  Occasionally Raleigh’s riff boarder on the smooth syncopation and crooning that made Usher famous; though poetically no where near as trite or sexually driven.

Raleigh treats the subjects of his songs with a tender loving respect that a storyteller gives their characters, taking them to grand proportions in Gratitude, singing “I look at the sky and see your face in the moon.”  Lyrically the music is typically straight forward advice on love, life and relationships.  Mostly positive, the poetry is appropriate snogging theme music with enough contrast in the ballads that it doesn’t get too mushy.  On the active side of socializing, there is Get up and Dance, akin to a mello sort of house.  It is nice to see so much energy from a balladeer.  Even though there are tough life lessons to learn, they are never hindrances to his outlook.

However many of the lyrics are repetitious, riddling off colloquialisms of love too often.  Phrases like “Night after night” and “My Life” seem to be mantras.  More ways to describe love would improve the philosophical aspect.  The repetition in the chorus of Ready, Willing and Able just annoys me a bit, as rhyming the same word is a pet peeve of mine.  Anything else is acceptable, even not rhyming is more interesting, in my personal opinion.  That being said, the songs are really catchy and easy to sing along to within the first few listens.  There is some definite pop potential here for a more mature audience, but many of the chivalrous values, unfortunately, seem to in one ear and out the other for most.  Still, it is refreshing to here such a smooth sound that isn’t raunchy or distasteful at all.  The poetry is PG-13 at its worst, making it fairly family appropriate.

The musical values of David Raleigh are very respectful and have a sweet honesty that is quite enduring to their message, which if it can be summed up, is love.  Strong friendships, bounding, unity and a positive outlook for the future are all common themes that make his poetry unique for its hope.  The musical style is simply that of a classy balladeer proclaiming his love to the world.  Although there is nothing really unique, the pop-goodness will keep these tunes on the tip of your tongue and these hopeful messages in your heart.

Review by Julian Gorman

Julian Gorman, Reviews Beginning Again, David Raleigh

DownTown Mystic  is Robert Allen on vocals and lead guitar, acoustic, electric 12-string, and piano, Steve Holley on drums and percussion, Paul Page on bass, Bruce Engler harmony and slide guitar, and finally, Lance Doss on guitar, mandolin, lap steel, baritone guitar, and banjo.  Their new CD, Standing Still, is one of the finest collections to come my way in quite some time.  It is a compilation of thirteen original songs, all of which were written by Mr. Allen save for one, “Backdoor”, which was co-written by Mr. Allen and G.T. Sullivan.

You will hear the obvious inspirations.  The veteran band POCO came to mind on several tracks, but especially on track 4, “Standing Still”.  I would call it more if a tribute to the band.  They certainly have a Jim Messina sound to them as well.  Therefore, their claim of being influenced by bands such as the fore mentioned band POCO, along with bands such as The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones, is an accurate statement.

On “Standing Still” Mr. Allen’s vocals are outstanding as it is on most tracks.  He has a wide range and is able to bring life to his songs.  The harmonies are perfect as well. You can feel the emotion they are emitting from their tunes.  This is the true test of a good song; when a tune penetrates into your soul, generating chills, then you know you have just heard something great.

Likely my favorite song on the album is “Too Many Times”.  It is another song that will remind you of POCO and Buffalo Springfield, sonically pleasing and sporting phenomenal lyrics.  Mr. Allen’s lead guitar is impeccable as is the band’s rhythm section.  Again, the harmonies are there to bring the song together and compliment Mr. Allen’s expertly performed lead vocals.

The very next track is “Rise and Fall” bringing its familiarity with it but with a flair all its own. Allen’s extremely organic vocal tone fits his music to a tee making it all so very listenable.  I believe he could sing whatever came his way, whether it is blues, country, folk, or pop.  In fact, he accomplishes just that on nearly every track on this exceptionally superb CD.

Track 10 is “History”, a very cool little tune paying tribute to Rock ‘N Roll. If I’m not mistaking, I’m nearly positive I hear a little Keith Richards along with a smidgen of Chuck Berry to top it all off.  It is definitely a floor stomper.

Closing the record, “Shade of White Bluegrass” is certainly rock ‘n roll, but played with a hint of zydeco.  The electric mandolin adds a flavor to the song that will cause the listener to think of The Grateful Dead and the late-great Jerry Garcia.  It was truly a fastidious way to wrap the whole thing up, leaving me to do just one thing; listen to the entire CD again.

So much of today’s music sounds so canned with nothing to set it apart from anything else. This is not the case with Robert Allen and DownTown Mystic, as every song is expertly written, performed, and produced, enticing the listener into anxiousness for the next track.

I just returned from a badly needed sabbatical, in a location where there was no music, no cell phones, and no computers.  It was incredibly uplifting to open the inconspicuous white envelope containing this album, placing it in my player and then hear these astonishingly first-rate sounds escape from my speakers.  It’s revitalizing to know there is still talent out there that is not afraid to take something a little familiar and mold it into their own creation.  That is precisely what Mr. Allen has done with this brilliantly conceived piece of musical art. I truly loved it!

Review by Rod Ames

Reviews, Rod Ames DowntownMystic, Standing Still

Michael Shouse is a Kentucky-based guitarist who has been influenced and inspired by the likes of Vai, Satriani and Belew, among other instrumental rock guitarists. After taking notes from the guitarists who preceded him, Shouse now has the knowledge and ability to teach his predecessors a thing or two about guitar playing (when he isn’t actually busy teaching the next wave of guitarists to play).

Just recently, Michael Shouse went into the studio and recorded his newest mostly- instrumental rock album. The newest release from Shouse is entitled Alone On the Sun. Like most rock guitarists who spend their time creating rock instrumental albums, Shouse creates his music by incorporating, not only rock, but also other genres into the songs, as well. The first track of Alone On the Sun, “Bionic” (along with containing a clever parody of The Six-Million Dollar um…….. Guitarist, as the intro), includes a few hints of heavy metal, as does “Shock And Awe”. And the songs “You Can Fly” and “For Alex” have a jazz-like vibe to them.

In the process of recording the tracks for Alone On the Sun, Shouse enlisted a group of eleven musicians to help create the release. Together, Mike, the three drummers, and eight bassists would combine together to create twelve unique trios (containing guitar, bass and drums), one for each track on the album. Having one unique musical outfit for each song ensured that each track would have its own unique sound and personality. This also guaranteed that each song would sound fresh, since no three musicians created more than one song on the album as a group.

While eighty percent of the album is instrumental, there are two tracks that feature vocals. For those tracks, Gene Booth joins Shouse on vocals. Booth provides the vocals for the power ballad “Don’t Remember Me,” and on the song “Man of Constant Sorrow,” the song most recently recognized from the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

With Shouse having grown up in Kentucky, it seemed only natural to have included just a little bluegrass flavoring to the album; although, with the arrangement of the song “Man of Constant Sorrow,” you’d hardly recognize the song as being a tune that has been recorded and performed by many bluegrass artists over the years. Shouse not only is a very good musician, but this track also proves he has the skills as an arranger, as well.

Shouse recorded the vast majority of Alone On the Sun while he was using an electric guitar. There are, however, a few quickly passing hints on the release where the guitarist shows his playing ability and technique on the acoustic guitar. You can hear all-too-few bars where the acoustic carries the momentum on “You Can Fly”. With “Man of Constant Sorrow,” the first ninety seconds of the song feature the acoustic as it creates the familiar structure to the bluegrass standard before Shouse changes the feeling of the song by adding the electric guitar to the mix.

The guitar is Michael Shouse’s instrument of choice. So, Alone On the Sun was created in a way to showcase Shouse’s strengths as a guitarist. However, there are some instances where you can also hear Shouse adding a few embellishments to the music by playing the keyboard on part of the title track. Although the brief time the keyboard is part of the mix, you can tell that Shouse is a multi-talented musician.

If the impressive body of music that makes up the album of Alone On the Sun by Shouse isn’t enough for you, the extras included as part of the CD-Rom part of the package should make the album worth checking out. As part of the computer side of the release, you get the video for the title track to the album, and you also get the charts to learn to play the songs that are included in the release. The tablature for the disc is almost like having one-on-one sessions with Michael Shouse himself.

Hard rock heavy metal, jazz, and even hints of bluegrass all help to help Michael Shouse to create a varied and entertaining new release. If rock guitarists make up a large part of your music collection (or even if they don’t), Alone On the Sun by Shouse is definitely worthy to be added into that collection.

Review by Matheson Kamin

Matheson Kamin, Reviews Alone On the Sun, Shouse

Rob Dillon may be a Canadian who spent a good deal of his career life working in the technology field before returning to music, but his CD, The One, is sincerely influenced by American blues and country. Although blues and country take up the lion’s share of these tracks, many different musical roots styles are touched upon throughout. And it’s an enjoyable journey, as well.  Dillon began as a teen guitar prodigy. He was so good, in fact, his guitar teacher eventually asked him to play in his band. His new CD is nicely balanced out with jumping blues songs, country laments, and folk-ish touches. He performs each variety well.

The disc opens with “Pride and Joy”, which was first made famous by Stevie Ray Vaughan and his band Double Trouble back in the early ‘80s. For starters, it takes a lot of guts to cover a Vaughan song, as that man was one of the greatest modern bluesmen of our time. But Dillon carries it off with style and grace, and sounds perfectly comfortable singing and playing the tune. This track also shows off Dillon’s guitar skills, which are ample. But you never get the feeling he’s trying to show off. After all, the best guitarists always seem to make the difficult appear easy, and that’s precisely what happens during this recording.

“The Stars of White Cedars”, however, shows off a completely different side of Dillon’s varied musical personality. With its guitar, fiddle, and harmonica, this one is a gentle little folk instrumental. It was written to express how Dillon feels about the gorgeous night stars at the White Cedar’s Campground in Dacre, Ontario. As this sweet tune rolls right along, it’s easy to imagine using this music as a soundtrack for a little contemplative stargazing.

Dillon is also adept at playing music that is just plain and simple dance fare. The track “Squeezebox Song” is exactly what its title would lead you to believe – a hot stepping dance number. While not anything close to any hardcore Cajun stomp, this song nevertheless makes you want to get up and move a bit. After all, that’s the whole point.

In a few places, Dillon even gets a little personal with his music. One titled “Lynn’s Song”, for instance, is about a friend that recently passed away too soon. It is clear Dillon misses her greatly, especially when he sings, “I cry out to you/Please help me write this song.” After the death of this good friend, Rob has put effort into raising money for the fight against cancer, the illness that took her life. And as we’ve all been touched by cancer, in one way or another, it’s easy to understand why such a song is so important to Dillon. Furthermore, “Renfrew” is a country song where Dillon recalls his grandfather playing the fiddle, as well as other familial recollections. As he says it, this song is all about “small town memories,” and is intended as a tribute to the town of Renfrew, Ontario, Canada where Dillon is from.

Rob Dillon’s The One is not intended to change the music world as we know it. He’s not trying to be the next Dylan; he doesn’t even spell his last name the same way. Instead, he set out to make a personal statement about the people, places, and music he loves. And at that goal, he succeeds easily. It’s a little like a musical letter from home, where you don’t need to know a whole lot about the guy to get a good first impression of what he’s all about. With that said, this assessment takes nothing away from the obvious quality of his music. We’ve all received letters and emails from people that just can’t write, right? And although it’s wonderful to hear from them, it sometimes can be a trial just understanding what they’re trying to say. Yet Dillon has composed his little note from home skillfully and artfully. Even if you don’t give a rip about his life – and shame on you if you don’t – it’s impossible not to feel good after listening to Dillon’s personalized dispatch.

Review by Dan MacIntosh

Dan MacIntosh, Reviews Rob Dillon, The One

Karen Grace may not aspire to become a one-woman Beatles or Beach Boys, but much like those two iconic rock bands, this singer/songwriter has just created a concept album. Metamorphosis is mainly a project that concerns significant life changes, conceptually speaking. A familiar natural example of the way caterpillars transform themselves into butterflies is used lyrically in order to picturesquely illustrate how positive human changes are possible – simply because they’re natural. As Grace announces in the opening title track, “Like a butterfly, I rise from my lowly ground.” Subsequently, these 11 songs are intended for anybody intent upon raising themselves above any lowly place they happen to find themselves, and fly free like a butterfly.

Grace closes her album, quite appropriately, with a song titled “Butterfly”. She receives much inspiration from the final life form beauty of a colorful butterfly. “I took a fancy to a butterfly,” she sings, “she took me flying on the wings of desire.” However, Grace is just as enamored with the supernatural world, as she is with her natural surroundings. In one song called “Believe” that contemplates extraterrestrial life, she asks the question: “Do you believe in Angels?” There’s the pull of the natural world, which basically tells us that what we see, is what we get and that’s all there is. But there is also something that tugs at the imagination of even the staunchest atheist: Is there really more than can be seen with the naked eye? Elsewhere, Grace recognizes the angelic characteristics in mortal humans, too. During a track called “Love Makes”, she recalls meeting a woman who “was white as snow.” This woman “was an angel, in an earthly groove.” Perhaps this is where we truly encounter the divine; whenever it intersects within earthly beings, and inhabits them in a most spiritual way.

Like a butterfly, Grace has a naturally beautiful voice. Without question, she is a professionally trained singer that must certainly have sung operas at one point in her career. However, this CD is packed with personal songs about a personal journey, which would be difficult to replicate in the oftentimes overly dramatic world of your typical opera.

In many cases, these songs are quiet, demanding close attention. In contrast to, say, an R&B singer, Grace rarely uses her fine vocal instrument to reach out and grab the listener’s attention by the collar. Instead, she invites you into her quiet, contemplative world softly, where you’ll likely need to slow down your racing brain and walk, not run, to completely get it.

As pretty as Grace’s voice is – and it is quite a fine talent to behold – it’s an extra treat to hear her break out slightly soulfully a few times. This aural changeup is particularly notable with the song “Sweeter than Rain”, which brings to mind Carole King’s distinctive blue-eyed soul. Grace is also a skilled musician, too. On this disc, for instance, she plays guitar and keyboards. She also knows about the whole DIY process, as she produced and recorded this CD all by her lonesome.

Nearly everything about this project points to a magical world, whether it is a world that can be seen or not. In fact, the disc was recorded at a studio named, The Faery House At The End Of The Garden in West London. And somehow, that little geographical fact should come as no great surprise to anybody.  As was stated at the outset, Karen Grace shares the whole concept album approach with rockers like the Beatles and the Beach Boys. But Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson often create musical fantasy worlds with their music as well, which means that Grace has more in common with these superstars than one might assume upon first impression.

Grace expresses the tension that exists between who we are as human beings and who we hope to be someday. But it’s also true that we are beautiful already, just the way we are. God doesn’t make junk. Sure, cynics may think such a statement is too close to Mr. Rogers Neighborhood for comfort. However, it’s essential to point out that, while Grace is on a quest for personal metamorphosis, she is – because of all her instrumental, lyrical, and vocal talent – quite beautiful already.

Review by Dan MacIntosh

Dan MacIntosh, Reviews "Karen Grace, Metamorphosis