Derek Alyre Boudreau, who records under the name Alyre, has created a highly emotional CD with the songs found on Fetterman Ave. Most of these songs express desperation over romantic issues. In Alyre’s musical world, there is no such thing as an average, uneventful day. Instead, lovers walk on the edge where happiness or misery might be just one false footstep away.

The title track, the most structurally adventurous piece on the album, begins with a musical figure that hearkens back to the progressive rock era. But before long, it switches to a guitar riff that sounds a whole lot like Nirvana’s “Smells like Teen Spirit”, albeit without all the driving grunge feedback. Alyre is an effective singer, but Katrina is even more of a pleasure to listen to. She reaches for similar emotional pressure points, but her singing is just naturally prettier.

Alyre plays guitar, bass and drums on this release. And while he is a passable player with each of these instruments, he also doesn’t particularly excel at any of them. For instance, when he takes a guitar solo on “You’re Not Alone”, you may find yourself wishing for a little more fiery fretwork in order to give the track that extra oomph it needs. Instead, Alyre plays a rather pedestrian acoustic guitar solo on it. There are no standout bass lines on any of these songs, and while he may not be Keith Moon on the drums, he never plays anything to embarrass himself.

Alyre also produced this CD, along with Vivian Scaturro and Rich Krostek, and it sounds excellent throughout. There is crispness in the instrumentation that makes every instrument, and nearly every note, stand out. Diehard rockers might think it a little too clean sounding, but it would be better to frame this as a pop offering, with extra rock edge, rather than the other way around. It’s also worth noting that each track flows into the next, without a silence break between songs.

Lyrically, this disc comes off a little too much like a one trick pony. Alyre has obviously been hurt in a relationship, and that pain comes through on each and every track. If listeners have recently experienced that same sort of heartbreak, Fetterman Ave is a feast. But for those not now or recently embroiled in post breakup blues, all these we-done-us-wrong songs may be a little much. Derek’s spirituality shows through most clearly during the folk-ish “Back Home”, which is sung with Alyre’s regular female vocal partner, Katrina. Lyrically, it appears to be Alyre’s appeal for an angel to come down to Earth and help him. Katrina plays the role of the angel on it. This song, with its acoustic guitar part, is one of the least rock & roll cuts on the album.

Fetterman Ave is good, but it would have been better if Alyre had had the benefit of a few more musical collaborators. Nevertheless, a little professional musical spark goes a long way in brightening good recordings, and had there been a few instrumental ringers, these songs would have really come alive. One might also like to see Alyre widen his lyrical palette a tad the next time out. A speck of humor here, or a touch of a third person perspective there, would have given this disc some much-needed lyrical variety. With that said, however, Alyre is a talented artist, with a bright future.

Review by Dan MacIntosh

Dan MacIntosh, Reviews Alyre, Fetterman Ave

The artwork to Leyla Fences’ Liars, Cheats & Fools CD includes the saying, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!”  The package also disclaims, “The stories in the songs you are about to hear are true. The names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.” Fences pulls no punches.  She is hardcore, Texas country, and no foolin’.

Coming out shooting, Fences resists a former lover who cheated and lied to her in “Love Doesn’t Work Like That”, affirming that love is a dysfunctional family that doesn’t always work out quite the way we want it to. With “Let Him Go”, she advises her girlfriends to give up on guys that are just not worth the trouble. On “This Close” she announces, “I just called to say I’m not coming home.”

Good intentions are sometimes not powerful enough motivators to get one past a bad relationship, however. On “Gettin’ over Him”, Fences finds herself smoking, drinking and trying to look cool because “Beer is not strong enough for all he’s done.” A large part of Fences’ frustration in this case is that her ex is doing a much better job at moving on. “There’s no getting’ over him like he’s getting’ over me,” she complains. Drinking also plays into “Upside Blues”, where Fences promises to drink until she’s washed a man out of her life, so to speak.

Fences is as pretty as a picture, but she sure doesn’t sound too vulnerable when she sings. At least not the way Rhonda Vincent and Alison Krauss can. Instead, she has a Reba-like toughness in her voice, which serves all losers and pretenders notice that she means business. With “The Other Side”, she imagines a different life than the one she lives. She wonders what it would be like to be a stay-home mom, and while she realizes the grass almost always looks greener on the other side, that doesn’t stop her from fantasizing. She then takes the concept further than most artists would, peeking into the life of a housewife who is as equally frustrated as her unencumbered counterpart.

Liars, Cheats & Fools doesn’t tell us anything we don’t already know or give us country sounds we haven’t heard.  But this CD is not about doing or saying anything new.  It’s about delivering common sense in country style that speaks to the truth of love and losers that everybody knows.  For the most part, Fences sings these songs straight, along with plenty of guitar and pedal steel. Nevertheless, “The Fool” nicely incorporates some girly backing vocals, which gives it a little extra silliness.

Although Fences comes off as a cynic much of the time, she has not completely given up on love. The song “Maybe” looks at a particular man in a realistic light. He might be Mr. Right, but then again, he may not be the one she’s been waiting for. Saying “maybe” is not the same as saying “yes” or “no”. It holds out hope that something good could still happen. Just maybe.

If you like real, honest to goodness Texas country music, you can’t go wrong with Leyla Fences. This CD won’t ever be confused with pop-country, country-rock, or any other over hyphenation of the style. If you take your country like your whiskey, straight with no chaser, then this is the disc for you.

Review by Dan MacIntosh

Dan MacIntosh, Reviews Leyla Fences, Liars Cheats & Fools

Iona Leigh’s music is intended to comfort mankind; namely those wild by nature. Some might characterize Leigh’s style as new age, yet this CD opens with a track titled “Nature’s Lament”, which credits William Wordsworth as its lyricist. Just to provide some perspective, Mr. Wordsworth stopped writing lyrics around about 1850, which is when that beloved wordsmith died. If he was in fact a new age poet, than that movement’s a whole lot older than we first suspected. “Queen Boadicea” is even older, having been penned by William Cowper, who bowed out in 1800.

Just in case the listener cannot figure out the true intentions of each song, every track is matched with a song affirmation at the back of the CD booklet. For instance, “Nature’s Lament” is accompanied with the phrase, “I rejoice in the divine beauty of nature revealed within and without.” And in support of the aforementioned “Queen Boadicea”, Leigh writes, “I am courageous and I have the power to overcome any obstacle.” In addition to famous poets of old, Leigh also thanks, “unseen beings, nature spirits, elementals, angels and muses for your enchanting inspiration.” They’re thanked, it’s true, but one seriously doubts a single one of these creatures will receive a percentage of the publishing.

No matter what you may make of Leigh’s quirky spirituality, it’s impossible not to be impressed by her vocal abilities. “Colours of the Earth”, in particular, has a solid rhythm, which supports Leigh’s semi-smoky vocal. She emotes so sweetly, you may not even notice lines like, “The fairy folk within the forests/Fly round and sing like birds.”

Leigh may sound like a fantasy novelist at times, but she seemingly has the best intentions. Such good will is expressed on a track titled “Visions for Life”. On it, she imagines a world where peace and restoration are common, and it’s a world with a place for everybody. “For a dream like this is yours to find,” she affirms. “It soothes the heart and heals the mind.” It’s as if she’s beckoning the brokenhearted and mentally scarred to follow her to this heavenly retreat.

This project utilizes many different instruments, including guitars, dulcimer, mandolin, bass, harp, uillean pipes, flutes, drums and percussion. Yet “Banish the Storm” is one of this 10-song set’s stronger tracks because of its relatively stripped down arrangement. On it, piano is most prominent in the mix, and supports a song where Leigh’s singing is at its most passionate.

There is yet one more relatively ancient lyrical idea fleshed out on this recording, by the way. “Eyes of the Soul” was inspired by Banjo Paterson’s poem, “As Long As Your Eyes Are Blue”. And instead of being an ode to nature’s beauty, these lines of verse comprise a more straight forward love song. “And my faithful sweetheart I shall love you still/For as long as your eyes are blue.”

While Leigh’s reapplication of nature poetry is mostly lovely, the last song on this release may be a little too tree hug-y for some to handle. On it, trees are thanked for their green, leaves, breeze, and peace — in that order. While it’s scientifically correct to state, “You give us life to breathe,” the following couplet, “You are so healing/You help us when we grieve,” is far more subjective.

One might quibble with Iona Leigh’s subject matter; this is not at all regular pop music territory. But she’s an excellent singer, and these songs ultimately create an overall peaceful mood. You may come into it wild by nature, but Iona Leigh will have you calmed down significantly before all’s said and done.

Review by Dan MacIntosh

Dan MacIntosh, Reviews Iona Leigh, Wild by Nature

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

Singer/songwriter Mike Grutka is hell bent on never sticking to any one musical style.  He hops – chameleon-like – from genre to genre, like an impatient driver flipping around the radio dial while stuck in morning traffic.

The best Grutka is one that digs old R.E.M. recordings, and even older Byrds discs. “Denver (Spinning Around)” is one such winning guitar jangle fest that brings to mind those days back when Michael Stipe mumbled his lyrics and nobody cared. The song’s lyric talks about seeking meaning in travel. While name-dropping big city names all over the States, Grutka mentions at one point: “Walking out will set you free/When I finally left the path they’d shown me.” This last line, in particular, suggests that true happiness is only discovered when one sets out to make his or her own path. “Come With Me” comes off a little like a nice Byrds-y ballad. Its lyric also suggests there is power in motion. “Take me by the hand, come away,” Grutka pleads. Grutka uses a similar lyrical device during “The Sea” where he suggests, “Take my hand and life is sweet”.

If this album is a puzzle, then some of its pieces don’t seem to fit. “Sunshine” has some nice faux-classical production, which is still slightly out of place, but “Standing Beside Me” is based around drum machine synth-pop which may not be Grutka’s best fitting musical outfit. Speaking of synth-pop, by the way, “Everything” appears to have stolen the melody for the Pet Shop Boys’ “It’s A Sin”. But this song, which tries to convince a girl that everything in her life is leading her to him, has a bit of a musical hall shuffle going for it, with sweet, almost barbershop, harmonies. In other words, outside of the melody, this ain’t no Pet Shop Boy track.

This album’s title shows up in its last song, called “Lifetime (Ria)”, which is the quietist track on the record. Like a lot of the other songs on this CD, its lyric is deeply philosophical. It’s hard to tell if Grutka is praising God, a girl, or some other unnamed or vaguely described benefactor. He sings: “The gifts you bring tonight/Make me whole again/Whispers in the wind/My own”. It’s the sort of song that closes proceedings by reassuring listeners that Grutka has found some sort of personal peace. It also suggests that this is not a peace discovered by everyone. “See all the people in the night/Who say they’d like to know it.”

Grutka’s voice is on the thin side, which sometimes hampers the effectiveness of his singing. But he does the best he can with what he has, and surrounds himself with complimentary production that allows his voice to nicely fit in, rather treat it like a vocal showcase. Ria is a good pop album, for lack of a better term. There are cases where Grutka inputs rock elements, such as a Neil Young-ish electric guitar solo at one point. But these elements are always in service of the songs, and never cases for Grutka to get all crazy and rock out. It’s readily apparent that Grutka enjoys experimenting. Far too often, artists get in the studio with rigid visions, and output equally rigid recordings. However, if Grutka wants any advice on the one primary style to stick with, the jaunty pop of “Denver (Spinning Around)” is so enjoyable, another 11 songs nearly like it wouldn’t at all be a bad thing. It’s the sort of song that sounds like a hit. It’s also the kind of song you’d likely turn up loud if you heard it on the radio. And because it’s lyric is primarily about travel, it’s almost the perfect road song.

Mike Grutka has a lot of fine music in him. One has to wonder what else he has up his sleeve.

Review by Dan MacIntosh

Dan MacIntosh, Reviews Mike Grutka, Ria

Earl J. Rivard employs a striking analogy to introduce his latest CD, Underground Railroad.  This disc’s title track draws a shocking parallel between the Underground Railroad, which was created to free black slaves during America’s shameful racist past, with the way current Mexican immigrants are being mistreated by the U.S. government.  Rivard pulls no punches and sings biting words to make his point.  “The time has come to say it loud/We have lost our fucking minds”.  It’s the sort of righteous anger one might expect to hear from Stevie Wonder, albeit, probably without the profanity.  Rivard is mad as hell, and he’s not going to take it anymore.

With that said, this is the only truly politically-charged track on the CD.  Elsewhere, Rivard is a hopeless, yet literate and intelligent, romantic. The very moment after he gets the vitriol out of his system with “Underground Railroad”, he is gushing about finding true love. It’s the perfect transitional link to an album of mostly love songs too, as it begins.  “Outside it is snowing/But you and I are glowing”. The cold weather is, perhaps, analogous to the chilly race relations confronted with “Underground Railroad”, whereas Rivard’s statement about creating a romantic glow proves that, even though the world is going wrong in many ways, love still survives.

In fact, Rivard utilizes many weather-related lyrical devices to express his perspective throughout this project.  “Coldest Place” speaks of a love, much like an extinguished fire, that is cold and no longer burning. In contrast, “The Sun Finally Rose” compares the illumination of a new love relationship to the rising of the sun.  “When you walked into my life/The sun finally rose”.

One song in particular directly references Rivard’s role as a songwriter.  “Unfinished Songs” is about just what its title suggests: unfinished songs.  One imagines that for every great song a songwriter creates, there are many others that never reach completion, let alone wind up on a CD.  What makes this track stand out most of all is its ending. The last line reads, “Of this ragged and rusted collection of unfinished…”. Get it? You’re expecting to hear the word “songs” at the end of that line, but, like a lot of his aborted musical creations, this line remains unfinished.  Although it is aurally abrupt, this tactic is effective and perfectly makes Rivard’s point.

Rivard also includes a fine character study among these twelve new recordings.  “Nobody Knows” tells the story of a lonely woman, who is described as being “wounded in childhood” and a “motherless wanderer.” It’s difficult to decipher if this is one woman in particular or a composite of a few pitiful lives.  That point doesn’t really matter, however, because Rivard’s words describe a person we’ve all known at one time or another.  This is a restless person, one who keeps moving in hopes of finding a home.  “Flying and fleeing wherever the chilly wind blows,” the lyrics state, and one can just picture, perhaps, a homeless lady in search of a better life. Or it could just be a teenager that doesn’t feel loved at home, as is suggested by the following line: “Up in her bedroom the gray dust is gathering”.  It all adds up to an empathetic song about someone who is tragically unloved.

Rivard is a multi-instrumentalist (playing various guitars and percussion instruments), as well as being bilingual and singing a few of these tracks in Spanish.  At times, he sounds like the aforementioned Stevie Wonder.  At other moments he may remind you of Santana.  In every style he inhabits, however, Rivard comes off sincerely passionate.  The listener is left with the impression that Rivard takes everything seriously, and to heart.  He doesn’t write songs just to be clever, that’s for sure.  Rather, the songs from his pen begin first with his heart.  If it was Rivard’s goal to express his heart through this music, he succeeded thoroughly.

Review by Dan MacIntosh

Dan MacIntosh, Reviews Earl J. Rivard, Underground Railroad

Finding happiness due to the absence of another is a little like rooting for one team to lose, rather than hoping one of the teams to win.  It’s all about putting ones hopes in a negative outcome, instead of focusing on what’s sincerely good.  Toni Vere sings, “I get a little peace of mind/Knowing that I’m better off without you there” on a rhythmic, country track called “100 Miles”.  But don’t let this isolated observation lead you to believe Vere is an overly negative person.  Vere has gone through some major life changes over the past decade or so, and you cannot understand the present and future, without also analyzing the past.  Just to Be is a fine ideal, although life is never lived in such a clear cut vacuum.  Instead, we are made to embrace what we were, are, and hope to become, and this 11-song release finds Vere appreciating the here and now as best she can.

There are moments when Vere comes off somewhat like a female version of John Denver.  It’s not hard to imagine that Rocky Mountain man, for instance, singing the praises of nature, as happens during “My Backyard”, or considering a family heirloom, as Vere does with “Grandma’s Old Guitar”. Folk is probably the most encapsulating description of what Vere creates, although there’s a whole lot of country thrown into this mix.  Vere is at her country best during “Which Train Did I Miss”, which rumbles down the tracks at a mighty powerful clip.  It’s a road song, and every songwriter’s got one in him/her.  “The room we had to stay in had some uninvited guests”, Vere says of this icky, literal roach motel.

The major change Vere made in her life involved coming out as a lesbian, but there aren’t a whole lot of lesbian-themed songs on this disc.  “The Girl Next Door”, a folk-y, horn-accented track, however, speaks out about Vere’s life change.  It begins with Vere confessing, “I wrote this song it’s kind of gay”, and she’s being quite literal.

Vere is pictured in the CD’s artwork holding and playing a trusty acoustic guitar, and acoustic-centered country-rock is her bread and butter.  She steps away from this musical direction briefly, however, by ending the project by singing “Pinch Me”, which is piano-based, as well as guitar colored.  It’s also Vere’s most straightforward love song.  Rather than come off like the toughened observer she plays much of the rest of the time, Vere sounds positively giddy with romantic love.  “Just about every single time I hear your name/My heart skips a beat” she proclaims, like a head-over-heels in-lover.

This singer/songwriter appears to be torn between her complex current life, and the simple lifestyle she desires.  A song like “Levi Strauss” was likely inspired by a favorite pair of jeans, just as “Grandma’s Old Guitar” is about a favorite relative and “My Backyard” zeroes in on a favorite beatific place.  By writing this way, Vere will likely come off far less threatening than, say, Melissa Etheridge, who treats sexuality like a dangerous minefield.  Vere only wants to be with the one – and ones – she loves, as well as surrounded by things she obtains pleasure from.  You don’t get the feeling she aims to cause any waves or engage in sexual politics; she is what she is, that’s all.

However, all this album’s playing nice sometimes makes one long for a little more edge from Vere.  A little vitriol is probably good for the soul; if nothing else, it’s particularly nice on the ears.  There’s an old newspaper saying, which states that stories about dogs biting humans are immediately downplayed.  But the moment a man bites a dog, now that’s news!  Domesticity is great for stable relationships, but it doesn’t always lead to engaging art.  Toni Vere is here just to be who she is, so don’t expect any daring career moves.  Instead, she’s a seeker of the good – but simple – life, and she wants to tell you about this uncomplicated life in song.

Review by Dan MacIntosh

Dan MacIntosh, Reviews

The next time you attend a wedding reception, do this informal poll:  Watch the action out on the dance floor and notice what makes people dance.  Some folks will only get their backfields in motion to oldies but goodies, while the younger crowd may not move a toe unless a record was released within the last year.  In other words, dance music is a highly relative term.  Zupe didn’t need to spy on every neighborhood wedding reception, however, to gather this insight.  Instead, he knew it instinctively.  This is why his CD Dance is filled with so much variety.  He knows the phrase, ‘Different strokes, for different folks,’ particularly holds true when it comes to making music that causes people move their feet.

This disc’s variety can be starkly different, even from track to track.  “Solamente La Samba”, for instance, is a hot little number, especially notable for its spicy trumpet work.  Yet “Magnolia”, which follows directly after it, is a sweet ‘n soft country ballad, colored with twang-y guitar and empathetic fiddle.  Getting back to our wedding reception analogy, the dance crowds would be completely different for each of these singled-out selections.  By the way, country musical elements also enter into the picture once again with the descriptively titled “Saturday Night Honky Tonk”, which closes out this release.  Hey, rednecks like to dance, too!

Zupe spells out his stylistic intentions many times throughout this work.  To the point, mambo dancing is strongly suggested with “Martinique Mambo”, whereas the samba is at the forefront of “Solamente Samba”.  And one of the truly fun songs on this CD is “Indiscreet Tango”, which is guided by gypsy accordion playing, as well as similarly plunked piano.  While much of this music is beat heavy – you can’t get a whole lot of action out on the dance floor without a solid beat – there are also slower tunes, as well.  After all, folks need to slow dance, too.  “Dreamland” is a good example of a big band down tempo dance song.  With its warm trumpet work, it sounds like something out of a post World War Two dancehall.

In a few places, Zupe has put the word “dance” right into his songs, which is not at all uncommon with dance music.  The CD opens with “Let’s Dance”, which features a laid back vocal.  “Dance with Me”, on the other hand, sports much more insistent singing.  When the words, “dance with me” are sung during its chorus, this is a demand, not a request.  The song is a lusty little Latin number, which brings the music of Ricky Martin to mind.

With the popularity of TV’s Dancing with the Stars, partner dancing has made a roaring comeback.  And that’s a good thing, because, dancing has always played an important role in the human courting process.  With Dance, Zupe has given us an extensive reminder of the great variety that exists in the world of dance.  For those that are already accomplished dancers, this recording will give you plenty of sounds to practice to.  But even if you have two left feet, you’ll still enjoy these tracks because there are no two alike.  Furthermore, the musicianship is topnotch.  An ability to switch from country music to Latin dance is not a skill shared by all players, yet Zupe has gathered together a troupe that can seemingly do it all.

If Zupe were to play the next wedding reception you attended, chances are good he would get an accurate read on the crowd and only play songs that kept the majority of celebrants on the dance floor.  Sadly, dance music – to the ears of many music critics – is sometimes disrespected the way comedies are looked down upon by the Oscars.  But just as being funny is not always as easy as it looks, creating dance music that makes people want to get up immediately and move can be extremely hard work.  So give Zupe a little respect because he makes dance music look easy here.

Review by Dan MacIntosh

Dan MacIntosh, Reviews Dance, Zupe

Shady Cats live up to their name in one respect: they are incurably curious.  Although this tends to kill many in the feline family, such an axiom likely doesn’t hold true for musicians.  At least we hope not.  Shady Cats’ positive nosiness reveals itself in the seemingly endless variety of music contained on their Love Callin’ CD.  This act is many different bands rolled into one.

The band that comes to mind most when listening to this CD is Toad The Wet Sprocket.  In fact, “Lost Myself” sounds a whole lot like a great lost Glen Phillips (Toad’s vocalist and primary songwriter) track.  Shady Cats’ singer, Grady Crumpler, has one of those voices that just drips with empathy.  Whenever he sings, the listener just has to believe he really cares deeply about everyone he’s ever met.

Although Crumpler is a sensitively consistent vocalist, he is something altogether different as a guitarist.  For example, the solo he takes on “She Kisses Me With Her Eyes” is doppelganger-esquely like Elliot Easton, formerly of The Cars.  The notes are clipped and melodic, just like those solos Easton put together on many of the early The Cars records. Yet “All The Way”, with its distinctly Latin groove, finds Crumpler switching to a speedy Carlos Santana-like style.  There aren’t two more different guitarists in the world than Easton and Santana, yet Crumpler inhabits the personalities of each excellent musician at various points within this CD.

But even when Crumpler is not doing a little added Rich Little work with his guitar, Shady Cats can still often sound like a variety of different bands.  For example, “Take Me”, with its soulful organ work, brings to mind The Rascals.  “I Want Independence” also particularly stands out, as it features much harder rock than the rest of the project.  Crumpler sure seems like a nice guy when singing these songs, but one still gets the sneaky suspicion that all’s not well in paradise.  Both “Lost Myself” and “In This Moment” speak of losing one’s self, for instance.  Also, “Lines” features lyrical lines that state, “Lines/On the road and on the mirror”, which is a not-too-subtle drug reference.

All this sugar coated darkness makes the happy song, “All The Way”, stand out all the more.  It’s a song that puts love in surfer’s terminology.  True love is, indeed, like catching the perfect wave.  To further make the point, this track ends with a few vocal harmonies that are straight out of the Brian Wilson/Beach Boys book.

With the happiness of “All The Way” being a sort of exception to the rule, you have to wonder if it just might be best to avoid the phone’s ring when love is callin’. Isn’t love supposed to be a welcome visitor?  Isn’t everybody just dying to have love over for dinner?  To hear the Shady Cats talk about love, their perspective must give a guy some serious doubts.

All romantic doubts aside, Shady Cats are experts at building the perfect power-pop beast.  Just like the love they describe, theirs is a beautiful beast.  Still, make no mistake about it: pretty as it is, love is still one dangerous animal.

Review by Dan MacIntosh

Dan MacIntosh, Reviews Love Callin', Shady Cats